Legacy of Wolves (The Inquisitives) by Marsheila Rockwell

Author:Marsheila Rockwell [Rockwell, Marsheila]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9780786963232
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast Publishing
Published: 2012-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

It was, he thought, a fitting epitaph. And then the darkness closed in. Warm, welcoming, and permanent.

Chapter

TWELVE

Zor, Therendor 26, 998 YK

Irulan felt her pulse pounding in her throat as they galloped through the shifter camp toward the gates of Aruldusk. Shifters, awakened by the early morning bells, scattered out of their way as they thundered past, and she didn’t blame them. Flame-burned horses, she thought as she gripped the saddle horn with both hands. If she wanted to be astride something that moved this swiftly, she’d take her chances on the roof of a lightning rail cart. At least elementals didn’t step into snake holes at breakneck speeds and kill themselves, along with their hapless riders.

As they neared the East Gate, she realized that the guards were not going to see Andri riding behind her in the saddle. Since Andri had chivalrously insisted that she ride in front of him, the guards were going to think some crazy shifter was barreling toward them on a warhorse for the Flame only knew what reason. They would feather her full of arrows first and check papers later.

“Andri! Slow down!”

She ducked as she yelled, pressing herself against the horse’s neck and trying to make Andri as visible as possible. As she felt the steed’s muscles surge beneath her—gaining speed, if anything—she realized she was also making him a perfect target.

Well, she thought, wrinkling her nose at the heavy scent of equine sweat, at least he’s wearing armor.

“Hold!”

Andri pulled the horse up just short of the gate, stopping so abruptly that she might have flown over the stallion’s neck if Andri hadn’t reached out and grabbed a handful of her tunic.

“What’s your business?”

Andri pulled out Riathan’s letter and passed it to the guard, the horse prancing in response to his impatience.

“I’m on the Cardinal’s urgent business, and you are delaying me.”

The guard read the letter over quickly, but stood his ground.

“What about her?” he said, gesturing to Irulan.

Andri, his fingers still bunched in her tunic, hauled her up unceremoniously into a sitting position. “She’s with me.”

“The letter doesn’t say anything about a shifter.”

Though Irulan couldn’t see the paladin’s face, she felt him go still.

“The letter,” he said, enunciating each word with painstaking clarity, “says that you are to render whatever aid I require. And I require that you stop acting like a fool and let us through—now.”

He spoke as if to a small child or a simpleton, though Irulan couldn’t imagine him ever using such a furious voice with anyone so innocent. And while a simpleton might have known enough to obey the tone, if not the words, this guard didn’t appear to be quite that smart.

“What’s going on here?”

Another guard in Thrane livery walked up—a captain, by the looks of him.

The gate guard showed him Andri’s letter.

“He wants to bring the shifter in.”

The captain perused the letter, his eyes widening slightly as he read. He stood up straighter.

“And you’re going to let him.”

“But—”

“Your pardon, my lord,” the captain said, raising his voice and glaring the other soldier into silence.

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