Chapter 1
I was going to Hell and had no clue what to pack.
Regor was the goblin capital, home to my friend Tam and thousands of other goblins. Their home. My Hell.
Im Raine Benares. An elven seeker whose job used to be finding lost things and missing people, usually in nice, safe places like prisons and war zones. Now, thanks to a runin with a soulsucking rock looking for someone to call home, the entire world was about to turn into a war zone, and yours truly was the epicenter.
Yesterday the worldending stone known as the Saghred had been stolen. I called it several other names not repeatable in public. The thing had attached itself to me and magnified my magic; and even now that it was thousands of miles away, we were still bonded. The goblin who had ordered it stolen needed me dead to break that bond and transfer control of the rock and all of its power to himself. To stand a snowballs chance in hell (excuse me, Tams home) of destroying the rock, I needed to stay very much alive.
Hence my dilemmasave the world or die a slow and painful death. Though I couldnt exactly call my situation a dilemma. A dilemma implied you had a choice. If it was up to me, somebody else could save the world; Id just rather keep breathing. However, if I managed by some major miracle to do both, I wanted to be properly dressed for it. Headtotoe steel surrounded by a platoon of Conclave Guardians should do the trick. Some people would call that paranoid; I called it barely adequate accessorizing.
But I wouldnt have a platoon, and headtotoe steel would make running away more of a challenge than I was up for. I was armored, both leather and steel, enough for protection, but without impeding any sudden need to retreat. Less than a dozen of us would be sneaking into Regor, stealing the Saghred, destroying it in a way that would hopefully not do the same to me, and getting back to Mid with the same pieces and parts that we left with.
A handful of us against the might of the goblin king, the goblin army, and probably some absurdly huge demons who owed them all favors. Oh yeah, and one soulhungry rock.
And how could I forget an allpowerful, fledgling goblin demigod by the name of Sarad Nukpana?
Survival would take a miracle.
Especially since I didnt have a lick of magic to my name.
The Saghred had stolen my magic, then the goblins had stolen the stone.
It sucked to be me right now.
I was going to where my worst enemy was and I had no magic. Well, that wasnt exactly true. I had a spark, and if I held it against a wick long enough, I might just be able to light a candle. Sarad Nukpana was constructing, and about to open, a Gate big enough for an army to go through, a hundred goblins at a timeand doing every last bit of it with magic. He could teleport an army, and right now Id work up a sweat lighting a candle. Wed love to be able to destroy the Saghred and the Gate, but our first priority was the rock.
The plan was simpleor simply suicide. Nukpana had the Saghred, but we still had the Scythe of Nen. Literally eons ago, the demon king had it forged so he could cut into the Saghred like an oyster and slurp up the souls inside. In theory, the Saghred could be destroyed if it was first emptied of souls. It was a logical solution, but this was a soulsnatching rock that had kept itself intact through the ages by making its own logic and luck. And it wasnt exactly a solution, or even a good idea, to let the souls out. Most of them hadnt been nice people to begin with; in fact, a lot of them could give Sarad Nukpana competition in the evil megalomaniac department.
While some would want nothing more than to float off to their great reward. Otherspowerful and evil otherswould infest and possess the first bodies they could take. That presented two problems. One, they could possess us; the problem there being obvious. Two, they could possess any Khrynsani in the immediate vicinity of the high altar. That would be Sarad Nukpana and his craziest and most powerful black mage allies. Evil plus evil equals extremely undesirable.
The world had enough problems without that happening.
Unfortunately, even if Sarad Nukpana gave us a clear path to the Saghred, we still needed the help of one goblin in Regor to keep those souls from infesting and possessingKesyn Badru, Tams first magic teacher, the man who tried to prevent Tam from running down magics dark path to do the things an entirelytoopowerful young mage had no business doing. Tam had been more like his teenage son, Talon than hed care to admit, and had successfully destroyed anything resembling a relationship with his teacher. For all we knew, when we found him, Kesyn Badru might try to turn Tam into something squishy on sight or simply kill him. From what Id heard about Tams youthful indiscretions, I really wouldnt blame Kesyn Badru in the least.
The way things were stacking up, Sarad Nukpana might be easier to deal with.
Kesyn Badru was an expert on Reapers. Reapers basically worked for Death, gathering wayward souls and taking them to where they needed to go next. When we opened the Saghred, we needed plenty of Reapers standing by for the cleanup of any souls who refused to move along nicely.
