Voice of the Lost : Medair Part 2 by Andrea K. Höst Read Free Book Online

deadly."
    "And beyond that point?  A well-guarded road is not so easy to pass as a set-spell whose trigger you can detect and avoid."  Cor-Ibis' glimmering form was briefly eclipsed as Avahn moved towards him.  "And past the road?  We are in Decia."
    "The road must wait until daylight, at the very least," Cor-Ibis agreed.
    "And I know of one who will aid us, in Taedrin City," offered Herald N'Taive.  "If we can reach her, we have shelter, resources."
    "Is it at all viable to build our own gate, Illukar?" Avahn asked.
    "Between us, when we have recovered, we could do that.  I have a rahlstone, though it must be nearing the limits of its use.  However, it is unlikely that we could complete a gate before being set upon, and we cannot even make an attempt tonight, nor, I fear, tomorrow.  Too much of our strength has been spent in battle.  Until then, we need shelter, a defensible position and more information with which to plan our next move.  Fortunately, we are not all obviously Palladian."
    "And Estarion?" the Kierash asked, speaking after a long silence.  "Estarion, who is mad enough to summon wild magic when his plans for victory go awry?  Estarion who we believe holds an artefact capable of summoning gates of unlimited power and frequency?"
    "And who may be hunting us as we speak," Cor-Ibis finished, composure steady in the face of so many obstacles.  "I have not overlooked his threat, but I wish to see the road first.  If its guards are easily avoided – as they may be, when Decia's forces are surely in disarray following the mass departure to war – then I will be able to send you on to Taedrin City while I attempt Estarion.  But your safety must come first, Kierash."
    "Palladium must come first, Keridahl," Islantar said, stiffly.  "We cannot turn aside from Estarion's threat, not even if it were my mother's life at risk."
    "Perhaps."  Cor-Ibis' tone suggested that Islantar would be sent to safety no matter what his objections.  "In either case, our first move must be to shelter."
    "Falcon Hill is pocked with a maze of caves and caverns," N'Taive suggested.  "I saw dozens of entrances on my previous visits.  Estarion is rumoured to have chambers within, and I know that one entrance is guarded, near the top of the road.  I would not care to venture deeply into any of them, but there are enough shallow depressions to at least get us out of this damp."
    "Where we can discuss this further," Cor-Ibis said.  "And, if you will agree to it, Keris an Rynstar, to examine the rest of the Hoard of Kersym Bleak."
    "The rest–?" Avahn repeated.
    "I took away more than the Horn, Avahn," Medair replied.  She knew Cor-Ibis well enough to have expected that he would stop ignoring the implications of the 'hoard' linked to the legend of the Horn when the situation required it.
    "Of course."  Avahn's voice was rich with self-disgust.  "Well, I'll beat myself over the head about that later.  Shall we get on?"
    "Close together," Kel ar Haedrin suggested.  "And slowly."
    They moved towards the understated beacon provided by Cor-Ibis and it seemed to Medair that she had taken no more than two steps when the pulse of magic so densely present in the forest altered.
    "It's reacting to us," Cor-Ibis said.  "Be alert for anything."
    "Mist," said one of the kaschens, the no-longer confident female.  It closed around them with startling speed, a dense cloud rising from the ground, curling and twisting in the wind.
    "Clasp hands," Cor-Ibis said, his voice as muffled as a man speaking from beneath ten blankets.  Medair thought he said something further, but could not make it out.  The mist closed around her like a cage.
    Reaching out, she tried to find Islantar, who had been closest, but her fingers touched only icy vapour.
    "Hello?" she said, then repeated herself, more loudly.  Her voice sounded distant to her own ears, and she could hear nothing from those who had been only a few feet away moments before.  She was