Shin kept his hand on Coal’s side as they road. The map was open in in his lap as he tracked their progress. There was a single village on their path and he hoped that it would be on the way to the Free City. The city was constantly moving, always subtle but always far. He needed to make sure they found it in time or they were going to be stranded during the majority of their travels.
As he raised his head, he closed his good eye and the other turned into a rapidly moving set of clouds. His head turned and so did the head of the demon. It didn’t see anything dangerous toward their current position at the present. It had scared a few flocks of birds but so far there weren’t any other demons or bandits on their path.
He still felt excited that he managed to do this, to enthrall this demon but he wasn’t sure what he was going to use it on next. At the very least it was another defense but it severely limited just how much of a threat he could be in a conflict. He could only split his concentration so many ways.
Pulling his mind out of the demon he shuddered coming back to the ground. Coal wasn’t having trouble with the sand but he noticed she had adjusted her gate to better deal with it. He wondered how these horses were bred. There’s no way they were bred only for Norian soil. Especially coming from a place like Isal. They may have lucked into some war horses.
“Shin. The moon’s almost sunk. Do we want to find a shelter before the sun comes up? Let the horses get some rest?” Isaac asked and Shin thought about it. Glancing at the map again he scowled. If he was guessing right and from what he saw from the demon’s eyes there wasn’t going to be a shelter close enough.
“We’re going to have to push them tonight,” he replied shaking his head. “It’s going to be awhile before we find something.”
“Are you sure about that?” Isaac asked and Shin glanced over his shoulder. “What are you talking about?”
Isaac pointed ahead of them and Shin looked up as well and paused. In front of them was a small town. The homes seemed to have been made of stone, molded by hand but the stone was cobalt in color. There were no lights form a fire or anything like that. Shaking his head he looked at the map again but the map didn’t reflect any of that. Looking through the demon’s eye he saw nothing but empty land ahead of them. No sudden blue stone cities in the middle of the desert.
Scratching his head he stared at the town as they approached it. Slowing down to a stop he glanced at Isaac. “I don’t know what that is,” he said finally after thinking for a few minutes longer. “It’s not on the map and the demon doesn’t see it either.
“Should we go to it?” Isaac asked stopping beside him.
Shin shook his head. “The desert can be tricky. There’s magic out here more ancient than either the Sanctum or Noria. I don’t know what caused this but it wants us to enter. I don’t trust it.”
“Do we have any other options? It’s in our path and going around it won’t be good for the horses or you most likely.”
“No it wouldn’t,” grunting Shin nodded. “I’ll have the demon circle above us. We go with caution and pass through it. We cannot stay there.”
“Agreed,” Isaac said tapping Soot’s neck.
They started forward at a slow trot. Shin had both eyes trained on the city and was muttering small spells that would help him to see through an illusion. They weren’t revealing anything more than that the town was still there. They took a twenty or so minutes to arrive and when they did the air felt cooler.
Both stopped at the edge of the town just to observe. There were a few homes that were like half circles. A few of them were spherical with towers out the top ends where look outs may have been prior to stop travelers or invaders. But they were just as empty as the ghost town seemed to be. There was a fine mist along the ground that he couldn’t tell if it came from this place or if it came from whatever magic created this place.
Isaac felt Soot move anxiously and throw her head. Coal was still but even Shin could feel that she wasn’t that comfortable with the situation in front of them. Everything about this screamed that it was a trick or worse a trap but he couldn’t get a bead on things. Pulling his hair slightly he gave a short nod.
“Let’s go,” he said and urged Coal forward. As she stepped through the mists they separated under her steps and nothing happened. The air was much cooler than the desert air had been but also moist like dew. When they passed one of the homes he tried to peer into it but it was an empty maw of blackness. Not even the moon light reached within it.
Isaac looked at the homes and they were immaculately done. But more than that. They were smooth to the point where there weren’t even shows of wear or tear to them. As if they had just been made or had never seen weather or animals touching them. He wanted to touch one of the walls just to get an idea of what it felt like but he feared the outcome of that.
They reached what he could only feel was the center of this ghost town when he heard the soft melody. It was a string instrument being played again. The gentle plucking that at first resembled an instrument being tuned that began to transform into a full song, soft horns mingling with the strings. Chimes being tickled by an invisible breeze.
He remembered this phenomenon happening before when he was out on the desert. A small smile played across his lips as he started looking around for the creature. It wasn’t along the ground and it wasn’t within any of the buildings he could see. But he glanced at Shin and saw the necromancer on edge his hand hovering over the shovel.