Bottom line, slicing into the Saghred with the Scythe of Nen and letting the souls inside go free could make it possible for us to destroy the stone.
Or not.
And since I was bound to the Saghred, the Reapers we needed to collect the souls might collect me, too.
Or not.
Yesterday Sarad Nukpanas thief had forced our hand. We had no choice but to try to do all of the above. And if it let meor Mychael, if I wasnt alive to do it myselfsmash the thing into a million pieces, it would be worth it. Simply stealing the Saghred back was no longer an option. Sarad Nukpana had to be stopped, and whatever I had to do would be worth it.
If I died, I would have died to save millions from torment, slavery, or death at Sarad Nukpanas hands. Id been telling myself all night that itd be a good and noble death.
Id never been more terrified in my life. I was almost sick with it.
There were easier and certainly less painful ways to commit suicide. The only upside to this whole thing was that wed be leaving for Regor within the hour. That didnt leave much time for me to imagine all the ways Sarad Nukpana, the Saghred, or the Reapers could kill me. The less time I had to ponder any of those, the better.
Leaving here within the hour, and arriving in Regor seconds after that.
I despised mirror magic, but I had to admit that it was a damned efficient way to get from one place to another.
To tell you the truth, I was scared to death of it. Partly because I didnt understand how the finer points of the art worked. Stepping into one mirror and instantly walking out of another one hundreds or even thousands of miles away sure as hell wasnt a parlor trickand mirror mages knew it. Superior to everyone else was how the best of them saw themselves; though most felt that simple worship would suffice. Id never met a humble mirror mage.
I did a last check of the pack I was taking with me. More weapons than anything else, small and easily concealed. What couldnt be hidden was already strapped to me. I wasnt taking much by way of clothesone change of everything in case what I was wearing picked up a couple of unsightly bloodstains or sword slashes. Itd been my experience that running for your life was best done while carrying as little extraneous weight as possible.
I slung my small pack over my shoulder and opened the door.
Standing there, hand raised to knock, was one of the last people I expected.
Piaras Rivalin.
He was a tall young elf, with big brown eyes and dark brown curls that would have made him look perfectly at home painted on the ceiling of some fancy chapel. To the pair of Guardians posted outside my door, Piaras was an eighteenyearold cadet in their order. To me he was the little brother Id never had, but always wanted.
Id known Piaras since he was twelve. The selfpossessed young man standing in front of me had grown up fast over a too short period of time. No one had given him a choice, either. For the two of us, the past three months had been one dealwithitordie moment right after another. Piaras had faced and fought things that would have sent most kids his age scrambling under their beds. To make it even worse, he was in nearly as much danger from Sarad Nukpana as I was. The bastard knew how much I loved Piaras; knew it and wouldnt hesitate to use him to get to me.
Piarass dream had been to become a Guardian and here he was in the uniform and armor of a cadet. In my opinion, he should have been on one of the ships trying to evacuate the other students from the island before the goblins invaded.
I stared up at him. Come to see me off before you get your butt on an evac ship?”
Yes and no.”
Yes youre getting on that ship, and no youre not here to see me off, right?”
Reverse them.”
Dammit, Piaras. I”
Paladin Eiliesor gave us all the choice. I chose to stay.”
You should be on a ship.”
Im needed here.”
From most kids his age, those words would come off sounding stubborn. From Piaras, it was steadfast and decisive. I knew I wouldnt be able to change his mind, but if he wasnt going to be stubborn, I would.
I lowered my voice. And I need you alive. While Im in Regor I need to know youre safe.”
Raine, Ive already reported for duty”
Then unreport.” The vehemence in my voice surprised even me.
Youre not unreporting.” There was no accusation in his voice; he was simply stating a fact.
Regor is the last place I want to go, but I dont have a choice. You do.”
You have a choice,” Piaras said. Youre going because you couldnt live with yourself if you didnt go. You know you can help, so thats what youre going to do. Same with me. What Id really like is to hide under my bed in the barracks, close my eyes, and have every last bit of this crap go away. But thats not going to happen, so here I am.”
I glared at him. You know youre too young to be this smart, dont you?”
Piaras flashed a smile that was probably making the coeds swoon. Its a burden I bear.”
Im sure I dont want to know, but where are they sending you?”
Here.”
I blinked. What?”
