Lon slammed his fist on the table when Sasha finished reading the letter Thomas had sent. They sat in a meeting room with the archmage. A full day had passed since the attack and Alden and Imogen had made a full recovery. The Legionnaires had returned to the capital to resume their duties.

“I shouldn’t have sent the letter telling him we knew Lenore was the traitor,” Sasha said. Given where the attack took place it hadn’t taken much effort to figure out Lenore had betrayed them to Connor. When Thomas confronted her she attacked, killing two students, three masters, and herself.

“Don’t,” the archmage said. “The only one who did anything wrong was Lenore. You can’t blame yourself.” She turned her intense gaze on Lon. “Either of you.”

Lon slumped in his chair. He knew the archmage was correct, but he couldn’t keep from blaming himself. If he’d only gotten back from his interview with Mrs. Blackman sooner he could have warned them. Lenore was the one that corrupted Connor. She’d seen his interest in demons and twisted that childish curiosity into something monstrous. From the journals Thomas had found hidden in her room it appeared Lenore had been a member of the Cult of the Horned One for years before Connor first vanished.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“They found nothing that would give us an idea of where to look for him?” the archmage asked.

“Not according to Thomas,” Sasha said. “They’re giving everything a second and third look, but it doesn’t sound promising.”

“How did she sneak a black ring into The Tower anyway?” Lon asked.

“She kept it in a box that hid its aura of corruption.” Sasha got up and paced for a second. “We badly underestimated her. We can’t make that mistake again.”

Lon didn’t think she’d find anyone to argue with her on that. They brooded in glum silence, each thinking their own thoughts. Lon sensed a power approaching, not corrupt, thank heaven. He didn’t think he could handle another battle just now.

The archmage perked up as well. “A message from Damien.”

She concentrated, sending a beam of soul force to intercept Damien’s messenger. The beam zipped out the door and a second later returned with a small scroll. The archmage unrolled it and shook her head. “It appears rumors of David Weks’s death have been exaggerated.”

“What?” Lon accepted the scroll when she offered it. He muttered to himself as he read then looked up. “How did he travel to the Old Empire and who did I find wearing his ring?”

“Two excellent questions. We’ll have to be certain to ask him when he arrives.” Looking at the archmage’s stony expression Lon was glad she didn’t plan to ask him any questions.