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  He fell with a gurgling cry of pain as Rafe kicked the legs out from under the other soldier. He fell hard, and Rafe stabbed his sword into the man’s neck. The soldier with the shoulder wound was back on his feet, his shield discarded and his sword now in his left hand. He swung hard at Rafe, who caught the blow on his shield and followed it with a low swipe, slashing his sword under the shield and ripping open the man’s stomach.

  Rafe heard the shouting behind him as the shield wall broke. He decided he might be able to break through the guards outside the audience chamber so he dashed toward the doorway, only to be met by several spears, two of which punched through the shield’s wooden boards. Rafe let the worthless shield fall and backed up. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that the remaining men of the earl’s guard had surrounded their ruler, Olyva, and Desyra. Rafe ran up onto the dais, joining his father to defend the earl.

  “Kill him!” screamed Brutas, who had regained his senses.

  The king’s soldiers moved forward, but the fighting was ferocious. The king’s soldiers preferred to stay out of reach of the guardsmen and stab at their opponents with their spears. Rafe parried with his sword and slashed back with his long weapon. The rapier was longer than the average sword, but the king’s soldiers quickly learned to respect it and stayed out of reach.

  “You can’t win!” Brutas shouted gleefully. “Order your men to stand down, and I will spare your life.”

  “You are not the earl,” Ageus shouted. “The men of Avondale will rise up against you.”

  “Then I will crush them, as well. Now surrender, or I shall slay you all, including the women.”

  Rafe looked across the hall. Most of the earl’s soldiers were wounded, dead, or being held captive. There were bodies and blood covering the polished floors of the earl’s hall, but no sign of Tiberius.

  “Lower your weapons,” Ageus said wearily.

  “My lord, no,” Grentz said.

  “We are defeated,” Ageus said, putting a hand on Rafe’s shoulder. “No more of your brave men should die for me.”

  “You heard him,” Brutas shouted. He was holding a rag against his head now and still leaning on one of the guards. “Drop your weapons.”

  Rafe had faced death. He had been hurt and felt himself dying, yet nothing had ever pained him as much as seeing his father throw down his sword in defeat. The king’s soldiers stepped forward and snatched Rafe’s rapier out of his hands.

  “Take Rafe Grentzson and his bitch captive,” Brutas said coldly.

  Rafe’s anger flared, but Brutas was wisely staying out of reach behind his troops. The soldiers pulled Rafe’s hands behind his back. When he resisted, he was punched hard in the stomach, doubling him over. He heard Olyva scream in protest, but there was nothing she could do to help.

  “Some of those men you killed were my friends,” said one of the soldiers holding Rafe’s arms. He twisted Rafe’s right arm painfully as he taunted the young warrior. “This isn’t going to be a fun experience for you.”

  “Stop it!” Desyra shouted as Olyva was roughly bound the same way as Rafe.

  Grentz looked at his son with regret in his eyes. Rafe did his best to nod and reassure his father, but he couldn’t speak, only gasp for breath. Grentz and the other soldiers were herded to the far side of the dais, while Brutas approached his father, who was being held by two soldiers.

  “You old fool,” Brutas sneered. “Did you really think you were man enough to overcome me?”

  “Take up a sword, my son,” Ageus said. “And I will face you man to man.”

  “Oh, no, you aren’t getting out of this that easily. Did you know that Leonosis reopened the dungeons? I’m sure you’ll be right at home there.”

  “Brutas, what has happened to you?” Ageus said. “How did your brother convince the other earls to follow him?”

  “You bore me with your questions,” Brutas said. “Teach him the penalty for annoying the Earl of Avondale.”

  A large soldier drew a wicked-looking dagger and started toward Earl Ageus with a savage grin on his face. Rafe looked at his father, who shoved the nearest soldier out of his way and sprinted toward the dais. He didn’t have a weapon, and Rafe knew what was about to happen.

  “No!” Rafe shouted.

