put a hand on the priest’s shoulder. “Kri, there is no need to cast blame for what has already happened. The Order of Vigilance took up my grandmother’s burden after her death, and that is all that matters. Perhaps it was meant to happen that way-after all, isn’t it fitting that the knowledge needed to save the world should lie with the humans of the world, and not hidden away in the Feywild?”
Kri’s gaze stayed fixed on the Prince of Thorns, but he took a slow breath, and the palpable aura of anger around him diminished slightly. “No doubt Ioun saw to the preservation of that knowledge,” he said.
“And Father, whether you knew it or not, you acknowledged our family’s role in preserving that knowledge when you allowed me to study with a wizard of the order.”
The Prince of Thorns also seemed to diminish slightly, and he let his eyes stray to Albanon. “Of course I knew it, my fool of a son.”
Albanon blinked. “You did?”
A hint of a smile crossed his father’s face, and he settled back into his throne. “And so with you, the legacy of the Order of Vigilance passes once more into Sherinna’s family.”
“You intended that all along?” Albanon said. “Then what are we arguing about? Why not just grant us permission to visit the tower and be done with it?”
“You still have not told me what you seek in the Whitethorn Spire.”
Kri smiled and leaned on his staff, suddenly seeming old and harmless once more. “I believe, Majesty, that the knowledge passed down through my order is incomplete. Moorin knew more than he was able to pass on to Albanon, and his knowledge might have complemented my own. We hope to find records in Sherinna’s tower, writings or artifacts or … or anything that might help us face the threat my order was founded to combat.”
The Prince of Thorns scowled and stroked his chin. “First you blame me for shirking my duty, then you admit that your order failed in its sacred trust to preserve and transmit what Sherinna learned.”
For a moment, Albanon thought that Kri was going to erupt in wrath again, but instead the old man’s shoulders slumped. “You are correct,” he said. “I am sorry that I cast blame before admitting my own failing.”
The prince regarded Kri for a long moment, then turned his gaze to Albanon. “I cannot deny you your birthright, my son. But heed my warning-my huntmaster has reported strange creatures in the vicinity of the Whitethorn Spire. I was not speaking idly of the place being infested with monsters.” His face softened, to Albanon’s amazement. “Be careful.”
“I will, Father.” He fell to one knee again, and Kri followed suit. “Thank you.”
“I hope you find what you seek,” the Prince of Thorns said. He waved a hand to dismiss them, and Albanon and Kri stood and left the palace.
CHAPTER FIVE
Get behind me,” Shara said, and she turned to face the demons. She and her greatsword could almost completely block the passage, so a demon that tried to get past her to Uldane would pay for it in blood.
“Do you have a plan?” the halfling asked.
“Step one,” Shara grunted as her sword bit into a demon’s shoulder. “Don’t die.”
“Sounds good so far.”
Another beast pounced, sailing over the demons closest to Shara and hurtling at her face. She brought her sword up just in time for the creature to impale itself on the blade. Shara staggered back under the sudden weight and almost tripped over Uldane, and then the demon nearly wrenched the sword from her hands as it fell lifeless onto its companions. Another one took advantage of her lowered defenses to lunge in, raking her leg with its claws before she could twist her body out of its way. She yanked her sword free and smashed the pommel into the demon’s face, driving it back.
“I don’t know what step two is,” she said. Her breath was coming harder and faster, and she finally had to acknowledge the doubt nagging at her mind, questioning whether she and Uldane could get through this alive.
“I figured as much,” Uldane said. He threw a dagger past Shara’s hip to sink into a demon’s eye. The enchanted blade wrenched itself free and sailed back to Uldane’s hand, trailing pale red blood. “How about this? We make our way down the hall until we find either Quarhaun or a strong door we can put between us and these demons.”
“What if we find more demons?”
“That’s not part of the plan.”
“I like this plan. Stay close.”
Shara lunged forward and swung her sword in a barrage of cuts that belied the weight of the blade, driving the demons back. Then she countered with several quick steps back-and stepped hard on Uldane’s foot. The halfling yowled and Shara stumbled, nearly dropping her sword as she flung her arms out to keep her balance. One of the demons darted in and clenched its jaws around Shara’s leg, piercing armor and skin right below her wounded knee. Shara gritted her teeth and brought her sword around to cut into the creature’s shoulder, even as Uldane slipped around her and drove his dagger into its throat. It released Shara’s leg, she found her footing, Uldane got behind her, and they were more or less in the position they’d started in. Except that blood was trickling down Shara’s calf and jolts of pain shot up her leg with every step.
“Let’s try this again,” she said. “But this time, stay a little less close.”
“Sorry,” Uldane said.
Shara gave up on the idea of driving the demons back and concentrated on keeping their teeth and claws away from her body as she and Uldane shuffled backward down the hall. Uldane kept a safe distance from her feet but still managed to throw his little blade past her to harry their foes. She focused her attention on the demons, trusting that Uldane was keeping at least one eye on the hall behind them.
A long moment later, Shara could no longer see the mouth of the tunnel in their circle of light. Four more corpses littered the hallway in her wake, and they still had not found either Quarhaun or a door. Or more demons-which was good, since their plan didn’t account for that possibility.
“How long is this hall?” Shara asked.
“I can’t see the other end,” Uldane said.
“And I can’t see where we started. So apparently it’s endless.”
“Maybe we’re already dead and this is our eternal fate,” Uldane said. “Fighting demons in an endless hallway.”
“In that case, we might need to switch places for a little while. My arms are getting tired.”
Uldane laughed. The sound made her smile, and she imagined that it made the demons pause. Uldane amazed her-his ability to find joy and humor in the worst of situations was inexplicable, sometimes infuriating, but more often than she would admit it was a comfort.
They retreated a few more paces down the hall, then Uldane swore under his breath.
“That doesn’t sound good,” Shara said.
“Well, there’s one good thing. I found a door.”
“And how many bad things?”
“I only see two right now, but they’re at the edge of the light. There’s probably more behind them.”
“More demons?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“That wasn’t part of the plan,” Shara reminded him.
“I guess it’s time for a new plan.”
Shara risked a glance over her shoulder and spotted the door Uldane had mentioned. It was a heavy wooden door bound with iron, but that was no guarantee of its strength. After uncounted years buried beneath the Witchlight Fens, the wood might be all but rotted through. Shara decided it didn’t matter.
“Run for the door,” Shara said, driving back a beast that lunged at her injured leg. “We have to get there before those demons.”
Uldane took off down the hall. As soon as he was clear, Shara took a few quick steps backward, then turned and followed him at top speed. Her injured leg sent jolts of pain through her with every step, and for a moment
