![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kalinara posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
i_read_whatSo last chapter, our heroes managed to find important things that will hopefully lead to the final battle. It is admittedly a bit hard to get invested in that part though, when Alec's spent four chapters getting hellishly tortured.
Not four chapters SEQUENTIALLY mind you. But four chapters specifically featuring said torture in the midst of other chapters. It's kind of hard to notice that with the way I've double-reviewed. But I feel like that is kind of notable.
So, we're back with Alec, who is still having a hellish experience. Basically, he's in a cage all day. At night, he has a necromancer terrorizing him with nightmarish visions.
We get an example here:
The second night Diomis and his mother materialized in the cage, heads clutched beneath their arms as they cursed and accused him. Alec knew they were only illusions, but their accusations stabbed at enough of his own doubts to bring real pain. Turning his back on them, he stuffed his fingers in his ears and tried to ignore the prodding and buffeting of their cold, ghostly hands. It was pointless to fight back—they had no more substance than air.
Curling tighter in his misery, he waited for Ashnazai to tire of the game. When it was over, Alec lay listening to the small sounds of the night—an owl’s hunting call, the distant nickering of horses, the low murmur of the guards, who’d come back as soon as Ashnazai had gone.
Alec's bruised but not broken though. He's still thinking. He's wondering about the guards. Where do they go? Why? And he's realizing that Vargul has only ever tormented him without witnesses present. He seemingly doesn't want anyone, including Mardus, to know what he's up to.
The next night - Vargul Ashnazai doesn't show up. Someone else else does:
He was awakened by someone whispering his name. A dark figure stood next to the cart, beckoning him to the bars.
Alec crouched warily. “What do you want?”
“Alec, it’s me,” the man replied softly. He pushed his hood back and the moonlight struck his face.
“Seregil!” Alec managed a choked whisper. Scrambling over, he thrust his hand out to his friend.
Seregil clasped it and pressed it to his lips.
He was real, solid, warm. Alec clung to him, heedless of the tears of relief rolling down his own cheeks. “I never thought—How did you find us?”
Reaching through the bars, Seregil cupped Alec’s face in his hands. “No time to explain, tali. I’ve got to get you out of there.” Releasing Alec reluctantly, he went to the back of the cart to examine the lock.
YAY!
Alec is quick to warn Seregil about Vargul and the dyrmagos. Seregil is adamant about rescuing Alec though, which makes him a sitting duck when Ashnazai springs his trap.
Turning, they found Vargul Ashnazai leering up at them, flanked by a half-dozen armed soldiers. “How clever of you to have found us,” the necromancer gloated. “I much appreciate your effort. And your boy played his part very convincingly, no?”
Seregil shot Alec a startled look. It was the cruelest blow yet, that accusing look. It froze Alec’s throat, so that he could only shake his head imploringly.
Seregil fights for his life, but is quickly overpowered. And oh...man...
Ashnazai gave another order. This time Seregil was dragged up into the bear cart and lashed hand and foot to the bars facing Alec.
“I didn’t help him, I swear,” Alec whispered hoarsely. “Oh, Seregil, I—“
“It doesn’t matter much now,” Seregil growled, turning his face away.
“Not in the least,” Ashnazai agreed, climbing into the cart behind him with Seregil’s sword in his hand.
“It’s a pity you were cut, but then I’d hardly dare chance putting the two of you together again.” He grabbed Seregil by the hair, pulling his head back. “Who knows what mischief you’d make, eh?”
Stepping back, he placed the point of the sword against the small of Seregil’s back and pushed slowly, twisting the blade.
So yeah. It gets worse:
Seregil let out a harsh scream and sank to his knees. Struggling free, Alec caught at him, trying to hold him through the bars. He felt hot blood under his hands. More ran from the corner of Seregil’s mouth.
Alec wanted to speak, but no words would come. Seregil looked at him, his wide grey eyes full of sorrow and recrimination.
