Night had fallen by the time he found himself behind another bush, every muscle in his

  body screaming for relief. He was looking down on the soldier's base camp, where they had left a single man to care for their horses while they conducted the search. He would stay for a few days, and if they didn't return he would bring the horses back to Elling and the soldiers would have to walk their way home.

  Faced with the soldier, Silas wished he had kept the bow. The sword was a risky

  proposition, especially in his state of weakness.

  "I'll be right back," he whispered to Eryn. He looked over the bush again, finding the soldier facing away from him, sitting in front of a small fire. He had his cloak raised up to keep himself warm, so Silas couldn't even see his face.

  He crept down the slope of the first step, taking seconds between each footfall to ensure

  that he didn't make a sound. He kept his ears and eyes focused on the surrounding area, in case more than one of his men had stayed behind.

  Minutes passed. He inched closer. The only sounds he heard were the crackle of the

  flames, and the beating of his heart. To his left, the horses shifted and whined, unsure of the newcomer. The motion got the attention of the soldier, and he turned his head.

  "What's wrong, boys?" the voice asked.

  A woman's voice.

  His army didn't allow women.

  Unless they were Mediators.

  Silas stopped.

  She turned around, and smiled.

  "Silas, I presume?" she asked. "It's an honor to meet you."

  She was only a little taller than Eryn, her hair straight and black, her features sharp. She had almond-shaped eyes, and a tiny nose, and wore a simple black dress with the red eye painted on the chest.

  He stood still, trying to decide what to do. Whatever happened, he had to protect Eryn.

  "An honor?" he asked.

  She smiled. "I forgot. You don't remember. Well, it doesn't matter anyway, now. I had a feeling you might try to outwit the soldiers, and come back down. Where is the girl?"

  "Dead," he said without hesitation. "Something lives in the Rushes. A creature unlike any I've ever seen."

  She seemed surprised. "Really?" She put her hand to her chin, pressing her thumb against her lips in thought. "It's a shame she didn't make it. She had so much promise. He would have taken very good care of her."

  "What do you mean? You were going to kill her."

  She stood up and took a few steps towards him. "We were, in the beginning. You were

  there, you saw what she did at the collection point. She's strong for her age and experience. It is not unheard of, but it is rare. He needs Cursed like her."

  "And like you?"

  She smiled again. "And like me."

  "Why?"

  "To hunt for the others."

  "Why? Why do you kill your own kind?"

  She paused at that, a hurt expression crossing her face. She started to say something, but

  then stopped. "It doesn't matter, Silas. My orders are to kill you on sight. I was supposed to try to speak with the girl, Eryn. I suppose I can't now." She looked saddened by that. "I'm sorry to be the one to do this. Believe me when I say I will carry the guilt of your death for the rest of my life."

  Silas was confused by the words, but he didn't have time to question them. The Mediator

  raised her left hand from under her cloak, revealing a shining metal rod. At the end of the rod was an irregular white stone the size of a small fist.

  Silas shouted and charged, holding his sword up in front of him, racing towards the

  Mediator before her power could be unleashed.

  He was too slow.

  White light flared from the rod and shot towards him. He could feel it coming, an intense

  coldness unlike anything he'd ever known. There was no time to get out of the way.

  Pure instinct caused him to bring the Mediator's sword up in front of the light, to try to

  block it. He felt the cold of it against his hands, and he watched as the sword began to glow with the same white light, as though it was absorbing the energy. In fact, he felt resistance, like the power was pushing against the blade and the blade was pushing back. He kept fighting his way forward, his hands growing numb but the sword keeping the light from reaching the rest of him.

  The Mediator creased her brow, her eyes dripping blood, the pace of the flow increasing

  as she concentrated, trying to force the energy from the stone past the sword.

  Silas inched forward, the muscles in his arms threatening to fail. He was so tired, but

  somehow he held on and kept pushing against the power, growing ever closer to the Mediator.

  He never had to touch her. He gave one last shove, and she broke. The energy gathered in

  the blade reversed, pouring back towards her in a blinding light. Her eyes went wide in fear, and then she was hit. Her frozen body fell backwards, hit the ground, and shattered. Only the rod remained.

  Silas dropped the sword and began rubbing his hands together, trying to force away the

  cold that had seeped in. They itched like crazy, but he knew if they itched that meant they would be okay.

  It was clear the weapons the Mediators held were made of the ore he set so many

  prisoners to mine. It was obvious to him now why they needed them. To protect themselves from the power they unleashed, and to defend themselves from others with the same power.

  He limped back to the bush where Eryn was stationed, and carried her down to the camp.

  They would be safe there for at least a day while the soldiers scoured the Rushes in search of them. They wouldn't be able to make the trip north to the sea, but that was fine with Silas.

  He had a new idea on how to get into Elling.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Eryn

  Eryn opened her eyes.

  She was confused, looking up into the blackness so close above her, and then finding

  herself covered by a thick grey blanket.

  "Where am I?" she whispered.

  She put her hand to her forehead. She remembered being in the crevasse with Silas, and

  the creatures that were attacking them. Now she was here. Wherever here was.

