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.The Unknown was trying to get the Xetesk mage’s attention, while Richmond and Talan merely exchanged confusion.Hirad floated above it all, his eyes once more fixed on the shrouded form of Sirendor Larn, the noise like the sound of the sea heard from a distance.Ten years.Ten years as founder partners of the most successful mercenary team ever formed.They’d fought together in battles they should have lost but had won.They’d walked away unscathed when blood ran thick in the battlefield massacre.They’d saved each other’s lives so many times it hardly warranted a nod of the head in thanks.And now Sirendor lay dead.On the very night he’d sheathed his sword for love, he had been murdered by an assassin who struck out at the wrong man.And for what? Because the man now invading The Raven’s space had stolen the key to a dead mage’s workshop and the Witch Hunters didn’t want him to have it.He seethed, his voice deadening the hubbub like cloud over the sun.‘He died for a key you stole.’ The room fell silent.‘That’s it, is it? Satisfied with your day’s work, are you?’ His voice cracked.‘After all we survived, he died for a three-inch disc.For your sake, it’d better be unbelievably important.’ He sat back in his chair, all pretence at bravado gone, a knuckle rammed into his mouth and tears welling behind his eyes.‘Oh, it’s important all right, Hirad,’ said Ilkar, the colour barely returned to his cheeks, his eyes narrow slits.‘If he succeeds in recovering Dawnthief, Sirendor’s death could prove a mercy to him compared to what we’ll be facing.’‘What the hell is this thing?’ demanded Talan.‘Dawnthief is a spell.The spell, I think; and Septern is the mage credited with inventing it,’ said The Unknown.He looked to Denser for support.‘Absolutely right, Unknown.The spell itself is very well known to all the Colleges of magic,’ said Denser.‘Every magic-user knows of its power.its potential for catastrophe.Fortunately, although the words are common knowledge, Dawnthief will not work without three forms of catalyst, and no one has discovered what they are or even where to go to find out.That is, until now.This amulet will let us into Septern’s workshop and we are expecting to find the information there.’‘You knew what you were looking for when we met you, right?’ asked Talan.‘Yes,’ agreed Denser.‘Look, I’m not about to go into detail on Xetesk’s recent research but it led us to believe that Septern was a Dragonene mage—’‘What’s a—’‘Later, Talan,’ said The Unknown.‘Carry on, Denser.’‘There were many other pointers to this conclusion but the important fact was that it directed our search for Dawnthief in a new direction – other dimensions, to be exact.As I explained to Ilkar, we have developed a spell which can detect the mana movement and shape needed to open a dimension door.We’ve been through many in search of Dawnthief, all of which have been opened by Dragonene.This time we found what we were looking for.’‘And my friends are already dying because of it,’ said Hirad.‘You do not know how sorry I am that that is the case,’ returned Denser softly.‘I don’t need your sympathy, Denser, I need to know why the Witch Hunters wanted to kill you.’‘Isn’t it obvious?’‘No, it is not,’ said Hirad.‘I asked you why my friend died in your place and you haven’t told me.’‘Very well.To spell it out, they want me dead because of who I am and where I come from.’‘Why should it make a difference who you are?’ asked Ilkar.‘I’m Xetesk’s principal Dawnthief mage,’ said Denser simply.Ilkar’s eyes widened.‘Oh, this just gets better and better,’ he muttered.‘What—’ began Talan.‘Hold on,’ said Ilkar.‘Are you saying that you actually plan to cast it?’‘It’s the only way to destroy the Wytch Lords, Ilkar, we both know that.’‘Yes, but.’‘They are coming back, and if we don’t find Dawnthief and use it on them as soon as we can, we will eventually be on the wrong end of it ourselves.Finding it and threatening them with it won’t be enough.They have to be destroyed or Balaia will be lost.There’s going to be an invasion, and this time we don’t have the strength to withstand the tide of Wesmen indefinitely.Not with the Wytch Lords backing them.’‘The light-stealer.This is it.’ Ilkar’s words sat heavy in the air, his anxiety evident in the way he was poised, tense in his chair as if about to leap from it.‘What is it, Ilkar?’ asked Talan.‘You don’t know what he’s talking about, not really.I do,’ said Ilkar [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]