Sir Vegard ordered me to take his place as your bodyguard”
As my bodyguard, Vegard Rolfgar had been shot, tortured, and attacked by demons; damned near dying from all of the above. Hed wanted to go with us to Regor, but Mychael had made him acting paladin instead and put him in charge of the evacuation.
With a life of their own, my fists went to my hips. You are not going to Regor. I dont care who”
Piaras grinned and held up a hand. Vegard wants me to see you safely to the mirror room and then report back to him.” He stopped and half winced, the sudden embarrassment in his big eyes making him look like that awkward twelveyearold again. He ordered me to do one other thing.”
I narrowed my eyes. And what is that?” Vegard was about to get more trouble from me than hed have from any invading goblin army.
Piaras stepped forward. Uh . . . he told me to give you this.”
Piaras hugged me. Hard. My feet left the floor somewhere in the process. I shouldve been grateful that Vegard had Piaras standin for him; a hug like that from Vegard probably wouldve cracked a couple of my ribs. When Piaras showed no signs of letting go, I suddenly realized that hug wasnt just from Vegard. I wrapped my arms around Piarass neck; my face buried against his shoulder and fiercely returned his hug. If I didnt make it back, this could be the last time Id ever see him. My eyes swam with sudden tears.
Piaras started to put me down.
No, no. Wait.” I sniffed and tried for a smile. I have something for . . . Vegard, too. Give him this.” I grabbed both sides of Piarass head and planted a big kiss on his forehead, and then hugged him again. That wasnt just for Vegard, either.
The Guardians behind us snickered.
Piaras blushed to the tips of his pointed ears. Ill just tell him about it, if you dont mind.” He picked up my pack where Id dropped it to hug him. Ill get this.”
Thank you.” Id be carrying it myself soon enough, and who knew for how long, so Id take help now while I could get it.
Every Guardian we passed on our way to the mirror room had somewhere to go and was moving fast. Either that or they were already there and standing guard. To a man, they had one thing in commonthe same grim and determined expression. I didnt know what was behind some of the doors being guarded, but I almost felt sorry for anyone who tried to find out.
I had to move just as fast to keep up with Piarass long strides. After seeing me to the mirror room, what next?”
Pardon?”
Your orders. What are they?”
Once youre all safely through, I guard that mirror until you come back.”
Guard?”
If anyone tries to get into the mirror room who doesnt belong, theyll be taking a long nap and waking up in a small cell.”
Piaras could do it; I had no doubtand neither did any of the hundred or so Guardians hed accidently put to sleep after hed only been here a few days. Piaras was a spellsinger, probably the best of his generation. His voice was a deep, rich baritoneand a weapon. As far as magical skills went, spellsinging wasnt all that rare, but Piarass level of skill was. Rare, powerful, and deadly.
I had a thought I didnt like, but it was a possibility, a very unpleasant one.
What if someone comes back through our mirror besides us?”
Piaras gave me a grim smile that he should have been too young to have. Were equal opportunity sleepinducers.”
We?”
Maestro Cayle will be standing guard with me.”
I experienced a short, but ohsowelcome, moment of relief. I hadnt had many of those lately so I enjoyed it while I could. Maestro Ronan Cayle was the best spellsinger there was. If anyones ass needed kickingmage, mundane, or demonRonan was the man to serve it up. He was also Piarass spellsinging teacher. If Piaras wouldnt leave the island on an evac ship, knowing that Ronan would be with him was a comfort Id gladly take.
Is Talon staying, too?”
Piaras blew out his breath. Oh yeah.”
I understand he and Tam had quite the throwdown about that.”
Heard by half the citadel.”
Talon Nathrach was Tams son. As former chief mage and magical enforcer to the goblin royal House of MalSalin, Tam was part of the team going to Regor. Talons mother had been an elf, which made Talon a halfbreed, an abomination to both oldblood elves and goblins. The goblin court in Regor was packed to the walls with oldblood goblin aristocrats. From what Id heard, theyd kill Talon on sight.
Talon becoming a Guardian cadet was Tams effort to teach his impulsive son responsibility, respect, and above all, control. I told Tam he shouldnt hold his breath.
You cant exactly blame Talon,” I said. He just found his father, and now that father is leaving.” I left the and maybe never coming back” unsaid. Piaras knew it as well as I did.
Paladin Eiliesor ordered Talon to report to Sir Vegard for duty.”
