He was there because, when it was all over and done with, he intended to kill everyone left alive.
There could be no witnesses to any of this, after all. This operation was outside the purview of his authority and would certainly not be sanctioned by the High Command, let alone the Prime Minister. No evidence of it could ever be allowed to surface. Once Arcannen was dead, he would eliminate the men with him, as well.
What he wished at the moment, however, was that he had not been so hasty about coming out with Mallich. Staying aboard the airship, he might have remained somewhat dry and warm. Out here, he was merely miserable and irritated by the slowness of their progress. How long had they been walking, anyway?
Ahead, Mallich slowed and looked back at him, motioning him forward and leaning close, his voice a whisper. “What remains of Arbrox is just around that cliff face. When we get there, I will send the oketar ahead to sniff around. They will keep to the ruins, so they shouldn’t trip the wards. Those will have been laid farther out along the inland perimeter. When they’ve found what we’re looking for, they will come back to me.”
He started to turn away, but Usurient grabbed his arm. “Wait. How will we know what they have or haven’t found? They can’t talk, can they?”
Mallich gave him a look. “They can to me. Have some faith, Dallen.”
A few dozen yards farther on, they reached the bend in the cliff face and came to a second stop. Peering into the gloom ahead, Usurient could just make out what remained of the walls and roofs of Arbrox.
Moments after that, Mallich dispatched the oketar and they disappeared into the ruins.
Arcannen was sitting at the little kitchen table reading from ancient books he had brought down from a set of shelves nearby, paying no attention to Reyn and Lariana as they sat next to each other in the adjoining room, heads together, whispering.
“Your risked too much out there!” the girl hissed at him, her face dark with anger and misgiving.
“I risked what I had to,” he answered.
“What if you had gone catatonic?”
“But I didn’t! My control is getting better.”
She shook her head. “One time. That’s all it was. You can’t be sure.”
“You have to start somewhere. Besides, what other choice did I have?”
Arcannen looked over suddenly. “Can you please take your conversation into the bedroom?” he asked irritably. “You are disrupting my concentration.”
Lariana stood up abruptly and pulled Reyn up with her. “Fine. We’ll leave you to it.”
The sorcerer went back to his reading. Lariana led Reyn into the bedroom and closed the door before turning to him again. “I don’t like how this is going,” she said so softly he almost couldn’t hear. “Why is he making you do this … this creating of people out of images? No, don’t say it’s to help you learn to control your magic. This can’t be the best way for you to learn to do that. By having you bring imaginary people to life?”
They both paused, casting quick glances at the door. “I don’t know,” Reyn said finally. “How can anyone know what’s best?”
“I know this much,” she answered. “It’s causing you considerable stress because it requires too much of you. Your problem, Reyn, has to do with reacting to threats, to dangerous situations. It has to do with fear that you can’t protect yourself. To stop that, you need to learn how to stay calm. How is any of what you are trying supposed to help?”
He stared at her. “What are you saying? That I should stop doing what he’s asking of me?”
“No, no, I’m not saying that.” She paused, brushing back loose strands of her gold–streaked hair. She glanced away, and her eyes had a distant, lost look to them. “You have to do what he tells you,” she said finally. Then her eyes shifted back to find his. “Because if you don’t, I’m not sure what will happen.”
There was a long silence as he let that sink in. “You think I’m in danger, don’t you?”
She nodded. “Maybe. Mostly because everyone who gets close to him is in danger. Even me.”
“But he’s your mentor. He won’t hurt you.”
She exhaled sharply. “I thought that was true once. I’m not so sure anymore.” She took his hand in hers and squeezed it. “What I am sure of is that I will do anything I can to help you. But you have to be careful. You have to listen to me.”
Arcannen rapped on the door sharply and then opened it, looking from one to the other. “What are you whispering about in there? Shouldn’t you be in bed?”
Like they were children. Reyn shook his head. “We were just discussing ideas on how I can get better at bringing images to life. Lariana helped me before; I trust her.”
Arcannen looked at her. No words were spoken, but something passed between them. The boy saw it clearly. An understanding, a shared insight, something–it was there. It made him wonder about what she had just told him. Was she really in any danger? Or was this all part of a game?
The sorcerer turned away, pulling the door closed again. “A few more minutes,” he called over his shoulder.
The boy and the girl sat quietly again, facing each other, saying nothing. Lariana’s hands still held his, squeezing and relaxing, over and over.
Be careful, she mouthed. Promise me.
He nodded. Then he leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the cheek, his head turned away from Arcannen, his lips close to her ear. You be careful, too.
Her hands squeezed his even harder and did not let go.
TWENTY
“BOY, WAKE UP!”
Hands were shaking him, bringing him out of the dream he was having. In the dream, he was with Lariana. They were flying over a countryside filled with flowers, the hues forming an intense pattern beneath where they stood at the bow of an airship. The colors were brilliant and lustrous, shimmering in the sunlight, an endless blanket covering of the earth below. He was smiling as he looked at Lariana, and she was smiling back at him with such love, such desperate want, that he could barely believe how lucky he was.
“Reyn! Now! Get up! They’re here!”“
The dream vanished, and he opened his eyes, his vision blurry and dim. The room in which he had been sleeping was still mostly dark, lit only by a single candle in one corner. He sat up slowly on his sleeping mat and looked across the room to where Lariana, occupying the bed, was just waking, as well. The whole experience had a surreal feel to it.
“Who’s here?” he asked.
“Who do you think?” Arcannen snapped, turning away, heading for the door. “Be quick!”
“What is he talking about?” Reyn muttered, blinking rapidly.
“Those men sent to kill us. They’re here.” Lariana was sitting on the edge of her bed in her nightdress, looking over at him. “Remember?”
He did, although he hadn’t thought about it much in the days he had been training to master his use of the wishsong. “They’re here?” he repeated, not quite awake yet.
“Get dressed,” she told him, rising to snatch up her clothes before moving into a shadowed corner. She turned away from him and stripped off her sleeping garments.
He looked down self–consciously, although it didn’t seem to bother her that he was in the same room. Turning away, he began pulling on his own clothes. Those men sent to kill us. What was he supposed to do? What did Arcannen expect of him?