Blackveil

When he returned to the tower encampment, he searched for Estral, eventually finding her in the dining tent. To the amusement of all, he lifted her off her feet and twirled her around and kissed her soundly.

“What was that for?” Estral asked when her feet were again on the ground. He liked that he’d made her blush.

“You are amazing,” he said.

She gave him a coy smile. “You’re only just noticing?”

He laughed and twirled her around again. Later on he would show her just how amazing he thought she was—without the audience. But first he wanted to check on the tower to see if Merdigen had heard back from Itharos about Trace.

When he entered Tower of the Heavens, he found not only Merdigen awaiting him, but Itharos, too. The two broke off some deep discussion when he arrived.

“I take it Trace has arrived at Tower of the Ice?” Alton asked.

Itharos bowed with a flourish of his cloak. “To my delight, she has indeed arrived, and I conveyed your most distressing message.”

“And?”

The mages glanced at one another, then back at Alton.

“Trace has some news of her own,” Merdigen replied. “We suggest first that you have Rider Littlepage join us, and Estral Andovian as well.”

Neither Merdigen nor Itharos offered any hint of the nature of the news, but it must have been of great import if they wanted Dale and Estral present to receive it, too. Quickly he returned to the dining tent and found Estral, and together they searched for Dale, finally locating her at the pickets, running a currycomb over Karigan’s Condor.

“I promised I’d look after him,” she said, patting the gelding’s neck.

Condor nudged Dale’s shoulder to encourage her to continue, and she chuckled.

“How is he?” Alton asked. It was not a casual question. Messenger horses possessed an uncanny sense of knowing when their Riders were in trouble, and Condor, Lynx’s Owl, and Yates’ Phoebe had been edgy since their Riders entered the forest.

Dale settled her hand on Condor’s withers. “Fretful,” she replied thoughtfully. “Phoebe, too. More than they were. Owl seems much the same.”

As if to punctuate her observation, Phoebe started digging her hoof at the ground. A sizeable trench had begun to develop there, evidence of her anxiety.

The three humans, in turn, fell into an uneasy silence. What, Alton wondered, and not for the first time, was going on with the company? How did the Riders fare? He was seized by another flash of regret at how poorly he and Karigan had parted. He shook himself. Whatever was happening on the other side of the wall was beyond his control, and he had problems of his own to contend with.

“Right,” he said. “We are all needed at the tower.”

“That sounds dire,” Dale replied.

“Trace reached Tower of the Ice and has some news for us.”

“Don’t worry,” she told the horse. “I’ll be back to finish.”

He swished his tail as if to say she had better be.

“What is it about?” Dale asked as they set off.

“I don’t know,” Alton replied. “They wouldn’t say until I got you two.”

All three of them picked up their pace, which carried them rapidly across the encampment and into the tower.

“This must be the esteemed Estral Andovian,” Itharos said when they entered the tower chamber. “I am honored to meet you, my lady.” He bowed.

“Estral, meet Itharos of Tower of the Ice,” Dale said.

“It is good to see you as well, Rider Littlepage,” Itharos said. “All three of you. In fact, a party would—”

“Not now,” Merdigen interrupted, an irritable counterpoint to Itharos’ flamboyance. “Rider Burns has received some news that you must hear.”

“Well?” Alton said.

“I’m not going to tell you,” Merdigen replied. “There is a way you can communicate with Rider Burns directly, as the wallkeepers once did. Itharos and I assume it will work anyway. It’s been a while since it was last done . . .”

“There’s a way to do this and you didn’t tell me?” Alton demanded.

“Didn’t seem necessary since you’ve never had anyone stationed in the other towers before.”

Alton wondered fleetingly what other interesting details Merdigen had chosen not to reveal.

“You must all go to the center of the chamber and place your hands on the tempes stone,” Merdigen instructed. “Itharos and I will do the rest.”

Alton wasted no time and Estral and Dale were right behind him. They placed their hands on the tempes stone. At first nothing changed in the grassy plains at the center of Tower of the Heavens. Then Merdigen and Itharos, who stood nearby, vanished. Silvery runes came to life in the air, pulsating with light, circling them.

Alton heard Estral’s sharp intake of breath beside him. “Don’t break contact with the stone,” he told her.

“I won’t.”

The runes merged and shimmered until a human form materialized, Trace suspended above the ground, a corona of green light flashing around her, the green of tourmaline.

“There you are,” she said, her voice sounding as if she were right there with them. “Thank the gods.”

“Trace?” Alton said. “Can you hear me?”

“Yes, yes I can. I can see all three of you, too.”

“Merdigen says you have something to tell us.”