I winced. Bet that didnt go over well.”
No, it didnt.” Piaras grinned. Though walking back to the barracks last night with Talon tripled my knowledge of Goblin profanity.”
Just before the stairs that led down to the citadels lower levels, we passed several openings in the outer walls that looked over the harbor. I stopped, and Piaras and our two Guardian escorts did the same. It was a long way down to the harbor, but I knew crowds of people when I saw them. Students and townspeople, there had to be hundreds of them, being put on any ship in Mids harbor that could raise canvas, and get them off of the island. Hopefully to safety. There were merchant ships, Guardian warships, and five pirate ships belonging to my cousin and unclePhaelan and Ryn Benares. Father and son, who, between the two of them, were responsible for the vast majority of the highseas crime in the seven kingdoms. Phaelan had brought me and Piaras to the Isle of Mid on the Fortune. Uncle Ryn had arrived later with his flagship theRed Hawk and three of his best fighting vessels to do what a father and uncle did bestprotect the people he loved. Commodore Ryn Benares, the most feared pirate in the seven kingdoms, was a big softie. No one outside the family knew that, and to preserve the cooperation and resulting profitability that the Benares name instilled in every ship to cross our path, we kept that information to ourselves.
Uncle Ryn had originally come to Mid to protect me and Phaelan. But now the students of the Conclave college were in the worst kind of danger. Sarad Nukpana needed sacrifices to keep his transport Gate stable and workingmagically talented sacrifices. The kids attending the Conclave college were the best of the best; theyd be the top mages of the next generation. Nukpana saw them as fuel for his invasions.
Uncle Ryn wasnt concerned that heading up the student evacuation would damage his fearsome reputation. Hed told me that he didnt give a shit what anyone thought; though he could always claim that the Conclave paid him to do it, which they hadnt. Uncle Ryn was helping out from the good of his own big heart.
The students were being evacuated youngest to oldest. Getting every student off the island would take time, time that the Isle of Mid may or may not have. The students least able to defend themselvesmagically or otherwisewere being shipped out first. Due to the need to transport as many students as quickly as possible, each student was being limited to only one small bag, large enough for a change of clothes and a few personal items. Everything else would be left behind. The hope was that they would be able to return soon.
That depended on us, whether we succeeded in destroying the Saghred.
Or even lived long enough to try.usu¢ b n ¢= P¢: fe places like prisons and war zones. Now, thanks to a runin with a soulsucking rock looking for someone to call home, the entire world was about to turn into a war zone, and yours truly was the epicenter.
Yesterday the worldending stone known as the Saghred had been stolen. I called it several other names not repeatable in public. The thing had attached itself to me and magnified my magic; and even now that it was thousands of miles away, we were still bonded. The goblin who had ordered it stolen needed me dead to break that bond and transfer control of the rock and all of its power to himself. To stand a snowballs chance in hell (excuse me, Tams home) of destroying the rock, I needed to stay very much alive.
Hence my dilemmasave the world or die a slow and painful death. Though I couldnt exactly call my situation a dilemma. A dilemma implied you had a choice. If it was up to me, somebody else could save the world; Id just rather keep breathing. However, if I managed by some major miracle to do both, I wanted to be properly dressed for it. Headtotoe steel surrounded by a platoon of Conclave Guardians should do the trick. Some people would call that paranoid; I called it barely adequate accessorizing.
But I wouldnt have a platoon, and headtotoe steel would make running away more of a challenge than I was up for. I was armored, both leather and steel, enough for protection, but without impeding any sudden need to retreat. Less than a dozen of us would be sneaking into Regor, stealing the Saghred, destroying it in a way that would hopefully not do the same to me, and getting back to Mid with the same pieces and parts that we left with.
A handful of us against the might of the goblin king, the goblin army, and probably some absurdly huge demons who owed them all favors. Oh yeah, and one soulhungry rock.
And how could I forget an allpowerful, fledgling goblin demigod by the name of Sarad Nukpana?
Survival would take a miracle.
Especially since I didnt have a lick of magic to my name.
The Saghred had stolen my magic, then the goblins had stolen the stone.
It sucked to be me right now.
I was going to where my worst enemy was and I had no magic. Well, that wasnt exactly true. I had a spark, and if I held it against a wick long enough, I might just be able to light a candle. Sarad Nukpana was constructing, and about to open, a Gate big enough for an army to go through, a hundred goblins at a timeand doing every last bit of it with magic. He could teleport an army, and right now Id work up a sweat lighting a candle. Wed love to be able to destroy the Saghred and the Gate, but our first priority was the rock.
