Forest of Ruin (Age of Legends 3)

"No, you do not, which is why you don't have me. If you wish to discuss that, you'll need to survive tonight. Starting by--" She pointed at the shadow stalker.

He grinned and dipped his chin. "Yes, my lady. I will watch the creature while you dispel it. I will also stop talking."

"Good."

He walked to the shadow stalker and stood there, dagger ready while Tova pinned the creature and Ashyn dispelled it with a combination of soothing words and harsh ones, a little more soothing now than harsh, with the creature disabled and Ronan safe. The spirits slid away, one after the other, the knot freeing more quickly now as she gained confidence. When the body lay still, Ashyn turned to Ronan.

"We need--"

"To find Moria," he said, handing back her dagger. "I know. Let's go."

They were passing the tea gardens when the scent of roses made Ashyn slow. She looked at the building beyond the gardens. When Ronan glanced over, she turned away from the building so he would not determine her thoughts, but he looked there anyway.

"The Chamber of the Divine," he said. "You are thinking of notifying Thea and Ellyn, the court Keeper and Seeker. If you can dispel the spirits, they can, too."

"I . . ." She looked longingly toward the palace grounds.

"If you wish, I'll go and warn Moria while you speak to the old women. But I would rather not leave your side."

He meant that he wanted to protect her. Which was very sweet. Under the circumstances, though, given that he was unarmed, he was the one who needed protecting, so she shook her head and veered toward the Chambers of the Divine.

"We'll do this quickly," she said.

FIFTY-FOUR

There was a guard posted at the door to the chamber. One who seemed under direct orders not to let Ashyn pass.

"As long as you are in the city, our Keeper and Seeker must remain in their quarters," he said. "The combined force of your powers--"

"That is a load of horse dung," Ashyn said.

Ronan choked on a laugh behind her as the guard stared, incredulous.

"My lady," the guard began.

"I'm not a lady. I'm the blasted Seeker of Edgewood, and as such, I outrank you, which means you will step aside, and if you babble on about the combined force of our powers, I shall scream. Moria and I have been in and out of the city, sleeping within a hundred paces of Thea and Ellyn, and the palace has not exploded yet. Now, there are shadow stalkers in the court--"

"Shadow stalkers?"

"Is that not what I said when I first demanded you step aside?"

"I--I misheard. B-but my orders--"

"Tova?"

The hound sprang in front of Ashyn, and Ronan moved up beside her. The guard's hand fell to the hilt of his sword.

"Pull that on him if you must," Ashyn said. "But bear in mind that the last warrior who drew on my Hound of the Immortals is now in the second world."

Which was true, though one thing had nothing to do with the other.

The warrior removed his hand from his sword.

"Good. Now step aside."

He didn't, but when Ashyn took hold of the door, he made no attempt to stop her from going in. Tova and Ronan followed.

The Chambers of the Divine was one of the largest buildings in the court. It served spiritual functions as well as housing the Seeker and Keeper. Moria and Ashyn had never been in it. One could say that was because Emperor Tatsu believed the old stories that their "combined power" could be disastrous, but Ashyn suspected he'd done it merely to keep the old women from complaining. Just as Ashyn suspected that Thea and Ellyn avoided the young Keeper and Seeker because they viewed the girls as rivals. Which, Ashyn supposed, they were now.