War of Shadows by Gail Z. Martin

Author:Gail Z. Martin [Martin, Gail Z.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction / Action & Adventure, Fiction / Fantasy / Epic, Fiction / Fantasy / Historical
Publisher: Orbit/Yen
Published: 2015-04-21T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

TWENTY

BY THE TIME NIKLAS AND CARR RETURNED TO the camp at Mirdalur, the wind had become a force to fight against. Freezing rain began to fall, and the temperature had grown colder. The gray sky was dark, though it was still early in the day, far too early for Dolan and the Knights to be awake.

“Let’s get the horses inside,” Niklas said. “It’s time to hunker down.”

Niklas and Carr shook off the worst of the rain and headed into an old stone barn that had been patched up to serve as a barracks. Niklas’s men had shored it up with enough repairs to make it habitable for the time it took to make Mirdalur ready to anchor the magic.

“There are a couple of card games going if you want to join in,” Ordel, the senior healer, said in greeting.

Niklas managed a tired smile. “Depending on how long we’re stuck in here, I might just be tempted.” He looked up as the timbers overhead creaked and groaned as the winds battered the structure. “How long do you think the repairs will hold if the storm gets worse?”

Ordel shrugged. He was a decade older than Niklas, and the hardships of the last few years had taken their toll. To Niklas’s eye, Ordel looked tired.

“We’ll see,” Ordel replied. “The walls weren’t in good shape, and we didn’t have time to really repair them.” He sighed. “You know what they say, ‘Only a fool fights the wind.’ ” He paused. “How is it, up above?”

Niklas shrugged. “Winds are almost too strong to stand against. Freezing rain.”

“Let’s hope the ice doesn’t put too much weight on the roofs.”

Niklas grimaced. “I can only worry about so many things at once.” He walked over to where the mages clustered together in one corner of the room. “Any news?” he asked.

Dagur looked up. “All the signs point to a long run of storms, some from the north and others coming up from the coast.”

Niklas nodded. It was what he had expected, but it didn’t hurt to ask. “If you can’t shift the storm, can you protect our men and supplies?”

Dagur brightened. “That we’ve done. We’ve placed a preservation spell on the supplies, and protection spells on the barns.” He grimaced. “Problem is, the magic is flickering like a candle—probably because of the storms. So we’ve placed the wardings, but there’s no guarantee they’ll hold.”

Ayers walked up from behind Niklas. “Glad the two of you made it back,” he said with a nod toward Carr. “Everything go well at the wedding?” One look at their expressions, and Ayers gave a low whistle. “Well then, maybe we should discuss something else.”

“I didn’t get the chance to tell you everything I found out on my last scouting trip,” Carr said, lifting his chin defiantly. “There are Tingur, plenty of them, on the move.”

Niklas turned his full attention to Carr. “How close? How many? Headed where?”

“When I spotted them, they were headed northwest, toward the Solveigs’ lands,” Carr reported. “I shadowed them for as long as I dared.

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