  But Grentz would not be stopped. Two soldiers turned to stop him, but he lowered his shoulder and rammed into the nearest soldier’s shield. Rafe heard his father’s arm snap; the pop was loud, like a dried quill being broken in two. But Grentz never slowed. He slipped past the soldiers and bounded up onto the dais, his broken arm dangling helplessly as he threw himself in front of Earl Ageus.

  The big soldier was just about to stab Ageus with his dagger, but instead he stabbed Grentz. The sword master’s eyes opened wide, as the soldier twisted the blade. Grentz stood perfectly still for a moment; the earl behind him was completely white and trembling. Then Grentz drew the soldier’s sword with his good hand. The soldier shoved the dagger, digging the blade around inside Grentz, doing as much damage as possible, but Grentz didn’t seem to notice. He raised the sword and hacked it into the side of the soldier’s neck.

  Both men fell together as Rafe struggled to break free and rush to his father’s side. Blood was spilling down Grentz’s legs, and his skin looked blue around his mouth and eyes. He turned his head and looked at Rafe.

  “Father!” Rafe screamed.

  “Son,” Grentz said, then he died.

  Earl Ageus fell to his knees beside Grentz and held the sword master’s head in his lap. He looked at Rafe, who was shouting in fury, as the other soldiers punched and kicked him into submission.

  “I’m sorry,” he said to Rafe. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Take him away,” Brutas said as if the whole scene were no longer amusing. “Countess, would you care to join me for wine?”

  “Of course,” Countess Mauryn said. “It would be my pleasure.”

  Rafe watched helplessly as Earl Ageus was dragged away and Grentz’s head thumped onto the stone floor. Then a spear butt was slammed into Rafe’s head, and he was swallowed by blackness.

  Chapter 22

  Tiberius

  Tiberius stood in the darkness, watching the shadowy figures of the secret brotherhood leave the cavern. He understood their caution, and recognized the genius of their carefully orchestrated rites. He couldn’t see any of the men’s faces, and by leaving first, they kept him from hiding somewhere outside and watching to see who left the small hovel that served as an entrance to the secret cavern.

  His mind was buzzing with even more questions. He had no idea how to tap into the power of the stones. He had the Balestone in his possession, but the stone’s willfulness and hunger for power made him leery of even touching it. He had grown up seeing the destructive nature of selfish ambition and he didn’t want to end up like his brother. The Balestone had to be destroyed, but he didn’t know how to do that, either. He might even destroy the world in his feeble attempts to save it. He felt a great weight settling onto his shoulders. Nothing else mattered anymore, not if he failed.

  “It is time for us to take our leave,” Ennis said in a tremulous voice. “This way.”

  Tiberius followed the older man, his eyes craving light. He was tempted to cast the spell for light and bathe the cavern in bright, magical illumination, but he didn’t want to disrespect his host or the incredible risk the brotherhood had taken in sharing their knowledge with him.

  They wound their way out of the cavern and back into the hovel. Ennis extinguished his candle and set it on a table next to the others. Tiberius was tempted to count the candles and learn how many other men were part of the secret society, but he chose not to. Their secrets would be safe with Tiberius. He hadn’t seen them, had no idea how many there were or who they were. If he were captured and tortured, he couldn’t betray their secrets.

  Once they were outside, Ennis moved slowly, leaning on Tiberius for support.

  “Did you know about the book you sold me?” Tiberius
asked.

  “Know what about it?” the old man asked.

  “Did you know it was there? Did you know I was going to find it?”

  “No, I didn’t realize what I had,” Ennis said. “My father was a book collector, picking up whatever he could over the years when people sold their books or passed away. I still have most of his collection. Old books are not very popular at market.”

  “So you didn’t know the book fragments were there?”

  “No, I just picked a box and went hoping to get enough coin for a hot meal,” the old man said. “What will you do now?”

  “I’m not exactly sure,” Tiberius said. “I need to find the Emerystone, but I have no idea where to look. There aren’t any maps that show the blighted lands.”

