‘And he comes to us as an envoy?’
‘Yes,’ said Gulamendis. ‘Now, may I suggest you keep that part of the report for later, because I do not know how our coming envoy would react to being greeted with magic and fire.’
Tandarae took a deep breath, and then he began to chuckle. ‘Your levity tells me I need not worry, though I will need more reassurance. Still, it might be worth risking a quick death from the Regent’s personal guards to see the expression on his face when the Queen’s Consort arrives.’
‘For you, perhaps, not I. If you don’t tell him eventually, I most certainly will. It is part of my charge to him, and my brother’s life and my own hang in the balance.’
‘I wonder what has become of your brother?’
‘He is almost certainly here,’ said Gulamendis. ‘And if he’s here, he’s out looking for me.’
‘What are the chances he’ll find you?’
‘Good,’ said the Demon Master. ‘We have the knack for tracking each other down. He thinks as I, and will trace my route, but once he decides it’s time to return, he will come back.’
They left the private room and the Lorekeeper said, ‘Let us get this over with. The Regent Lord will be . . . unhappy, with much of what you have to tell him.’
With a hint of foreboding in his voice, Gulamendis said, ‘A fact of which I am painfully aware.’
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - Exploration
Sandreena held up her hand.
She had not been comfortable with the sorcerer’s selection, with the Father-Bishop relegated to what looked to be, at best, an advisor. Yet, these people had treated her well, seen to her care, and provided her with everything she needed without question or obligation. She had been transported by the woman, Miranda, who seemed a magic user of significant power and ability, along with Amirantha, who was the last person in the world she ever wanted to see again.
Now they worked their way up the trail towards the site of the sacrifices she had observed less than two weeks before, though it felt like ages. Something ahead moved, which is why she had signalled a halt. Brandos brought up the rear, for despite Amirantha’s and Miranda’s significant magic, a second sword was welcome. And despite her reservations about Amirantha, Sandreena had a fondness for the old fighter, who was steadfast and honest, or as honest as any companion of Amirantha was likely to be. She gave him credit for at least attempting to warn her that Amirantha was not a man to grow close to. More than once in the last five years she had wished she had listened.
The sounds were furtive, either an animal in the evening brush or someone hiding badly. She indicated she would scout ahead and not for the first time, wished she had chosen less cumbersome armour and arms. Still, with practice she had learned to move in a relatively quiet fashion.
She moved in a low crouch, until she could raise her head enough to see what lay ahead. As she suspected, there was a sentry who was not being particularly attentive, but who was showing no sign of being sleepy or easy to approach. She slowly retreated.
Reaching the other three, she whispered, ‘One lookout. He’s too far away for me to approach without giving too much warning.’
Miranda said, ‘I’ll deal with him.’
She moved forward without employing much stealth. Although her dark dress served effectively as camouflage against the evening shadows inside the narrow canyon, her passage still caused a significant amount of noise and enough movement that the sentry noticed her when she was about a dozen yards away.
‘Huh?’ was all he managed to get out.
With a single wave of her hand, Miranda sent out a bolt of energy that compressed the air before it, to deliver a punishing blow to the man’s face. He somersaulted backwards to land on the rocks behind him, smacking his head hard enough to render him motionless.
They hurried forward and Amirantha asked, ‘Is he dead?’
Kneeling, Sandreena inspected the fallen guard and said, ‘No, but he’s not going anywhere for many hours.’
‘Scout on ahead,’ said Miranda.
Sandreena did as she asked and in less than five minutes she returned, her face drained of colour. ‘We have to move, now!’ She motioned for the others to follow and hurried forward without any attempt at concealment.