“That can’t be good.” Jen pointed at a thick column of smoke rising just ahead of them.

Lon couldn’t argue with that. They’d been flying for two hours and unless he’d miscalculated the smoke came from the village where he expected to find David. Though he was sure his mission could have gone worse, he had trouble thinking how.

As they drew closer the roofs of flaming buildings came into view. It looked like most of the town was on fire. People were running around shouting. One group had formed a bucket brigade that fought in vain to save a sprawling, two-story building that had the look of an inn.

“What do we do?” Jen asked.

The buildings were too far gone to save and they had a mission. Much as Lon wished to help the villagers, he or the warlords could do nothing. “We need to find David.”

Lon guided the chariot toward the center of town. One of the few buildings not burning and the only one made of stone was the town hall. More creatures surrounded it. They were different from the ones that attacked the watch post. This bunch sported red scales and long, whip-like tails. One of the monsters thrust its head forward, jaws agape. Flames blasted the charred door, but it didn’t catch.

“We’ll handle them.” Jen grabbed the side of the chariot.

“Wait.” Lon guided the chariot over the roof of the town hall. A gaping hole revealed a collection of timbers and shingles scattered all over a red carpet. “Something’s inside already.”

Lon transformed the chariot into a bubble and lowered them through the hole. They landed and he let the bubble vanish. The warlords drew their weapons and formed a circle around him.

“Talon, which way?” Jen asked.

The lean, wiry warlord studied the debris. While he worked Jen asked, “How did you know they were inside?”

“I didn’t. I just wanted to check before we attacked the ones outside. It wouldn’t make much sense to kill the monsters outside if some had gotten inside already.”

“Captain, I got something. One of them must have cut itself on the glass. There’s a blood trail heading deeper into the building and it’s fresh. Fifteen minutes, tops.”

“Good work, Talon. You’re on point. Alec, watch our backs. Edward and Rhys, with me. Let’s move.”

Lon debated surrounding himself with a barrier and decided against it. They jogged down the hall, glass crunching under their boots. Once they moved away from the hole it looked like nothing had been damaged or disturbed. Landscapes and portraits decorated the walls. The further they moved away from the hole the darker it became. Lon wanted to conjure a light, but feared the soul force eaters might sense it.

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If the gloom caused the warlords any trouble they gave no sign of it. Lon enjoyed using sorcery, but sometimes it would be handy to give himself night vision.

A crash followed by a scream came from down the hall.

Edward cocked his head. “That was close by.”

“Move it!” Jen said.

They ran toward the noise. A door blocked their path and Talon kicked it off its hinges. Inside was a meeting hall. A score of benches, most of them tipped over and broken, filled an open room. At the far end a raised platform with a chair for the lord faced the benches. Between the platform and benches five of the black-scaled monsters stood over a bleeding, almost-dead man. On either side of them five more badly mauled corpses lay on the floor.

“One of them’s still alive,” Lon said.

“Leave the monsters to us.” Jen took a step then seemed to vanish.

The others accelerated to match her speed. One of the lizard creatures went flying. It slammed into the wall then bounced up, a shallow gash on its arm. A few seconds later the rest were forced away from the dying man.

Lon rushed over and called up healing soul force. He knelt down and immediately looked away. The monsters had bitten half his face off. Lon poured power into the unfortunate man’s chest, trying to close the most pressing wounds first. All around him the clash of steel on scale filled the air.

It took all his concentration to seal up the mass of wounds on the injured man. He had to trust Jen and her team to keep him safe.

Lon sealed the last damaged leaking vein in his patient’s chest and looked up in time to see a black-scaled body three feet away.

He staggered back.

The monster opened its mouth.

An instant later the tip of a long blade burst from its open maw. Jen shoved the beast to the ground and ripped her weapon free.

“That’s the last of them,” she said.

Lon wiped the sweat from his brow. That had been far too close.

“How is he?” She nodded at the still-unconscious man.

“Alive, though I’m not certain if that’s a blessing or curse. Keep watch, please. I need to return to healing.”

Lon worked nonstop for an hour, sealing veins, mending flesh, and using every trick he’d learned to keep the patient alive. He hardly got one thing fixed when something else burst. At last, his soul force virtually depleted, a vein he thought he’d fixed ruptured again.

He had nothing left to seal it. Lon pressed his hand to the gushing wound, trying to slow it enough that his power could recover. The man’s heart stopped before he could close the vein.

Lon sat back, covered in blood. He’d failed.

Someone patted his back. He glanced over and found Jen crouched beside him. “You can’t win ’em all. Is that our guy?”

Lon looked at the dead man’s ruined face and quickly looked away. “I can’t tell. Wait. The description I received said David was known to wear a ring with his family’s crest, a red sword crossed over a black shield.”

Lon looked down. No ring graced the dead man’s hand. He sighed. It wasn’t David. “Could you check the other bodies for me?”

Jen nodded. She came back a minute later and held out her hand. “Like this?”

Lon opened his tired eyes. The gold ring in her hand had the right crest. “Damn it! The body?”

“He was in worse shape than this guy.” She set the ring beside him. “Sorry. We’re going out front to deal with those fire breathers.”

Lon stood up and pocketed the ring. “Wait for me. I find I have some anger I need to work off.”