As they continued their pacing the music got louder and more instruments joined in. A wind instrument with sharp high pitched notes and the heavy keys of an organ. It was loud but it was orderly. An entire band playing around them without being scene. A beautiful symphony of sound.
And then suddenly there it was. They made it to what Isaac guessed was the center of the town and sitting on the edge of a well was the checkered clothed and mask wearing jester. Its head was down as it played and somehow all of these sounds and instruments came from the simple lute in its lap.
Isaac would never pretend to understand magic for reasons exactly like this. Stopping Soot, he enjoyed the song when Shin stepped forward and held out a hand. Isaac could hear him beginning to chant something and Isaac threw his hand out with a look. “Stop. Whatever it is, it’s harmless.”
Shin looked at him, his silver eye glowing both narrowed. “You don’t know what that thing is. A master less thing like that is dangerous. The longer we hear that song the more danger we’re in.”
Isaac shook his head. “No, we’re not. Whatever you think you know isn’t what that thing is. It played its music for me when I was lost in the desert and it helped me to find you. It’s harmless as long as we don’t attack it first. Trust me.”
Shin glanced at him but he cut the incantation short. Lowering his hand from the shovel he turned to watch as the jester continued to play the song. The jester played faster and quicker, the chorus swaying together with its subtle movements. The song was happier, moving faster, to the point where both watchers felt the need to move. The jester tilted its head up and looked towards the both of them.
Shin watched the jester and his vision went hazy for a second. He blinked and suddenly the city was gone. Isaac, the horses, everything was gone. When he looked around him he was in a room with curved stone walls. They stretched high above and a few windows but no light streamed in. There were torches affixed to the walls with repeating symbols on them, like an ouroboros but in the center a slit of a snake’s eye. The table in front of him was wooden and empty.
He put both elbows against the table and swore under his breath. “Dammit! Why can’t I do this!” his voice said several octaves softer. Digging his fingers into his much longer hair, his robes fell and he saw the scratches and marks on his arms. Marks of punishment for failing, most of them self-inflicted. Looking down he glared at the thing causing him the distress.
A circle, one he drew himself, before having redone it so many times he just carved the final product into the wood itself. Sitting in the center of those lines and runes was a long dead rat. A book lay open before him and he glanced at the words. Saw the incantation though even that had been engrained in his mind from having failed at it so many times. But still nothing worked.
Holding his hands over the circle he began to chant again. The words came out practiced if not wooden and unfamiliar to him. One by one he forced the words out to make sure there were no mispronunciations. The circle began to glow around the edges, the runes casting their light against the wall.
He felt the magic welling in his hands, focusing in the tips of his fingers. He spoke faster focusing on the dead rat in its entirety. The last word left his mouth and both hands shook as he thrust them at the rat. The air rippled and he felt the magic leave him like a heat rushing out in the cold. The circles glow faded to nothing and the torch light was all that was left.
Silence fell like a cloud in the tower. His chest heaved but he didn’t breathe that hard and simply stared at the creature. He stared and stared and stared but the rat didn’t move. His eyes trained on the rat longer and his fears and frustrations ate at him. The weight of another failure. Scowling he got up sharply and knocked the chair he sat in to the ground.
“Dammit! Dammit!” he screamed pacing around the room and listened to his voice echo. Swinging his fist he punched the wall once. Twice. On that third hit he swore as skin split and pain shook down his wrist and up his forearm. Swearing again he cradled his newly injured arm and almost fell to his knees.
Taking a slow breath to steady himself and ignore the throbbing he pushed to his feet. “I’m going to do this. I’m going to do this.” Grinding his teeth together to the point where his jaw hurt he felt his eyes sting with the disappointment. But he glared at the rat and stormed over to the table. Sweeping the book off the table he thrust his throbbing hand at the circle and started screaming the incantation.
The magic enclosed around his wrist and hand like a vice and the glow of the circle jumped back to life. His arm vibrated with it to the point of pain. Gripping the table with his free hand he found some balance and glared through the pain as he kept casting. Narrowing his eye’s, he felt the last syllables pass through his mouth, some of the words muffled but the spell complete.
Stumbling forward he caught himself on the table and panted his forehead against it. He could see the light fading and hear only the crackling of the torches. Once the magic faded entirely he was plunged into darkness. He was almost afraid to even sit up and look at his handiwork, to see if he’d just failed again. But he had to know.
