Page 79 of Swords of Soul and Shadow (Gate Chronicles #3)

She gestured to a Yalven man behind the Stradat Lord Kapitan. He was tall like Saldr, yet he sported a short beard. He stepped up beside Kase’s mother and bowed. “It is an honor, Stradat Lord Kapitan.”

Harlan merely nodded at the man. Kase guessed that was an improvement. Old Harlan would’ve simply moved away without acknowledging him.

Les then said, “And Jove will be all right when someone is able to put more salve on his hand. Not that you asked, but your eldest son was down there with me.”

Harlan glanced at Jove. “Good to see you’re well.”

His tone wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t exactly the tearful relief of a father reunited with his son, either. Harlan’s eyes then landed on Kase. “I suppose their return is considered a necessity.”

Tame, again. It wasn’t warm, but it wasn’t a reprimand. It was more than Kase could’ve anticipated. He hid his sock-bandaged hand behind his back.

Then Harlan turned back to his wife. “Make sure they run every test they can. I’ll be back to check on you both soon.”

Jove caught his father by the uniform sleeve. Harlan turned, his face a mask of calm Kase knew he didn’t feel. Jove didn’t seem to care whether or not he angered their father. He let go of Harlan. “Clara and Samuel.”

The Stradat Lord Kapitan straightened his jacket and nodded. “They’ve been sent for.”

Then he left, three soldiers following behind him.

Once he was out of sight, the ward released a collective breath.

The noise started out small and inconsequential, but soon it was back to its chaotic mess.

Hallie stepped past him and greeted the Yalven man who his mother had introduced to the Stradat Lord Kapitan.

“May the stars shine upon you, Lord Kainadr.”

Kainadr smiled in greeting, “And may they not fall when morning breaks. It is good to see you once more, Miss Walker.”

Kase didn’t like the way the Yalv was looking at Hallie. Sure, she’d probably met him while she’d helped the Yalvs get acclimated a month or two ago, but still. He stepped up and held out his hand. “Kase Shackley. I understand you helped my mother and brother?”

He just caught Hallie’s annoyed look, but his forthrightness also caught Kainadr off guard and broke his connection with Hallie, which Kase counted as a success.

Kainadr took Kase’s hand and shook it tentatively. “I am Kainadr.”

Les stepped up and put a hand on both their shoulders. “While I would never wish ill on anyone, it was quite fortunate for us that Lord Kainadr fell with us. His healing abilities saved your brother’s life.”

“You flatter me, Lady Shackley.”

Kase was about to thank him when a haggard Saldr arrived.

The woman, Fely, was nowhere to be seen.

He tried not to worry too much about it.

Surely she wouldn’t go through all the trouble of passing information to his father and keeping Hallie safe to only betray them now, but as Kase had discovered with both Eravin and Ben, he wasn’t the best judge of character.

Saldr ran to Hallie. “I’ve been told the man named Anderson Enright has been rescued?”

Kase furrowed his brow and looked around. He didn’t see Anderson anywhere, and he was unsure why Saldr would care. Anderson was nice enough, but he wasn’t anyone special.

After shooing off another medic who wanted to look at his hand, Jove said, “They took him back to one of the partitioned areas. They were worried he might make some uncomfortable.”

Saldr bowed to Jove. “The stars definitely shine upon you, Master Shackley. Very good to know you are alive and mostly well.” He nodded to Jove’s hand. “Will you point me in his direction?”

Jove gestured for him to follow. Saldr turned to Hallie.

“Miss Walker, please come with me as well. It is of great importance.” He paused.

“We might also need…” He looked to Kainadr. “Please send for Lady Fely Bessette. She should be with Jera, collecting more holy metal.” Then he pointed to the pouch hanging from Kainadr’s belt. “May I?”

Kainadr sighed, but he unattached the pouch.

Kase wasn’t sure why the pouch was important, but if the situation hadn’t been so tense, he might’ve been amused by the exchange.

Most of the time, the Yalvs were very respectful toward everyone, barely allowing any of their emotions to show on their face.

Kainadr coated his fingers with a little bit of dust before he handed the pouch over to Saldr. Saldr took it and said, “Please don’t do—”

But it seemed Kainadr didn’t care. With a snap of his dust-covered fingers and a murmur under his breath, the dust on his fingers congealed and rose into the air like a living flame.

Those nearby gasped in varying shades of shock and terror.

Kase might’ve been in their camp if he hadn’t known what the Yalvs were capable of.

