“That’s not entirely true,” said Thero, joining Klia in the cell. “Highness, do I have your consent to touch this man’s mind?”

“Please do,” said Klia.

Karis cringed away as Thero knelt beside him.

“There’s nothing to be frightened of,” the wizard assured him. “This won’t hurt. I’ll just be able to see your memories for a moment, that’s all. I’d prefer not to do it against your will.”

Karis gave him a hopeless look. “Do what you want, then.”

Thero drew a sign on the air with one long forefinger, then placed his hand on the man’s matted hair and closed his eyes. Karis shivered under his touch.

Several minutes passed as the others waited in expectant silence. At last the wizard patted Karis on the shoulder. “Thank you, my friend. You’re a very lucky man.”

“It could have pulled me into that darkness, couldn’t it?”

“Yes, and would have if that’s what its purpose had been. As it was, you appear not to have been its prey that night.”

“But if I go back? It knows me, my lord! It won’t let me get away a second time! Please, Your Highness, don’t make me go!”

“I can’t make you any promises, Corporal,” Klia replied. “It depends on whether your presence is deemed necessary.”

Karis covered his head with his hands. “Please, Sakor, show me mercy.”

“I think we’ve learned as much as we’re going to for now,” said Thero.

“Shall I chain him up again, Highness?” asked the warder as Kira and Thero stepped out of the cell.

“No, let the poor wretch be. And fetch him a blanket and some proper food.”

The warder touched his forelock and led them out again.

Upstairs they found Zella waiting for them in the front hall. “Did you get any sense out of him, Highness?”

“He told us his story,” Klia replied.

“If you’ll excuse us,” said Seregil. “Please let me know when the steward of Mirror Moon arrives.”

“Of course, my lord.”

Seregil and the others accompanied Klia to her chamber. Thero locked the door and cast a silence spell on the wood, lest anyone try to eavesdrop.

Klia looked from him to Seregil. “What he said—it meant something to you two.”

“What he saw was a kind of dra’gorgos,” the wizard replied, taking a seat on the sofa beside Mika and resting a hand absently on the boy’s shoulder.

“A what?” asked Mika.

“You could call it a creature, but it’s difficult to explain. It exists, and it doesn’t. They appear as dark, sometimes man-shaped forms and are extremely dangerous.”

“I ran afoul of one, soon after Alec and I met,” Seregil said with an inward shudder. “It seemed pretty damn real to me.”

“I didn’t say it wasn’t real,” Thero replied. “But it’s a created thing, something a necromancer makes and discards. We’ll need to take precautions at once.”

“How do you do that?” asked Alec. “Seregil saw the creature that time, but I didn’t, even though it was right there behind me.”