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  The closest Shadow man looked behind him at the beautiful woman in the center of the room. She nodded. He turned back and took hold of the woman’s upper arm as he said, “I will take her.”

  Sanders let go, but as the Shadow man reached for the pouch, Sanders stepped in the way. “We need to look at that. We need to make sure we can counteract it. You fellers don’t do a bang-up job of policing this place.”

  The man’s hard hazel eyes stared at Sanders. Sanders stared right back, unflinching. Finally the man said, “I will give you a sample, but I need to evaluate the contents to judge a punishment.”

  Ruisa dug in her pocket for a little pouch. She poured some of the crystalized material in, which did look a lot like sugar, and then handed the pouch over.

  “I had to!” the woman cried. Tears welled up in her eyes before overflowing down her face. Black from her eye-paint ran down her cheeks. “I got no choice. I work or I get killed. I got no choice!”

  Someone near the door got up, drawing the notice of the closest Shadow man to the door. As the stranger tried to exit, the Shadow man went running to intercept.

  It had just become clear who this woman was working for. Ruisa stared in that direction with squinted, contemplating eyes.

  “I got no choice!” the woman wailed again as the Shadow man yanked her to the side.

  “A pretty woman like you always has choices,” the man said in a low drum as he dragged her toward the exit. “She just has to be courageous enough to make them.”

  “Let’s go,” Sanders barked, shoving Xavier in front of him. “We need to find Etherlan. Good work, Ruisa. You’ve probably just saved this numb-nuts’ life.”

  Face burning red, Xavier passed through the space with a lowered head. The others got up from the table and filed out, expressions solemn, except for Burson who was smiling.

  Rohnan filed out in front of Marc, and as he passed the Shadow Woman, slowed. His gaze rested on hers. “Do you come with the violet-eyed woman?” she asked.

  It took Marc a moment to realize she was speaking in Marc’s home language—not the common trader language so popular here. Marc had no idea why, since that wasn’t Rohnan’s language of origin.

  “She is my sister,” Rohnan said softly as he stopped walking.

  “And you believe she is the Chulan.”

  “As do you.” Rohnan turned to the woman. Marc stopped with him, curiosity getting the better of him. Everyone else streamed around them. “I did not think I would ever find my Gift’s mate.”

  A smile touched the woman’s lips. “We are rare. As is one with full power. I am Salange.”

  “My name is Rohnan, and I think we are rarer still.”

  The woman nodded slightly. “Yes. But it is a big land, and I have explored little. Maybe there is a whole army of us.”

  “I have traveled much, and if that is the case, I have not heard it.”

  “Not that it would matter,” Marc heard himself saying. The woman’s gaze flashed toward his. Violence crept into her stare. Marc bowed in on himself and stared at the ground. “Sorry—it’s just that, an army of you types would really only help sick, right? I mean, against warriors, what would you do? Point out who was the most determined? That wouldn’t help.”

  “Marc, let’s go!” Sanders barked from the exit.

  “I must leave. It is perilous for us here,” Rohnan said to the woman.

  “Your sister has now hit three milestones none before her has reached. The big man has Joined with her. They are being viewed as a single unit, rather than two individuals. I thought you should know.” The woman smiled. “You are happy for her. But your faith remains as it was. She is wise to keep you close.”

  “I am wise to keep her close. You’ll see why before the end.”

  “A terrible menace lurks on this island. Watch yourself,” the woman said in a whisper. “We’ve now had two disappearances, and the Graygual are starting to walk with a swagger. They are working on outnumbering us. Soon, they will.”

  “Push the Chosen,” Rohnan said in a plea. “She doubts. The Captain will bolster her, but if she’s allowed time to reflect, she’ll deteriorate. Push her. Hit her with constant milestones. Challenge her and she will shine. We are running out of time.”

  The woman nodded as Rohnan stared at her.

  Marc shifted uncomfortably, but his way was blocked by a couple of huge guys with beer stains down their shirts. Finally, Rohnan said, “I’ll see you again.”

