Sun's Heart

Chapter 14 - Lost Magic

Dain pensively chewed ruus and listened to the developing plans between Haburnah and Selias.

They'd packed up and moved further into the desert, away from the tall grasses. The stench of burning hair and flesh seemed to follow them wherever they fled. His food turned to ash in his mouth. He set the bowl down expressionlessly. Never thought I'd use magic to burn a corpse.

If there was a way to wash his power, to scrub it clean of the memory of the bodies it had turned into bloodied kindling...

Wil, also eating his ruus, looked unconcerned by the proceedings. He'd hardly changed expression when asked to assist in burning the fallen. Nothing seemed to elicit more than mild emotion from him. Dain knew better. He was taciturn, but he was human.

The possible eventuality of having to report her disappearance hung in the air between them.

Disappearance, at least, was better than her more likely death.

How did they get her without me sensing it?

It wasn't like they were close, he and Gale. They'd shared few genuine words, and never a second passed where she didn't resent him. She was a terrible liar, too. It was hard to trust a person whose face didn't change, but hers was an open book. Every thought and doubt and idea was inscribed there in big, bold letters.

She couldn't be dead.

Gods, what if one of the bloody messes I burned was her?

Clinking metal startled Dain out of his mind. Wil was refilling their bowls.

"Sfibatspeyru will be near to mountains. Their mages will draw shadowbeasts," Haburnah was saying. She was crouched beside a tanned hide with a map of the desert drawn upon it. She circled an area to the north with the point of her knife. "But their power would be useful for defense."

The "darkling," as Selias and Haburnah were calling it, hunched over in its hardened sand-and-stone cage and rested lifeless, depthless eyes on the occupants of the tent. Dain shifted so he didn't have to go through another staring contest with the thing. A fine layer of soot lined the floor of the cage.

"We could meet them on our way. Chief Pavosan may be convinced to part with his priestess or shaman." Selias stroked his goateed chin, and rested his other hand on his belt as he contemplated the map at his feet. "It could be too risky to join them. We have too many mages already. We would have to move south to Haliculir in smaller groups."

"Three or four days for us to arrive as one group, but we will need to visit Lanulotakt for water." She pointed southeast of the pebble marking their current position. "Sfibatspeyru took water with us five days ago. With luck, they will need water again also. We can speak with them then." She looked up at him and rested her forearms on her knees. "And Gale?"

Dain and Wil met eyes. Wil lowered his and continued eating.

Selias sighed and shook his head, fingers pausing. "The hunters have found no sign. If she is dead, the shadowbeasts travelled far to kill her."

"No way," Dain said. The shaman and priestess looked at him. "You said yourself that the shadowbeasts just kill and kill. I've seen no sign of intelligence from any of them so far." The darkling focused empty eyes on him, but its vaguely human features didn't shift. "What motive could these things have to drag her away before killing her?"

Selias bowed his head in acknowledgement. "Do not worry. We will not stop searching until we have no hope."

Haburnah smiled at the boys, and she looked at Selias. "What of the young ones? They will be in danger until my barrier is strong again."