CHAPTER THREE #4
The door opened behind Evylin, and she spun to get out with the Night sword in hand. The second she crossed the threshold, the Shades would have nothing to defend, and their attacks would cease. Or at least, that’s how she assumed their instincts worked.
But when she turned, she found herself faced not by an empty antechamber but by two men. They wore dark coats emblazoned with two golden moons on a patch of amethyst over their breasts: the emblem of the Order of the Night. The unknown men presented an immediate threat.
The Night Mages raised their hands, deep purple shadows already eliciting from them. Their magic roiled viciously through the open entrance.
Immediately, Evylin dropped low to avoid the Night magic. Auden released a surge of light that protected him from their attack. However, the remaining shadows rolled to strike Ilain, Thom, and Rafferty in the back. All three of them collapsed, taking Ethenn down with them.
Evylin didn’t hesitate. She sprang across the threshold into the antechamber hall.
They’d left the purple-blackness behind, and violet light now flooded the path through the star-studded windows.
Before either Mage could respond to her sudden advance, she swung the Night sword at the man on the right.
It slashed straight through his gut with as little resistance as it might have a Shade, cutting through him like he was made of clay and magic, not sinew and bone.
Brandishing the sword, Evylin spun to the other Mage, stopping as the blade touched his neck. He tried to leap back, but she went with him.
“Stand down,” she ordered.
The Night Mage’s hands lifted in surrender rather than attack, his fingers trembling as he stared at her, wide-eyed.
As she held him in place, Ethenn and Deckard carried the moaning and groaning Thom and Rafferty into the hall. Auden coddled Ilain, though she insisted she was fine.
“It hardly stung,” she assured him as the Keep’s door shut behind them. “I didn’t even have a horrifying vision.”
Thom and Rafferty didn’t appear to have gotten off so easily.
The Night sword’s purple glow shaded the Mage’s pale complexion as Deckard stepped to Evylin’s side. “What’s your name?” he asked.
The Mage glared at him, unwilling to answer.
“Ahck,” Ilain grumbled, then stepped forward. She waved Deckard back, then used the same hand to summon a flame. “You’ll tell us your name, or I’ll burn you.”
His nervous gaze flickered to Evylin. “She’s already got a sword to my neck,” he countered, his voice threaded with the same accent as the Calders. “Threats won’t do you any good, traitorous wench.”
Ilain rolled her eyes. “You lot are so predictable. Did Blount send you here?”
He pressed his lips together.
Ilain looked up at Deckard. “I’d say it’s safe to assume he did,” she surmised, then turned back to the Night Mage. “Are there more of you above?”
Still, he remained silent.
“I’d say,” Thom mimicked, “it’s safe to assume there is.”
Ilain turned a dry smile his way. “Imitation truly is the sincerest form of flattery, darling.”
“We don’t have time for this,” Auden interrupted.
“We’re still technically within the Keep’s antechamber, but the moment we step outside, every single Night Mage on Terraeus will feel its removal, even if they can’t pinpoint its location.
But if Blount sent these two here, there’s no doubt dozens of others are waiting above. ”
Panic swept through the room at the thought. Since the Keeps led to the world above by only narrow staircases, they would have to exit single file. That would put them at a severe disadvantage if Mages were waiting for them right outside.
“What do we do with him?” Ethenn asked.
Deckard hesitated, but Evylin knew the answer. “Sorry,” she said coldly to the Night Mage, then immediately flicked her wrists, driving the blade down in a slash across his chest. He dropped to the stones in an instant. “Nothing personal.”
A heavy sigh escaped Deckard. “Was that necessary?”
Evylin frowned at him. “Did you want to tie him up?”
“She’s carrying the Night Relic,” Auden remarked, bringing the potential argument to an effective halt. “Night tends to make its wielders more violent.”
Evylin followed their gaze to the Night sword, hanging limply by her side. She lifted it, offering it pommel-first to Auden. “Here. You can have it back.”
“No, no,” Auden insisted, though he eyed the sword with awe. “You keep it.”
“Auden, it’s just like the drawings,” Ilain whispered, a sense of wonder in her voice.
He nodded excitedly, some of his bright copper hair falling onto his forehead and obscuring his intense gaze. “We’ll discuss this when we’re free,” he said, though it sounded very much like he wanted to discuss it now. “We should focus on our escape.”
“Sounds like we’ll have to sneak our way to freedom,” Rafferty surmised, a wily grin on his lips. Now that he could see again, the weasel was back to his usual good nature. “I’m up for that.”
“It won’t be easy,” Deckard warned. “We have no idea where they might be hiding or how many of them there will be. And we are now entering enemy territory.”
The memory of entering the Water Keep flickered through Evylin’s mind. She turned to Auden. “Can’t you hide us? With Night magic, I mean.”
Deckard caught on, nodding. “Yes, you became invisible in the woods outside of Virwoud.”
Rafferty’s silvery eyes went wide with excitement, but Auden’s wary expression immediately cast doubt on the plan. “A shroud, yes. But it’s Night magic, and I’m not particularly good at it,” he admitted. “I could possibly shroud us with the Night Relic’s help, but—”
“Do it,” Evylin insisted, offering the sword to him again. “If it’ll get us out of here, do it.”
Auden looked reticent.
Ilain set her hand on her brother’s shoulder. “We just traversed a Keep,” she reminded him. “We’re too tired to fight our way out.”
“And after using Time and Night within, I’ve depleted much of my energy,” he replied, a pained expression on his face. “I’m no good with Night to begin with.”
“Can you try at least?” Deckard asked. “Even if it gets us a step farther from here, it’s worth it.”
Dropping his chin, Auden acquiesced. He reached up, but not to take the Night sword.
“Here,” he said, lifting the Day Relic from around his neck.
“I won’t be able to maintain a good grasp on Night if I wear this.
And if we do have to fight, it would be wise for our Warrior to carry a weapon that will give us the best chance of success. ”
In exchanging Night for Day, Evylin watched with amazement as the purple sword turned back into an amethyst necklace while the topaz talisman transformed into a golden broadsword.
She wanted to ask the siblings about this phenomenon, but by their bafflement, it seemed they were just as surprised as she was.
Her fingers tingled with joy as they clutched the leather hilt—a gentle warmth radiating from the blade, the feeling of life flowing through her veins.
“Are we ready then?” Deckard asked, drawing her back to the moment.
They prepared their weapons as Auden gathered his focus. Then they moved up the staircase to take their first steps into Wauld.