Page 70 of Magic & Secrets
Feeling my mate’s unease, I glanced back and smiled. Roque inhaled sharply. His blue eyes flashed silver with worry andirritation. We were both thinking about how we should have challenged the Elves in the field rather than coming here. Unable to rewrite time, we could only do our best to survive long enough to escape.
Mali clicked his tongue again, instructing me to follow him. I was halfway down the long, narrow hallway when Roque’s growling echoed against the stone walls.
I hesitated, worried over my mate’s growing agitation. Glancing back at where I left Roque, I considered whether he could control himself. What kind of chaos would an enraged Bane Shifter be capable of unleashing in the Tower of Reason?
“Hurry along,” Mali insisted before ushering me into a room. His magic swung the heavy doors shut. “What has happened?”
“My bevy encountered the Bane Shifters during a battle in Arbdorre Territory. We engaged with a dozen Haven Junction attackers. During the battle, a Sorcerer used the ancient magic of Ivitithi to separate us. I fell from the sky in Varema Territory along with Roque. I don’t know where my sisters or the other two Bane Shifters have gone.”
Mali studied me. “Why would the Bane Shifter be transported with you rather than your sisters?”
“I don’t know.”
“I think you do.”
Offering a small shrug, I explained, “Ivitithi’s spell collided with Solme Divige’s magic. This outcome is the result of ancient magic gone wrong. Nothing more.”
“How did the Bane Shifter survive such a magical collision?”
“It has long been suspected that the Murade used ancient magic when designing the Bane Shifters. Wouldn’t you agree his survival gives credence to such a theory?”
“Don’t assume my thoughts, youngling.”
A proper response to the Elf’s irritation would be for me to lower my gaze submissively. However, Roque’s annoyed growlshad changed to panicked howls. His growing distress distracted me from my training.
“What have you told him?” Mali asked me.
“About what?”
“About your lineage?”
“I told him I am an Elven half-breed, just as I was instructed to.”
“Didn’t Gregory instruct you to avoid the Bane Shifters?”
“They came upon us during battle. If we fled, the Bane Shifters would have been suspicious. We chose to work together to learn more about this threat.”
Roque’s howls echoed through the halls. He sounded in misery, but he wasn’t in physical pain. I would know if someone was hurting him. Roque simply didn’t like me away from his presence.
Mali frowned at the shaking door. “What’s wrong with him?”
“We’ve grown close in our battles. He worries I’m unsafe.”
“Why would he distrust me?” Mali asked, narrowing his gaze. “What have you told him?”
“Nothing. Your name never came up until the Elven guards mentioned you. I worried one of your people might recognize I wasn’t an Elven half-breed.”
“You need to stay away from that Shifter,” Mali insisted. “If he learns of your lineage, he will separate your head from your shoulders.”
Rather than respond to his worries, I lowered my gaze submissively and said, “The Sorcerer and Wolf Shifters chose to challenge the Bane Shifters. What madness is behind the Cult of Ivitithi?”
I felt Mali’s gaze dissecting my behavior. “Where did you hear of the cult?”
“The Sagesse showed them to me in a dream,” I said rather than mention the ancient one.
“Does the Bane Shifter know?”
“Yes.”
