—Save Ticastasy!—
Mage’s dominion went with the wind, withdrawing by choice, not by force. Though he could no longer hear their dual thoughts hammering against his mind, he knew that the struggle between them continued. Two beings of incredible power faced off in an inconsequential town in the Shoreland. It would leave scorch marks for generations.
Exeres came to his feet, exulting in his freedom as he shoved himself away from a snorting stallion. The taint of what she had done to him still lingered. Some magic was Forbidden but he hoped enough time would scrub it away. At least her leash had snapped.
Bandit soldiers fled the center of town, though many were lost in the mists of darkness and ran towards it. He did not know how long Mage would be able to hold the darkness there. Moments or days? It did not really matter. Exeres knew Miestri would kill him if she saw him. The darkness was the only thing that would protect him.
He remembered Mage’s words—he had told him what would happen. Had told him what to do when the darkness fell.
Exeres ran.
The crush of bodies swarmed around him. Many soldiers had been trampled and lay writhing on the ground with broken bones. He jumped over the fallen ones, shoved past the healthy ones. All was madness and chaos, but he could see them, even the ones who had run headlong into buildings, pinned there by the press of bodies.
Someone barreled into him from behind and Exeres nearly went down, managing to catch himself just in time. He pushed the soldier away and veered to the right, elbowing several men out of his way. Never in his life had he been so thankful for his blind eye. It was a curse since his childhood, something that made him different than other boys. Something worth teasing and taunting him about, as if his Shae blood weren’t enough.
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
Soldiers sobbed and others screamed. Some had swords out, hacking their brothers to clear a path. Blood soaked the dusty street, turning it to mud. Exeres sensed someone behind him and dodged to the side. He saw an opening and took it, plunging into an alley that no one else had managed to discover. Away from the press of bodies, the reek of sweat and tainted magic lingered in the air along with the haze of darkness. Which way to the tent? He tried to remember where he had gone and hurried to the perimeter of town.
Like stepping through a waterfall, he exited the darkness. The stars gleamed like jewels. The stale smell of the blackness was replaced by thistles and long-grass. The taint exuded from the very earth itself, but the pall of Mage’s magic loomed behind him. He could sense the Earth magic, how it siphoned into two beings, draining the land like a whirlpool. Even if he had wanted to, he could not have summoned enough to spark a campfire. Every source of it in the surrounding area was spent, licked clean both bone and gristle.
He saw her pavilion to the left, on the fringe of the camp.
Miestri’s presence lingered in the air nearby, and he quickly looked at the ground. Don’t look, Exeres. Don’t look for her!
Focusing on the brush and long-grass, he ran towards the pavilion, glancing up frequently to be sure he would not lose sight of it. He sensed her presence behind him, to the left.
The smells and memories coming from the tent shook his resolve. It would be so easy to run off into the night. To flee while he still could. He bit his lip, ashamed that those thoughts tempted him so much. He was a priest, a Zerite—his duty…no, his oath was to protect the lives of others.
The smells grew worse. It was warded, he knew. Clenching his fists, he hurried to the tent flap, pausing just at the threshold.
One person inside—a human. Young.
A trumpet of explosions boomed back in the center of Castun. He saw soldiers heading towards him, fleeing into the plains. All was madness.
Just do it! Open the tent!
He paused, uncertain. What if Miestri was too close? What if he did not have enough time? Then they would both be trapped.
Stop thinking and just do it!
Exeres flung open the pavilion and stormed inside. There were no lights, just shadows. Something screamed inside his mind, his Shae senses hearing it. The warding! He stumbled against the frame of the pallet, looking towards the source of the Life magic.
“Who are you?”
A young man’s voice.
*
It’s not her.
Exeres wrestled against the feelings of disappointment mingled with panic. If Ticastasy wasn’t in the pavilion, where was she?
“Can you run?” Exeres asked the young man.
“I’m…I’m afraid.”
“Of her?”
He heard a swallow. “Yes.”
Exeres smelled the taint drawing closer. She was returning to the tent.
“Come!” Exeres said, hurrying to the other side of the tent. He grabbed the bottom edge of the curtain and pulled with his might.