Page 16 (1/2)

Another day, another hunt for a clan of witches who had no desire to be found And would likely have little desire to join this war

"We move out in five minutes" Sorrel’s rocky voice carried across the ca it was

Within three minutes, the fire was out and weapons were donned, bedrolls bound to saddles and needs seen to before the long day of flying

Buckling on Da with that preternatural stillness Beautiful, even here in the blasted snow, a shaggy goat pelt slung over her shoulders As he neared, her eyes ave hi, Your Majesty"

Dorian inclined his head "Where are andering today?" He knew the casual words didn’t quiteit," Sorrel answered, the Third’s face stony but open

Behind them, Vesta swore as the buckle on her saddle came undone Dorian didn’t dare to look, to confiric had worked

"We already searched north of here," Asterin said "Let’s keep heading south--s before we backtrack"

"They ht not even be in the mountains," Sorrel countered "We’ve hunted them in the lowlands in decades past"

Manon listened with a cool, unruffled expression As she did everyto her

I snapped free of its tether The witch hissed as she dis these little delays could keep them here, he didn’t know Not indefinitely

"If we abandon these ued, "then we’ll be far more trackable in the open lands Both our enemies and the Crochans will spot us before we ever find therumbled "Eyllould be a hell of a lot warmer"

Apparently, even irow tired of the leeching cold

But to go so far south, into Eyllhen they were still near enough to Morath … Manon seemed to consider that, too Her eyes dipped to his jacket To the keys within, as if she could sense their pulsing whisper, their slide against his power All that lay between Erawan and his do them within a hundred miles of Morath … No, she’d never allow it

Dorian kept his face blandly pleasant, a hand resting on the eye-shaped pommel of Damaris "This camp has no clues about where they went?"

He knew they hadn’t the faintest notion Knew it, but waited for their answer anyway, trying not to grip Darowl

Yet Daave no answer beyond a faint warmth in thehu voice in his mind

Certainly not the unimpressive whisper of heat

Heat for truth; likely cold for lies But--at least Gavin had spoken true about the blade He shouldn’t have doubted it, considering the god Gavin still honored

Holding his stare with that relentless, predatory focus, Manon gave the order to move out Northward

Away fro to say, do, to delay this departure Short of snapping a wyvern’s wing, there was nothing--

The witches turned toward the wyverns, where Dorian would ride with one of the sentinels for the next leg of this endless hunt But Abraxos roared, lunging for Manon with a snap of teeth

As Manon whirled, Dorian’s hty white bear had risen froht down itsto the side, and Dorian hurled out a wall of histhe snoith an icy thu for Manon Only Manon

Half a thought had Dorian flinging invisible hands to halt the beast Just as it collided with his ht A shifter

But it was not Lysandra who eed hide