“It’s not Shadow?” This was asked with more force.
“It is not Shadow as I understand it. I would guess poison, if I were pressed; I would not like my lord’s life to depend on that ill-formed guess.”
“What did you see?”
“Nothing. I heard him grunt. I heard him fall. At that point, the attackers who managed to follow us into the house were still alive. They did not remain so for long.”
Long enough.
She frowned, sheathing the one long knife she carried. She closed the eye that wasn’t behind Hope’s translucent wing, and focused. Through Hope’s wing, Nightshade’s pallor was subtly different. She looked for exposed skin, for any sign of a needle, a dart, but could find nothing.
Andellen’s injuries were far more obvious.
“Is it safe to take his hand from the sword?”
“I would not, were I you.Meliannosis a weapon meant for fighting many things; not all are, or can be, easily seen. It is possible that his grip on the sword has preserved him.”
They were as far away from Castle Nightshade as they could be while remaining within the fief’s boundaries. Taking him to his Tower when he was in this shape would be deadly if any of the attacking Barrani remained. Andellen could—and would—fight, as would Severn, but the Barrani wouldn’t need a small war band to finish them all off. Andellen’s skills could be trusted, but he’d be saddled with two humans as comrades.
“How many of Nightshade’s Barrani servants can be trusted?”
She could feel Ynpharion’s deep annoyance at the question. Fine. “Did any of the Barrani take a blood oath of service?”
Andellen failed to reply. She looked up at him and revised her opinion about his ability to fight. Neither he nor the lord to whom he’d devoted his life were going to be much help should they be required to fight their way to the Tower where Nightshade would be safest.
“Is there such a thing as magical poison?” she asked instead.Ynpharion?
It would not be called poison, Ynpharion replied.Wait a moment, if that’s possible for you.
If it was magic, Kaylin’s healing might be hampered. If the magic had done damage, she might be able to alleviate that—but she was no longer certain.
She called his name.Calarnenne.
He didn’t answer.
She called it again, with more force, with true intent. When she did, she almost felt his familiar, lurking presence—but there were no words, no deliberate response.
Hesitating, she continued to study his pallor. “Hope, do you see what I see?”
Hope squawked; it was the affirmative squawk, but it felt slightly hesitant.
Severn?
“No.”
But you could see the attackers from the air.
I could see past the barrier. I’m almost certain that barrier wasn’t erected by Nightshade. Would you recognize his magic?
Kaylin shook her head.I never saw him cast a magic powerful enough to leave a sigil. Either that or the magic he used didn’t require one. I’m not sure how the Towers function in that regard.She’d never considered it before.
She hesitated and then reached out to touch Nightshade’s pale cheek with her left hand.
His skin was hot.
The cheek that carried the Erenne mark burned at the contact; she hadn’t expected that. She didn’t even need Severn to tell her that her cheek was bleeding again. Closing both eyes, she started to examine his physical body the only way she knew how. She built the bridge of power she had always crossed to heal.
She touched nothing.