long enough to wake the people who slept beyond the barrier.
âIsidro!â she hissed again, groping her way across the floor of trodden spruce. She found him sprawled face down, just as she realised that the echoed throb in her arm was gone. Her stomach lurched within her as she remembered how heâd fought against that tide of power, and in a near panic she rolled him over and pressed her ear to his chest. Black Sun help me. After a long agonising moment, she found the slow thump of his heart â too slow, but at least the beat was steady. Sierra wept with relief, a few stinging tears. Quickly, she gulped them back, listening for any sign of stirring from the rest of the tent. Once she was certain that no one had woken, she carefully dragged him back to the warmth of his furs.
He was far lighter than a man of his size should be. Sierra remembered when the guards had brought him in and stripped him â heâd been a warrior then, a man to be reckoned with, but in the weeks since all hisflesh had melted away. With her fingertips she could count every one of the ribs standing out through his skin.
Once she had his blankets wrapped around him once more, Sierra felt her way down to the foot of his bed, where the kitbag was usually kept. Kell had dispatched Isidro to Lathayan with a set of enchantments to keep the wounds from sickening during the journey. The people who had cared for him must have taken them off. Most folks were suspicious of enchantments, but Sierra could only hope they hadnât been thrown away. She had stopped herself before draining all his strength, but the power she had taken had left him even weaker than before.
She could sense the enchantments in there somewhere, sending minute ripples of power through the air, but hampered by the need for silence, it took her some minutes to find them. Each one consisted of a few lumpy stone beads, threaded onto a bit of leather that had been tied around his wrists. They were most effective worn next to the skin but even at the foot of his bed they had probably done him some good. After weeks without wear their power had run right down but the enchantments themselves were still intact. All she needed to do was recharge them.
Sierra felt her way back to her bed and buried herself beneath one of the furs, trusting it to hide the light she made. She charged each of the stones in turn, clenching it within her fist as she trickled the finest stream of power she could manage into the stone. Too much would overwhelm the enchantment and corrupt it, or even destroy it entirely.
By the time she was done, Sierraâs head was pounding so badly that she felt ill. It was all she could do to crawl back to his bedside and tuck the renewed enchantments inside his shirt next to his skin on either side of his chest, where they wouldnât be found until he woke and noticed them himself. Then, all she could do was hope he wouldnât remember what had happened here in the dark.
Chapter 4
Days were short in a Ricalani winter. Everyone awoke while it was still full night, and when Cam and Garzen went out to check on the horses all the stars were out and there wasnât even a hint of dawn in the sky. They lacked the numbers to keep a proper watch, so first thing every morning and often several times during the night as well, either Cam or Garzen would leave the tent to check on their little herd. That morning, Garzen opened the water-hole with the ice chisel while Cam led the horses down to drink. He met Eloba there when she came down to fetch water for the tent.
âCam, are you sure thereâs no sign of danger?â she said, glancing to the west. âThe cursed Mesentreians are so close and the Slavers must be drawing near â¦â
âThereâs neither hide nor hair of them, Eloba, I swear. Charzic and those other wretches have made themselves scarce and the only tracks I saw belonged to the woman I found. Besides,
âIsidro!â she hissed again, groping her way across the floor of trodden spruce. She found him sprawled face down, just as she realised that the echoed throb in her arm was gone. Her stomach lurched within her as she remembered how heâd fought against that tide of power, and in a near panic she rolled him over and pressed her ear to his chest. Black Sun help me. After a long agonising moment, she found the slow thump of his heart â too slow, but at least the beat was steady. Sierra wept with relief, a few stinging tears. Quickly, she gulped them back, listening for any sign of stirring from the rest of the tent. Once she was certain that no one had woken, she carefully dragged him back to the warmth of his furs.
He was far lighter than a man of his size should be. Sierra remembered when the guards had brought him in and stripped him â heâd been a warrior then, a man to be reckoned with, but in the weeks since all hisflesh had melted away. With her fingertips she could count every one of the ribs standing out through his skin.
Once she had his blankets wrapped around him once more, Sierra felt her way down to the foot of his bed, where the kitbag was usually kept. Kell had dispatched Isidro to Lathayan with a set of enchantments to keep the wounds from sickening during the journey. The people who had cared for him must have taken them off. Most folks were suspicious of enchantments, but Sierra could only hope they hadnât been thrown away. She had stopped herself before draining all his strength, but the power she had taken had left him even weaker than before.
She could sense the enchantments in there somewhere, sending minute ripples of power through the air, but hampered by the need for silence, it took her some minutes to find them. Each one consisted of a few lumpy stone beads, threaded onto a bit of leather that had been tied around his wrists. They were most effective worn next to the skin but even at the foot of his bed they had probably done him some good. After weeks without wear their power had run right down but the enchantments themselves were still intact. All she needed to do was recharge them.
Sierra felt her way back to her bed and buried herself beneath one of the furs, trusting it to hide the light she made. She charged each of the stones in turn, clenching it within her fist as she trickled the finest stream of power she could manage into the stone. Too much would overwhelm the enchantment and corrupt it, or even destroy it entirely.
By the time she was done, Sierraâs head was pounding so badly that she felt ill. It was all she could do to crawl back to his bedside and tuck the renewed enchantments inside his shirt next to his skin on either side of his chest, where they wouldnât be found until he woke and noticed them himself. Then, all she could do was hope he wouldnât remember what had happened here in the dark.
Chapter 4
Days were short in a Ricalani winter. Everyone awoke while it was still full night, and when Cam and Garzen went out to check on the horses all the stars were out and there wasnât even a hint of dawn in the sky. They lacked the numbers to keep a proper watch, so first thing every morning and often several times during the night as well, either Cam or Garzen would leave the tent to check on their little herd. That morning, Garzen opened the water-hole with the ice chisel while Cam led the horses down to drink. He met Eloba there when she came down to fetch water for the tent.
âCam, are you sure thereâs no sign of danger?â she said, glancing to the west. âThe cursed Mesentreians are so close and the Slavers must be drawing near â¦â
âThereâs neither hide nor hair of them, Eloba, I swear. Charzic and those other wretches have made themselves scarce and the only tracks I saw belonged to the woman I found. Besides,
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