The plan was simpleor simply suicide. Nukpana had the Saghred, but we still had the Scythe of Nen. Literally eons ago, the demon king had it forged so he could cut into the Saghred like an oyster and slurp up the souls inside. In theory, the Saghred could be destroyed if it was first emptied of souls. It was a logical solution, but this was a soulsnatching rock that had kept itself intact through the ages by making its own logic and luck. And it wasnt exactly a solution, or even a good idea, to let the souls out. Most of them hadnt been nice people to begin with; in fact, a lot of them could give Sarad Nukpana competition in the evil megalomaniac department.
While some would want nothing more than to float off to their great reward. Otherspowerful and evil otherswould infest and possess the first bodies they could take. That presented two problems. One, they could possess us; the problem there being obvious. Two, they could possess any Khrynsani in the immediate vicinity of the high altar. That would be Sarad Nukpana and his craziest and most powerful black mage allies. Evil plus evil equals extremely undesirable.
The world had enough problems without that happening.
Unfortunately, even if Sarad Nukpana gave us a clear path to the Saghred, we still needed the help of one goblin in Regor to keep those souls from infesting and possessingKesyn Badru, Tams first magic teacher, the man who tried to prevent Tam from running down magics dark path to do the things an entirelytoopowerful young mage had no business doing. Tam had been more like his teenage son, Talon than hed care to admit, and had successfully destroyed anything resembling a relationship with his teacher. For all we knew, when we found him, Kesyn Badru might try to turn Tam into something squishy on sight or simply kill him. From what Id heard about Tams youthful indiscretions, I really wouldnt blame Kesyn Badru in the least.
The way things were stacking up, Sarad Nukpana might be easier to deal with.
Kesyn Badru was an expert on Reapers. Reapers basically worked for Death, gathering wayward souls and taking them to where they needed to go next. When we opened the Saghred, we needed plenty of Reapers standing by for the cleanup of any souls who refused to move along nicely.
Bottom line, slicing into the Saghred with the Scythe of Nen and letting the souls inside go free could make it possible for us to destroy the stone.
Or not.
And since I was bound to the Saghred, the Reapers we needed to collect the souls might collect me, too.
Or not.
Yesterday Sarad Nukpanas thief had forced our hand. We had no choice but to try to do all of the above. And if it let meor Mychael, if I wasnt alive to do it myselfsmash the thing into a million pieces, it would be worth it. Simply stealing the Saghred back was no longer an option. Sarad Nukpana had to be stopped, and whatever I had to do would be worth it.
If I died, I would have died to save millions from torment, slavery, or death at Sarad Nukpanas hands. Id been telling myself all night that itd be a good and noble death.
Id never been more terrified in my life. I was almost sick with it.
There were easier and certainly less painful ways to commit suicide. The only upside to this whole thing was that wed be leaving for Regor within the hour. That didnt leave much time for me to imagine all the ways Sarad Nukpana, the Saghred, or the Reapers could kill me. The less time I had to ponder any of those, the better.
Leaving here within the hour, and arriving in Regor seconds after that.
I despised mirror magic, but I had to admit that it was a damned efficient way to get from one place to another.
To tell you the truth, I was scared to death of it. Partly because I didnt understand how the finer points of the art worked. Stepping into one mirror and instantly walking out of another one hundreds or even thousands of miles away sure as hell wasnt a parlor trickand mirror mages knew it. Superior to everyone else was how the best of them saw themselves; though most felt that simple worship would suffice. Id never met a humble mirror mage.
I did a last check of the pack I was taking with me. More weapons than anything else, small and easily concealed. What couldnt be hidden was already strapped to me. I wasnt taking much by way of clothesone change of everything in case what I was wearing picked up a couple of unsightly bloodstains or sword slashes. Itd been my experience that running for your life was best done while carrying as little extraneous weight as possible.
I slung my small pack over my shoulder and opened the door.
Standing there, hand raised to knock, was one of the last people I expected.
Piaras Rivalin.
He was a tall young elf, with big brown eyes and dark brown curls that would have made him look perfectly at home painted on the ceiling of some fancy chapel. To the pair of Guardians posted outside my door, Piaras was an eighteenyearold cadet in their order. To me he was the little brother Id never had, but always wanted.
