Page 165 of Keeper of the Word

The Befallen couldnotreturn.

He withdrew the Edan Stone and held it in his other palm. “I do this with your strength as my sky.” Thewordhe kept edged on his tongue. “I do this with your faith as my guiding star.”

He closed his eyes. Could he will himself to be in the white room with her?

The goddess of the Prodigal Moon was not so generous.

Out of the copse of trees, Elanna joined him, and they stood in companionable silence. Eventually, he numbed into the Wolf—a knight taking the first watch of the evening.

“The appeasement you gave Joss and Barrett this evening was very generous. Joss, especially, has fretted a great deal about your reaction and possible retribution.”

“Aye, I am quite the hero,” Tolvar scoffed.

“In many ways.” Elanna glanced at the moon cuff before he could hide it. “She would be proud.”

Chapter

Sixty-One

TOLVAR

The grim feeling came to fruition when they stumbled upon the battle taking place between the Cattacor and the Namid border. It smothered the road. And Tolvar could not fathom how it happened, but a fire had started at the edge of a grove of evergreens.

The familiar sounds of steel against steel, shouts, and cries from men locked in violent engagement, and terrified horses slammed into Tolvar’s senses. They galloped into the nearby trees, dismounted, and walked to observe from a safe distance.

Madness. Mindlessness.

Neighboring provinces of Lenfore were allies and partners. What fray would these two possibly have?

Tolvar looked on, sickened as soldier after soldier was downed. Purple. Grey. Purple. Grey. What did it matter whose colors were borne? Whose cause one believed he served? ’Twas against everything for which the Capella Realm stood.

The others observed with the same horror. Elanna stood motionless, like cold, etched stone. ’Twas clear that the nightmare playing out in front of them was an event she’d already Seen.

“Did you know we’d run into this if we took this path?” Tolvar asked. “How are we supposed to travel by?”

“I did See this, but I did not know ’twould be here on this road.”

“Stars’ shadow, how are we supposed to get past?” Tolvar hollered.

“Do not raise your voice at Elanna!” Hux shouted.

“All of you, stop shouting,” Joss took command. “We shall travel through these trees until we can skirt wide of this fray. They battle each other. No one shall concern themselves with us.”

“Or we could backtrack,” Gus said. “True, we would lose days, but we could head south of here instead.”

The Wolf’s hackles stood on end.

“Or you could simply surrender,” a voice behind them said. The din of battle had distracted them.

The Earl of Greenwood stood with two dozen guards, either pointing a sword or an arrow at them. Another dozen encircled them.

“Lord Tolvar, I should kill you where you stand.”

“Then do it,” Tolvar said.

“Would that I could. But I promised your brother that he would have the honor.” He nodded, and guards raced over, and with bow strings pulled taut, arrows pointed at their necks, the six had little choice but to watch their weapons taken from them while their hands were bound behind their backs.

“Lady Elanna, we finally meet. Your sisters are expecting you.”