Armed & Magical

Mychael took my hand and linked my arm through his. It could have been a gallant gesture of a gentleman walking a lady home, or it could have been Mychael making sure I stayed out of trouble. He had one of my hands; my other hand clutched the books. Regardless of his reasons, it was nice and cozy—even if we were surrounded by heavily armed Guardians. The night was cool; Mychael was warm. My night was starting to look much better than my day.



Mychael glanced down at me. “Tell me about Carnades.”



So much for nice and cozy.



I hit the high points. Mychael’s frown became more pronounced with each point. I didn’t know if that look of stern disapproval was for Carnades Silvanus or me.



“I just had his hand in a vise,” I protested indignantly. “It wasn’t like I had a dagger in his ribs. ‘Hand in a vise’ is simple assault or, in my case, self-defense. ‘Dagger in the ribs’ is attempted murder. My family did teach me the difference.”



“Do you want to press charges?” Mychael asked.



I blinked in surprise. Apparently the disapproving look was for Carnades Silvanus.



“Me press charges?” That’d be a first for a Benares.



“Yes, you press charges. A questing spell is considered assault. Do you want to press charges?”



“I think he knows not to do it anymore.”



“Did it ever occur to you to let Vegard and Riston handle it?”



“She asked us not to, sir,” Vegard said from behind us.



Mychael just looked at me. “You asked them not to? They’re bodyguards, Raine, not armed accessories.”



If my hands had been free, they would have been planted indignantly on my hips. “Carnades raked through my memories. I take that personally. If I take something personally, I settle it the same way.”



Mychael glanced at the retreating fire bloom in the sky that was Kalinpar. If the dragon had been closer, Mychael probably would have called them back, and I’d end up tossed over the saddle.



I could only see his face in profile, but there was no missing the clenched jaw. “What about the books?”



I told him what they were and who they were both written by.



Mychael stopped. So did our escort. “Are you certain?” he asked.



“Positive. Though I didn’t have time to do more than flip through the one in modern Goblin.” I lowered my voice. “Rudra Muralin used spellsinging to wake the Saghred, use it, and then put it back to sleep. And he was probably not much older than Piaras when he and the Saghred did their worst damage. It might explain why the stone responded to Piaras and not to you and Ronan Cayle.”



“Perhaps.” Mychael’s face didn’t betray a thing, but I could tell I’d just lit a spark in those blue eyes. I swore silently. As paladin, Mychael needed to know everything I found out, but I hoped I hadn’t just earned Piaras the same watch-first-lockup-later vibe I’d felt since I got here.



I suddenly didn’t want the books out in the open. I tucked them both into my jerkin. It was a tight fit, but I felt safer with them out of sight. I also felt safer by freeing up one of my hands.



Then I saw them. Six goblins, all armed and armored in sleek black. Khrynsani temple guards. Sarad Nukpana’s enforcers.



The Khrynsani were transparent. They were remnants, a psychic impression left behind after a person had left a place. Some sorcerers saw them constantly; I never could. Until now. The Khrynsani—and the young goblin they hunted—had been here just minutes before. I could see the filmy trail of the direction they’d gone in.



“Six Khrynsani were just here,” I told Mychael.



He didn’t question how I knew; his magic just heated the air around us as he shielded me. The remnants instantly vanished.



“Stop it!”



“What?”



“Your shields. I can’t see their remnants anymore.”



“You can’t see remnants.”



“I can now.” Apparently another unwanted gift courtesy of the Saghred. “They’re after a goblin, student age.”



Mychael swore. The shields went down, but his sword came out, the steel glowing blue. “Which way?”



A distant scream answered his question.



The woman had seen the Khrynsani, screamed, and slammed her door by the time we got there. The goblins and their quarry were no longer there, either, but I could tell where they’d gone.



I tried to pull away to follow them. Mychael pulled me back.



“They could be after you.”



I jerked away. “Not now, they’re not.”



Mychael glared. “Which way?”



“Around the corner there.”



“Vegard?” Mychael called over his shoulder.



“Sir?”



“You and Riston take Raine back to the citadel.”



“Yes, sir.”



I wasn’t going anywhere with anybody. “You can’t see them. I can.”



“No, but we can track them.”



“I can see and track them. They’re heading toward the central city. You’re going to lose them in there.”



“Maybe.”



“Shouldn’t that be my decision?”