  She gave him a slight smile with glittering eyes. Her face took on a light hue of red before she dropped her gaze.

  Marc had seen that look before. Women did that when someone they liked told them they were pretty.

  Rohnan turned and walked toward the door. She glanced at him leaving for a brief moment before she went back to scanning.

  “So… she was pretty,” Marc prodded in a quiet voice as they made their way through the room.

  “Extremely. And full of love and light. She likes to laugh often. The trials in the city are scaring her, though. She fears she will lose loved ones. And meeting us, she knows that is correct.”

  “Don’t tell her you know all that. That’ll just scare her away.”

  “She has same Gift I do. The same Gift I do. She knows what I know. And I know what she knows. There can be no hiding between us. I now know how people feel between me.”

  “Around you, you mean. She also speaks my language a little better than you do. Maybe you can ask for help…”

  “You are helping. I will ask her for other things.”

  “Good God. A bit forward,” Marc mumbled. He left the entertainment room behind Rohnan and stopped dead.

  Sanders and his men had fanned out in front of the establishment, staring across the small road at a line of lounging Graygual. A few were officers, standing straight and tall, but the rest were what Shanti called grunts—low-life men with sneers and crinkled uniforms. Three Shadow people dotted the way, standing in the middle of the road, staring out at nothing.

  “Can’t they send more Shadow people?” Gracas asked quietly. He had a knife in his hand.

  “No Inkna. Three Shadow is probably plenty. They’ll bring everyone to their knees.” Sanders pushed Xavier in front of him. “Let’s go—this is just a scare tactic. As soon as we’re out of eyesight of the Shadow, though, kill at will.”

  Graygual eyes followed them as they moved down the road. Knives came out. More than one tapped a dagger against their belt as they watched Sanders’ crew passing. One man drew a sword, sneering at Rachie, who was closest to him.

  “They are waiting for the same thing,” Rohnan said in a low tone. His hand rested on his sword. “The Shadow people know this. Their wariness has increased tenfold. Their people are starting to disappear.”

  “That woman say anything about the Captain and Shanti?” Sanders asked, staring at a Graygual who had stepped forward.

  “The temperature is turned up, and the forces are converging. The Chosen will emerge through the fires of need.” Burson took a knife out of his belt. “But war will come to those most loyal before it scours the island. We are in for a bloody few days.”

  “A few blessed days of silence, and he comes back with that,” Sanders growled.

  They turned into the alley and saw one, lone Shadow person in front of their building. The Graygual hadn’t followed, probably knowing Shadow lurked in here, too.

  Sanders stopped beside the door to the building containing their many rooms. He watched the guys going inside—making sure everyone was there, probably.

  Rohnan stopped beside the Shadow woman. “This is not a good place for you. We’ll be followed shortly, and then you will be outnumbered.”

  She glanced at Rohnan. Her eyebrows dipped in confusion for a moment, before a grin tweaked her lips. “I recognize your power. I cannot say it is a welcome one, but very useful.” She stepped away from the wall. “I will take your warning. Be careful when leaving.”

  As the woman walked away,
Tobias said, “Why are you scaring away the help? We could use one more fighter with mind-power.”

  “He has saved her life, and further entrenched us with their people,” Burson said as he passed into the building. “I can’t keep up with the choices before us now. Luckily, the Wanderer has brought only the noble to her cause so far. It is making my job much easier.”

  “You’re making mine harder,” Sanders said. “I think it’s time we paid a visit to the higher-up in this place. Shit’s about to get real. First, though, we need to find Etherlan.”

  * * *

  They took the stairs quickly and spread out around the door to Rachie’s room. Sanders walked to the front as Rachie reached for the handle. Without a word, Sanders grabbed the kid by the shirt and ripped him to the side. He stepped up, his hand on the handle, cold to the touch. Tobias, next to him, took out a throwing knife. Rohnan, on the other side, did as well.

  Sanders stared at Rohnan for a moment. “Feel anyone?” he asked softly.

