“An invasion?”
Kyla shrugged. “Or an advance force. We don’t know, but we need to find out. Hence the orders.”
Brandt read the paper again. The emperor ordered parties of monks to spread out among the northern coast. Highkeep, because of its position, was to investigate from the Etari border to the small coastal port of Seagate. The monastery at Flan would investigate the rest of the northern coast.
Brandt imagined a map in his head, predicting Kyla’s orders.
“I’m sending a group of monks up north. They’ll travel to Landow, then spread out around the coast. I’d like you two to join the group, but I understand Landow carries a heavy toll. Will you go?”
Ana spoke for both of them. “We will.”
Brandt stared off in the distance.
After all these years, he was returning to Landow.
42
Alena breathed softly through her nose as she gently parted the tall grass in front of her. Each of her movements was slow and measured. She remained alert to changes in the wind that might give away her position to the predator less than two hundred paces in front of her. She and Azaleth were close to their targets, but she wanted to be closer yet, wanted to guarantee that their shots would be true.
She froze when she saw the wolf poke its snout into the air, sniffing for clues. As much as she wanted to get closer, it might be a while before that happened.
Was it worth the risk to try now? A kill would be difficult, but Alena wasn’t sure how much closer they could get, and it wasn’t often that this creature provided them any opportunities.
She raised her left hand into the air and made a quick sign, questioning her partner.
Azaleth’s response was immediate. Of course, confidence was never something that Azaleth lacked. Without better options, Alena agreed. They had to make the attempt.
Another few hand signs passed between them and then Alena pulled out a stone from the pouch at her hip. She held the stone in her hand for a few moments, admiring the deadly simplicity of the weapon. Then she floated it aloft and placed it between her and Azaleth. As the weaker of the two, she set the rock to spinning. She still remembered the first time that she had seen the technique in action, how amazed she had been by what she had witnessed.
But now that the secrets were unlocked, the technique seemed so easy, so mundane. Growing up, she had always thought of affinities as a result of strength alone, but the Etari showed her the error of her ways. Small changes, enacted one after the other, could create a tremendous effect. The rock was an excellent example. She set it to spinning, a small brush that required very little energy. Then another. And another, a series of ever-quickening brushes of will that sent it spinning dozens of times per heartbeat.
She still wasn’t as fast as the native-born Etari. They had been practicing for longer than they could walk, and the difference in skill was considerable. But after a few moments she had the rock spinning quickly enough. She stopped brushing it and waited for Azaleth’s push.
Azaleth could have completed the task on his own. But pairing up allowed for a little more power and accuracy. In this case, both were vital.
She didn’t wait long. Less than two heartbeats after she stopped she felt his own strength push against the rock, sending it arcing into the air on a trajectory that should, if all went well, bring the stone crashing down on the wolf’s head.
The responsibilities of both partners had been long etched in Etari tradition. So even when Alena thought that the shot was a little off, she made no motion. As soon as Azaleth had pushed on the rock, the shot was his responsibility. Any action she took would be a distraction. As the spinning rock began to fall, Alena became more and more certain that the miss was imminent. Azaleth, confident as he was, showed no doubt.
The rock missed, cutting through the outer fur of the wolf’s neck without causing any meaningful damage. Alena cursed. It had taken them days to work up to the shot, and she didn’t think the wolf was going to let them have another one.
Her guess became reality soon enough. But she had expected the wolf to escape, and she was proven very wrong.
The wolf stood up, glancing their way as it caught the flicker of movement that was Azaleth preparing another stone.
The wolf charged.
Every muscle in Alena’s body screamed for her to run, her body’s never-ending desire for life making itself known.
She ignored the reaction, fighting against her fear as her fingers fumbled in her pouch for another rock.
Beside her, Azaleth already had one spinning. He launched, but whether due to fear or error, the stone missed the wolf completely.
Alena pulled out a rock and spun it, her fear and lack of control causing the rock to wobble more than spin. With every heartbeat, the wolf grew closer. Panicked, she launched it, but her technique was horrible, and the shot was useless.
Except that it focused the wolf’s attention on Alena.
Some small rational part of her knew that her only chance of survival was to kill the wolf. But that wasn’t an option. Her body refused to obey her mind’s wisdom. She turned and ran, listening to the shouts of Azaleth behind her, reminding her of how foolish she was acting.
Alena had no chance of winning a foot race against the wolf. She knew it, but she ran anyway, driven by fear.
She felt Azaleth’s energy surge as he brought incredible focus to his next stone. It zipped out of Azaleth’s grasp, catching the wolf cleanly
