“Do not think you are the only one that is worried, human. I too, have friends on Lumineia.”
Mind growled and looked away, annoyed and angry at his own helplessness. “Why has she not come?”
“She is probably already here,” he said. “You must understand. This woman is cautious, and has evaded capture for ages. The price Ero won for your victory is paltry compared to the bounty on the Bonebreaker’s head. I would guess she is planning her assault as we speak.”
The corner of the room that contained the ascender glowed, and Ero rose into view. He stepped off the ascender and motioned to the two of them, his expression bringing Mind to an abrupt halt.
“She is here,” he said.
Tardoq gave Mind a pointed look, and he rolled his eyes. “How do you know?” Mind asked.
“I have a friend that works in the building,” Ero said. “It’s why I chose this particular place of residence. He informed me that the room adjacent to ours has been claimed by a mysterious party, one that wanted discretion for their arrival. While that is not uncommon, the fact that they insisted on the room next to ours indicates they are here for us.”
“About time,” Mind said.
Ero regarded him with a look of disapproval, and Mind abruptly realized his own impatience. As a fragment, he’d always been patient and calculating, but he’d lost his piece of Power, leaving him altered.
He grimaced. “My apologies.”
He didn’t explain the reason. He’d changed since the separation with Draeken, and he was still grappling with his new identity. Facets of his person that he’d always counted as immutable had been stripped, and he was not certain as to his own strength.
Ero nodded as if he understood and pointed to the south wall. “She’s in that room, and her party is arriving right now.”
Mind rose to his feet and drew his sword, eager for action after weeks of inactivity. Tardoq and Ero flanked him, both obviously agreeing to his assumption. The only reason to pick the adjacent room was because you did not intend to use the door.
“She’s here,” Mind said, sensing the minds on the other side of the wall, “but what can we expect?”
“She is too cautious to believe our words,” Tardoq said. “She will want to ascertain our credibility, probably by combat.”
After all the waiting, Mind was eager for the Bonebreaker to appear. At the same time, he found a measure of apprehensiveness—also a new attribute gained since parting with the fragment of Power. He disliked the uncertainty.
The seconds passed in silence and Mind wondered how long they would have to wait. Then the back wall began to glow faintly, the white material shimmering and turning silver in an arch. Tardoq nodded as if it were expected.
“A wall Gate,” he said, and then glanced at Mind. “It’s a weapon of thieves, and creates a Gate that passes through a single wall. Very useful. Very expensive. Very illegal.”
The wall turned silver, and then translucent instead of the solid silver of a regular Gate. Through the liquid, shapes were visible, large and small, and Mind spotted blurry outlines of the room beyond, a matching one to their own quarters. One figure approached the Gate and stepped through, and Mind’s eyes widened.
The Bonebreaker stood at thirteen feet tall, her armor thick and powerful. She carried herself with the grace of a gazelle and the might of a dragon. Her muscles rippled with strength as she hefted the great hammer in her hand. Her horns were long and twisted, and jet black. She did not seem surprised to find the three of them standing in greeting.
Her eyes passed over Ero and Mind, dismissing them as weaker, before settling on Tardoq. A faint smile formed on her features before she came to a halt. Four more dakorians came from behind, followed by two humans, a woman and a man. The humans were dressed as slaves, but Mind noted the spark of determination in their eyes, marking them as ones who did not bow to the krey. He also heard their thoughts.
The man and woman both worried about the danger, and feared that it was a trap. The woman cared deeply for the Bonebreaker. She’d been rescued by the dakorian several years past and viewed her akin to a queen. The man loved the woman, and his stance was more protective.
Mind had thought he would be unable to read the thoughts of the other dakorians, but none were Bloodwalls, and all were younger than a hundred years. Mind caught snippets from their thoughts, enough to recognize that they carried themselves with integrity and honor, as well as paranoia. They’d lived most of their lives being hunted, and would not hesitate to kill any threat.
“Bonebreaker,” Ero greeted the woman.
“Krey,” she said evenly, her eyes still on Tardoq. “Call me Belrisa.”
“Belrisa,” Ero said with a short bow. “I am grateful you have—”
“I wasn’t talking to you.”
Her eyes flicked to the four marks on Tardoq’s horns, the same four marks that graced her own horns. Both were Bloodwalls, only Tardoq had come from a lesser house, while Belrisa had once been the personal guard to the emperor himself.
“Tardoq,” she said. “Bloodwall for Wylyn, head of the house of Mor’Val, ranked ninth, but high enough be considered second tier. Your reputation precedes you.”
“I am no longer the Bloodwall of house Mor’Val.” Tardoq drew his sword and placed the point on the floor. “And Wylyn is dead.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You have renounced your rank?”
“I have.”
Her eyes flicked to the sword. “Why a sword? Our people have not used such an antiquated weapon in ages.”
“My hammer was broken,” he replied, “and I was given this sword as a replacement.”
“I would have believed you until that,” she said with a sneer. “No dakorian would choose a sword over a hammer lance.”
“He speaks the truth,” Mind said.
The Bonebreaker met his gaze, her scowl turning to curiosity. “It is uncommon for a human to speak to me without fear.”
“I do not fear what I can defeat.”
She burst into a laugh, her companions exchanging smiles. The two humans both smirked as well, and Mind again sensed their allegiance to the woman. He wondered how many more had been freed by the Bonebreaker.
“You are bold,” she said. “I’ll give you that.”