Pulling the dying man’s head back again, Ashnazai drew the blade across Seregil’s throat. More blood pumped from the severed arteries, spattering Alec’s face and chest.
So...yeah.
I mean, look, it's pretty obvious what's happening here. And the narrative really isn't trying to fake out the reader. We know that Seregil's okay, and with Micum and Nysander. And we've seen the shit that Vargul's been doing to Alec all along.
Alec though has spent weeks being tormented. And while he's trying to convince himself that it was an illusion, he can't get over the fact that there IS dried blood on his hands and his clothing. As far as Alec knows, Seregil is dead.
But then, maybe Vargul made a mistake here:
He gazed out over the ocean, trying to imagine how many miles lay between him and Rhiminee. Nysander was dead. Seregil was dead. Cilia. Diomis. Thryis. Rhiri.
The names fell like stones against his heart. If he couldn’t get away tonight, then he’d just as soon die trying. Sometimes total despair was the best substitute for hope.
It's maybe worth remembering that, at the start of the series, Alec was alone. He doesn't have much by way of ties to anyone. He's developed friendships since then, but they're largely through the context of Seregil. And right now, he doesn't have much, if anything, to lose.
Alec takes stock of his options. The Mycenian border is to the north. If he follows the coast, he might meet friendly forces. He intends to flee with Thero. He knows Mardus will be close behind. But there's a chance. And if not, he'll still put up a fight.
He's still got that nail from last chapter. He manages to shift it into his mouth and wait. They take the prisoners to a cave and chain them by the neck. Ashnazai taunts Alec - saying that an animal would chew off his leg to escape, but Alec can't chew off his head.
He gives a last taunt and leaves. Alec manages to mumble his own defiance, around the nail presumably, but gets to work.
First, he gets Thero's chains undone. The iron wristbands are more of a problem...or would have been, except, after two weeks of abuse and little food...they're pretty loose on Thero's wrists.
Is Thero in any state to understand what's going on?
Looking up, he found Thero staring at him. It sent a chill over his heart. Irtuk Beshar had made a speaking puppet of the wizard before; who was it now, looking at him out of those foggy eyes?
“Thero,” he whispered, taking one of the man’s cold hands in his own. “Do you know me? Can you understand what I say?”
Thero gave no sign of understanding, but his gaze did not waver.
Hard to say. The dyrmagnos might be looking out of his eyes, or maybe not. But Alec has nothing to lose at this point.
“I’ve had enough, Thero. I’m done going along like a sheep to slaughter,” he went on softly, tearing a strip from his tunic and tucking it around the mouth plate of the branks. Thero offered no resistance as Alec moved the crude gag into place.
“You need to keep quiet no matter what happens next, all right? You hear? No matter what, don’t make a sound.”
Alec stood up and grasped Thero’s thumbs firmly. Placing his foot against the young wizard’s chest, he took a deep breath and yanked the thumbs with all his strength, twisting sharply as he pulled.
He’d seen Seregil do this trick, but had never had the nerve or opportunity to try it himself.
There's something very interesting in the fact that Alec's first time doing this trick is doing it to someone else.
But it works. And fortunately, the spells keeping Thero out of it also keep him from crying out.
Does it work...?
“Damnation!” Thero whimpered, still biting down on the mouth plate.
“Not so loud,” Alec pleaded, holding Thero’s head against his chest to muffle any cries. His own stomach was doing a slow lurch of its own. “I’m sorry, it was the only way. Are you free of it?”
Thero nodded. “Saw, ‘eard everythin’. Couldn’t move—Saw every—“
“So did I,” Alec told him, patting his shoulder. “We’ve got to forget that for now, while we figure out how to get away from here. What about these, though?” He pointed to the wristbands, unwilling to touch them again. “Can the necromancers tell you’re not wearing them?”
It seems so! Then Alec hears the guards move away. Ashnazai is coming. Thero hides his wrists and turn to the wall.
