XIII

Where was Dantera? How long did it take to speak to the king? He was aware of the situation. Did he not see how dire things were?

And where was Yorinius?

“He should have returned by now,” Yoreno said quietly.

Sir Cedryk nodded gravely. “I agree.”

“We’re going to patrol again.” Yoreno announced. Something was wrong. He knew it. Did Yorinius stay behind? To do what? Hope that the killer crossed his path while he hid in a dark pantry?

No.

“We need more guards. “You and you and you,” Yoreno indicated. “We will patrol across the corridor.”

“But you just did the rounds,” the inspector said in surprise.

“And we will do another,” Yoreno said. “In fact, we should have guards patrolling these corridors as well as every other in the castle at regular intervals.”

Cedryk glanced from Yoreno to the inspector.

“That would alarm the guests,” he said. “I am aware that the king does not wish to do that under any circumstanced.”

Yoreno shrugged him off and left their makeshift headquarters. Sir Cedryk and his four guardsmen followed as he set a brisk pace, backtracking their steps exactly.

Yorinius would not have been far behind.

Climbing a short flight of stairs, they crossed the corridor and took a left, back in the direction of the library.

The halls were quiet.

Far too quiet to be comfortable.

And that’s when Yoreno saw him, lying on the blue runner at the corner of the intersection ahead. “There!” he called.

They ran to Yorinius.

“He’s not moving,” Sir Cedryk said as two of the guards flipped him over.

There was an evident wound on his hip and one on the back of his shoulder. A blood trail was easily distinguishable on the carpet behind him. Yoreno touched his neck, feeling for a pulse.

“Is he alive?”

“Yes! But he needs immediate magical attention.”

“Come,” Sir Cedrik said. “You two, his legs, and you and you, his arms.”

They hauled Yorinius back to their headquarters, guards coalescing around them as they took him into the room.

She must have returned shortly after they left, because Dantera was in the room. She whirled on them. “What happened?!”

“We had a plan.”

“A plan?!” she demanded as she rushed up to Yorinius.

“Go for a healer,” Yoreno barked. “Now!”

Two of the soldiers left to do as they were bid. “Tell me of this plan, Yoreno. Now.”

“We were patrolling the corridors in the hopes that the killer would spot us and attack. Sir Cedryk nodded as Yoreno’s spoke. “Yorinius was trailing behind. To set an ambush.”

Dantera sighed heavily. “Only he ambushed your ambusher,” she said.

Yoreno stared at Yorinius. They had failed and now Yorinius was lying on the floor, dying of his wounds. If he didn’t survive, that would be two high-level adventurers killed by the murderer skulking about the castle.

Yoreno gritted his teeth. “How does he keep outwitting us?”

Dantera looked at him.

“Is he truly so powerful that we can’t catch him?”

Her eyes were wide, her face intense. “We need to end this!”

“Whatever it takes,” Yoreno said. “Call up a few hundred guardsmen and archers and station them throughout the halls and on the rooftops.

She swallowed visibly. “And what if he should start to pick us off one by one?”

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“Yes,” Inspector Sheir said as he came forward to the center of the room. “What then?”

Yoreno took a deep breath. “Eventually he will make a mistake—expose himself. And then we will kill him!”

Mai was wondering about the ballroom with a huge smile on her face. She had caught Dell and Sorika in a slightly intimate moment as their lips touched. Both had looked embarrassed.

But there was no reason to feel so, she thought. Mai was their friend. They had nothing to hide. Did they?

They used to fight a lot, agreed on very little, and now…

She giggled as she made her way out of the smaller room of entertainments and back toward the main ballroom where her parents were.

She looked about.

Somewhere.

Glancing back a small group of three guards rushed through the main corridor, a mage at their heels. Why would they be in such a hurry?

She frowned.

Was someone hurt?

She didn’t have her staff with her, but she could still perform magic.

“He’s here!” one of the guards in the hall called, gesturing into the room. The castle mage, wearing the livery of the Aevalin court, came in moments later. He was tall, his hat and staff nowhere to be seen.

He did not seem prepared, Yoreno thought.

“Move away!” he said with an impatient wave of his hand. He knelt next to Yorinius and then reached his hand under his shirt over the bare skin there.

“He’s mortally wounded,” the mage said.

Godsdammit, Yoreno thought. Not you too. Not after…

“Do something,” Dantera said.

“I can try,” the castle mage said. “But I do not have my staff with me.”

“What?” Dantera said, astonished. “What do you mean, man?”

“It’s in my quarters!” the mage snapped. “I will have to go back to get it.”

“Then what are you doing kneeling here!” Dantera demanded. “Go and get it, you fool! My man is dying!”

“Let me through!” a girl called from out in the hall.

