The next morning, Ada, Dain Barden’s eldest daughter, was dead. Unable to watch the red-eyed Dain standing over the body of his child, Ella left to find Aldrik.
She entered the square tent, now empty except for the plump necromancer, and surprised Aldrik as he tinkered with something near a workbench. He shot Ella a guilty glance as she saw him set down a vial of essence.
“The Dain’s daughter is dead,” Ella said.
“That’s terrible news,” Aldrik said. “I should go and offer my condolences.”
He made to push past her, but Ella stopped him with a hand on the sleeve of his gray robe.
“What’s killing your necromancers? Have you seen anything like this before?”
“No, Enchantress. Nothing like it.”
He tried to get past her again, but once more Ella held him fast. “Hold on. What were you doing?” Ella asked curiously.
“Preparing for the next round of draugar to tend, Enchantress—nothing more.”
“The essence you had in your hand,” Ella said. “Can I see it?”
Aldrik barked a laugh. “What are you talking about? You are far from home, Ella, and this is my domain. Do not challenge me in my own place of work.”
“Give it to me,” Ella said.
“Why?”
“There’s something going on here. Nothing in the bodies strikes me.” Ella thought about the strange smell of the smoke when she’d been working the previous night. “It might have something to do with the essence.”
Harrumphing, Aldrik walked back to the shelf and reluctantly handed Ella the vial. Ella removed the stopper and sniffed cautiously at the mouth of the bottle. Essence itself was odorless, but she could definitely smell something else.
“There, can I have it back, Enchantress? The essence is needed . . .”
Ella could read people, and Aldrik was definitely acting suspicious.
“I’m just going to take this to my friend Shani,” Ella said.
Aldrik sighed. “Do what you will; it is none of my concern. Just bring it back.”
Ella turned to depart, but the sound of movement made her look back over her shoulder.
Aldrik held a scalpel in his hand. He looked at Ella with wild eyes.
Ella backed slowly away. “Aldrik. What are you doing?”
“You should have kept your mouth shut,” Aldrik spat. “You’re dead, at any rate.”
As Ella opened her mouth to cry out, the necromancer lunged at her. The scalpel cut at her neck, but Ella flinched and the blade only scraped against her enchantress’s dress.
“Guards!” Ella cried out.
She dodged out of the way as Aldrik lunged at her unprotected face. Ella dashed to put an iron table between her and the necromancer.
Ella heard querying voices from outside.
An expression of panic crossed Aldrik’s face. He looked around in desperation, and then his gaze settled on another vial of essence. He dropped the scalpel and picked up the bottle, removing the stopper, and Ella drew back, terrified of what he might do.
“What have you done?” she said.
“He made me,” Aldrik whispered. “I am no traitor.”
“Who made you? Please, Aldrik, just tell me what you did.”
“The essence,” Aldrik said. “It’s tainted. You have to understand—I had to!”
“Why, Aldrik? What could make you do such a thing?”
“They took my sister!”
“Where is she? Stop this, Aldrik. I’ll help you get her back.”
“There’s no getting her back. She’s with him, now.”
“There’s always a way!” Ella cried.
“He said if I do this, he won’t take her legs as well.”
As Aldrik’s words filled Ella with horror, she heard a noise, and two Akari warriors rushed into the tent. Ella saw the two men struggle to make sense of the scene.
Then Aldrik stood tall and looked at Ella sadly. He lifted up his hand.
“No!” Ella shouted.
Aldrik poured the contents of the vial over his head.
After explaining Aldrik’s betrayal to the Dain, Ella found Shani waiting outside the Dain’s tent.
“There are terrible rumors going around. Ella, what happened?”
“It’s over now,” Ella said.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. One of the Dain’s necromancers somehow tainted the essence. The Dain thinks Renrik, a senior necromancer who used to be one of his closest advisors, is behind Aldrik’s betrayal. Apparently, Aldrik’s sister went missing not long before the Dain’s army left Ku Kara. Aldrik had been acting strangely, but there are many reasons to act odd these days.”
“Lord of Fire, what a mess.”
Dain Barden strode out of his tent. “Enchantress, I’ve given this thought. We don’t have the strength or the ability to fight a series of protracted battles. I’ve made a decision. We’re going to draw them out and expend the last of our draugar to hold them as long as we can.”
“Are you sure . . . ?”
“I’m sure,” the Dain said, wiping a hand over his face. “I expected danger, but I should have expected betrayal. Now my daughter is dead.”