Ashnazai clearly has pretty fucked up plans for the night:
There was a mad possessiveness in his manner; not even the fear of Mardus was going to get in the way of whatever obscene pleasures he intended to grant himself tonight. The man’s raw hatred was a palpable force in the confines of the cave. Trapped in the gaze of those hungry black eyes, Alec suddenly felt his plans of escape turning to dust in his hands.
“What about the guards?” Alec managed, his voice a hollow whisper. He was grasping at straws and they both knew it.
Ashnazai set the lantern on the floor beside him and pulled off his gloves. “They’re of no concern. No sound will be heard beyond these walls until I choose to allow it. And even if it did, who would rush to your aid? Duke Mardus, perhaps? How fond he s of you! Almost as fond as I, but distracted just now by practical concerns. Fortunately, I have no task at the moment except you.”
“Ah, I have been patient,” he crooned, raising one pale hand to stitch a spell pattern on the air. “How I have waited for such a moment as this.”
Yeah...that's not good.
But...
“So have I, necromancer!”
Alec scarcely had time to realize that the harsh, ragged voice was Thero’s before he was blinded by a brilliant explosion of light. A screech of rage or pain rang out, but Alec couldn’t tell which of them it came from.
Blinking away the black spots dancing across his eyes, Alec saw the twisted remains of the branks lying on the ground at Thero’s feet. He also saw with alarm that whatever spell Thero had cast, it had only wounded Ashnazai, and not nearly enough.
Bloodied but still standing, the necromancer rounded on Thero, hands raised for another attack.
Tearing the open lock off, Alec pulled chain from around his neck. Grasping a length of it in both hands, he sprang at Ashnazai, got the chain around the necromancer’s throat, and yanked it tight.
Fucking teamwork!
So the junior members of their respective squads have just Jabba the Hutted Mardus's pet necromancer. Nice!
Alec grabs some kind of vial from Vargul's neck. It was probably mentioned before, but I don't remember it. Alec doesn't know what it is, but figures it's important and no one will use it against him again.
OH, I bet it was the blood that Vargul had found way back when. That's probably how the fucked up illusions worked!
Anyway. On the plus side, the wards on the cave entrance died with Vargul. But there's still the problem of how to get out of there. Alec asks if Thero can translocate them, and Thero snaps back that he would have already if he could. Aw, he's feeling better.
They start sneaking out, barefeet actually being helpful for quiet travel. They actually manage to get out of camp, but before too long, Thero stops Alec. He's sensing a search. It won't take long for Irtuk Beshar (the dyrmagnos lich lady) to find them.
Alec starts to panic, but it's Thero's turn to be awesome. And as they hear howling and cackling in the distance...
“That’s good, very good,” whispered There. “Alec i Amasa Kerry, untir maligista.” It was the unaccustomed sound of his full name that triggered Alec’s memory. He opened his mouth to protest, but the magic had already taken hold.
“Untir maligista kewat, Alec i Amasa Kerry.” There continued, pouring out all his remaining power as he pressed down hard on Alec’s shoulders. Whatever horror Irtuk Beshar had unleashed was crashing through the trees toward them, bellowing its lunatic hunting call.
Throwing back his head, Thero cried out, “Let thy inner symbol be revealed!”
NICE call back.
This is the intrinsic nature spell that Nysander had demonstrated in Luck in the Shadows. Seregil had been an otter. Alec had been a stag. And now, he's a stag again.
We get a slightly awkward shift in viewpoint here:
Thero took a tentative step toward it, though he knew Alec was probably past understanding human speech.
“I didn’t intentionally betray the Oreska,” he told him. “Let this be the atonement for my blindness. Go on. Run!”
But I think Thero's earned it.
The chapter ends here.
--
The next chapter is very short. So short that we probably won't have much by way of excerpts.
It's a Beka part. They're monitoring the camp. They hear angry shouts and a commotion. The guards are scattering. It's their chance to free their friends.
And they do! They find Gilly and Mirn. They're in kind of rough shape:
Their hands were swollen and purple where the long spikes pierced their palms. Their shoulders had rubbed raw against the rough planks. Looking more closely at them now, Beka saw from the numerous other bruises and abrasions that covered both men that they must have often stumbled and fallen beneath their awkward burdens.