  She pushed herself to a sitting position. Her body ached from stiff and sore muscles, but

  she didn't complain. Looking around, she could see she was in a tent. That meant she was still alive. She wasn't bound in chains, so unless there was a guard outside the tent, that meant she hadn't been captured either.

  Eryn threw off the blankets and got to her feet. Only then did she realize her clothes had

  been changed. Gone was the drab brown shirt and pants. It had been replaced with a long-sleeved black dress that was a little bit too long and a little bit too tight. She gasped when she saw the red eye looking out from the chest. Maybe she had been captured?

  There was only one way to find out.

  Her legs complained with every step, but she ignored it. She walked to the closed flap of

  the tent and pushed it aside. It was a bright morning, and her eyes burned while they adjusted to the light. She couldn't see anything.

  "You're awake," Silas said, coming around the tent and scaring her. "It's a good thing. I was worried I would have to carry you all the way to Elling."

  "Silas," she said, her voice dry.

  He raised a finger and walked over to a pile of supplies he had gathered, finding a bladder of water and handing it to her. He was still wearing the same clothes she had last seen him in, although he now had a new black cloak to replace the faded old one.

  She drank her fill and tried again. "I don't understand. What's going on?"

  "We're leaving," he replied.

  "Are we safe?"

  "For now. We can talk while we ride. You do know how to ride a horse, on your own I

  mean?"

  She smiled. He seemed to be in good spirits, and that put her at ease. "Yes. I've never ridden one as large as the chargers the soldiers use, but I have ridden."

  He walked over to her and crouched so they were at eye level. "I want to apologize to

  you," he said. "Your clothes... they were covered in blood, and smelled awful. I tried to make you comfortable, and I have an idea."

  It was obvious to her he was embarrassed. She reached out and put her hand to his face.

  "It's okay, Silas. I appreciate your apology, but you don't need to. I trust you."

  He nodded and stood straight. "I'm sure you don't remember what happened with those

  creatures?" he said as he picked up the bags he had packed and brought them over to two of his soldiers' warhorses.

  "No. I remember we were surrounded... I know I must have used my Curse."

  "You did. You saved our lives." He walked one of the horses over to her. "Up you go," he said, offering her a boost. She put her booted foot into his cupped hands and he lifted. She put he legs over the horse, finding the dress had cuts in it to make such riding possible.

  "Where did the dress come from?" she asked.

  He went over to the other horse and mounted, then walked it over to her.

  "A Mediator," he said. He snapped the reins, and started them moving back east. "She was waiting at the camp when I brought you back here. After you saved us, I knew we couldn't make the trip north like that. I couldn't stay ahead of them and protect you. So I fooled them into thinking we were somewhere we weren't, and doubled back. I had to leave your bow and quiver back there, to fool them, but don't worry. The things that were in it are in your saddlebag."

  He made a strange face when he pointed at the saddlebag. One she didn't understand.

  "Did you...?"

  "Kill her?" he asked. His face was grim. "Yes. I didn't have a choice. She had a white stone that she used to shoot a cold light at me. The Mediators' swords, they can absorb the power."

  Eryn wasn't expecting that. How had she killed Lia, when the Mediator could have

  stopped it with her staff?

  "She was a little bit taller than you, but almost the same size, so I changed you into her clothes. I also have a cloak for you here. This is how we're going to get into Elling."

  "How?"

  "The Mediator. She wanted to speak to you, and convince you to join." He smiled. "She was very convincing."

  Eryn understood what he was getting at. She looked down at herself, and at the red eye

  on her chest. "They'll know I'm not one of them."

  "Who will know? The soldiers of Elling? If you put the cloak up to cover your bald head, you'll look like any other Mediator, and I don't think anyone will have the guts to question you.

  You'll bring me in as your prisoner. Once we're inside, we'll disappear."

  She realized that meant they would both have reached their destination. That meant they

  would be going their separate ways. "What about everything you were going to teach me?"

  Silas looked over at her. She knew by his face he had something on his mind. He drew

  his lips into a tight line, and then ran his tongue around the inside of his mouth.

  "Whatever you want to say, just say it, Silas," she said. "We've already been through too much together for you to hold your tongue."

  "I found a ring, in your quiver," he said at last. "Where did you get it?"

  She was surprised by his question. Why would he care about the ring? "I found it near

  Watertown. I was with Master Lewyn, our woodsman. He brought me to this rock... the Giant's Ball, he called it. It was on the ground there, partly buried. I saw the sparkle of the clear stone when the sun hit it."

  He didn't look pleased with the answer. As though he had a hope for something, and she

  had dashed it.

  "Do you know who it belongs to?" she asked.

  "Yes. I gave it to Alyssa on our wedding day. I don't know how it could have come to be in the forest near your home. I can't even remember when Alyssa lost it."

  She could see the pain in his eyes. How much was from the fact that his wife no longer

  held the ring, and how much was from the fact that he couldn't capture the memory, she didn't know. She reined the horse to a stop and slid off, then reached for the saddlebag. She flipped it open, found the coin purse, and dug out the ring.

  "This belongs to you," she said, reaching up to hand it to him.

