When Tisala came to me, no one tried to stop her. “My love,” she said, as if she’d always called me that. “Ward, listen to me. No one was hurt. Farrawell and a few of his ilk believe that claiming the Bane was your purpose from the beginning. There are enough of them here who agree that Kellen had no choice but to confront you.”

I listened to her, but I kept my eyes on Kellen. She might say he had no choice, but I knew better. The power that filled me quivered in rage at the thought. And it told me exactly what I could do about Kellen and the Oranstonians who put my people in bonds.

“Ward,” said Oreg clearly. “Your eyes are glowing Hurog-blue—like the staff.”

I turned to the dragon-mage and the awareness that was a part of the Bane’s magic knew him asdragon . It calmed at his presence, giving me space to understand what he’d said. And as it faded, the urge to destroy Farrawell and Kellen ebbed. But it wasn’t gone, just concealed as it had concealed itself from me before.

I took a deep, if shaky breath. “Siphern save me,” I whispered. “I thought it was gone.” But the Bane had only hidden, waiting to infect me with its ravaging madness.

I knew then that Jade Eyes had been both correct and wrong. Blood and tears had indeed freed the Bane, freed it of any control. Knew moreover what it intended to do, because destruction was all it understood: The Bane was a far more capable Death-Bringer than my little brother’s fat gelding.

“Oreg, aid me,” I said, but the Bane read my intentions before I could say anything and launched an attack—not at me, but at Tisala, who held my arm and had no protection against magic.

I threw up a warding around the bronze dragon head even as I pushed Tisala away from me. But the Bane had been storing power for a long time and was sated on dragon’s blood. My safeguard wavered, and Tisala collapsed to the ground.

Oreg’s hands closed on my shoulders and the barrier stabilized, holding the Bane momentarily.

It gave me time to say, “Away from us. Get back, it’s loosed.”

Kellen gestured sharply and the people who’d been crowded around us stepped back to the trees. Haverness, though, came forward and picked up Tisala. She moaned as he carried her away and I knew a moment’s relief that the Bane hadn’t killed her.

Then the Bane began struggling again and I had to turn my concentration elsewhere.

“What do we do?” I asked as I strengthened the warding. “We can’t just continue to contain it.”

“You were right,” Oreg said, “it is connected to you. You understand it best—I’ll loan you my strength to do what you can.”

“I think I could bind it again,” I said.