Pushing up slowly he raised his head off the table and he felt something wet against his face. Recoiling slightly, he was met face to face with the tiny flickering nose of the rat. It stood, eyes glowing deep purple and staring at him. It looked expectantly as if he was going to give it some sort of food.
Shocked Shin reached toward it slowly and poked its side. It was solid and the rat jumped at the jab. It turned to his hand, sniffing it quickly a few times before turning to look at him again. Still stunned he lowered both hands and whispered, “Come.” The rat was hesitant but it walked into the space between both his hands.
Raising them up he brought the creature to eye level and he felt his eyes sting again but he grinned wide. Triumph swelled in his chest and he raised the creature to the sky shouting. His pain didn’t matter, the cold and darkness didn’t matter. All that mattered was the newly resurrected zombie in his palm.
Gasping Shin jumped slightly in his seat and looked around. The jester was gone and so was the city. They were standing in the middle of the desert again and a cold wind blew past them as if nothing had happened. Shin looked at Isaac who looked back equally startled. “What the hell just happened?”
“I honestly don’t know,” Isaac said. “I saw. I saw the Sanctum. And Hector. The first time we met.”
Shin looked at his hands and half expected to see the rat again but they were empty. “I saw. I saw the first thing I ever brought back to life.”
“Do you think that the jester showed us that?” Isaac asked closing his eyes trying to chase after the vision.
“If it did why did it do it? Why did one them involve itself with us?” he asked and groaned feeling his stomach grumble.
Isaac looked at him and couldn’t fight the chuckle as he covered his mouth. Shin affixed him a glare. “Yes, your body doesn’t need nourishment like this any longer. But mine does.” getting off Coal he walked toward Soot. Going through her saddlebags he found the bread and the meat and laid them on the ground.
Taking a piece of the bread and several strips of the salted beef he tore a piece of bread off. Quickly drawing a circle, he spoke an incantation and it glowed red. He quickly warmed the meat until it glistened slightly. Hovering the bread as well he cooked it slowly and once the bread was soft he sandwiched them together.
Taking a hefty bite out of it he savored for a second. “This is good. The meat remains tender despite being dried out. And the bread remained firm but is soft on the inside.”
“I’m glad it’s good,” Isaac said from atop his horse and tried not to frown as he watched Shin eat.
Shin wasn’t oblivious to this though and had cut the sandwich he’d made him half. It was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand and handed it over to him. “You can still enjoy the taste of food. It just won’t fill you up. So, eat.”
Isaac smiled a little and took it. Taking a bite, the taste exploded on his tongue to the point where he was almost dizzied by it. He hadn’t eaten food since he’d come back to life and he hadn’t even thought twice about it. Smiling, he continued to eat feeling his chest ache happily. The pair ate in a comfortable silence, the left over feelings from the jester’s mind magic making both of them feel light.
When they both finished, Shin rewrapped the rest of the food and stored it in the saddle bags. Wiping his hands against his pants Shin closed one eye and turned his gaze back to his demon in the air.
It sailed higher into the cloudless night and it turned its head slowly scanning the ground and horizon. There was nothing but rolling hills of sand, some being shifted by the wind others solid and unmoving. Ready to drop it and continue with their travel, Shin paused and turned the demon’s head again as something small caught his eye.
Just off in the distance he could see a few pinpricks of light. “What is that?” he mumbled.
“What is what?” Isaac asked but Shin waved at him to be quiet.
Closing both eyes he urged the demon to fly faster staring straight ahead. With a few heavy down beats of its wings it surged forward coasting on the wind before diving lower. Shin watched nervously and he saw another light a bit brighter this time. The demon’s sharp eyes caught everything and Shin let out a shout as he came back to his own eyes.
“What is it? Are we in danger?” Isaac asked, immediately on edge.
“No. The opposite this time,” he said pulling on Coal’s reins. “The free city is nearby. A couple miles at the most. We can get to it before the morning comes!”
“What? How? It’s a city. How was it gone before and suddenly there now?”
“I don’t know. I don’t pretend to understand the magic the governs that city. All I know is this is our chance and I’m not missing it.”
Isaac didn’t stop to question him. Both of them took off racing across the desert. Both horses responded in kind as if they had a second wind leaving clouds of sand behind them. Shin lead the way keeping the demon at the edge of his control and keeping the general direction in mind. The desert slopped up and down gently, small hills masked by sand. They dipped low off one such hill losing sight of anything but the ground before them.
When both horses climbed the final hill Shin could see it with his own eyes. The walls that hovered just above the sands. The few towers of cloth and wood. The tents within the city itself and the few guards patrolling both inside and out. It was easily bigger than the towns they had journeyed to before. In some ways it rivaled the size of Isal without being half the size of the city.