Oof.
So they get unspiked. It sounds even worse than the first part - what with swollen and festered flesh. Gilly faints and Mirin is crying the pain.
But they're freed. As they're not in condition to ride, Beka orders the strongest riders to take them. They bring the wood and spikes with them too.
They hear the scary howl by the way. Eek.
--
We shift scenes to Nysander. He suddenly feels Thero's essence. Then it's gone, but he feels Alec's - and particularly the spell that's fused with him. And for ONCE, he actually seems concerned about his apprentice!
I'm probably not being fair. We actually haven't had much of Nysander's point of view since Thero's capture. Anyway, he uses magic to try to call Alec to them.
Everyone's asleep at the moment. Seregil's muttering. Nysander considers waking him to share the hope, but knows Seregil well enough to realize he'd go charging off wildly. Alec's still too far away to benefit.
Hm. He's probably right. But it still kind of seems like a dick move.
--
Back to Beka, they're riding east. Mirn and Gilly are not in great shape, and there's a serious risk of blood poisoning. Beka thinks about how many they'd started with, and where they are now. But Sergeant Braknil reminds her that she'd lead them well and their defeats were not her fault.
Mirn and Gilly are able to share the information that they know. Mostly stuff we know already: Mardus, Necromancers, Irtuk (though they don't know what she is), and the sacrifices.
The one interesting thing though is that the Skalan soldiers weren't sacrificed. The vast majority of the victims were Plenimarans.
Beka sends Ariani back to the regiment to get word to Klia. Corporal Nikides and Steb are in charge of taking back the wounded. The rest are still going to "dog the column".
Steb is torn: Mirn is his partner, but Beka's group will now be all of twelve. He can still fight. Beka agrees, but she wants him to protect the wounded. They're also secondary couriers. Beka's own force is meant to spy, not fight.
Beka contemplates her own reasons - no superior would fault her for going back, but she feels close to learning Mardus's secrets and doesn't intend to leave off now.
The chapter ends here.
Not four chapters SEQUENTIALLY mind you. But four chapters specifically featuring said torture in the midst of other chapters. It's kind of hard to notice that with the way I've double-reviewed. But I feel like that is kind of notable.
So, we're back with Alec, who is still having a hellish experience. Basically, he's in a cage all day. At night, he has a necromancer terrorizing him with nightmarish visions.
We get an example here:
The second night Diomis and his mother materialized in the cage, heads clutched beneath their arms as they cursed and accused him. Alec knew they were only illusions, but their accusations stabbed at enough of his own doubts to bring real pain. Turning his back on them, he stuffed his fingers in his ears and tried to ignore the prodding and buffeting of their cold, ghostly hands. It was pointless to fight back—they had no more substance than air.
Curling tighter in his misery, he waited for Ashnazai to tire of the game. When it was over, Alec lay listening to the small sounds of the night—an owl’s hunting call, the distant nickering of horses, the low murmur of the guards, who’d come back as soon as Ashnazai had gone.
Alec's bruised but not broken though. He's still thinking. He's wondering about the guards. Where do they go? Why? And he's realizing that Vargul has only ever tormented him without witnesses present. He seemingly doesn't want anyone, including Mardus, to know what he's up to.
The next night - Vargul Ashnazai doesn't show up. Someone else else does:
He was awakened by someone whispering his name. A dark figure stood next to the cart, beckoning him to the bars.
Alec crouched warily. “What do you want?”
“Alec, it’s me,” the man replied softly. He pushed his hood back and the moonlight struck his face.
“Seregil!” Alec managed a choked whisper. Scrambling over, he thrust his hand out to his friend.
Seregil clasped it and pressed it to his lips.
He was real, solid, warm. Alec clung to him, heedless of the tears of relief rolling down his own cheeks. “I never thought—How did you find us?”