Disappearing with a pop would’ve been worse.

And then Kainadr left, his glowing ball following him.

Saldr pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course he would.” He then looked to Jove. “Lead us to Master Anderson, please?”

A few of the people moved out of Jove’s way as he led them through the ward. Kase didn’t know if he was supposed to join their little band, but Saldr didn’t say anything one way or the other. Hallie followed closely behind, as did Jove and his mother, who still had yet to be checked by a medic.

The Stradat Lord Kapitan wouldn’t be happy about that, but then, he was never happy.

When they reached a more private part of the ward with little cells partitioned off with bedlinens and blankets rigged to hang from the rocky ceiling, a medic met them. She was the same one his mother had been arguing with earlier—the woman with the white hair.

“He hasn’t been fully examined yet. We cannot allow any visitors at this time,” the medic said when Saldr tried to move past her.

“Lord Saldr is an experienced healer among his people.” Hallie interceded before anyone else could answer. She gave the woman a smile and asked, “Will you please fetch Petra Lieber? She’s a volunteer here, but I don’t see her at the moment.”

“Miss Lieber?”

Hallie nodded. “She’s this man’s fiancée.”

The woman sighed but walked off, grumbling under her breath. Kase held out his hand for Hallie to take, but she shook her head and followed Saldr inside the cell.

Kase stuffed his hands in his pockets to cover his embarrassment at her snub. They hadn’t gotten to finish their conversation. He had no idea what time it was, but the pulsing behind his eyes meant he had a headache coming on. He needed to find the other greenies soon and start their training.

He didn’t know quite what to do, but he knew he didn’t want to leave Hallie, even if Sergeant was now glaring at him.

Kase felt a little sorry for the man having to babysit all day, though obviously not enough to return to his tent without complaint.

With a quick glance at Sergeant, he went inside the cell.

Kase, Jove, and his mother entered just as Saldr sprinkled some of his magic dust from the pouch he’d taken over Anderson’s prone form. He hummed a little under his breath. The room was cramped, but Kase went to stand next to Hallie.

He looked back at the Yalven emissary and held in his gasp.

Glowing symbols materialized in the air and floated above Anderson’s prone form.

No one else in the room seemed to react.

His mother only looked on with a concerned look.

Jove appeared on edge, his eyes inspecting the small cell.

His hand was still in a makeshift bandage.

Kase looked down at his own sock-wrapped injury.

If their looks didn’t scream they were brothers, the matching injuries now cemented that fact.

Hallie stepped away from Kase to stand beside Saldr. “His soul?”

Saldr pointed to one of the glyphs. “This is the one that concerns me.”

“But how do you repair a soul?”

Both Kase and Jove glanced at one another with confused expressions. No one was actually explaining anything. His mother didn’t seem to notice anything odd at all. Why were they not reacting?

Without asking anyone for permission, Saldr lifted the hanging bedlinen to their right to reveal a sleeping Niels. He gestured for Kase to hold it back.

Kase obeyed, but he felt sick. It’d been only three days, and Niels looked much worse than he had the day he’d collapsed. His skin had a slight yellow sheen, almost like a corpse. If Kase hadn’t noticed the subtle rise and fall of his chest, he would’ve assumed he was dead.

Saldr sprinkled some of his dust over Niels and repeated the humming and strange words. The dust flickered to life and hung in the air, coalescing into symbols.

Sweat glistened on Saldr’s face. He’d been working too hard the last few days, clearly.

Kase glanced around for a water pitcher.

Nothing. He glanced at his mother, who seemed to know what he was thinking without him having to say it.

She peeked her head out the entrance and whispered to someone standing outside.

“Would you be a dear and find Lord Saldr some water?”

“I will see he gets something, Lady Shackley,” came Sergeant’s taut voice just outside. It was softer than before. Maybe because Kase’s mother had been through an ordeal—or because Kase had run him ragged in the last hour.

Saldr rubbed his chin as he studied the floating symbols. Hallie leaned in close to the ones above Anderson before looking over at the ones above Niels. “They’re the same.”

The Yalven man nodded before dusting more Zuprium on each.

It took a few minutes for this dust to form into more symbols.

Kase guessed it was some sort of diagnostic spell, only because it made the most sense.

It made him even more curious about the Yalven powers.

If Hallie’s could manipulate time…were there any limits on what was possible?

The final symbol snapped into place, flashing once before dimming down. Saldr’s shoulders slumped. “It is as I feared.”