Isaac had never seen something like this before. Something so vast. When they had crossed he desert they never came across the city. A few times they met travelers going to the city, met a few bandits who claimed to hail from the city but the city itself never appeared. The books in the Sanctum didn’t do justice to exactly what this place was.
“The city has shown itself to us. That means we’re invited into its walls,” Shin said to Isaac as he waved his hand and sent his demon off to circle around in the air but to stay high off so as not to startle any of the sentries.
“They’ll just let us in? Just like that?”
“We’ll be made to swear an oath to abide by their rules. But other than that, yes.”
Isaac nodded slowly. “Alright, I’m assuming it won’t be something too insane.”
“Let’s find out.”
Urging the horse forward he went down the hill at a controlled speed. Isaac followed behind him and they got to the ground in one piece. Approaching the gate slowly the walls weren’t that high. Maybe ten feet off the ground.
As they approached one of the gates. It was sunk into the sand and two of the guards turned to face him. Raising rifles, they pointed one at each of them. Isaac had heard rumors of the firearms of the Free City but had never seen one up close. They were said to be able to pierce through armor with no effort. He wondered how it would work against his new durability.
“It’s late for travelers to be coming through. State your business for coming by.”
“We’re seeking safe refuge until morning as well as information and maps. We are going to be traveling a long distance and the desert can be treacherous”
“That it can be,” one guard said glancing at the other. “You seem familiar with some of the customs of the city.”
“I am. My friend here however has never been before,” he said motioning toward him.
Isaac waved a hand unsure of what he was supposed to be doing. The guard nodded slowly. “Well stranger. The rules of the city are very different than the rules of the outside world. Your word is your bond here. Do not steal within our walls. Do not kill within our walls. And everything has a price within the Free City. Do you accept the terms?”
Isaac looked at Shin who gave him a slow nod. Clearing his throat Isaac looked at the guards and nodded his head. “Yes. I will follow the rules while I am within the walls of the city.”
As he spoke he felt a pair of eyes suddenly upon him. Shuddering he almost fell out of the saddle as he looked above the guards and towards one of the towers within the city. There was nothing there except for the empty sky but he felt those eyes on him and a pressure unlike any magic he’d felt before.
Glancing at Shin again, Shin didn’t move but had a smile on his face. Both the guards chuckled. “Fair enough. Open the gate!”
With a creek and a rattle of chains the gate began to go up slowly. As if the gate were a barrier they were suddenly awash with sounds. Even though it was the middle of the night there were dozens of people talking and shouting. Some trying to sell goods and many just enjoying the night.
The pair walked forward and it was warm within the city. There were some small fire pits along the ground. There were stalls setup outside some low to the ground homes. The goods on full display from food to jewelry and weapons. Though the doors were closed there were windows open as if inviting someone to knock and discuss.
As the path got somewhat narrower both dismounted their horses walking ahead. As they left the buildings behind the path opened up into what could have been called a watering hole. There were people sitting together with torches behind them and illuminating dice. Some were simply huddled and talking and others were laid out with the night’s liquor having gotten to them.
A few waved at them, hailing them as newcomers. Isaac waved back feeling more relaxed than he had in some time. Shin kept his eye out at stalls. Glancing toward their left he saw rows of tents set up and to the right there were more stores. Leading the horse to the center of the little watering hole he tried to look for a helper.
“You seem lost.”
Both men turned around to look and saw a woman. She had dark skin and long brown hair that was tied back in a long pony tail. Her eyes were warm and she gave each of them a smile. She was wearing basic brown pants, a shirt and boots. “I’ve never seen either of you before so I take it you’re new. Passing through or permanent residents?”
“Passing through,” Shin said warily as he looked at her. His eye itched as he looked at her and felt that something was off about this woman. He just couldn’t place it. “At the present we just need a place to let our horses rest.”
“We have a stables though it’s near the eastern wall. We can walk you there if you’d like.”
Shin raised his eyebrow, “We?”
She blinked then covered her mouth shaking her head, “It’s a quirk. Don’t think about it too hard.”
She tried to keep smiling but looked toward Isaac and for a second her face froze in the middle of a smile and a scowl. She took a step back and both of them were on edge. Her eyes glowed, tiny pinpricks in the center of her eyes and black veins appeared around the edges for a very short second and then faded.
Taking a steady breath, she composed herself and shook her head. “We’re sorry for that. It was rude. You just startled us.”