As the mage got up to go fetch his staff, he was blocked from leaving the hallway as multiple guards had barred the entry of a young woman.

Yoreno frowned.

“Mai?” he asked.

“Yoreno!”

“Mai, what are you doing here? Let her in! She’s my friend. Let her in!”

The guards desisted their efforts to keep her out.

“I’m here to help,” Mai said. “Wait, where are you going?”

The mage turned. “I go to fetch my staff!”

“You don’t need it,” she said.

“What is this?” Dantera asked.

The mage looked at Mai for a moment. “Can you parallel my spells?”

She nodded vigorously.

“Very well,” he said, glancing at Dantera. “We can work together to save your man.”

“You do not need your staff?” she asked skeptically. The look on her face would have been comical if Yoreno had not thought that this man was walking a very thin rope right now.

“No,” he said. “This young girl can assist me.”

“Mai?”

“Let us do our work!” the mage said.

Dantera glanced at Mai, then back to the mage and raised her hands. “I will not get in your way.”

They rushed into the room.

Yorinius was dead.

Was he not?

His body felt so warm. But everything was dark.

And yet…

He could hear voices.

There were people. They were speaking. Their voices, though…

Everything was muffled, like he was trying to listen through a wall.

And he was tired.

So, so tired. The top-tier adventurer felt more exhausted than he ever had before. He just wanted to shove away whoever was bothering him and go to sleep as this wonderful warmth spread over him.

Something changed then.

What he wanted just a moment ago vanished as a level of consciousness came back to him. He tried to move, but he could not.

He tried to speak, but he could not.

The warmth he had felt before continued to envelope his entire body, particularly where his wounds were.

There was brightness.

Cracking his eyes, he felt the effort took a monumental level of strength that, if he had tried it again, would sap him so thoroughly that his life force would give out and leave him entirely.

But he had to tell them!

Opening his mouth, he tried to let the words out. Tried to chase them out of his throat, but barely a noise came.

“He’s trying to speak!” Dantera exclaimed.

She jumped to her knees and put her ear toward him while the mid-tier mage Mai and the top-tier castle mage worked their magicks to heal Yorinius.

“Does he not need room?” Yoreno asked, looking at his friend. He hoped to the gods that he would survive this, but neither Mai nor the castle mage moved from their administrations.

“He’s speaking!” Dantera said.

Yoreno bent down next to her, his heart racing and the knot in his stomach threatening to come up out of his throat.

“B… b… blood.” Yorinius breathed ever so slightly.

“Blood?” Yoreno asked.

Dantera shook her head. “I do not understand.” Then to Yorinius she said, “Stop, Yorinius. Do not speak. Rest!”

“No,” Yoreno said.

Dantera’s eyes raked up at him.

Not knowing exactly why he had rebuked her, he just felt that Yorinius was trying to say something.

“I think he’s speaking to us.”

Yoreno leaned closer.

“Sword.”

“Did he say sword?” Dantera asked.

“Blood,” Yorinius breathed. “Sw—sword.”

And then he stopped.

“Is he…?” Dantera began, but trailed off, a pained expression coming to her face.

Mai and the castle mage opened their eyes and took their hands off of Yorinius’ skin.

“Will he live?” Yoreno blurted.

If he died, he would tear the castle apart looking for that damned killer.

“He needs bed rest,” the castle mage said.

Mai looked at him, nodded. Then her eyes came to Yoreno and she smiled. “He should live.”

“Are you certain?”

She nodded. “Yes, I think—we think so.”

“He needs rest!” the mage snapped.

“Then get him a bed!” Dantera commanded. “Guards, bring in a bed immediately!”

They moved to obey.

Once Yorinius was comfortable, Dantera rounded on Yoreno. “What was he saying?”

“Sword,” Yoreno said. “Blood.” He felt at his pocket where the other Owl Eye potion was.

It came to him suddenly. “We left Yorinius’ sword in the hallway!”

“And?” Dantera asked, shaking her head.

Mai looked at them, but she said nothing, obviously trying to catch up even more than Dantera.

“We were using Owl Eye potions,” Yoreno said. “Yorinius was tracking me as Sir Cedryk and I were patrolling the castle halls.”

Dantera’s eyes widened and she pointed a finger at Yoreno. “Yorinius wounded the killer!” she exclaimed.

“Yes!”

“We can track him.”

“Killer?” Mai asked, her eyes wide. “What are you talking about?”

“No time,” Yoreno said. “Ask the inspector.”

Then he ran out of the room.

“Yoreno!” Dantera called after him. “Where are you going?”

“The sword! If the killer is listening to us, he’s going to try to get to that sword before we do.”

“Then I’m coming with you!”

He nodded and together they rushed through the castle halls together.