Carrie dropped to her knees, bowed her head. “Please, my lords. I’ll come with you. Only, let my brother go.”

Lee tried to speak, to tell Carrie to get up off her knees, that they would fight the wizards together. “Carrie, don’t….” His protest became a scream of pain as Bloody Nose sent flames into him.

“Wylie. Enough.” This from a gray-haired wizard with a seamed face, seemed to be in charge. “Bring the reader.”

Wylie tossed Lee aside as though he weighed nothing, then fumbled in a pouch at his waist. He produced a silver cone and handed it to the leader. Two wizards moved to either side of Carrie, grasping her arms and lifting her to her feet. The leader yanked her shirt free of her trousers and thrust the cone up against the skin of her chest. Carrie flinched, but looked to one side and said nothing. After a moment, he nodded and withdrew his hand.

“There is a warrior stone,” he said in an Old World accent. Satisfied, he returned the cone to Wylie. “God knows, we’ve paid a price for it. Let’s get her out of here before the White Rose catches up to us.”

The wizards brought their horses forward and began to mount up while their leader bound Carrie’s hands in front of her with a silver chain.

Wylie slammed Lee down against the trunk of a dead tree. The wizard knelt beside him, pushed his chin back, and placed his fingertips against his throat. Lee looked into the flat gray eyes and knew he was about to die.

The leader noticed. “Let the boy be, Wylie,” he said gruffly, pulling on his riding gloves.

Wylie looked up. “He’s a witness. We killed a wizard, and if word of that gets back to the council…”

“There’s three dead on our side as well,” the leader pointed out. “If the boy’s father had stayed with his own kind, he’d still be alive. This is a child. Let’s not make matters worse.”

“You’re not the one who did the killing. This one may be a wizard, but he’s of mixed blood.” Wylie’s lips tightened in disgust. “Wizards, warriors, sorcerers, even Anaweir comingling as equals. It’s unnatural.”

“Perhaps they’re on to something.” The leader gestured toward Carrie. “At least the girl’s healthy. Which is more than I can say for the warriors at home.”

Wylie’s fingers still pressed against Lee’s throat. Lee could feel the power in them, a faint vibration against his skin.

“I told you to leave him be,” the leader said. “We’ve lingered too long already.”

Wylie finally stood and moved away, looking for his mount.