"When Anase woke, she was in a palace," Sukata continued, rising to one knee. "Sumptuous in every aspect, the walls shimmering with colour. Servants of glass dressed her in robes of gold and conducted her to the palace’s lord, who was so brilliant she could barely look upon him, and yet his eyes were dark with grief. Anase was not a reverent woman, and she–"
Sukata moved. Moved like a Kellian, the first time Kendall had seen her do so. In star and firelight Kendall couldn’t even track her until she stopped, and when she stopped she had clapped one of the big cooking pots over something on the ground.
"What are–?" began one of the extremely startled Ferumguard, and broke off just as quickly as a sound like tortured metal erupted from the pot. Whatever was underneath was bouncing frantically about, wailing in ear-splitting tones. Then, just as abruptly, it fell silent.
"Is it a Night Roamer?" Kendall asked, as three more Ferumguard and a Sentene pair came hurrying up, weapons at ready. "But–" They were in a circle. Night Roamers couldn’t cross circles and surely someone would have noticed if a breach had opened in the middle of camp.
"Sukata, move away," said the Kellian half of the Sentene pair, taking the girl’s place in holding the pot firm.
The woman’s mage partner was Captain Medan, the huge man who had stayed with them inside Rennyn’s shield when the crab-thing was attacking. He unfolded his slate and said as he began writing: "What did you see?"
"Felt," Sukata replied, replacing her knife in its sheathe. "Worked magic. I noticed the signature of a casting – in Lady Rennyn’s tent."
Captain Medan grimaced. "Time to do a little housecleaning, then."
Kendall thought it very good timing that Rennyn Claire returned to camp just as Captain Medan was holding up a flimsy little silk undershirt left on her bedroll. Her brows rose very high indeed, then she said: "I don’t think it will fit you, Captain."
"Not my colour, anyway," Captain Medan replied, unembarrassed. As Captain Illuma followed Rennyn into the camp he nodded at the cook-pot, which was now in a circle of its own, with a rock sitting on top. "Drogan’s just headed out with a message about our visitor – must have missed you. A 'chanted animal. Sukata caught it coming out of your tent, Lady Rennyn, and while I can’t feel anything that’s about to explode, I’m certain there’s something off."
"What kind of enchanted animal?" Rennyn asked, with a flicker of interest. She took a step toward the centre of the camp, but Captain Illuma stopped her.
"To walk into a trap now would lose the advantage gained in discovering it."
For a moment Kendall thought Rennyn would object, but then she let herself be escorted to the far side of the camp, where she sat with her chin on her knees watching as her tent was dissected.
She’d been in a weird mood since dinner yesterday. Riding through the forest she’d seemed quite happy, going on about the use of symbols in Sigillic magic while eating every berry that came into her reach. But she’d come back from a walk yesterday totally withdrawn and gone straight to bed and then straight to the Hells the next morning, without saying more than two sentences the whole time. Now, while the Sentene pulled all her stuff out of the tent, she just sat and did nothing.
Kendall took her over a plate of pan bread, greasy with cheese. "You don’t seem too worried."
"They’re professionals." Rennyn took the plate, but put it down by her feet.
"I guess there wasn’t any great horde of Night Roamers at the breach?"
"A lone and very surprised Stalker."
"All this fuss and preparation–"
"I’m sure it amuses my Wicked Uncle no end." Rennyn lifted her head at that, and gazed out into the dark forest. Searching.
"You think he’s out there?" Kendall asked, realising just why half the Sentene had left the camp again.
"Not at this moment."
"Eat your dinner."
That won a brief glance, but no other response. Kendall squinched her eyes in frustration, and was annoyed at herself for caring. If Rennyn didn’t want to eat, let her starve. If she had circles under her eyes once again, then – but with a half-dozen Sentene playing with her tent, probably she had no choice about staying awake. Sukata brought two more plates and they ate their own meals and watched their teacher brood.
Finally Captain Illuma and Captain Medan came over and displayed a half-grown and very skinny grey cat, supposedly disenchanted, and a small lump of damp brown fur, apparently far from it.
"Underneath one corner of the bedroll," Captain Medan said. "The power signature isn’t large, but it’s a very elegant piece of casting."
It looked like a half-eaten mouse to Kendall. She knew by now that a signature was the detectable trace of magic from a spell or enchantment, and was disappointed to not feel anything at all from the lump. She was still too weak a mage.
Rennyn, on the other hand, tilted her head to one side, narrowed her eyes, then said: "Some kind of message?"
"We believe that it would cause a sleeper to dream along a set pattern," Captain Illuma said.
"Ah. Tailor-made nightmares."
"Or possibly an attempt to influence your waking behaviour. Magister Eldian will continue to attempt to divine its exact content."
"What are you going to do with the cat?"
Captain Medan hoisted the scrawny grey animal doubtfully. "Give it dinner?"
That brought the hint of a smile to Rennyn’s lips, but it was the last real response Kendall saw out of her that night. It was like she’d decided she didn’t want to be with them any more, was moving away from them even while she sat among them. Like she was already gone.
Chapter Twenty-One
"Seb."
"Ren!" Her brother turned from his desk, then checked and frowned at her. "When did you last sleep?"
Rennyn sat on the bed, dropping her bag to the floor and unclasping Solace’s focus from her wrist. "I swear, everyone treats me like I’m three years old. You probably sleep less than I do."
"But I’m only casting small magics." He didn’t press the objection, and certainly knew her well enough to know that the things most likely to keep her from sleep weren’t avoidable. Glancing past her at the door, at the signal she was giving by leaving it open, he changed the subject. "Why did you take Kendall and Sukata with you?"
"Mainly to distract myself. Though I was curious about the potential you saw in Kendall."
"I was right, wasn’t I?"
"She’d make quite a mage if she was interested. She’ll probably still become competent enough. Sukata–" She paused, then continued carefully: "Sukata might turn into something special. She has a passion for it." Rennyn put Solace’s focus on the floor, as far from furniture as she could manage, and felt the faintest tremble as it failed to break through stone. She walked around the room, checking the tight lines of sigils which ran along the walls and above the door. "The wards are good. How’s the research going?"
Shrugging, he indicated more than a dozen books lined along the shelf above the desk. "There’s still a couple of background things I want to mark, but I’ve found something similar enough for you to work with. Are you – are we going ahead?"
"I’ll mark out the room today, put up divinations. I’ll rest before activating tomorrow."
"Here?"
"For a while, perhaps. Do you want to come set up some divinations for me?"
Seb nodded briskly and fidgeted with his cuff, where a pin was threaded, a match for the one which she regularly wore. They exchanged glances, then both looked at the door. This was a conversation they’d rehearsed in part long ago, and she wondered if it sounded as artificial as it felt. Giving it up, they went out into the main hall of the Sentene barracks, where Captain Illuma was waiting, talking to a handful of the mages under her command. Since her walk in the forest, Faille had not assigned himself to play bodyguard, keeping busy with other duties. Rennyn was pretending she was glad of that.