The Gates of Winter - Mark Anthony [254]
Falken nodded, his face grim. “Grace rode to Gravenfist Keep to stand against Berash, and to await King Boreas and the Warriors of Vathris. Although whether she has held or the keep has fallen, there's no way to know.”
“Yes there is,” Travis said, his voice shaking. “We can go to her. We can go to Gravenfist Keep right now and help her fight until King Boreas gets there.”
Melia turned her amber gaze on him. “Can we?”
These words were like a blow; Travis staggered. “What are you talking about?”
Melia looked up at the roiling clouds.
“The sky,” Beltan said softly. “Something's wrong with it.”
“It has been broken,” said a voice behind them.
The voice was sharp-edged but haggard—a man's voice. They turned to see a figure in a black robe appear from behind a boulder, walking down the last few feet of the hidden path toward them. The man moved slowly, as if weary beyond imagining. He came to a halt a dozen paces away. The heavy cowl of his robe concealed his face. Vani crouched, ready to spring.
Travis tried to moisten his lips, but his tongue was dry as sand. “What do you mean?”
The man held out his hands. On it were the fractured pieces of a disk of creamy stone. Travis could still make out the symbol that had been embedded in the disk: a curved line over a single dot. Tal, the rune of sky. The broken pieces of the rune slipped through the man's fingers and tumbled to the ground.
Anger and sorrow tore at Travis's heart. “You. It was you we saw at the Black Tower. You're the one who killed Sky—you're the other Runebreaker.”
The man said nothing, and the others stared, shock written across their faces—all except for the two Maugrim, whose brown eyes were as calm as ever.
Bitter laughter rose in Travis's throat. “So, have you come to take the Stones from me? They're all here. I have Krondisar and Sinfathisar, and here's Gelthisar.” He pointed to the Stone resting on Kelephon's dead hand. “It's everything Mohg needs to break the First Rune.” He drew the two Stones from his pocket. “Have you come to take them to him?”
“No,” the man in the black robe said. “I will not take the Imsari from you, Master Wilder.”
Travis clenched his hand around the Stones. “But you broke the rune of sky. You opened the way for Mohg so he can return to Eldh and break the First Rune.”
“You're wrong.”
The man pushed back his cowl. Intelligent eyes gazed from a face that was a shattered mask crisscrossed by white scars. His lips twisted in a sardonic smile.
“Mohg will not break the First Rune,” Master Larad said. “Because you will, Master Wilder.”
58.
Travis knew he should do something, that he should speak a rune to save them. Master Larad was the other Runebreaker. He was in league with Shemal.
He had slain Sky.
The last time they had seen Larad, the runespeaker had been leaving the Gray Tower, banished by All-master Oragien. In the months since, he must have found the Necromancer Shemal, must have cast his lot with hers out of bitterness at his exile. He had journeyed to the Black Tower, and he had murdered Sky—sweet, voiceless Sky, who had somehow been both man and rune. Larad had made off with the rune of sky, taking it back to Shemal. And now he had broken it.
Do it, Travis! Jack's voice—and a hundred other voices—roared in his mind. Speak Krond. He cannot match your strength, Runebreaker though he may be.
Travis gathered his will. However, before he could speak the rune, an animal snarl sounded to his left, and a shadow streaked toward Larad. For a stunned moment Travis thought it was Vani, but the T'gol stood next to Beltan, and this thing moved on all fours.
It was a panther, its eyes gleaming like gold moons. Dimly, Travis noticed that Melia was no longer beside Falken. The panther crouched low before Master Larad, growling deep in its throat, ready to spring. The runespeaker staggered back a step and held up a hand. It was stained with blood.
“Please, listen to me,” he said, his voice tight with pain and fear. “Kill me after you