  Rohnan shook his head. “But there are many barriers in the way. It hinders my ability.”

  Sanders rushed into the room. A cluster of black shirts greeted him, spread out and mostly lounging. Sanders threw his knife before peeling off to the side. A knife clattered against the wall behind him as Sanders rolled to a stop behind a chair. A quick blast of power scorched his mind before it stopped just as quickly.

  Tobias and Rohnan ran into the room, each getting off a knife throw before ducking behind furniture. Xavier was next, doing the same. Someone grunted at the far end of the wall.

  “Three are still up,” Rohnan said in a loud voice.

  Sanders popped up from his location and threw another knife. It struck a Graygual in the face, his own knife falling uselessly to the ground. Two more stood beside, one in plain black staring at the fallen at his feet, while the other yanked out his sword.

  Sanders rushed forward, but Rohnan beat him to it. Rohnan feinted, drawing the sword strike. He tapped the blade wide with his sword before slashing down. Blood spattered as Sanders reached the Inkna, thrusting his sword through the man’s middle. The Inkna shrieked, having done nothing to protect himself once Burson had rendered his mind-power useless. The Graygual tried to strike Rohnan one more time, but the strength had gone out of him as he sank to the ground.

  Sanders scanned the room for any other enemy. All he saw were two legs sticking out of a room to the right.

  “Ruisa!” Sanders barked, making his way to that room immediately.

  Etherlan lay on the ground with his face in a chamber pot. Vomit covered the floor and filled the bowl. Sanders felt small hands push his aside. He stepped away, allowing Ruisa into the room. She bent to Etherlan, placing two fingers on the side of his neck.

  “He’s got a pulse!” she said with hope etching every word. “It’s weak, but it’s there. Quick! Move him to the bed.”

  Ruisa ran toward the door as Sanders hauled the limp, pale man up. As he moved Etherlan to the bed, as gently as possible, he heard Ruisa demanding, “Where did that woman come from?”

  “How should I know?” Rachie answered.

  “What did she look like?”

  Sanders tuned them out as Rohnan came over to help with Etherlan. They laid him down. Rohnan felt his pulse and peered at his eyes. He sniffed Etherlan’s breath. “He doesn’t have long. It’s a miracle he’s still with us, but he’s a fighter. He’s clinging.”

  “He’ll be fine,” Ruisa said, pushing between them. She put a bag on the bed and jerked it open. “Rohnan, I need blood.”

  Rohnan lifted Etherlan’s sleeve and stuck him with a knife. A small amount of blood welled up. Etherlan showed no sign of feeling the nick.

  Ruisa collected the blood into a vial. As it slid down the side of the glass tube, she pulled out another bottle. Unscrewing the lid, she took out the dropper and squeezed some of its fluid onto the blood. As she shook it, the blood turned a black-blue color.

  “She was an amateur, thank God.” Ruisa dug through her pouch and extracted another vial with a blue lid, filled with a red liquid. “Either that, or she didn’t want him to die right away. She dosed him with a pretty common rodent poison it looks like. There is a lot of it around this city. It’s weak in case it’s accidentally ingested. She probably gave it to him in water, and diluted it enough that his stomach would purge it before it could really take hold.”

  “Why would she poison him if she didn’t want to kill him?” Tobias asked from the end of the bed.

  “She might’ve liked him. He was attractive and great in bed, or so I’ve heard.”

  “How have you heard that—older men is your thing, huh?” Rachie blurted suspiciously. Sanders thought it sounded like a case of sour grapes.

  “Women talk,” someone muttered. “Beware a scorned woman, too. The whole city will think you’ve got a tiny dick.”

  “Think? Or know?” Tobias didn’t accompany the automatic quip with a laugh or even a smirk. His eyes were rooted to Ruisa’s efforts.

  “He was also kind and treated women with utmost respect, me included, even though no one thought I belonged here,” Ruisa elaborated. “A lot of the women in this city have haunted eyes—they’re property. The visitors, I mean. Meeting a man that treats you like a person… it’ll give you second thoughts about trying to kill that man. Women’s hearts speak louder than their minds in most cases.”