  “Perhaps not,” Ennis said. “But there are maps of Valana before the cataclysm. In fact, I may be able to help you.”

  When they got back to Ennis’ small home, Lexi was anxiously waiting for them. She was hidden in the shadows as Ennis and Tiberius came into the dark outer room of the modest house. Tiberius saw her slipping her Wangorian dagger back into her belt as she stepped out of the darkness to greet them.

  “You’re back,” she said, sounding relieved.

  “We are. Are you okay?” Tiberius asked.

  “Sore, but I’ll be fine. Did you learn anything?”

  “A lot,” Tiberius said. “But it would be better if we waited until we were out of the city for me to explain. Ennis’ brotherhood risked their lives to share their information with me.”

  “So what do we do now?” Lexi asked.

  “We need to find an old settlement that was run by the wizards of the Four Orders,” Tiberius said, following Ennis into the well lit back room of the home. “Ennis thinks he can help.”

  Lexi stood close to Tiberius as they watched the old man rummage around. Her hand felt small and a little clammy in Ti’s. He knew she was hurting but he didn’t know if there was anything he could do for her. She needed to rest, but they also needed to get out of the city before they ran into more trouble.

  “Here it is,” Ennis said, holding up an ancient-looking leather-bound book. “Come and take a look at this.”

  Tiberius and Lexi joined Ennis at his table, where the old man had opened the book to a map. It was not as exacting as the maps in the palace, and the nine cities weren’t listed, but the mountain ranges where the cities were located were. There were also many other cities described on the map. Tiberius saw Devonyr, and his heart began to beat a little faster. It was like finding a clue to an ancient but all-important mystery. If he could find and follow the clues to their conclusion, perhaps he could save Valana after all.

  “Here,” Ennis pointed at a small dot on the map. “This is where their settlement was. Just outside this town called Sanna Torrus.”

  It was much further south than they had ever traveled and looked to be beyond the vast plains of the Hoskali. Tiberius wondered how long it would take them to get there and if they could even find it. If the town was destroyed, there might not be anything left of the settlement run by the wizards.

  “What about the seat of power in the East?” Tiberius asked. “Is that on this map, too?”

  “Yes,” Ennis said. “It was Dellinius Capatorious, here.”

  The gnarled finger pointed at a dot near the eastern coast. Tiberius guessed it was somewhere between Duringer in the southern mountains and the twin cities of Easton and Weston in the north. It was a long way from Avondale as well.

  “I don’t suppose I could take this book,” Tiberius said. “I have a little money.”

  “I still have the silver from our last transaction,” Ennis said with a smile. “I have done all I can do and now I think I’ll die. Valana is in good hands. Take the book as my gift to you.”

  “You can’t die,” Lexi said softly.

  “We all die, my dear. I always hoped that my life would count for something. Now it has, and I can die a happy man.”

  “We should go,” Tiberius said to Lexi. “We need to get back to the palace and find Rafe.”

  “All right. Thank you so much, Ennis.”

  Lexi hugged the old man, who smiled down at her.

  “I didn’t know your parents, but I think they would be proud of the woman you’ve become,” he whispered. “Take care of your friend.”

  “I will,” she said. “Good bye.”

  They left the small house with a sense of melancholy. It was sad to think of Ennis dying. They were young, and their lives seemed to stretch out in front of them with no end in sight, even though they knew Queen Ariel wanted them dead—and Leonosis, too. They had faced grave dangers, yet dying seemed unnatural.

  They wound their way back up to Avondale’s main street that ran around the rim of the mountain’s cone-shaped summit. The towering walls were on their right as they headed toward the castle. The sky was dark, and the stars were mere pinpricks in the vast abyss. The moon was below the horizon, and the city seemed quiet and still.

  “What are you thinking?” Lexi asked.

  “I’m trying to decide what Leonosis will do next,” Tiberius said.

  “You think he’ll do more than send war ships to capture or kill us?”

  “Yes. I think he’ll do anything to get his hands on the Balestone.”

  “Did you find out what the stone is for or what it does?”

