Ship Without Sails by Sherwood Smith

Author:Sherwood Smith [Smith, Sherwood]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ancient wars, military fantasy, heroic women, martial arts, resistance fighters, spies and espionage
ISBN: 9781636320755
Publisher: Book View Cafe
Published: 2022-09-16T00:00:00+00:00

8

LISDAN - MELIRE

“Am I glad to see you,” Senrid said on an exhaled breath. “Come in. Jilo is here—he’s asleep,” he added unnecessarily. In the flickering light of the candle he held, Hibern saw a lump wrapped in a quilt, from which the sound of deep-sleep breathing issued, almost a snore.

Senrid whispered in Marlovan, “Where have you been?”

“Sartor.” The bedding, she saw, was no more than a quilt spread on the floor with another on top as a coverlet. They sat down on his side of the room as she said, “Erai-Yanya recommended to the Sartoran mage guild.” She fought back yet another yawn. The sooner she got this over, the sooner she could sleep. “It was just like the last time we went to Sartor to help with magic protection. Or almost, because I’m no longer an apprentice. She told them I’m advanced in ward knowledge, familiar with how dark magic wards are constructed, then she had to go—she was getting messages from other mages. You know Tsauderei can’t get around anymore. She does his footwork for him.”

“Don’t tell me,” Senrid said, mouth wry in the flickering light. “As soon as she was gone, they looked at you as if you cut a horse-sized fart, and booted you straight out.”

“Oh, not straight out. They assigned me to patrol the border of Shendoral Wood. Which, in their defense, they genuinely believed needed protection. The Norsundrian invader Bostian hates that place. Apparently issued orders for it to be burned down. But it can’t be burned down. The Loi, who are magic beings—“”

“I’ve met them. One, anyway.”

“Then you’d know they are very powerful. They can protect that woodland against the likes of Bostian.”

“Did he try?”

“His minions did, warriors and mages both. They even sent in a company of their hoarded soul-bound warriors, carrying torches. The idea being that the warriors could immolate themselves while setting fire to the forest. But their fires went out, and the blood-magic on them binding their bodies to that horrible pretense of life went out like snuffed candles. They Disappeared. I merely watched. The wood takes care of itself.”

“How did you end up with Liere?”

“She asked for me.” Hibern sighed, lowering her voice. “Look, I’ve always liked her. And I respect the hard work she put in for those years she was gone. But the truth is, she’s behind me in all areas of study. Far behind in wards. Yet the Sartoran mages hailed her as the rescuer of the world, and put her right to work with the group protecting that Tower of Knowledge.”

Hibern looked over her shoulder, saw the door safely shut, then checked on Jilo, who was still sound asleep. She murmured, “Though the Sartoran mages were powerful and subtle in their own realm—Erai-Yanya has, had, great respect for them—in those first horrible days, several of them vanished. A few to vicious traps. Traps I know I could have found. That’s what I study! But a lot of them died by the steel of

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.