Reaching through the bars, Seregil cupped Alec’s face in his hands. “No time to explain, tali. I’ve got to get you out of there.” Releasing Alec reluctantly, he went to the back of the cart to examine the lock.
YAY!
Alec is quick to warn Seregil about Vargul and the dyrmagos. Seregil is adamant about rescuing Alec though, which makes him a sitting duck when Ashnazai springs his trap.
Turning, they found Vargul Ashnazai leering up at them, flanked by a half-dozen armed soldiers. “How clever of you to have found us,” the necromancer gloated. “I much appreciate your effort. And your boy played his part very convincingly, no?”
Seregil shot Alec a startled look. It was the cruelest blow yet, that accusing look. It froze Alec’s throat, so that he could only shake his head imploringly.
Seregil fights for his life, but is quickly overpowered. And oh...man...
Ashnazai gave another order. This time Seregil was dragged up into the bear cart and lashed hand and foot to the bars facing Alec.
“I didn’t help him, I swear,” Alec whispered hoarsely. “Oh, Seregil, I—“
“It doesn’t matter much now,” Seregil growled, turning his face away.
“Not in the least,” Ashnazai agreed, climbing into the cart behind him with Seregil’s sword in his hand.
“It’s a pity you were cut, but then I’d hardly dare chance putting the two of you together again.” He grabbed Seregil by the hair, pulling his head back. “Who knows what mischief you’d make, eh?”
Stepping back, he placed the point of the sword against the small of Seregil’s back and pushed slowly, twisting the blade.
So yeah. It gets worse:
Seregil let out a harsh scream and sank to his knees. Struggling free, Alec caught at him, trying to hold him through the bars. He felt hot blood under his hands. More ran from the corner of Seregil’s mouth.
Alec wanted to speak, but no words would come. Seregil looked at him, his wide grey eyes full of sorrow and recrimination.
Pulling the dying man’s head back again, Ashnazai drew the blade across Seregil’s throat. More blood pumped from the severed arteries, spattering Alec’s face and chest.
So...yeah.
I mean, look, it's pretty obvious what's happening here. And the narrative really isn't trying to fake out the reader. We know that Seregil's okay, and with Micum and Nysander. And we've seen the shit that Vargul's been doing to Alec all along.
Alec though has spent weeks being tormented. And while he's trying to convince himself that it was an illusion, he can't get over the fact that there IS dried blood on his hands and his clothing. As far as Alec knows, Seregil is dead.
But then, maybe Vargul made a mistake here:
He gazed out over the ocean, trying to imagine how many miles lay between him and Rhiminee. Nysander was dead. Seregil was dead. Cilia. Diomis. Thryis. Rhiri.
The names fell like stones against his heart. If he couldn’t get away tonight, then he’d just as soon die trying. Sometimes total despair was the best substitute for hope.
It's maybe worth remembering that, at the start of the series, Alec was alone. He doesn't have much by way of ties to anyone. He's developed friendships since then, but they're largely through the context of Seregil. And right now, he doesn't have much, if anything, to lose.
Alec takes stock of his options. The Mycenian border is to the north. If he follows the coast, he might meet friendly forces. He intends to flee with Thero. He knows Mardus will be close behind. But there's a chance. And if not, he'll still put up a fight.
He's still got that nail from last chapter. He manages to shift it into his mouth and wait. They take the prisoners to a cave and chain them by the neck. Ashnazai taunts Alec - saying that an animal would chew off his leg to escape, but Alec can't chew off his head.
He gives a last taunt and leaves. Alec manages to mumble his own defiance, around the nail presumably, but gets to work.
First, he gets Thero's chains undone. The iron wristbands are more of a problem...or would have been, except, after two weeks of abuse and little food...they're pretty loose on Thero's wrists.
Is Thero in any state to understand what's going on?
Looking up, he found Thero staring at him. It sent a chill over his heart. Irtuk Beshar had made a speaking puppet of the wizard before; who was it now, looking at him out of those foggy eyes?