  “Then why go through with it at all?” Tobias asked.

  “Because not going through with it would mean certain death. If she was anything more than an amateur, she gave him this out.” Ruisa dribbled liquid into Etherlan’s mouth. “And as I think about it, she must be, because a foolish woman would think Etherlan would protect her. If she’d asked, he would’ve tried. All of you would.”

  “Of course we would,” Sanders said, his own gaze rooted to his fallen man.

  “A smart woman would know that that would be impossible. The whole city is ganging up on you guys, starting with the Graygual handing out money to people like her master. How could someone protect her when he couldn’t even protect himself?” Etherlan coughed, his body’s reflex to the liquid trying to work down the wrong pipe. Ruisa fed him more. “Plus, her changing sides would just bring more animosity. She’d become a target. No, she must’ve let him off easy. That’s the only thing that makes sense.”

  “Women are too complicated,” Leilius said from the corner.

  “When we don’t have dicks to distract us, we have the freedom to use our brain.” Ruisa stood.

  “So when do you start working for our side?” Gracas asked. “When do you start showing us that you aren’t an amateur?”

  “Gracas,” Sanders barked, throwing a pointed glare at the boy to shut him up.

  “I already have. You’ll see my efforts in another day’s time,” Ruisa said in a smug tone. “I have breasts, too. They distract men just as well as this woman’s. With Rohnan charming ladies and men ogling breasts, no one notices what the silly little lady’s hands are doing, do they?”

  Sanders quirked an eyebrow at Rohnan. Rohnan said, “You left her in my care. I decided what the best use of our time was. Daniels agreed.”

  “And I would give the order again,” Daniels said in a haughty tone, his gaze on Etherlan. No one wanted to lose a man, especially when the odds were so stacked up against them. “She had an extremely insightful, well-thought-out plan. The Captain was right in bringing her.”

  Sanders looked at the straight-faced girl, that smugness she must’ve felt not displayed. “Why wait?”

  “If poison works quickly, people immediately look for the distributor. They go over who the victim had talked to, what he had done, what he ate—it takes a lot of effort to hide from that scrutiny. Time it to strike after a few days’ time, and the traces are mostly gone. Also, the damage is done. They’re infected before they can defend themselves. So, tomorrow, we will see a lot of sick people. If everything goes as planned…”

  “Let’s hope so,” Sa
nders said, glancing out the window. “We are losing traction as more people flood this city. At this point, the Shadow people are sitting in a sinking ship.”

  Chapter Ten

  “Let’s stop here for the night,” Shanti said with a sigh as she dropped her pack of garments rolled within a tarp.

  Cayan stopped and looked back at the small area she indicated with a thick hood of branches over it. He glanced around them, picking out defensive capabilities. A small rock ledge stood behind Shanti’s chosen shelter with thick trees lining it. If someone came from that side, they’d be hard pressed to get through the trees without making a lot of noise. In front and to the sides was the normal forest, with ground sodden with rain and green grasses dotted with large trunks. Visibility would be minimal if someone crept toward them, but that problem would exist in most places.

  She was already setting up the tarp, not waiting for him to give his approval, and unlike with his men he felt no need to reclaim control or authority. Of course, he had no authority here. He was her support in this endeavor, and he had never felt that he had control over this woman. Even when he forced her to follow his commands, she did it because she chose to. When that desire ceased, she did as she pleased.

  A large part of him respected her more for it.

  Cayan put down his pack and helped her secure the tarp over the top of the shelter. He then laid the other tarp under, creating an area big enough for the two of them to lay in order to keep dry. They’d need to sleep close to each other, sharing both space and body heat.

  “Food?” he asked as she laid out the fire equipment.

  “We have the rabbit we didn’t eat earlier. If we just scrape up some root vegetables, we should be fine. It seems like we’ve walked miles today, I’d rather relax then eat.”