“Startled how,” Isaac asked carefully.
Rubbing her head as if some mild pain was there she shook it and then motioned toward him. “Magic calls to magic. We knew that he was a mage but you are something of his creation. And the reality of it struck something within us aggressively. And we had to contain it. But everything is fine now.”
Isaac made a dumb founded face unsure of what any of that meant but Shin nodded. “I can see it on you. The edges of it at least. You’re more than a traditional mage.”
“As are you clearly. You remind me of our master.”
The tone in which she said that led Shin to believe that wasn’t a compliment in the slightest. But he didn’t care really. Shaking his head, he motioned toward the east. “Lead the way.”
She nodded and turned walking across the little area they were in and both followed leading the horses behind. “Do you two have names?” she asked over her shoulder.
“Isaac,” he said. “And my friend’s name is Shin.”
“Isaac and Shin. Not names common to Noria.”
“What would a member of the Free City know about that?” Shin asked carefully.
“It was our former home. Our name is Alison. My brother and us fled from the army and found our new family within these walls. You never really called Noria your home but you’re also leaving it.”
Shin frowned hard, not expecting this from the free city and remained quiet. She chuckled and then looked toward Isaac. “What about you? What’s your story? You don’t sound Norian. Not even remotely.”
“I’m from the Sanctum,” Isaac said and was shocked to think that that was the first time he’d said it in so long. Letting out a breath and shuddering he smiled. “And I’m going home. Shin’s helping me get there.”
“Oh?” she turned to look at them both and smiled. “Well we hope you can make it then.”
As they moved some people called out to Alison and she shouted back, either answering pleasantries or shouting jokes both wholesome and crass. But her smile never faded away. The way she moved through the city was with a lightness that didn’t match the darkness that had flashed across her face for a moment.
She turned as the path started to curve. The buildings began to disappear in favor of more tents but there was a massive set of buildings against one of the far walls. There was a tiny hut nearby and even from where they were they could see a few eyes staring back at them. A horse snorted as they approach and let out a cry.
Alison laughed and she rushed over quickly. The beige horse let its head out and she stroked its head quickly and rubbed her face against his neck. “Hello Blaze. We know we haven’t seen you in a little while. How are you?” The horse made a sound and she laughed. “Really? Vince hasn’t been playing nice? Or feeding you tasty apples? We’ll have to have a talk with him.”
She stepped away and motioned to the pair. “This way.” Stepping away from the horse she walked the opposite direction of the hut and around to a gate. Unlocking it she pushed it aside quickly walked inside. Both Shin and Isaac led the horses in and she found them open stables next to one another. A light illuminated the stable from an orb hanging against the ceiling but it was a soft one. The horses that were awake glanced at them and the sleeping ones paid them no mind. “They’ll be able to rest here all night. They’ll get fed in the morning. Do any of them have any special needs?”
Both shook their heads and Alison nodded back. Shin spoke up next. “Before we try and find out where we can sleep, I want to talk to one of your oracles.”
“What? Interested in your future?” Alison asked a teasing voice.
Rolling his eyes, he waved his hand. “No, I want to know if another storm will be coming any time soon. I’d rather not be caught unawares and stranded.”
“Hm. Smart. We had a nasty one not too long ago. Thankfully the city was spared but travel was impossible for almost a week.”
“The oracles are very accurate in predicting when they will strike.”
“That they are. We were able to prevent many of our own from being stranded if not worse. Sadly, it’s too late in the day. If you want to speak to one of the oracles and get a good predication you’ll have to wait until morning. They all went to sleep hours ago.”
Shin stroked his jaw and nodded. “Then one more. I need a new map. A cartographer. I have maps of Noria and I can find maps of the Sanctum but there are no good maps of the space in between. The best ones only exist in the Free City itself. The rest of us rely on generic ones. I don’t want generic.”
That brought a wide grin to her face and she snapped her fingers. “Well for that. We know the best in the Free City. His storm charts are almost better than the oracles and he better still be awake. If not we’ll wake him up for you. However he does get expensive depending on the request and his mood.”
“Take us to him,” Shin said after having taken the bags off Coal. Isaac was carrying the food bags from Soot as well and the trio retraced their steps back to the meeting ground area but then went toward the tents themselves. The air was much quieter the further they walked, as if they would be scolded for speaking too loudly.
Most of the tents were modest in size. At most Isaac guessed they could fit about four people inside comfortably. Any more than that and things would get too personal too fast. Most had a soft light radiating from within but he couldn’t imagine that it would be a torch. That would cause a fire hazard. Then again, he wouldn’t be surprised if the Free City had created an alternative.
