Fate Defied: The Silent Tempest, Book 3 by E. J. Godwin Read Free Book Online

needed any convincing when Soren insisted they leave before dawn.
    It was far worse for Caleb when they reached the ship. It was all he could do just to open the hatch. The crash, the trap laid by the Hodyn, Soren’s death and his terrifying return to life—each room harbored an evil memory, intensifying Warren’s absence.
    But there was no escaping his duty. Ada was in need.
    Caleb gathered all the remaining lasers, including six high-powered rifles from the cargo hold and their accompanying mounts, and enough power packs to last many a battle. Though little training was required to operate them, at least for the hand-held pistols, no Adaian had ever imagined anything like it. Overcoming their reluctance during practice taxed Caleb’s fortitude, especially as Telai could not bear to be anywhere near such brutally efficient weapons. Soren supported his efforts, both by example and by his authority, but Caleb never got used to the technology of Earth in his leathered hands. It was a bizarre, obscene sight, like a priest betraying his faith.
    None of this could delay the inevitable. Caleb stood in the snow just before dawn, clasping Telai with desperate strength, unable to speak a single word of farewell. To say goodbye would be to accept the possibility of never seeing her again. When she drew away to join Tenlar, her face so beautiful yet wracked with fear and pain, it cut through his heart swifter than the keenest blade. And when she vanished over a distant rise, it was like watching the last hope for joy slip from his grasp.
    He turned away, willing his limbs to perform his assigned duty. It was the only refuge he had left.
    ♦
    Because of the importance and secrecy of their mission, Soren avoided any other town or village along the way. On the second day out from the ship they entered the wide gap of Eastgate. Distant Hendra rose like a faint cloud to their left. Telhendra stood guard closer south, and with the unseen yet massive height of Krengliné between, it seemed nothing would ever penetrate those defenses. But Soren increased the pace, fearing to arrive too late.
    In truth, Caleb envied his fellow Raéni. No matter how justified their fears, at least they could be shared, if only in silence. Yet not one of them, or any citizen of Ada, had lost a child to the greatest power this world had ever known. Caleb prayed that Warren had fallen dormant or asleep somehow, oblivious to the evil deeds performed by his own body.
    He adjusted his position to let Soren join him on the runners. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to say,” the old Raén said. “With Telai around I’ve kept it to myself. But it’s something you need to prepare yourself for.” He paused again, loathing written on his face. “It may well be, Caleb Stenger—and by the spirit of Etrenga I hope I’m wrong—that Ada’s salvation will come at a terrible price.”
    Caleb tightened his grip on the handle bars, holding back the scream that had been building in his soul for days.
    Soren clasped his shoulder. “But I speak only of the quest, my friend, and no weakness or lack of commitment on my part. The son of a Raén, a young Adaian who returned me to life and duty, has been kidnapped, though in a way no one could have foreseen. By every word in the Oath, I will not forget that.”
    Caleb made no reply. Though he appreciated Soren’s promise, there was no comfort to it. Even the Supreme Raén of Ada was only one mortal man.
    They crossed Eastgate, with the mountains bordering Ekendoré looming ever higher on their left. Soren sent two experienced Raéni a few miles ahead as scouts, using one of the lighter sleds. Though Tenlar, Boroné, and Hené had previously routed out all Hodyn in the area, there was no predicting what they might encounter since the advent of the Bringer. As yet they had seen no sign of the enemy, but neither had they seen any Raéni patrol or reconnaissance. The messenger they sent from Spierel should have reached