voice deepened when she recited the incantation.
Loku had seized control of her.
His shields buckled, and he looked up. Even though the rain had stopped for the moment, lightning still illuminated the sky and the face of their enemy. The scar that ran along the Necromancer’s left cheek added a new level of sinister to his snarl.
“Give her to me,” he whispered.
“You’ll have to kill me first.”
Shadows emerged from the darkness around them. “I won’t have to, mage. The Ranellians will do that for me. You know how low their tolerance for magic is.”
“So you can expect the same treatment from them.”
The Necromancer laughed, sending a chill into the very core of Dev’s body. “Sooner or later, I always get what I want.” He produced a dagger from under the folds of his cloak and held it out for Dev to examine. The same dagger that killed Robb.
The memory of his failure tore at him like a barbed whip. He lifted his body, muscles poised to spring, but stopped himself. The Necromancer wanted him to lower his shields and attack. That was the only way he could get to Trouble. He cradled her in his arms, pulling her closer to his chest. Whatever happened to him, he refused to let her suffer the same fate as the prior Soulbearer. “As long as my shield holds, no one will hurt her.”
“And how long will it hold with your leg bleeding like that?” The Necromancer’s hand tightened around the dagger’s hilt. “I can feel your magic weakening with each beat of your heart.”
The Ranellians circled them, coming close enough to where he could see the stark lines of their features in the night.
The Necromancer ignored them. “As long as my shield holds, we can continue this stalemate for days, Protector.”
Dev sized up the humans. He needed to make sure they were on his side. “And who do you think they’d attack first? You, who ordered the undead to attack them? Or me, who came to their aid?”
“The law of the kingdom still stands.” He inched closer so that his shield butted against Dev’s. “King Heodis is not known for his mercy.”
From the crowd, a voice replied, “And I intend to carry out the King’s justice.” Steel flashed through the air and sliced through the Necromancer’s wrist. His screams echoed off the trees as his hand fell to the ground, the fingers still clutching the hilt of the dagger. Before the Ranellian could come in for another attack, red magic exploded from the Necromancer’s other hand, knocking all the humans to the ground.
“Tell Arden I look forward to seeing her again soon,” he growled as his body faded into mist.
The Ranellian responsible for cutting off the Necromancer’s hand jumped to his feet and swung his sword through the shadowy remnants left behind, dispersing them into the wind.
“What the hell just happened?”
“He dissipated,” Dev replied. He wrapped his arms tighter around Trouble and reinforced his shields around them. The Ranellian’s blade had pierced the Necromancer’s shields, and he worried that if he didn’t cooperate, they might become the next victims to experience the King’s justice. “It’s a spell most master mages know.”
“Where did he go?”
“I have no idea. It’s not like we’re best friends.”
The hand in the mud burst into flames and turned into a pile of ashes within seconds. Only the dagger remained. The Ranellian picked it up.
“Be careful with that,” Dev warned. “It’s cursed. The last person who felt its point ended up encased in stone.”
The Ranellian dropped it and raised his sword. The tip pressed against Dev’s shoulder through the shields, the blade obviously holding some enchantment stronger than any magic he could wield. “Why should I believe anything you say?”
“Because my apprentice and I seem to be the only ones who can help you defeat the Necromancer.”
The Ranellian’s blade grazed Dev’s neck. “Who are you, and what is your business in Ranello?”
“I’m
Loku had seized control of her.
His shields buckled, and he looked up. Even though the rain had stopped for the moment, lightning still illuminated the sky and the face of their enemy. The scar that ran along the Necromancer’s left cheek added a new level of sinister to his snarl.
“Give her to me,” he whispered.
“You’ll have to kill me first.”
Shadows emerged from the darkness around them. “I won’t have to, mage. The Ranellians will do that for me. You know how low their tolerance for magic is.”
“So you can expect the same treatment from them.”
The Necromancer laughed, sending a chill into the very core of Dev’s body. “Sooner or later, I always get what I want.” He produced a dagger from under the folds of his cloak and held it out for Dev to examine. The same dagger that killed Robb.
The memory of his failure tore at him like a barbed whip. He lifted his body, muscles poised to spring, but stopped himself. The Necromancer wanted him to lower his shields and attack. That was the only way he could get to Trouble. He cradled her in his arms, pulling her closer to his chest. Whatever happened to him, he refused to let her suffer the same fate as the prior Soulbearer. “As long as my shield holds, no one will hurt her.”
“And how long will it hold with your leg bleeding like that?” The Necromancer’s hand tightened around the dagger’s hilt. “I can feel your magic weakening with each beat of your heart.”
The Ranellians circled them, coming close enough to where he could see the stark lines of their features in the night.
The Necromancer ignored them. “As long as my shield holds, we can continue this stalemate for days, Protector.”
Dev sized up the humans. He needed to make sure they were on his side. “And who do you think they’d attack first? You, who ordered the undead to attack them? Or me, who came to their aid?”
“The law of the kingdom still stands.” He inched closer so that his shield butted against Dev’s. “King Heodis is not known for his mercy.”
From the crowd, a voice replied, “And I intend to carry out the King’s justice.” Steel flashed through the air and sliced through the Necromancer’s wrist. His screams echoed off the trees as his hand fell to the ground, the fingers still clutching the hilt of the dagger. Before the Ranellian could come in for another attack, red magic exploded from the Necromancer’s other hand, knocking all the humans to the ground.
“Tell Arden I look forward to seeing her again soon,” he growled as his body faded into mist.
The Ranellian responsible for cutting off the Necromancer’s hand jumped to his feet and swung his sword through the shadowy remnants left behind, dispersing them into the wind.
“What the hell just happened?”
“He dissipated,” Dev replied. He wrapped his arms tighter around Trouble and reinforced his shields around them. The Ranellian’s blade had pierced the Necromancer’s shields, and he worried that if he didn’t cooperate, they might become the next victims to experience the King’s justice. “It’s a spell most master mages know.”
“Where did he go?”
“I have no idea. It’s not like we’re best friends.”
The hand in the mud burst into flames and turned into a pile of ashes within seconds. Only the dagger remained. The Ranellian picked it up.
“Be careful with that,” Dev warned. “It’s cursed. The last person who felt its point ended up encased in stone.”
The Ranellian dropped it and raised his sword. The tip pressed against Dev’s shoulder through the shields, the blade obviously holding some enchantment stronger than any magic he could wield. “Why should I believe anything you say?”
“Because my apprentice and I seem to be the only ones who can help you defeat the Necromancer.”
The Ranellian’s blade grazed Dev’s neck. “Who are you, and what is your business in Ranello?”
“I’m
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