Curse of the Shadowmage - Mark Anthony [92]
"Then why are the three shadevari out to destroy him?"
"Maybe they aren't," Morhion offered. Two years ago the Shadowking and a shadevar conjured by Lord Snake sought to destroy all in the Heartlands who possessed the shadow magic. The Shadowking knew that only someone with shadow magic could destroy him, and the shadevar wished to protect him from such individuals. This time, Caledan is the Shadowking-or will be soon.
"There can be only one answer," Morhion concluded. "The shadevari aren't after Caledan. They're after us. They want to make certain Caledan completes his trans formation into a shadowking, so that he can free them from their prison." Morhion took a deep breath. "In fact there is only one person who could possibly have summoned the avatars of the shadevari…"
"Caledan," Ferret whispered hoarsely. "Caledan himself self summoned them, deliberately or not."
There was a long silence as the three huddled around the pitiful little fire. A small sound broke the tension. They turned in surprise to see Kellen sitting up in his blankets. The boy's face was pale but no longer deathly so. His fever had broken. He lifted a hand to rub his eyes then yawned heartily.
"I'm hungry," he said blearily. "What's for dinner?"
Kellen frowned when the only answer he received a chorus of joyous laughter.
*****
K'shar loped across the desolate landscape. The broken plateau of the High Moor stretched endlessly in all directions, brooding under an iron-gray sky. The half-elven Hunter tilted his head back as he ran, breathing in the sharp air, searching for the scents of man: smoke from a campfire, the odor of cooked meat. At first he detected only the metallic traces of stone and snow. Then, faintly, he discerned a third scent. It was acrid, like the odor that lingers after a lightning strike. K'shar recognized the stench of magic.
His gaze was caught by a jagged silhouette standing against the leaden sky. The Hunter squinted at the crum-bling stump of a ruined tower atop a low hill. For leagues all around, it was the only place that might offer some protection from the elements. Instinct urged him toward the tor. Above all else, Kshar trusted his instincts. As he climbed easily up the steep slope, he noticed footprints in the damp turf. A smile sliced across his thin face. He recognized the impression of a woman's boot with a triangular nick in the instep. Al'maren. Outside the mostly collapsed stone wall he found tracks like those he had seen in the ruined city in the Reaching Woods. The gigantic hounds that had attacked Al'maren and her companions in the ancient city had found them again, here on this hilltop. K'shar noticed numerous gouges in the rocky soil along with dozens of scorch marks. Some sort of magical battle had been waged here-one or two days ago by the look of things.
With animal grace, K'shar leapt over the stone wall. How long had his quarry camped here? And had they survived their battle with the magical hounds? K'shar knelt beside the remains of a cookfire, holding his hand over the ashes. They were still warm. Al'maren and her friends had been here only that morning. They had indeed survived the battle. And they were no more than two hours ahead of him.
Swiftly, K'shar stood. "You have been a worthy opponent,
Al'maren," he whispered to the chill air. "But I have almost caught up with you now. And once you are gone, nothing will stand between me and Caldorien."
Like a stag taking flight, he sprang over the wall and stretched his long legs to run lightly down the hill. His nostrils flared in anticipation. Instinct told him the chase was almost over.
And above all else, K'shar trusted his instincts.
Eighteen
It was midday when they brought their horses to a halt before the onyx bridge.
" 'Beyond lies the Domain of Ebenfar,' " Morhion read, translating the dim runes carved into a timeworn standing stone.
Mari nudged Farenth toward the edge of the yawning defile. She peered down, blinking dizzily. The vast depths tugged at her, as if trying to suck her down to the jagged rocks far below. Hastily,