Page 156 of The Shadow Wand

Before I can feel embarrassed by her jest, Valasca tightens her legs, signals to her horse in the Noi language, and speeds up to a gallop, quickly passing Lukas.

“Come on,” Valasca calls back to all of us with a beckoning wave. “If we’re going to keep Elloren alive, we need to make a portal jump to the Eastern Desert.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

RUNE SORCERY

ELLOREN GREY

SixthMonth

Caledonian Forest, Gardneria

We ride northeast via a dirt road that cuts through dense pine forest, Lukas and Chi Nam in the lead, Valasca taking up the rear as night descends. Our path is lit by crimson light from our Amaz runic lanterns as well as a ball of blue light that Chi Nam has conjured to float above the tip of the rune staff that’s now strapped diagonally across her back. Every so often, Valasca draws her rune stylus, murmurs a Noi spell, and throws out a net of blue lines to magically cover our tracks.

Words brush up against my mind, limned with malice.

Black Witch.

My neck prickles as I glance sidelong at the pine forest, the immense Sitka Spruce trees rising almost as tall as the Sithoy evergreens. I recognize the Sitkas’ thick needles, scaled trunks, and pendulous cones. I saw these trees in visions throughout my childhood, as I cut and sanded wood with Uncle Edwin, the Sitka wood perfect for transmitting sound.

Perfect for fashioning into violins.

The happy memory vanishes as we ride through their spiteful legions. The trees’ accusatory words are a gust of relentless wind in the back of my mind as a disturbing awareness grows of their aura straining to draw my lines into a snarl.

I remind myself that we’ll be out of the forest soon and away from its ability to bind magic.

“Any word of what’s happened?” Lukas asks Chi Nam.

“Our forces took out most of the Mage Council when they hit your family’s estate,” she tells him, then hesitates. “I heard that your family was killed.”

Lukas looks away, and I can feel the slash of intense emotion that flickers through his fireline. My heart twists for him and his lack of any loving family, ever. He turns back to Chi Nam and tells her something in fluent Noi, to which she responds in Noi, just as seriously, as if offering a condolence.

“Did they take out the Mage Council building?” Lukas asks, switching back to the Common Tongue.

Chi Nam nods. “And its archives as well as the Valgard and Verpacian bases before our Western forces were cut down by the Mage Guard. Now Vogel’s mobilizing his own ranks east of the Verpacian Pass to prepare for deployment across the desert.” She throws Lukas a weighted look. “He’s declared war on Noilaan and has sent out draft notices to all adult male Mages. And he’s imposed martial law on Gardneria and taken sole control of the government.”

“That was inevitable,” Lukas cynically returns.

“Apparently there wasn’t even any mention of trying to form a new Council,” Chi Nam notes, a jaded cast to her tone, as well. “And the Gardnerians aren’t questioning it. In any case, war has begun. Vogel is holding a giant rally tonight in Valgard. Rune hawks have been dispatched to every one of his military bases.”

“He won’t wait long before he advances on the Eastern Realm,” Lukas warns.

“Well, he can’t advance on us just yet,” Chi Nam sharply counters, her clipped accent further barbing her words. “He’s got a wide expanse of desert he needs to get through first. And even with his broken dragons, it’s a challenge to get through the central desert’s storm bands.” She purses her lips and shakes her head. “But you’re right. He’ll be coming for our Realm. And we’ll need to meet him with overwhelming power.” Chi Nam turns and gives me a significant look over her shoulder that I strive to fully meet.

It’s mind-bendingly significant that she’s here. Guarding me against the express command of her own military, when she could have been fighting with the now decimated Vu Trin regiment against Vogel’s army and their dragons.

Which means that Chi Nam is gambling that I’m strategically more important to the coming fight than the Vu Trin’s entire Western Realm force.

My lungs tighten as I imagine how she’s viewing me right now—as a cataclysmic weapon.

Or, perhaps, every weapon on Erthia shoved into human form.

“Are Kam Vin and Ni Vin all right?” I ask Chi Nam. “And Chim Diec?” I add, concerned to know what became of the women who saved my life in the desert when the other Vu Trin moved to cut me down. Valasca turns her blue-hued face toward me, her expression tensing at the mention of her love, Ni Vin.

“Nilon is fine,” Valasca informs me, her teasing manner whisked clear away. “She’s back in Noi lands with Kamitra. Chimlon is back in Noi lands too.” Valasca uses the longer, informal version of Ni Vin’s, Kam Vin’s, and Chim Diec’s first names, indicating that she’s on close terms with all three of them.

“Were they disciplined for helping me escape?” I worriedly ask.

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