Chapter One
Gavin Lorren darted through the forest near the outskirts of the city of Yoran. It was supposed to be quiet here, and there was a certain sense of calm, but that wasn’t the reason that he came. He came chasing someone.
Magic—he was certain of it—in a place that had long ago exiled it.
Trees arched high overhead, the branches sweeping far above him. Gavin hurried through the trees, ignoring the peacefulness, the shadows, and all of the stillness of the forest that was around him, trying to find the person he’d followed.
There had been magic. He was sure of it.
Why the forest, though?
As he ran between the trees, he was reminded of the last sorcerer he’d dealt with in the city. That had brought him to the forest as well. It couldn’t be a coincidence.
He focused on the core energy within him while he jogged.
Ever since the El’aras attack and the knowledge that his friend Cyran had betrayed him, Gavin had begun to wonder whether the core reserves he’d learned to harness were more than just physical and mental conditioning. He’d been taught to reach into the depths of his own reserves, to draw upon hidden strength, but now he had to question whether it was something else. It might be magic.
He reached a small clearing in the forest. Gavin couldn’t feel any sense of magic—or really anything at all. He’d lost sight of the blasted person he’d chased, which meant that now he was out in the forest alone, and didn’t feel anything. The only thing he could feel was the power deep within him that he’d always called his core reserves. He didn’t know if he was grasping for anything magical. It had never seemed magical before.
Training had taught him to harness that strength. Tristan had taught him to reach for that power so he could be something more. As he reached for it now, he couldn’t help but feel as if there was some aspect to it he still didn’t understand. If he had someone magical around to test him, it might be different. It was part of the reason he’d come running after the source of magic he’d detected with the dagger, but only partly.
Gavin pushed that thought away. He didn’t really want anybody who had magic to test him. It was far better—safer—for him to continue what he’d been doing, to work and practice and train. The only problem was that the city of Yoran had changed.
Letting out a heavy sigh, he shook himself from his reverie. The forest was quiet around him. The smell of earth drifted up from the ground, which was damp from the recent rain. The wind also carried the bright fragrance of the trees’ leaves and the scent of the flowers nearby—things that should be relaxing, but were not as much as he would hope. Not when he’d felt that magic only moments before.
And he was convinced it had come into the forest; away from the city.
Gavin pulled out the small silver sphere that Anna, one of the El’aras, had given him. He bounced it in his palm for a moment, tempted to use it—the same way he’d been for the last few days. Really, he’d been tempted by his curiosity in the weeks and months since the El’aras had left.
Could I uncover something more with it? Could I be something more? But how could I even think to ask that?
He shook his head.
“What are you doing?”
The voice intruded on the silence, and Gavin jerked his head around. It took him a moment to remember that Wrenlow was in his ear and not physically here with him. The magical enchantment Anna had given him was so much clearer than the old one they’d used before. The new enchantment fit into his ear, surrounded his lobe, and was attached by a silver chain to a band around his neck.
“Chasing some damn source of magic,” Gavin said.
“Did you find it?”
“I lost it. I don’t know where they went.”
“Are you certain about what you detected?”
Gavin hesitated. “I thought I was.”
“Well, Jessica wants you to return to the Dragon,” Wrenlow said.
Gavin continued to look around the forest. There was an eerie sort of calm here that pressed on him. He didn’t know if it was the strangeness of the forest or if it was him, but he could feel something odd about this place. It had been where the Apostle had attacked. Which was why it seemed too much of a coincidence that he’d ended up out here and drawn by magic.
He turned away from the trees. Staying here was doing nothing for him. In reality, even staying in Yoran was doing nothing for him. Ever since his employer had disappeared, his job offers had too—though technically Gavin had captured his employer and sent him off with a sorcerer.
Gavin had always been able to find some work, but it was a matter of doing the work he wanted to do. He wouldn’t accept just any job—only the right kind.
With few jobs to choose from, he might be better off moving to a new city, especially now, knowing that his old mentor might still be alive. There were places beyond Yoran he could travel. Until he had a better sense of why Tristan would conceal his survival, Gavin needed to dig.
At this point, he felt he was biding time before the inevitable need to leave. Maybe it’d be easier for him to get moving now and head out of the city. He might even leave Wrenlow here.
His friend wouldn’t be pleased. Wrenlow would want to come with him, especially after everything they’d been through together in their travels around the country. But for Gavin to investigate Tristan’s survival, he would have to go someplace Wrenlow wouldn’t be able to follow.
He hiked along a narrow path leading him through the trees and then out of the forest, and was greeted by the outskirts of Yoran. The massive, sprawling city rested on the northern aspect of the nation of Henethell. The buildings were all made of a gray stone harvested from several miles down the road, joined with a mortar that cast a thick green color to it. Thatched roofs covered most structures, though the roofs of some buildings toward the center of the city were made of slate—something rare in this part of the world.
The crowd of people moving through the street was not nearly as dense as the throngs farther into the city. Most people avoided this area and the nearby forest because of the rumors and myths that were spread about dangerous creatures within the trees. People who’d heard stories about what existed beyond the forest might be more afraid of it were they to learn those were more than rumors.
Gavin took in a deep breath. The edge of the city had a different energy and smell than the forest. He was a city boy at heart, having been raised and trained in one of the powerful Southern fortress cities. Though he hadn’t spent much time within others during his training, he’d certainly spent plenty of time around them in the days since he’d left his mentor. Standing here now, he could feel the vibrancy like an energy that swirled around him.
“Are you coming?” Wrenlow asked.
“I’m on my way.”
“Good. Jessica seems to think she has a job for us. She needs you here now, though.”
Gavin frowned. “Jessica has a job for us? She knows the kind of work I do.”
“I know she does, and I don’t know if it’s exactly the kind of job you’d normally take.”
“Why don’t you screen it for me.”
“She doesn’t want me to. Just get here as quickly as you can.”
Gavin started to laugh, and the people passing by looked at him strangely. He couldn’t blame them. A thin man wearing a strange brown cloak with a conspicuous dagger hanging from his belt was laughing to himself. If he saw someone like that, he would’ve viewed the person as a little bit mad as well.