"Did you -" Savil exclaimed, blanching. "- gods, of course you felt that; they're your shields. There's somebody out there trying to get in!"
“Will get in," Vanyel corrected grimly, launching himself out of the chair. "It's Vedric. He knows we're in here. He's probably figured out that we know what happened-or soon will. He can't afford to let us escape."
The shields shrieked in his mind as another attack battered at them. Vanyel started down the hall at a run, followed by his Aunt.
:Yfandes!: he called, snaking the Mindtouch around Vedric, hoping the mage would be too preoccupied with his attack to sense it.
:Here-:
Grateful that thought took less time to send than words, he told her all they'd learned. :Time to run for it, love. Have Kellan stay with the stud, you and Ghost head over the Border at top speed. Vedric's on to us. If we lose this -:
:I will see that the Kingdom knows,: she replied grimly. :I will see you avenged. Then I will come to you :
She cut him off before he could protest, and there was no more time to spare for protests.
"We have," he cast over his shoulder at Savil, "maybe a candlemark or two to figure out what we're going to do."
Fourteen
They skidded into the Great Hall, feet slipping on the debris, startling Jervis and Tashir considerably as they came to a halt beside them. Savil held her side and panted a little.
"What -" Jervis began.
"Vedric's out there," Vanyel interrupted him. "He's trying to break through the shields. I expect he knows we're in here; I expect he figures we've learned the truth of what happened. He's the one that triggered the trap-spell; he used Tashir for the target, and the damned thing's set to take anyone of the bloodline of the target with Mage-potential."
Tashir had been sitting on a cleared space on the floor. He stood, slowly, his expression frozen, his face drained. “I remember,” he said, his voice tight and strained, “I remember now. '' He turned away from them, and pointed a shaking hand at the door that led to the second-floor stairs. "I was running down those stairs. I was going to run away. I told Father that - I told him that I'd rather dig ditches than go to Baires. He laughed at me, he said he doubted I had the spine - and I hit him. I didn't mean to, but it just happened. I was afraid he'd do something horrible and I ran. I ran through here and out the door, and – and -I couldn't get out! It was like hitting a wall! I didn't even think, I just turned around and started running for the stable door, and when I got here -" He pointed at his feet. "I – it - happened. Like, I don't know, like a whirlwind, only there were all these teeth and eyes, and pretty soon it was filling the whole room and tearing everybody and everything around into shreds -"
His voice spiraled up into hysteria, and Jervis shook his shoulders.
"Tashir, come on, lad, we've got troubles now, don't you fall apart on me."
The young man shivered like a trapped rabbit, but he nodded, and there was still some sense in his eyes.
"I repeat; Vedric's out there." Vanyel shuddered as he felt his shields buckle a little more. "He'll be in here soon. I sent the Companions out of here; Kellan's minding the stud, she and Ghost and Yfandes are going for home. One way or another, the truth is going to get out, but there's only one way out now for us. Savil, I'll hold him, while you build a Gate and get Jervis and Tashir out of here."
She nodded, face gray and grim. "Where?"
"Haven, by choice; no one is going to extract him from Randale's hands once he hears the whole story." He was only giving half his attention to the conversation; the other half was busy weaving reinforcements to his disintegrating shields.
"But - " she protested.
"Dammit, Savil, just do it; I can't. Gating that far would probably kill me!"
"Vanyel," she interrupted urgently, "what happens when he triggers the trap on you?'''
He felt himself pale, felt his spellcasting falter. "Oh, gods - let me think - you should be all right if I can just hold him off long enough for you to alert somebody to protect you. Medren is Bard-Gifted with no Mage-potential, he should be safe enough. My sibs - no potential. Father!"
"Is safe," she told him. "How do you think I got half these white hairs? I spent a week in the nodes weaving protections for him when I first met Starwind. When I realized how powerful an Adept I was, I also realized that very few enemies were going to be able to come at me directly, so they might choose to come at me through my brother. I made sure there was no chance of that while I had the energy and leisure. Is there anybody else?"
"No," he said. But his mind was screaming the real truth at her even as his lips formed the lie. :Savil! Jisa - oh, gods, the children-:
:What?:
He grabbed her shoulders so tightly it surely must have hurt enough to leave bruises as his fingertips dug into the flesh. :I have three children. Brightstar and his twin are in k'Treva, under their own shields, Starwind's and Moondance's, so they're safe enough, but Jisa -
:Jisa? How? Why?:
His thoughts were not particularly ordered or coherent, but he did his best to get the sense across to her. :Savil, don't ask; she's mine by blood, Randale and Shavri wanted it, that's all you need to know. She's not under shield.: He wanted to pound the fear he felt for them into Savil. :And Shavri's at risk through Jisa. I don't know if Shavri's got the potential or not. You have to get back there - gods - I never meant anyone else to know, but there's no choice - Jays. Trust Jays. Tell him the truth; I think he'll understand. No one else. Gods, if Randale was only a mage - go, Savil!: The battering at his shields grew fiercer. :Just go! I can't hold him much longer!:
He released her shoulders, and Savil turned without another word and faced one of the open doorways. She held up her hands, and Vanyel felt the slight disorientation that always accompanied the moment when someone invoked Gate-energy around him. He left the little group of three and sprinted across the wreckage-strewn hall and up the staircase to face the door and try to keep Vedric in check long enough for them to escape.
He fought silently, fighting as he had never fought before, fighting not only for himself, but for his friends - and for his land, for without Shavri, Randale would fall to pieces. The last of his shield reinforcements cracked and fell away just as he felt the wave of dizziness that signaled the opening of the Gate itself. And the outer door exploded open, breaking two of its hinges and shattering every window in that wall, just as he felt a wash of pain -
Pain that signaled the Gate being traversed, and then going down again. That pain nearly did him in; he was barely able to get his own personal shield up in time to deflect the lightnings Vedric called down on him.