Exiled by Bethany Adams

Author:Bethany Adams [Adams, Bethany]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-9975320-4-3
Publisher: Bethany Adams

Inona didn’t bother waiting to see what Delbin would do. If Kien had escaped near the main road, he might have circled around the base of the ridge to the portal. Although it was technically spelled against letting him enter Moranaia, there were plenty of other realms he might escape to. Realms she wouldn’t know to search.

Instead of heading directly across the open hill, Inona cut right until she reached the trees lining the south end of the ridge. She sent her senses out around her as far as she could with the minuscule energy available. No sign of Kien, although she detected Delbin just behind her. As she ducked into the trees, she pulled her knives and worked her way carefully toward the portal.

They rounded the base of the hill, and the gentle slope gave way to the sharp line of the ridge wall. Inona gave Delbin a mental nudge. “I don’t sense him. You?”

A brief pause. “No. Dammit. I should’ve kept mental control, but it takes so much energy.”

“Which isn’t exactly plentiful on Earth,” she grumbled. Then a new thought hit her. “Are you sure it was really him? That illusion he did this morning was quite realistic. I’m not sure of the extent of an illusionist’s power.”

“Illusions don’t bleed, or if they did, they wouldn’t leave any blood behind. There was a pool of blood in the back of the truck.”

At least that was one worry gone. But Inona hadn’t sensed him by the time they approached the portal, and a quick examination of the area showed no signs of disturbance. No footprints, no blood. She closed her eyes and connected to the shields around the portal. Thankfully, no one had passed through.

Where could he have gone? Back to the cave? Maybe he had some way to detect them so he could stay out of sight.

“You said there’s an old house on the north side of the ridge?” she asked.

“Yes.” He frowned. “Well, more northwest. You think he’s there?”

“I suppose we’ll have to find out.”

In silence, they followed the ridge until they reached the line of trees. The stone wall had shrunk to waist height, and it wasn’t long until the ridge disappeared into the gentle hills around it. Inona startled when Delbin grabbed her wrist, tugging her gently to the left toward the sparsely forested slope.

“The house is back in the trees where this hill drops away,” he said.

Inona nodded, and after a brief hesitation, she pulled her arm away. She might enjoy his touch, but she needed her hands free for battle. With a quick smile, she started forward, her senses ranging wide. She could feel nothing from Kien, nor had there been any energy surges that would indicate a mage at work.

Had he escaped the truck sooner than they’d thought?

She detected nothing on the way to the old house, a two-story wooden structure with sagging shutters and paint peeling from the siding. The farmhouse had clearly seen better days, and yet… Inona’s eyes narrowed on a window beside the back door.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.