Id known Piaras since he was twelve. The selfpossessed young man standing in front of me had grown up fast over a too short period of time. No one had given him a choice, either. For the two of us, the past three months had been one dealwithitordie moment right after another. Piaras had faced and fought things that would have sent most kids his age scrambling under their beds. To make it even worse, he was in nearly as much danger from Sarad Nukpana as I was. The bastard knew how much I loved Piaras; knew it and wouldnt hesitate to use him to get to me.
Piarass dream had been to become a Guardian and here he was in the uniform and armor of a cadet. In my opinion, he should have been on one of the ships trying to evacuate the other students from the island before the goblins invaded.
I stared up at him. Come to see me off before you get your butt on an evac ship?”
Yes and no.”
Yes youre getting on that ship, and no youre not here to see me off, right?”
Reverse them.”
Dammit, Piaras. I”
Paladin Eiliesor gave us all the choice. I chose to stay.”
You should be on a ship.”
Im needed here.”
From most kids his age, those words would come off sounding stubborn. From Piaras, it was steadfast and decisive. I knew I wouldnt be able to change his mind, but if he wasnt going to be stubborn, I would.
I lowered my voice. And I need you alive. While Im in Regor I need to know youre safe.”
Raine, Ive already reported for duty”
Then unreport.” The vehemence in my voice surprised even me.
Youre not unreporting.” There was no accusation in his voice; he was simply stating a fact.
Regor is the last place I want to go, but I dont have a choice. You do.”
You have a choice,” Piaras said. Youre going because you couldnt live with yourself if you didnt go. You know you can help, so thats what youre going to do. Same with me. What Id really like is to hide under my bed in the barracks, close my eyes, and have every last bit of this crap go away. But thats not going to happen, so here I am.”
I glared at him. You know youre too young to be this smart, dont you?”
Piaras flashed a smile that was probably making the coeds swoon. Its a burden I bear.”
Im sure I dont want to know, but where are they sending you?”
Here.”
I blinked. What?”
Sir Vegard ordered me to take his place as your bodyguard”
As my bodyguard, Vegard Rolfgar had been shot, tortured, and attacked by demons; damned near dying from all of the above. Hed wanted to go with us to Regor, but Mychael had made him acting paladin instead and put him in charge of the evacuation.
With a life of their own, my fists went to my hips. You are not going to Regor. I dont care who”
Piaras grinned and held up a hand. Vegard wants me to see you safely to the mirror room and then report back to him.” He stopped and half winced, the sudden embarrassment in his big eyes making him look like that awkward twelveyearold again. He ordered me to do one other thing.”
I narrowed my eyes. And what is that?” Vegard was about to get more trouble from me than hed have from any invading goblin army.
Piaras stepped forward. Uh . . . he told me to give you this.”
Piaras hugged me. Hard. My feet left the floor somewhere in the process. I shouldve been grateful that Vegard had Piaras standin for him; a hug like that from Vegard probably wouldve cracked a couple of my ribs. When Piaras showed no signs of letting go, I suddenly realized that hug wasnt just from Vegard. I wrapped my arms around Piarass neck; my face buried against his shoulder and fiercely returned his hug. If I didnt make it back, this could be the last time Id ever see him. My eyes swam with sudden tears.
Piaras started to put me down.
No, no. Wait.” I sniffed and tried for a smile. I have something for . . . Vegard, too. Give him this.” I grabbed both sides of Piarass head and planted a big kiss on his forehead, and then hugged him again. That wasnt just for Vegard, either.
The Guardians behind us snickered.
Piaras blushed to the tips of his pointed ears. Ill just tell him about it, if you dont mind.” He picked up my pack where Id dropped it to hug him. Ill get this.”
Thank you.” Id be carrying it myself soon enough, and who knew for how long, so Id take help now while I could get it.
Every Guardian we passed on our way to the mirror room had somewhere to go and was moving fast. Either that or they were already there and standing guard. To a man, they had one thing in commonthe same grim and determined expression. I didnt know what was behind some of the doors being guarded, but I almost felt sorry for anyone who tried to find out.
I had to move just as fast to keep up with Piarass long strides. After seeing me to the mirror room, what next?”
Pardon?”
Your orders. What are they?”
Once youre all safely through, I guard that mirror until you come back.”
Guard?”