  “Yes, and it isn’t good,” Tiberius said. “There are two other stones. If Leonosis gets them, then whoever or whatever is controlling the earls can open a bridge to another world. Valana and everyone in the nine cities will be enslaved.”

  “It sounds like a nightmare,” Lexi said.

  “I’ll tell you the whole story later, but for now, we have to figure out a way to get to the other stones as fast as we can.”

  “Why?” Lexi asked. “If the stones can be used to destroy Valana, shouldn’t we keep them as far apart as possible?”

  “We could try, but Leonosis will never stop looking for them. He’ll eventually send his war ships below the mists. No one will be safe from him, and there’s no place we can hide. He seems to be drawn to the Balestone somehow.”

  “So what are you going to do when we find the stones?” Lexi asked.

  “If we can find them, then I have to find a way to destroy them.”

  Chapter 23

  Lexi

  There was nothing specific that she could point to, but something wasn’t right. She could feel it. Lexi had a well developed sense for when things around her were out of place. At first she thought it was simply fear of the future or that she missed Dancer. The little wind glider wasn’t comfortable in the city, surrounded by people, and had instead flown away to wait until Lexi needed her. Tiberius was talking about leaving Avondale and going back into the blighted lands to find another stone of power, which was daunting enough, but Lexi also knew they were being chased by a king and would probably be hunted all their lives. Any one of those problems was enough to make her uneasy, but for some reason she couldn’t shake, she knew it was more than that.

  As they walked along, Tiberius continued talking, but Lexi was only halfway listening. Her sharp eyes were taking in everything around them. The street was empty; most of the large houses that lined the city’s wide central avenue were dark. Lexi watched for any sign of movement, but there was nothing to see, and still she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

  Finally she looked up. There was very little light above them, but she could just make out the shadowy forms of the war ships tethered to the watchtower. She thought it was strange that both ships were huddled together over the center of the city. The ships had hung over the city gates the day before, she was sure of that. What she couldn’t remember was if the ships had been tethered to the tall watchtower the night they had snuck into Avondale. Perhaps the ships anchored themselves every night. The war ships wouldn’t be very effective at night anyway. Was it possible that their crews went into the city after sunset?


  Then she noticed the two massive shadows over the palace. She couldn’t tell what ships were there, but she was certain two large sky ships were floating above the earl’s palace.

  “Tiberius,” she said, stopping in the middle of the street and taking his arm.

  “What is it?” he asked, his body tensing as he recognized the fear in her voice.

  “Something’s happening at the palace.”

  “What? How can you tell?”

  “There’s two sky skips anchored above the palace.”

  Tiberius strained to see in the darkness. If the moon had been shining, the ships would have been easily visible, but there was very little light in the sky and none coming from the upper level of the palace.

  “You can’t go in there,” Lexi said. “Not until we find out what is going on.”

  “We have to get Rafe,” Tiberius said. “Then we can leave the city. I wanted to see my father again, but I don’t have to.”

  “I’ll find Rafe,” Lexi said. “You stay here.”

  “I can’t let you do that,” Tiberius said. “It might not be safe.”

  “You may be a great wizard,” Lexi said, “but sneaking into places unseen is my special talent, remember? Besides, no one is looking for me. I’m just your tagalong girl.”

  “You’re more than that,” Tiberius said. “You’re much more than that to me.”

  “I know. I just meant that I wasn’t banished. Let me go in, look around, and find out what is happening.”

  “All right, I’ll wait here. But don’t do anything risky. Just find out what’s happening and come right back.”

  “I will, I promise,” Lexi said.

  She left Tiberius in a dark alley, where he settled down with his back against the wall. Lexi envied him a little. Her chest ached, and her legs felt heavy. What she really wanted to do was to find a quiet little place to lie down and sleep, but she couldn’t do that now. She missed Dancer—the little wind glider would have seen the ships easily and probably trilled if danger had been close. She hoped she would be able to find the small, furry animal once they left the city.