“Thero,” he whispered, taking one of the man’s cold hands in his own. “Do you know me? Can you understand what I say?”
Thero gave no sign of understanding, but his gaze did not waver.
Hard to say. The dyrmagnos might be looking out of his eyes, or maybe not. But Alec has nothing to lose at this point.
“I’ve had enough, Thero. I’m done going along like a sheep to slaughter,” he went on softly, tearing a strip from his tunic and tucking it around the mouth plate of the branks. Thero offered no resistance as Alec moved the crude gag into place.
“You need to keep quiet no matter what happens next, all right? You hear? No matter what, don’t make a sound.”
Alec stood up and grasped Thero’s thumbs firmly. Placing his foot against the young wizard’s chest, he took a deep breath and yanked the thumbs with all his strength, twisting sharply as he pulled.
He’d seen Seregil do this trick, but had never had the nerve or opportunity to try it himself.
There's something very interesting in the fact that Alec's first time doing this trick is doing it to someone else.
But it works. And fortunately, the spells keeping Thero out of it also keep him from crying out.
Does it work...?
“Damnation!” Thero whimpered, still biting down on the mouth plate.
“Not so loud,” Alec pleaded, holding Thero’s head against his chest to muffle any cries. His own stomach was doing a slow lurch of its own. “I’m sorry, it was the only way. Are you free of it?”
Thero nodded. “Saw, ‘eard everythin’. Couldn’t move—Saw every—“
“So did I,” Alec told him, patting his shoulder. “We’ve got to forget that for now, while we figure out how to get away from here. What about these, though?” He pointed to the wristbands, unwilling to touch them again. “Can the necromancers tell you’re not wearing them?”
It seems so! Then Alec hears the guards move away. Ashnazai is coming. Thero hides his wrists and turn to the wall.
Ashnazai clearly has pretty fucked up plans for the night:
There was a mad possessiveness in his manner; not even the fear of Mardus was going to get in the way of whatever obscene pleasures he intended to grant himself tonight. The man’s raw hatred was a palpable force in the confines of the cave. Trapped in the gaze of those hungry black eyes, Alec suddenly felt his plans of escape turning to dust in his hands.
“What about the guards?” Alec managed, his voice a hollow whisper. He was grasping at straws and they both knew it.
Ashnazai set the lantern on the floor beside him and pulled off his gloves. “They’re of no concern. No sound will be heard beyond these walls until I choose to allow it. And even if it did, who would rush to your aid? Duke Mardus, perhaps? How fond he s of you! Almost as fond as I, but distracted just now by practical concerns. Fortunately, I have no task at the moment except you.”
“Ah, I have been patient,” he crooned, raising one pale hand to stitch a spell pattern on the air. “How I have waited for such a moment as this.”
Yeah...that's not good.
But...
“So have I, necromancer!”
Alec scarcely had time to realize that the harsh, ragged voice was Thero’s before he was blinded by a brilliant explosion of light. A screech of rage or pain rang out, but Alec couldn’t tell which of them it came from.
Blinking away the black spots dancing across his eyes, Alec saw the twisted remains of the branks lying on the ground at Thero’s feet. He also saw with alarm that whatever spell Thero had cast, it had only wounded Ashnazai, and not nearly enough.
Bloodied but still standing, the necromancer rounded on Thero, hands raised for another attack.
Tearing the open lock off, Alec pulled chain from around his neck. Grasping a length of it in both hands, he sprang at Ashnazai, got the chain around the necromancer’s throat, and yanked it tight.
Fucking teamwork!
So the junior members of their respective squads have just Jabba the Hutted Mardus's pet necromancer. Nice!
Alec grabs some kind of vial from Vargul's neck. It was probably mentioned before, but I don't remember it. Alec doesn't know what it is, but figures it's important and no one will use it against him again.
OH, I bet it was the blood that Vargul had found way back when. That's probably how the fucked up illusions worked!
Anyway. On the plus side, the wards on the cave entrance died with Vargul. But there's still the problem of how to get out of there. Alec asks if Thero can translocate them, and Thero snaps back that he would have already if he could. Aw, he's feeling better.