“Not here, it’s not,” he growled.



I had a couple of choice words ready to let fly, but shouts and the sounds of fighting from ahead stopped me. It was probably a good thing; they weren’t nice words. I took off in the direction of the shouts before Mychael could get a hand on me again, though I knew he was right on my heels. He wasn’t going to be happy with me, but he’d have to get in line.



The shops and nightclubs gave way to a more residential section. The streets were darker with fewer witnesses for whatever the Khrynsani had in mind. I had blades on me but considering who I was chasing, my alternate arsenal might be a better choice. You didn’t just run Khrynsani temple guards into a dark alley without a plan. What I had wasn’t exactly a plan, but it’d keep me from getting roasted until Mychael and his Guardians could catch up with me. I wasn’t going to let the Khrynsani get that kid.



It wasn’t a dark alley. But if the goblins were looking for some privacy, the deserted courtyard they dragged their captured quarry into worked just fine.



One of the Khrynsani had a knife to the young goblin’s throat. Another had leather strips out and was binding the kid’s wrists. This wasn’t a hit; it was a kidnapping.



Mychael caught up with me on cat feet. Vegard and Riston were close behind. There was no sense rushing in. We were standing in the only way out. Possibly. Mid had plenty of buildings that led to basements that led to tunnels. I’d heard you could get from the harbor to the center city and never see the sky. I really didn’t want to test that rumor for the first time while chasing Khrynsani in the pitch dark. Elven sight was decent in the dark, but goblins could see like cats. Mychael peered into the courtyard. He saw what I saw and, judging from his confused expression, he knew the kid.



There was lamplight in the courtyard, and the goblin was in plain view. He was slender and probably not much older than Piaras, with waist-length black hair that shimmered in the lamplight. His silvery gray skin was suspiciously light, and when the lamp caught his pale eyes, my suspicions were confirmed. A half-breed, probably elven, definitely beautiful. He was stylishly dressed, though his clothing was a bit showy, more like a stage costume than anything. Probably a performer in one of the nightclubs.



A Khrynsani uncorked a small glass vial. I stifled a growl. Tied up wasn’t enough; they wanted him drugged, too. The goblin tried to struggle, but with the knife at his throat he was helpless to do anything about it.



I’d seen enough.



Mychael’s arm blocked me. He looked at Vegard, pointed at me and then emphatically to the ground. I had a feeling if I tried to follow Mychael into that courtyard, Vegard had just been ordered to sit on me.



Mychael stepped out into the courtyard entrance. Some of the Guardians went with him; some didn’t. Vegard and two Guardians armed with crossbows didn’t. There was a tree next to the courtyard entrance. One moment the two Guardians were in the street with us; then they weren’t. I imagine they were making themselves at home on the building’s roof.



A Khrynsani temple guard stepped in front of his captive. He wore tooled leather covered with a combination of black steel plate and scale armor. The single serpent of the Khrynsani insignia gleamed in vivid, red enamel over his heart. The etching in the steel made the armor look delicate, but experience had taught me better.



Mychael’s sword glowed with pale blue fire. “You’re not taking him out of here.”



“I think he’s the only way I am getting out of here.” The temple guard smiled, slow and eager, and full of fang.



Great. Someone was feeling challenged this evening.



I peeked over Mychael’s shoulder and saw that the two Guardians had reached their perches. They weren’t making any effort to hide.



“Teris?” Mychael called to one of them.



“Sir?”



“Would you be so kind as to put a bolt behind this Khrynsani’s ear if he doesn’t comply with my order?”



“No problem, sir. I was thinking along those lines myself.”



I looked back at the Khrynsani. I saw the beginnings of doubt in his black eyes. Mychael didn’t need him to be afraid, just sensible.



“Don’t worry,” Mychael told him. “You won’t feel a thing when it hits. You also won’t have time to take the boy with you.”



Teris’s crossbow creaked as he cranked the string back. The sound effect was a nice touch. It also changed the Khrynsani’s mind. He didn’t move, but I saw it in his eyes—the goblin wasn’t worth it to him.



Mychael stood perfectly still. He was getting what he wanted, and saw no sense in spooking the Khrynsani. “Tell your men to take the blade away from his throat, let him go, and step back. Way back.”



No one moved for nearly a minute. Then the Khrynsani guard hissed something under his breath, and the others backed away from the young goblin. The guard never took his eyes from Mychael.