  He smiled and wrapped her hand in his, and then closed her palm over it. "Keep it," he said. "Alyssa is gone to the unknown lands, and the rest of my family is lost. I know we've only been traveling together for a short time, but you're the closest thing to family I've had in years."

  Eryn was touched by the gesture. "Thank you, Silas. That means more to me that you'll

  ever know."

  "As for teaching you," he said. "If we're both going to be in Elling, I see no good reason why we should part ways. We'll be much more convincing as father and daughter."

  "Grandfather," she said with a laugh. "You're too old to be my father."

  He started laughing too, a deep rumble that belied his slight frame. The sound made Eryn

  laugh harder. She was happy to laugh again, if only for a moment.

  When she got back onto her horse, she looked up at the sky. "Thank you, Amman," she said. "I will survive, and I will succeed."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Silas

  They had reached the Elling Road, crossing the Baden to the north, closer to the city,

  before they ran into their first group of soldiers.

  Six days had passed since they had left the Rushes. Six days of riding, walking, talking,

  teaching, and resting. The time had allowed their muscles to heal and the soreness to dissipate.

  Silas had hoped the time would also begin to restore his memories, but he found them as elusive as ever.

  Once they had returned to a more populated area of Elling, Silas had insisted that Eryn

  shackle him with chains he had found at the soldiers' camp. He held the key tucked under his tongue, and could unlock himself at any time if need be, but playing the part of the prisoner was essential to their act, and he played it well.

  So well in fact that the merchants, farmers, and artisans they passed on the road to Elling tended to either look away, or steer a wide path around the young Mediator leading the fugitive to the capital for an audience with the Overlord. So well that even his messengers rode past without slowing, no doubt taking notice in their minds, but not even questioning the authenticity of the scene.

  His soldiers had been headed south out of the city. They were only a half days' ride out, and Silas had been expecting they would come in contact with them soon. He had done his best to prepare Eryn on how to speak and how to carry herself. He only hoped she could keep her

  nerves at bay and capture the role.

  "Well met, sister," the leader of the squad said, riding ahead of the six men under his command.

  She had her cloak on and the hood up, covering her head. The baldness had been replaced

  with a light fuzz of her brown hair, but it would still have been out of place on someone of her position. She turned her face just slightly, so she could peer at the commander from the corner of her eye.

  "Well met, Captain...?"

  "Orozo," he said. "Captain Netan Orozo."

  "Well met, Captain Orozo," she said.

  The Captain looked over at Silas, following the chain from his wrists to the back of

  Eryn's saddle.

  "So this is Silas Morningstar?" he asked.

  "It is," she replied. She had practiced lowering her voice, to make herself sound older.

  She was holding it well.

  "He looks like a used up whore," Orozo said.

  "Captain," Eryn said, her voice sharp. "Is that how you speak in front of your superior?

  And a lady at that?"

  He looked embarrassed. "Pardon me, Mediator," he said. "I've been too long in the barracks."

  "I'm bringing the prisoner to the Overlord," she said. "He's proven to be very resourceful, so I would like two of your best men to escort me to the city gates."

  Orozo didn't look pleased. "Mediator? You seem-"

  "Are you questioning me?" she asked, interrupting him.

  "No, Mediator. My apologies. Sirs Herik and Pane will ride back to Elling with you."

  He spun his horse, and picked the two soldiers out of the line. "You are expected to catch up to us," he said to them. He turned back to Eryn. "We're ordered to meet with Mediator Brune outside Root. They've reported a Cursed in Killeny."

  Eryn turned and looked back at Silas, her eyes betraying her character for just an instant.

  Silas kept his eyes down and shook his head, just enough that she would see. He understood her desire to stop them, he felt it too; but they needed to stay focused on the bigger picture.

  "Mediator, are you well?" Orozo asked, noticing her movement.

  She caught herself, and snapped her head back at him. "I'm fine, Captain," she said. "You are free to continue on your journey."

  "Thank you, Mediator," he said. He put his fingers in his mouth and whistled, and then motioned his squad forward. All except Herik and Pane.

  "Stay behind us," she told them. "Alert me immediately if he makes any sudden moves."

  "Yes, Mediator," they said as one, slipping in behind them.

  Silas fought against his smile. He hadn't coached her on this, but she had played them

  perfectly. She was believable enough as a Mediator who had captured the infamous Silas

  Morningstar. She was unquestionable with a pair of soldiers helping to escort her.

  ***

  They reached Elling as the sun began to set on their left, and a large patch of heavy

  clouds began to move in. Silas kept a close eye on Eryn as they crested the horizon and the city came into view. He was curious to see her reaction, knowing she had never laid eyes on anything of its like before.

  He wasn't disappointed. As soon as they had gotten close enough that the twenty foot

  wall surrounding the main city was visible behind the overgrowth of smaller shops and

  apartments that ringed it, and the twin two hundred foot tall towers of the Overlord's palace could be seen rising into the darkening sky, Eryn's whole body stiffened in the saddle. He caught a glimpse of her wide eyes when she had started to turn her head back to him, to exclaim her amazement at the very suggestion of so many people living in such a small area, until she had remembered their escort, and put her head back forward.