Azaleth grimaced in concentration, and when Brandt looked toward the valley’s mouth, both Lolani warriors were lying motionless upon the rocks.
Behind them, Alena and Ana stood and approached. Azaleth sagged for a moment before regaining his strength. “That was close. The second warrior realized what was happening a moment too late. He still almost stopped me.”
Brandt tried to hide his surprise, but he wasn’t sure he succeeded.
How?
A small voice in the back of his head complained. Those Lolani had been his responsibility. How dare Azaleth assume that burden?
When Ana and Alena reached them, a small celebration began. Alena, in particular, beamed at the young man.
The group traveled to the mouth of the valley, and Brandt looked down at the bodies motionless on the rocks. They each had small holes in their heads. One was perfectly centered, and the other looked like it had almost missed.
Brandt looked up at Azaleth.
So this was the power of the Etari.
Still, there was more work to be done.
Azaleth seemed to feel the same. He was crouched over a pile of stone. A moment after Brandt noticed the behavior, the Etari called them to him.
Azaleth brushed small stone to the side with his hand, and Brandt saw what had attracted his attention.
There was a path, buried by generations of neglect.
It led straight up the valley.
There were no coincidences.
Someone, long ago, had built a path to the gate.
58
Alena crouched, remaining well out of view of the mouth of the cave. About a dozen paces ahead, the other three were hiding behind a boulder, strategizing an approach to the cave where another four Lolani stood guard. Alena didn’t possess a military mind, but she could guess the problem easily enough. Azaleth’s same trick wouldn’t work twice. Their very presence meant they had fought and killed the Lolani down the valley.
Alena had taken one glance at the cave entrance and retreated away from the others. The cave was a tall slit in an enormous granite wall. The darkness within seemed absolute, and the four Lolani men standing guard looked serious about their task.
All of that frightened her, but none of it bothered her as much as the paved stones they had followed up the valley. The path had been broken by roots and rubble, the ravages of time taking their toll, but its existence wasn’t in doubt.
Someone, long ago, had built a path up to the cave they were seeking. That path had been destroyed, not just by time, but by someone.
The thought that itched at her, though, was that she had no idea who had built the path or why. She knew the history of this area. The academy had drilled it into her throughout her childhood.
They had always been taught no one had been here before the empire arrived around two hundred years ago. Anders I built Landow, which was said to be the first true civilization this far north.
But this path spoke another truth. A path like this required months, if not years, of effort. The sections of the path that remained unbroken revealed excellent craftsmanship, a care that echoed down through the years.
This path hadn’t been made by the empire. Hunters and trappers traveled occasionally in these mountains, but that was about all. The terrain was too rough except for the pass the road out of Landow followed.
She had been lied to, and not for the first time.
When she had first learned of the Lolani and the second continent, she believed it was a mistake. After all, Azaleth made Palagia sound very far away. Perhaps even the emperor hadn’t known about it.
But there was no excuse for this. There was no way the emperor hadn’t known about whoever came here before. This wasn’t a mistake, but a deliberate lie. And the lie had attracted the Lolani across an ocean. Her family was in danger, and Alena wasn’t even sure why.
She had put together enough information to have some idea what transpired before her. Kye had found a gate in the mountains, the source of gatestones, which provided those with affinities some additional strength. But was that enough of a reason to risk crossing an ocean, to invade a foreign land with only a small force? It couldn’t be. There had to be more, but she couldn’t guess what.
Unlike the others, she looked down the valley they had climbed up. So she was the only one who saw the wolf padding toward them. It stared at them with undisguised curiosity, but it took Alena a few moments to realize the wolf’s behavior wasn’t natural.
“Azaleth.” She spoke just loud enough for him to hear her. When he turned, she pointed to the wolf.
He understood faster than she did. He tapped Brandt on the shoulder. “We’ve been spotted by one of their soulwalkers.” He dug a stone out of his bag just as the wolf sprinted forward.
Alena froze. Without preparation she had no way to defend herself. Her knife was a poor weapon against the wolf’s fangs. She leaped out of the wolf’s way as Azaleth launched a rock at the charging beast. In his hurry he missed.
The wolf turned to follow Alena, and Azaleth tried again as Alena scrambled back. The Etari hunter had a full view of the wolf, but his hurry again affected his aim, the rock spinning off high. But it still cut into the wolf, near its backbone.
The wolf went stiff, limbs flailing as it fell over, growling.
Slowly, Alena’s senses returned to her. Though the wolf was dying, it stared at her with unnatural hatred. It was a wolf, and yet not a wolf.
The soulwalker remained in the wolf’s body. But why? It was crippled and dying. Surely it didn’t serve a purpose any longer.
A shout from Ana tore Alena’s attention away from the animal. The Lolani were coming down from the cave. Somehow, they knew where Alena and the others hid.
Brandt swore. “At least four against four is a fair fight.”
Azaleth made a negative hand gesture. “Alena should remain
