Thero nodded. “Not a pleasant process, but it saved my life. Valerius has been working to restore my strength.”

“With considerable success, I might add,” said Valerius.

“How soon until you’re strong enough for magic? We need you to restore Illia.”

“Fortunately, the ring of protection takes very little effort,” Thero replied. “The symbols do most of the work. I only hope we didn’t just get lucky with Mika because he’s wizard-born.”

“Don’t say that in front of the Cavishes. They’re scared enough as it is. And this might help.” Seregil took Atre’s bone necklace from his tunic and gave it to Thero. “Brader told us Atre always used it to work his magic.”

Thero held it gingerly between two fingers and wrinkled his nose.

“Those are human bones,” said Valerius.

“I thought so,” replied Seregil.

“And strung on human skin.” Thero dropped it onto the coverlet with a look of disgust. “How this whole business didn’t reek of necromancy I can’t imagine. As for that thing—” He gestured at the necklace, clearly loath to touch it again. “It isn’t magic.”

Seregil’s heart sank. “What? But Brader said Atre always used it!”

“He may have, but his magic didn’t come from it. It’s a nasty relic, very old, and clearly a ritual piece, but the only power it might have had was if Atre believed it was magic. If so, it was nothing but his own superstition at work. The power lay in him.”

“That would explain why you didn’t find it with your magic, unless he carried it with him.”

“I suppose so.”

Seregil let out a frustrated growl. “So it won’t help you at all?”

“If anything, the foul aura of the thing would hinder me. From what little I felt from it, it’s been used by hundreds of evil people over a very long period of time.”

Seregil told them what had happened to the bodies after Brader and Atre died.

“Abominations!” the drysian rumbled. “Are the corpses still there?”

“Yes, we locked them in.”

“I’ll deal with them.”

“Can you tell from the necklace where they were from, Thero?” asked Seregil.

The wizard reluctantly rested his hand over it, eyes squeezed shut with the effort, then fell back against the pillows.

“It’s too soon to be doing that!” Valerius scooped the necklace up and tossed it to Seregil.

“It’s all right,” Thero gasped. “They came from somewhere far beyond the Ironheart Mountains, a land I know nothing of. And centuries ago, though I can’t tell how many in my present state.”

“Not Zengati, after all?” asked Alec.

“No.”