Mist squealed, “Down!” A flash blinded Shih-ka’i for an instant. His vision cleared. Another dog lay at his feet. Its left shoulder had been burned to the bone.

“Maybe we should’ve let the others come,” Mist said.

“I think I see the direction of his next attack.”

He was right. Similar attacks were occurring throughout the city.

“Your commanders say he has a huge hatred for the empire. Any idea why?”

“Not the least, Mistress. We don’t know who they are, or where they came from.” Shih-ka’i resumed walking, “Keep a good watch, Pan ku. He might try again.”

From the city wall he could see the woman in white standing atop a knoll a third of a mile away. She glowed in the darkness. “That’s her,” he told Mist.

She did not respond for half a minute. Then, “Curious. She’s not alive. Not in the usual sense. She doesn’t have a physical body. Yet there she is.”

“There!” said Shih-ka’i, suddenly feeling the presence of the Deliverer. “To the left of her.”

Mist shifted her attention, gasped. “It can’t be!”

“Mistress?”

She was walking away already. Shih-ka’i and Pan ku trotted to catch up. She said, “Stay stubborn. Give me at least three more days. I think I know the cure for your Deliverer.”

Shih-ka’i heard the soft pad of animal feet, but nothing charged out of the darkness. “I hope so, Mistress. I hope so.”

FOURTEEN: YEAR 1016 AFE
THE SEED OF DOOM

Days had passed. Varthlokkur was at Mist’s home, making certain neither she nor her new subjects had left Kavelin any unwanted gifts. The King walked in. The wizard was surprised.

“Found anything?” Bragi asked.

“Couple of inactive portals. Nothing else.”

“Have to leave one working so she can drop in on her kids. Can you fix it so a gang of Tervola don’t come tumbling through?”

“I’ve been considering using a demon guard.”

The King made a face.

“I have a particular one in mind. A bureaucratic type. He’ll throw anyone but Mist into stasis and defer to higher authority.”

The King chuckled. “Come on. Be serious.”

“I am. The creature exists.”

“What about the others?”

“I shut them down. Radeachar is out looking for any that might be hidden away from the house.”

“What about Maisak?”

“It’s clean. We went through it last night. Found four.”

“Think she was planning something?”

Varthlokkur shrugged. “My guess is, she used them for communication while she was getting her plot together. Not that she wouldn’t take advantage of them later if we overlooked them.”

“How’s the baby?”

“Perfect. And Nepanthe is up walking around. We decided to call her Smyrena.”

“That’s an odd name.”

“Not so much so in the old days. It was my mother’s name. Nepanthe’s idea.”

“What about Ethrian? Caught anything new?”

Varthlokkur felt the unreasoning anger beginning to rise within him. He clamped down on it, growled, “No. I told you I don’t want to talk about it. Let sleeping dogs lie. I think I’ve finally gotten Nepanthe off the damned subject.”