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.In an unaccustomed display of anger, the angel waved his hand at the body.Gamuel’s corpse turned as white as marble, then crumbled to ash that blew away despite there being no wind.Inarius turned from the spot, his failed assassin already forgotten.SO BE IT, he repeated coldly.SO BE IT.TenThey would reach the walls of Kehjan come the next day, and yet neither Serenthia nor the other edyremcould sense, much less contact, Uldyssian.Mendeln, who shared a different sort of link with his brother,thought that he could vaguely note Uldyssian’s presence in the city, but that was the extent of it.He had a theory on that troublesome point, and it focused on the mage clans.They considered the capital theirdomain, and the closer Mendeln got to it, the more he felt the saturation of magical energies that had built upover generations.There were spells upon spells, and many of them had likely been designed not only to shieldthe work of the mages from one another but also to keep the prying eyes of the Cathedral and the Triune fromlearning too much.How successful the spellcasters had been in doing that last was debatable, but they werecertainly causing consternation among the edyrem.Many feared that their leader was either captured or dead,and neither he nor Serenthia could prove otherwise.More and more, it appeared likely that Uldyssian’s army would attack the capital if they reached the gateswithout learning anything contrary about his fate.Mendeln did not even want to imagine the bloodshed should that happen.Caught between the edyrem and themages, the innocents would surely die by the hundreds.But there was nothing he could do to prevent it.78 of 193The nearby villages had again emptied out in advance of their coming.The shells that had once been homesseemed more eerie to Mendeln than a graveyard, for they were supposed to be inhabited with life.This was allwrong….There were soldiers farther ahead, most of them hiding in preparation for the assault that they thought wouldcome tomorrow.As many as Mendeln sensed there were ahead, they were not nearly enough even to slow theedyrem.What magic he could sense among the city’s protectors was minimal.Serenthia sought to maintain order over the edyrem, but even with the aid of Saron and Jonas, it was becomingmore and more difficult.Aware that his own presence would be more detrimental than helpful, Mendeln hadfinally slipped away from the throngs and entered the nearest village.He knew that he should not haveseparated from the others, but it was always easier for him to think in solitude.It was not as if he were alone,either, for there were always a few shades trailing him, in this case random deaths from the vicinity of thecapital.He had already questioned them and learned nothing of value.They were all simple people who hadworked hard just to stay alive for as long as they had.Undisturbed by the night, Mendeln wandered from one empty house to another.He did little more than peerthrough the occasional window.It was not that he was interested in the lives the locals had led, but he missedhis own past.That made him smirk at himself.There had been many times in Seram when Mendeln had dreamed ofbecoming more than a farmer, many times when he had wished to travel to the exotic places on the maps andcharts Master Cyrus had often let him peruse.His boot kicked up something.It rolled a few yards from him.Mildly curious, Mendeln retrieved it.A girl’sdoll.It had dark hair and was dyed a deep brown, no doubt so that it would resemble its owner.He thought ofhis youngest sister, dead these many years from plague.There had been times since Mendeln had learned hisskills that he wondered if it was possible to summon her spirit.Each time the notion had occurred to him,though, revulsion had immediately followed.She was dead.His parents were dead.He wished them to remainat peace.He did not wish them to know what he and Uldyssian had become.Mendeln put the doll back where he had found it, in the hopes that, should violence somehow be avoided, thechild who had lost the toy would someday be reunited with it.However, as he straightened, Mendeln sensedthat he was not alone.He glanced among the empty homes…and saw Achilios, notched bow in his hands,stare back at him.Uldyssian’s brother reacted instinctively.The ivory dagger came out with a swiftness that apparently caughteven the undead hunter unaware.Mendeln muttered some of the words Rathma had taught him.Achilios leapt into the shadows just before a series of toothy missiles struck where he had been standing.Mendeln cursed, then barreled his way into the nearest house [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]