They start sneaking out, barefeet actually being helpful for quiet travel. They actually manage to get out of camp, but before too long, Thero stops Alec. He's sensing a search. It won't take long for Irtuk Beshar (the dyrmagnos lich lady) to find them.
Alec starts to panic, but it's Thero's turn to be awesome. And as they hear howling and cackling in the distance...
“That’s good, very good,” whispered There. “Alec i Amasa Kerry, untir maligista.” It was the unaccustomed sound of his full name that triggered Alec’s memory. He opened his mouth to protest, but the magic had already taken hold.
“Untir maligista kewat, Alec i Amasa Kerry.” There continued, pouring out all his remaining power as he pressed down hard on Alec’s shoulders. Whatever horror Irtuk Beshar had unleashed was crashing through the trees toward them, bellowing its lunatic hunting call.
Throwing back his head, Thero cried out, “Let thy inner symbol be revealed!”
NICE call back.
This is the intrinsic nature spell that Nysander had demonstrated in Luck in the Shadows. Seregil had been an otter. Alec had been a stag. And now, he's a stag again.
We get a slightly awkward shift in viewpoint here:
Thero took a tentative step toward it, though he knew Alec was probably past understanding human speech.
“I didn’t intentionally betray the Oreska,” he told him. “Let this be the atonement for my blindness. Go on. Run!”
But I think Thero's earned it.
The chapter ends here.
--
The next chapter is very short. So short that we probably won't have much by way of excerpts.
It's a Beka part. They're monitoring the camp. They hear angry shouts and a commotion. The guards are scattering. It's their chance to free their friends.
And they do! They find Gilly and Mirn. They're in kind of rough shape:
Their hands were swollen and purple where the long spikes pierced their palms. Their shoulders had rubbed raw against the rough planks. Looking more closely at them now, Beka saw from the numerous other bruises and abrasions that covered both men that they must have often stumbled and fallen beneath their awkward burdens.
Oof.
So they get unspiked. It sounds even worse than the first part - what with swollen and festered flesh. Gilly faints and Mirin is crying the pain.
But they're freed. As they're not in condition to ride, Beka orders the strongest riders to take them. They bring the wood and spikes with them too.
They hear the scary howl by the way. Eek.
--
We shift scenes to Nysander. He suddenly feels Thero's essence. Then it's gone, but he feels Alec's - and particularly the spell that's fused with him. And for ONCE, he actually seems concerned about his apprentice!
I'm probably not being fair. We actually haven't had much of Nysander's point of view since Thero's capture. Anyway, he uses magic to try to call Alec to them.
Everyone's asleep at the moment. Seregil's muttering. Nysander considers waking him to share the hope, but knows Seregil well enough to realize he'd go charging off wildly. Alec's still too far away to benefit.
Hm. He's probably right. But it still kind of seems like a dick move.
--
Back to Beka, they're riding east. Mirn and Gilly are not in great shape, and there's a serious risk of blood poisoning. Beka thinks about how many they'd started with, and where they are now. But Sergeant Braknil reminds her that she'd lead them well and their defeats were not her fault.
Mirn and Gilly are able to share the information that they know. Mostly stuff we know already: Mardus, Necromancers, Irtuk (though they don't know what she is), and the sacrifices.
The one interesting thing though is that the Skalan soldiers weren't sacrificed. The vast majority of the victims were Plenimarans.
Beka sends Ariani back to the regiment to get word to Klia. Corporal Nikides and Steb are in charge of taking back the wounded. The rest are still going to "dog the column".
Steb is torn: Mirn is his partner, but Beka's group will now be all of twelve. He can still fight. Beka agrees, but she wants him to protect the wounded. They're also secondary couriers. Beka's own force is meant to spy, not fight.
Beka contemplates her own reasons - no superior would fault her for going back, but she feels close to learning Mardus's secrets and doesn't intend to leave off now.
The chapter ends here.