The Warder Shae stood at the entrance of the tunnel, his back to the hillside. His arms were loose at his sides, his head bowed. Thealos felt the prickle and smell of Earth magic rise up from the moorlands, drawing into Justin like water. The first horsemen appeared out of the fog, the rider a Kiran Thall. The horse shied and the rider controlled it. His crossbow leveled at them. Others appeared, forming a half-circle, pinning them against the inlet. Thealos swallowed, keeping his bow ready, watching the lead soldier.
Justin raised his head and looked at them. His eyes were glowing.
“Put down the bow…” the soldier started when a streak of blue lightning sprang from Justin’s hands, throwing the rider off the horse. The gelding shrieked, flailing hooves madly in the air. Kiran Thall shouldered their crossbows and triggered the releases. Thealos shut his eyes and flinched, but the bolts spattered harmlessly against the rocks behind them. The blue lightning struck again, smashing into another soldier, killing him.
The rush of Earth magic in the air smelled like taper shavings. Justin channeled the magic, bringing it to being inside him before loosing it on the humans with crackling swiftness. Thealos let the arrow loose, dropping a rider. He took aim again and again, catching more as they whirled to flee. Justin brought down the rest. When it was finished, a haze of acrid smoke lingered in the air.
The Warder Shae lowered his hands and the Earth magic settled back down into the grass and mud. Thealos stared at him in awe. “I thought that only worked against Forbidden magic,” he whispered, remembering the Krag Drugaen in the Shadows Wood. He watched Justin’s shoulders slump. He looked even frailer. “Does it…hurt you?”
A half-smile twitched on Justin’s mouth. “It’s not without a price,” he answered. “It never is.” He examined the field of the dead and then turned dispassionately to Thealos. “There is no time to bury them. I do not have the strength for it. Follow me.”
Thealos joined him at the inlet of stone. He stared at the sculptured walls, squinting in the shade. There was a feeling beneath the scrub of moss. A familiar feeling. Mud and debris littered the stone floor. Thealos looked around, gazing at the structure. “This was a holy place?” he whispered.
“The ruins of a shrine,” Justin explained. “The humans have already desecrated it. They use it to bring the Everoot into the tunnels. So many of them.” He shook his head and glared contemptuously. “It would destroy me to kill that many. Come, this way.”
Thealos paused, feeling a whisper of magic beneath his boots. Calling to him. A prickle of apprehension went down his spine. Not a Sleepwalker – but the presence of Silvan magic.
–Son of Quicksilver–
“Do you hear anything?” Thealos asked, catching up with Justin.
The Warder Shae cocked his head. “No.”
Thealos nodded and followed him down a narrow path carved into the rock, leading to a stretch of stone steps. They started up towards the ruins of the Shae watchpost buried within the hillside.
*
"It was difficult for Thealos to concentrate on anything except the constant murmurings of the magic. A presence in the broken tunnels, the magic twisted loose his feelings and thoughts. Thealos recognized Silvan symbols carved into the rock. The markings were centuries old, detailing the layout of the ruined watchpost. The floor was broken and uneven, which made the journey difficult. Portions of the tunnels had collapsed, exposing hunks of stone from the upper floors. Thealos folded his arms for warmth in the clammy passageways. Moonstones glowed faintly on the floor and walls, offering just enough light for their Shae eyes to see. Muddy puddles collected in cracks and seams, and corridors split off from the main one the deeper in they went. It had the feeling of a tomb and sent cold chills up Thealos’ arms.
–I am the Silverkin Crystal–
Thealos listened and felt another shudder of apprehension. It was a voice no louder than the softest whisper, but it sent shivers through his skin and a burning feeling inside his chest. It invoked feelings so strongly that he blinked back tears. He was terrified of what it was doing to him. It knew he was there. It called to him soothingly, yet the power beneath it was frightening. It wanted to be freed from the warding. It sensed Forbidden magic and wanted to destroy it.
–Come, Son of Quicksilver–
Thealos squeezed his eyes shut, trying to banish the voice inside his head. He knew where it was. Just touching the stone wall, he felt its pulse, its life. The magic was alive, there was no doubt in that. It was awake and needful. The Silverkin needed him as much as he needed it. Thealos didn’t tell Justin what he was feeling. The way the Silverkin spoke to him was private and personal.
The slope of the tunnels rose at a steep angle in several stretches, bringing them higher up the hillside. Thealos had no idea how far they had traveled or how high up they were, but deep ahead in the tunnels he heard voices. Justin paused for a moment and then motioned for Thealos.