Page 66 of Pawns of Fate
Syzman’s eyes lost focus, and a tendril of shadow grasped Nicholas’s wrist.
“Syzman!” York grabbed both of Syzman’s shoulders and shook him. “What the hell is going on?”
“What’s wrong?” Nicholas demanded as Syzman’s eyes regained clarity. The tendril of shadow retreated.
“We need to get back to camp. Now.” Syzman startedmarching down the hill, shoving the vegetation out of his way with his hands and his shadows.
Nicholas and York followed.
“Why?” York shouted.
“We’re using the scrolls Lyla left me. She adjusted two of them to work with lightning mana, and I should be able to teleport both of you with all the star crystals lying about this cursed swamp.”
“What? Teleportation scrolls?” Nicholas’s heart dropped. “Why do we need to use the scrolls?”
“Because the madman that created the experiments back there—” Syzman waved a hand and shadow toward the defaced ruins “—is attacking Uddedin. Your wives are in danger, and Lyla may not be enough to protect them.”
ROSE
Rose had alwaysconsidered herself physically fit, but hiking through the rocky hills of the northern Ojoh desert gave her doubts.
“Come on. We need to cover more ground,” Lyla called from the top of a hill. The shadow mage didn’t seem phased by the trek and had spent most of her time hurrying Rose andAva along.
“She’s going to kill us before the damn monsters get to us,” Ava whispered conspiratorially.
Rose laughed. She wondered if this was what Nicholas felt like when he was fighting alongside York. He probably wasn’t quite as miserable since he practiced with his sword daily and had better stamina.
What wouldn’t she give to be back in Onanish, watching Nicholas train in the courtyard while sipping tea and eating fruit with cheese right now, she thought.
They reached the top of the hill, huffing and puffing the whole time. Lyla pointed to a distant smudge between two hills.
“Is that a town?” Hope filled Rose’s voice. It looked far, but perhaps the end of this nightmare was in sight.
“Yes,” Lyla said. A small smile crossed the shadow mage’s face. It gave Rose more hope than anything else had today.
“It’s still at least fifteen miles away, but we can make it.”
“Fifteen miles?” Ava whined. “I’m sweating in places I didn’t even know existed!”
Lyla started down the hill. “If it’s the village I’m thinking of, there’ll be a hot spring inn.”
The prospect of a bath at a cozy inn propelled Ava and Rose forward with a speed that Lyla’s constant chiding never could.
For several hours, they walked on without complaint and without seeing much of note. The desert cacti began to give way to the thin, almost spiky pine trees of the high desert, which made Rose miss the thick, lush pine trees of Onanish. The sun’s dry heat on her skin made her miss the luxury of shade. Hot as it was, Rose was glad for her long-sleeved dress because itprotected her from the harsh rays.
The sun was beginning to set when the sound of pebbles rolling around caught Lyla’s attention. The shadow mage dove into a scrubby bush and pulled out a goblin.
The creature squealed like an angry pig and covered its eyes as Lyla held it to the sunlight. The mage pulled a knife from her girdle and promptly killed the little monster.
Chittering and rustling erupted in the surrounding trees, rocks, and bushes. Ava grabbed onto Rose’s arm.
“Is that a baby troll? Is the mother going to come eat us?” Ava looked frightened to the point of tears.
“It’s a goblin, not a baby troll, but I can see why you’d think that,” Lyla replied. The creature had the same mossy green skin and rotten stench to it. Goblins never grew larger than a housecat, though.
Lyla continued to inspect the goblin’s corpse, tracing her fingers over a blood red rune that covered the creature’s heart.
“The troll had the same marking,” Rose said.