If anyone tries to get into the mirror room who doesnt belong, theyll be taking a long nap and waking up in a small cell.”
Piaras could do it; I had no doubtand neither did any of the hundred or so Guardians hed accidently put to sleep after hed only been here a few days. Piaras was a spellsinger, probably the best of his generation. His voice was a deep, rich baritoneand a weapon. As far as magical skills went, spellsinging wasnt all that rare, but Piarass level of skill was. Rare, powerful, and deadly.
I had a thought I didnt like, but it was a possibility, a very unpleasant one.
What if someone comes back through our mirror besides us?”
Piaras gave me a grim smile that he should have been too young to have. Were equal opportunity sleepinducers.”
We?”
Maestro Cayle will be standing guard with me.”
I experienced a short, but ohsowelcome, moment of relief. I hadnt had many of those lately so I enjoyed it while I could. Maestro Ronan Cayle was the best spellsinger there was. If anyones ass needed kickingmage, mundane, or demonRonan was the man to serve it up. He was also Piarass spellsinging teacher. If Piaras wouldnt leave the island on an evac ship, knowing that Ronan would be with him was a comfort Id gladly take.
Is Talon staying, too?”
Piaras blew out his breath. Oh yeah.”
I understand he and Tam had quite the throwdown about that.”
Heard by half the citadel.”
Talon Nathrach was Tams son. As former chief mage and magical enforcer to the goblin royal House of MalSalin, Tam was part of the team going to Regor. Talons mother had been an elf, which made Talon a halfbreed, an abomination to both oldblood elves and goblins. The goblin court in Regor was packed to the walls with oldblood goblin aristocrats. From what Id heard, theyd kill Talon on sight.
Talon becoming a Guardian cadet was Tams effort to teach his impulsive son responsibility, respect, and above all, control. I told Tam he shouldnt hold his breath.
You cant exactly blame Talon,” I said. He just found his father, and now that father is leaving.” I left the and maybe never coming back” unsaid. Piaras knew it as well as I did.
Paladin Eiliesor ordered Talon to report to Sir Vegard for duty.”
I winced. Bet that didnt go over well.”
No, it didnt.” Piaras grinned. Though walking back to the barracks last night with Talon tripled my knowledge of Goblin profanity.”
Just before the stairs that led down to the citadels lower levels, we passed several openings in the outer walls that looked over the harbor. I stopped, and Piaras and our two Guardian escorts did the same. It was a long way down to the harbor, but I knew crowds of people when I saw them. Students and townspeople, there had to be hundreds of them, being put on any ship in Mids harbor that could raise canvas, and get them off of the island. Hopefully to safety. There were merchant ships, Guardian warships, and five pirate ships belonging to my cousin and unclePhaelan and Ryn Benares. Father and son, who, between the two of them, were responsible for the vast majority of the highseas crime in the seven kingdoms. Phaelan had brought me and Piaras to the Isle of Mid on the Fortune. Uncle Ryn had arrived later with his flagship theRed Hawk and three of his best fighting vessels to do what a father and uncle did bestprotect the people he loved. Commodore Ryn Benares, the most feared pirate in the seven kingdoms, was a big softie. No one outside the family knew that, and to preserve the cooperation and resulting profitability that the Benares name instilled in every ship to cross our path, we kept that information to ourselves.
Uncle Ryn had originally come to Mid to protect me and Phaelan. But now the students of the Conclave college were in the worst kind of danger. Sarad Nukpana needed sacrifices to keep his transport Gate stable and workingmagically talented sacrifices. The kids attending the Conclave college were the best of the best; theyd be the top mages of the next generation. Nukpana saw them as fuel for his invasions.
Uncle Ryn wasnt concerned that heading up the student evacuation would damage his fearsome reputation. Hed told me that he didnt give a shit what anyone thought; though he could always claim that the Conclave paid him to do it, which they hadnt. Uncle Ryn was helping out from the good of his own big heart.
The students were being evacuated youngest to oldest. Getting every student off the island would take time, time that the Isle of Mid may or may not have. The students least able to defend themselvesmagically or otherwisewere being shipped out first. Due to the need to transport as many students as quickly as possible, each student was being limited to only one small bag, large enough for a change of clothes and a few personal items. Everything else would be left behind. The hope was that they would be able to return soon.
That depended on us, whether we succeeded in destroying the Saghred.
Or even lived long enough to try.