She collapsed atop him, sobbing in relief.
Chap rolled his head enough to see the others.
Near where Wynn had knelt, Magiere’s eyes half closed as she sagged in a heavy breath. And the one still touching him, Chuillyon, looked down upon him with a wry smile. Behind him, Brot’an was on one knee, ever watchful.
Thankfully, the chest with the orb of Spirit was closed. Wynn must have had the presence of mind to close it.
Ghassan stood in the tent’s opening as if he had just arrived ... with Chane and Ore-Locks still outside but looking in. Leesil was nowhere to be seen.
Why did Leesil’s absence suddenly terrify Chap?
Worse, he remembered that darker moment when panic had been eaten by fury. Had either of those emotions been his, or had he merely felt them from that other, the one who had died and not died? But who and why?
Chap remembered the last words of his kin. Those had to have some meaning for what he had seen—lived—in touching whatever lay within the anchor of Spirit, but he still could not find the full meaning of ...
Leave the enslaved alone.
And why had he seen a dragon ... the dark and fire-shrouded face of that great weürm?
Kneeling before Chap, Wynn grasped his face with both hands. “Talk to me.”
He looked up into her brown eyes and then struggled to look around at the others present. For just an instant, she thought he paused in staring at Chuillyon, which confused and then worried her even more.
—You must help me—
“Of course,” she answered. “We will get you on my bedroll, and Magiere can find some water for—”
—No ... help me with Chuillyon—
Wynn stiffened. There was nothing she could think of that was worth involving that trickster, unless he was the only way to escape if everything went wrong.
—It involves his assumed ability to travel between Chârmun and its children ... its separated parts—
“What?” she asked in obvious alarm.
“What did he say?” Magiere demanded, crouching close.
Wynn stiffened, suddenly wary of answering in the presence of some of the others.
—We will need Leesil’s branch. If we hope to win this battle, you will do as I instruct. First, remove Ghassan and Brot’an, and then find Leesil—
Chap sounded desperate as well as urgent. She didn’t like the guesses that came to mind without a full explanation. As always, she had to trust him again.
“Everyone, give us some privacy, please,” she said. But as Chuillyon nodded and rose to follow Brot’an and Ghassan, she told him, “Not you ... You stay.”
Chuillyon stalled, raising one eyebrow in puzzled fascination.
Oh, she so hated it when he did that!
Wynn turned to Magiere in a low whisper. “Go find Leesil, quickly.”
Not long after, Khalidah stood near the edge of camp, weighing his options. Ore-Locks and Chane once again sat together, speaking in low voices, but occasionally Chane glanced over at the center tent in what might be concern.
Khalidah too wondered what was happening inside that tent. He had no idea what had caused the majay-hì to fall, and this concerned him slightly, but he had come upon the scene too late and no one had offered an explanation. He had not wished to risk scrutiny by pressing Wynn or Magiere. Anyway, the majay-hì appeared to have recovered with the help of the enigmatic elf.
Within moments of Khalidah and Brot’an having been sent from the tent, Leesil had come back into camp, and Magiere had drawn him inside. Their voices were too low to hear. It was tempting to use sorcery to listen in, but Brot’an was still out here ... and watching.
Well, if Wynn wished to plot and plan in secret, let her. It helped keep the attention off him, and he had his own plans.
Deciding upon a current course of action, he turned to Brot’an. “I may as well be useful,” he said. “We passed an area that might be a good hiding place for a well. I will take a look.”
Brot’an watched him with no expression. “Should I accompany you?”
Khalidah raised one hand. “No, that is not necessary. You might be needed here, and I can hide more quickly alone if I encounter something.”
Without waiting for an answer, he slipped out of camp, heading west. While he had been away on the long trek to meet Chane and Chap—and the three remaining orbs—Sau’ilahk and Ubâd had remained here. No, it was not a mistake, happenstance, or even the scouting of Brot’an and Leesil that had led to the selection of this spot to camp.
It had all been his subtle doing.
He walked through the foothills in long, steady strides for some time. Upon nearing the other camp, as usual, he encountered the ghost girl first.
Either she or the masked creature who controlled her always sensed his coming. He passed her watchful stare and soon came upon Ubâd’s wheeled litter with his lashed, preserved corpse on top. His two overmuscled corpse servants likewise were always silently nearby.
Sau’ilahk crouched beside a glowing oil lamp.
He rose at the sight of Khalidah. Even out here after so many nights, his pale, handsome face appeared clean and flawless, as did his blue-black hair. He had always been vain.
“You have all five orbs in your possession?” Sau’ilahk asked without greeting.
Khalidah kept his tone measured, though his answer brought him relief and joy. “Yes.”
Sau’ilahk scowled, less than pleased. “Then you should have contacted me via the medallion long before now!”
“Yes, you should have,” echoed the ghost girl for Ubâd. “We have been waiting in ignorance while the horde grows.”
Khalidah barely glanced at the corpse on the litter. The three of them might be in league, but he had no intention of telling them anything more than was necessary—when necessary. Certainly they had done no more for him. And of late, he had begun to question Ubâd’s inclusion in this triad of betrayers.
The puppet master of ghosts or corpses seemed of little use for what would now come. Ubâd, as a necromancer, might have had value in the imperial capital, but in facing the horde or manipulating those who would enter Beloved’s mountain, such skills would be of little help. Well, perhaps they might.
Without full certainty, Khalidah put this aside until it could be tested.
“All that matters is that we have the orbs,” he said, “and the dhampir and those with her now plan to infiltrate the peak and locate Beloved.”
Sau’ilahk’s eyes narrowed. “Then why do we not take all of them unaware, kill them, and take the orbs?”
Khalidah shook his head. “To use the orbs against Beloved, it is better to let some of them carry the chests inside the mountain. That is what Beloved wants—Magiere with the orbs—so we wait to play our own hand until necessary. It is doubtful any forces below would recognize any authority in us if we try approaching without her.”
“Yes, but anyone else—including you—among the dhampir’s group faces that same risk if they are seen,” the ghost girl countered.
Khalidah refrained from smiling; these two were so deluded in their hunger for vengeance.
“Depending on the final plan by the dhampir and the others, we can attain our goal if the two of you use your own methods to help distract the horde. Remain in the shadows, but pull their attention and allow me to slip past with a small team and take the orbs into the peak.”
Sau’ilahk fixed on him intensely. “You will enter while we remain outside? I think not.”
Again, lack of trust reared its head.
“I have infiltrated the dhampir’s group,” Khalidah replied with quiet scorn. “And was it you who employed a single anchor to bring down Bäalâle Seatt?” He looked from Sau’ilahk to Ubâd, ignoring the ghost girl. “Of the three of us, who could manage all five anchors to fulfill our goal?”