“Sin’Rath,” Magda said. All eyes turned to her, most of them blank with confusion.
“I thought the Sin’Rath were on Karth,” Abigail said.
“They are, or they were, at any rate,” Magda said. “For centuries, the Sin’Rath and the Reishi Coven had an agreement-we would not set foot on Karth if they did not leave Karth. Isabel broke that agreement.”
“But she didn’t know,” Abigail said.
“No, but that’s of no consequence to the Sin’Rath,” Magda said.
“Why do they want Torin?” Conner asked.
“For his blood,” Magda said. “I suspect that they’ve become aware of the Nether Gate, and more importantly, the magical box containing the last of the keystones.”
“There’s no way Phane is going to let them get hold of the other two keystones,” Abigail said. “They have to know that.”
“Not necessarily,” Magda said. “The Sin’Rath are insane. Their reasoning is often not entirely reasonable. Unfortunately, Phane is well aware of this.”
“You think he put them onto Torin,” Anatoly said.
“I do,” Magda said. “If he can get the Sin’Rath to steal the box from Lacy and then have Torin open it … collecting the keystone would be a simple matter.”
“That seems like a lot of trouble,” Conner said.
“If Phane gains control of the Nether Gate, he wins,” Magda said. “In truth, this is probably one of several paths that he might travel to reach his goal. He is, no doubt, pursuing them all.”
“Well, we’re going to make sure he doesn’t succeed on this particular path,” Abigail said. “I’ll have Captain Sava ride south and send a pair of Sky Knights to scout for him.”
“That won’t work,” Magda said. “Men are useless against the Sin’Rath.”
Anatoly cleared his throat, frowning at her pointedly.
“Men are charmed by their very presence,” Magda said with a shrug. “Every man we send will simply join the witch’s ranks. We must send women.”
Anatoly grunted, shaking his head, muttering, “Magic,” under his breath.
“Pick two experienced witches from the ranks of the Sky Knights,” Abigail said to Magda. “The four of us will fly at dawn. Anatoly, I’d like you to ride to Fellenden City and assume command as Regent until either Torin or Lacy returns.”
“You know I don’t know anything about running a city, right?”
“Just keep the people safe,” Abigail said. “It’s only temporary.”
***
Handlers approached Kallistos moments after he landed in the makeshift aerie within the walls of Fellenden City. Abigail had scarcely dismounted when a commander in the Fellenden Army rode in with a dozen men riding two abreast behind him.
He dismounted, handing the reins to his nearest man and bowed formally with a smile that was entirely too bright for Abigail’s mood.
“Lady Abigail, I am Commander Ash. Until Prince Torin is found, I have assumed command of forces within the city and assumed the duties of Regent. How can I be of service today?”
Abigail’s eyes narrowed slightly. She was trying to learn temperance, trying to be less rash and more measured, so she found this situation particularly trying.
“Tell me, Commander, how did your prince disappear from under your nose? And why aren’t you out looking for him?”
Ash lost a little of his good cheer. “We woke to find Prince Torin missing, and I assure you we are doing everything within our power to find him.”
“Tell me about the woman.”
His smile brightened and he actually blushed. “She was beautiful … more beautiful than any woman I’ve ever met. Truthfully, I don’t blame Prince Torin for leaving with her.” He smiled wistfully and shrugged. “Between us, I bet he’ll return from his dalliance in a few days.”
Abigail took a deep breath and reminded herself that these men were under the influence of magic. “I see,” she said with a forced smile. “In that case, we’ll just go get cleaned up while we wait.”
“Of course, Lady Abigail,” Ash said. “I’ve taken the liberty of providing an honor guard for you.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“Oh, but I insist. If we’re wrong about Prince Torin, and the enemy really is in our midst, then I’d be remiss in my duties if I didn’t provide you with adequate protection.”
Commander Ash and his men accompanied Abigail and Magda to the keep. While one soldier remained with the horses, the rest escorted the two women inside.
Abigail’s quarters were just as she had left them, but cold and neglected. She’d chosen a small room off the main meeting hall, more for convenience than for any other reason. She closed the door before one of the guards could follow her inside. She and Magda shared a worried look.
Only a moment after she closed the door and dropped the bar, there was a loud pounding from outside.
“Lady Abigail,” Commander Ash shouted through the door. “I really must insist that you allow my men into your room … for your safety. The enemy could strike anywhere at any time.”
“No,” Abigail said.
There was a long pause and then he knocked again. “We need to keep you in sight,” he shouted, a slight edge of panic in his voice.
Abigail ignored him, turning to Magda. “How many do you think she turned?”
“At least those dozen men, maybe a few more.”
“How do we get them back?”
“Time,” Magda said with a helpless shrug. “As we understand it, a Sin’Rath naturally charms any man close enough to see her, but that charm doesn’t last for long once he leaves her presence. Their venom is how they create lasting power over their victims. Hopefully, it will wear off in time.”
“We don’t have time,” Abigail said. “We need to find enough soldiers who haven’t been bitten to contain this lot, so we can figure out where Torin was taken.”
“Agreed,” Magda said. “First, we’ll need to elude them.”
Ash pounded on the door again. “Lady Abigail, Lady Abigail, I’ve just received word that Prince Torin has been spotted in an abandoned part of the city.”
“I’ll bet,” Abigail said to Magda. “How do we get out of here?”
“What’s on the other side of this wall?” Magda asked, placing her hand on the bare stone.
“I think it’s a storeroom.”
“Is there a way out of that room that will get us past the soldiers?”
“I think so,” Abigail said, drawing the Thinblade.
“That won’t be necessary,” Magda said, beginning to cast a spell. Nearly a minute later, the wall became transparent in an area about the size of a door. Magda walked through, motioning for Abigail to follow. It was an odd sensation, like walking through thick air. When they were both in the room on the other side, the wall became opaque again with a single word from Magda.
The room was dark and filled with crates stacked along the walls. A service stair led to the level above. Abigail and Magda moved quietly up the stairs to a balcony running the width of the council chamber that Abigail had used to coordinate the efforts of the army over the winter.
The far wall was lined with windows every ten feet, the first being accessible from the balcony. Magda opened it carefully, peering out before pushing the shutters wide. Abigail looked down into a service alley several floors below.
“Take my hand and jump when I do,” Magda whispered. “And don’t let go.”
Abigail nodded, holding Magda’s hand and climbing up onto the window ledge. Magda muttered a few words before stepping off the ledge. They fell fast, air roaring past their ears for just a moment before the featherlite spell slowed their descent and set them both gently on the ground.
They moved cautiously, sticking to the alleys and avoiding notice as much as possible, until they came to one of the main barracks housing several hundred soldiers.
Abigail stopped at the side door for a moment. “I hope the Sin’Rath’s influence is as limited as we think or this might go badly.”