They got toward the end of the row when she stopped and pulled at one of the flaps. Ducking into the tent she spoke softly the barest sound of the voices carrying back to the strangers. A more annoyed tone spoke sharply and the pair of strangers exchanged glances at one another.
But Alison came back, pushing aside the flap and chuckling softly. “He’s grumpy but we’ll see you. I had to pull his ear a little though so I hope your request isn’t too outlandish.”
The pair exchanged glances before walking under the opened flap. The ground was well taken care of grass and dirt. A few blankets stretched out toward the other half of the space for some level of comfort. There was a small wooden table with dozens of papers and maps on it, a small lantern in the corner. There were grooves in the dirt where that table had probably been dragged back and forth over.
Sitting behind the table was a bronze skinned man with bright orange hair. The makings of a beard was, forming across his jaw but his eyes focused on the pair of them, falling onto Shin and then onto Isaac. “Oh yay. A blast from home.”
“What?” Isaac asked confused.
“You’re from the Sanctum, aren’t you?” That took him off guard and he frowned but the man kept talking. “Call it a lucky guess. If you want a map to the Sanctum that’ll be easy to do. You don’t need me for that.”
“If we wanted a simple map of the Sanctum no. But you know just as well as we do that the desert is a dangerous place for the unprepared.”
“You seem pretty prepared to me.”
“Be nice Vince,” Alison said pinching his side and he winced.
“What? I am being nice.”
She made a face at him and he sighed before facing Shin. “You want a storm chart?”
“Yes. No surprises while we travel would be best”
Vincent ran his fingers over the table, picking through the papers that he worked on. Holding some over the lantern and looking closely he tossed them side. Isaac looked past the man and saw the bed behind him and the small bag of possessions. A few of the items were of a much higher quality then the trades in the free city.
“You’re more than a map maker,” Isaac mumbled and then looked at the man. “I won’t ask why you’ve left the city but I will say it’s nice to see another face from home.”
Vincent glanced up at him and snorted. “That’s no home of mine. Not anymore. I’ve left it behind entirely.”
Frowning Isaac nodded and lowered his gaze. “I’m sorry you were wronged then.”
“Don’t worry about it. You live and learn. Here, this chart is a little old but its accurate for the next three days. If you want a better map you’ll have to wait three days for me to chart it out.”
“No this will be good enough,” Shin told him and paid him for his map. Rolling them up and putting them into his bag he stared at the girl again. He could sense the magic in her and it called to him but he didn’t want to press too much further. “Is there a place for us to sleep for the night?”
“Yeah, we’ll show you.” Alison stood and glanced back at Vincent who nodded and waved at her.
She retraced their steps back a few paces but the tents they discovered were mostly empty. The one she showed them had long since been abandoned and she peeked inside it. “Yeah this should be good for a night. If you need anything ask around. Most of us are pretty open to new comers. Just don’t cause trouble.”
“Thank you,” Isaac said and smiled. She smiled back gave one last look and then wandered away. Isaac looked back toward Shin with an arched eyebrow. “That woman is odd. Kind but odd.”
“She’s got another consciousness within her,” Shin said sitting down against the ground. “Probably a demon.”
“A demon?” Isaac almost shouted. “How?”
“I’m not sure. If we were staying longer I might have inquired.”
Isaac frowned, “Are we really only passing through.”
“Yes. The map was our primary need to be here. Why? Do you want to stay longer?”
“No. Maybe. I’m not sure. This place is different. Nice.”
Shin looked around the tent slowly and shrugged his shoulders. “There is a nice ness to this. I can understand that. But I wouldn’t stay here long. You can come back with your husband. Escape the Sanctum.”
Isaac frowned hard but let the comment slide. Despite everything he realized he was far more tired than he realized. Letting his shoulders slump he sank to the ground. Shin stared at him a moment longer but shook his head. “You’re still a person. You need rest. Get what you can. We’ll be leaving tomorrow as early as possible.”
“Leaving so soon. Why?”
“I’d prefer to keep moving. And this place. I hate feeling watched,” he glanced at him. “I know you felt it as well.”
Isaac nodded toward him and then sighed. He could imagine how long of a journey existed ahead of them but he also thought of just how far that they had come. How far he’d come from dying on a Norian battlefield to traveling with a Norian necromancer who wanted to reunite him with his love. Life was strange like that.
The Harlequin Library 