opened herself to the dark spirit that dwelt within the old man, but if Cathmore had died before the dark spirit could enter Makala though the blood of its former host, then there was a chance the evil entity would be cast out before it could infect her. If he'd been swift enough.
'Makala?'
As Diran spoke her name, he reached back into his cloak and withdrew a dagger made of pure silver from one of the sheaths sewn into the inner lining.
For a moment, she continued enjoying her grisly repast, but then she lifted her blood-smeared mouth from Cathmore's ravaged neck and smiled at Diran, revealing crimson-flecked teeth.
'I'd forgotten how good it feels to have the darkness inside.' Her voice was soft, almost a purr.
Diran felt as if he'd taken a blow to the chest. He'd failed her-again.
'Please, Makala… let me help you.'
Makala spoke with mocking amusement. 'Help me how, lover? You can't cure me. So what will you do? Kill me?'
Diran hesitated for only a half second. Forgive me, he thought, then threw the silver dagger at Makala, but before the blade could strike, she lifted Cathmore's body and used it as a shield. The dagger thunked harmlessly into the dead man's chest.
Diran reached for a second silver dagger, but Makala's reflexes were far faster than his. She hurled Cathmore's body at him then her form faded to mist.
Diran leaped to the side to avoid the old man's body, throwing his dagger at Makala as he did. The blade flew straight and true, but it was too late. The dagger passed through the space where Makala's heart had been. The blade fell to the ground with a metallic tink, and Makala's dark laughter echoed through the cavern air. Though it quickly faded, Diran continued to hear it in his mind long after.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Any luck?'
Diran turned to see Ghaji striding across the rocky ground toward him. The half-orc was clad in a thick fur cloak, his axe tucked beneath his belt. The clouds in the gray sky had a darkish undercast, and though it was not yet winter, Diran thought there was a good chance it might snow soon.
The priest was annoyed to see his friend approaching, but he tried to keep his tone neutral as he replied. 'What do you mean?'
Ghaji stopped when he reached Diran and took a quick look at their surroundings to check the area for threats-an action Diran knew from their long association was second nature to the half-orc. Evidently Ghaji saw nothing to concern him in the desolate, rocky hills, for he turned his attention back to Diran.
'This is the third day you've come out here alone-without telling anyone, I might add. You're searching for Makala, aren't you?'
There was no point in denying it: Ghaji knew him too well. There were a couple of rocks nearby large enough to sit on. Diran took one, Ghaji the other.
Now that they'd sat, Diran found himself still reluctant to talk about Makala. 'Have you heard anything from Yvka?'
Ghaji's eyes narrowed, as if he were well aware that his friend was stalling. 'She stopped by the King Prawn this morning to, uh, get some rest.'
Diran grinned.
'Anyway, she told me her 'friends' have taken possession of Mount Luster-and they've taken custody of Galharath. No doubt they're going over the psi-forge facility inch by inch to glean all the information they can. I get the impression that Yvka's risen in status in the Shadow Network thanks to her association with us. First she was able to deliver Grimwall to them and now Mount Luster.'
'I don't like the idea of the Shadow Network possessing the capability to create psi-forged,' Diran said. 'Imagine the destruction an army of constructs like Solus could cause.'
'Warforged aren't mindless machines, you know,' Ghaji pointed out. 'Creating them is one thing. Controlling them is another. Besides, according to Solus, the psi-forge's energy matrix-whatever that is-was damaged when he attacked Galharath. There's no guarantee that the Shadow Network's artificers can repair it.'
'True, but if the Shadow Network can restore Galharath's mind, they might be able to get the kalashtar to cooperate with them.'
Solus's attack had done more than damage the internal workings of the psi-forge. It had reduced Galharath to a drooling idiot. Diran had attempted to heal him several times but without success. Whatever injury had been done to the kalashtar's mind was beyond Diran's power to repair. Galharath had been taken to Perhata and locked up in the baron's prison, where he'd remained for the last few days… until the Shadow Network had taken him. Diran wondered how the Network had managed to get Baron Mahir's cooperation, and he wondered what Asenka thought about having to give up the prisoner. He suspected she was less than thrilled.
'If you couldn't heal him, I doubt very much the Shadow Network can,' Ghaji said.
'How's Solus doing?' Diran asked.
He'd spent so little time in Perhata these last few days-mostly just to sleep and restore his supplies-and he hadn't seen much of the psi-forged.
'His vision is still blurry, despite Tresslar's attempts to fix it, but Solus doesn't seem to mind. He's happy enough with Hinto to guide him. You ask me, they make an odd pair.'
Diran smiled. 'People have said the same about the two of us, you know.'
Ghaji snorted but otherwise didn't reply.
Diran was pleased that Hinto had formed a bond with the psi-forged. They complemented each other well: Hinto helped Solus maintain mental stability, while the psi-forged helped the halfling emotionally. Diran had a feeling theirs was a partnership that would last, but only time would tell.
'How fares Tresslar?' Diran asked.
Ghaji shrugged. 'He's still mad as a nest of hornets over the loss of his dragonwand, though he tries to downplay it. You know he'd rather die than admit how much he's come to rely on the thing. He says he's working on a way to locate the dragonwand, but it might be mere bluster. Still, he has been spending a lot of time in the artificer's workshop Baron Mahir has granted him use of, so who knows?'
'How are you feeling, my friend?' Diran asked. 'By defeating Chagai, you've had the opportunity to lay an unpleasant part of your past to rest.'
'You'd think so, wouldn't you, but the truth is that I don't feel much of anything. Killing Chagai didn't bring back any of the people we killed during the time we served together, and I'd put our association behind me the day I left him lying wounded on a field in the Eldeen Reaches. The world's a better place with him gone, though, that's for certain.'
'As one of the Purified, I must remind you that all life is sacred,' Diran said, then he smiled. 'However, in this case, I can't help but agree with you.'
'What of you?' Ghaji said. 'Cathmore was a large part of your past.'
Diran considered his reply for a time before speaking. 'Of all the teachers I've had over the years-my father, Emon, Tusya-Cathmore is the only one I wish I'd never had, but I can't deny that I learned from him, that the man I am today was shaped at least in part by his teachings. However, I do not feel any joy that he's dead, nor do I feel any relief. No matter what we do, or who we outlive, the past remains with us-always.'
'Which brings us back to Makala,' Ghaji said softly.
'I suppose it does.' Diran let out a long, slow sigh. 'I should've killed her the moment I realized she'd been tainted by the vampire's curse.'
'How could you? You love her.'
'If I truly loved her, I would've done what needed to be done. Instead, I told myself that I should allow her to choose, that she was strong enough to bear the curse if she so wished.' He shook his head. 'I was a fool.'
Before Ghaji could respond, a woman's voice cut in. 'You wouldn't be the first fool for love, and I doubt very much that you'll be the last.'
