Runebinder (The Runebinder Chronicles #1)(70)

Tenn didn’t ask the other questions on his mind: if the Howls had broken through the first two barriers, why had they not penetrated the third? Why were they not out here, waiting, swarming? Why had they not attacked the rest of the Witches?

The field stretched out before them when they broke through the trees, snow freshly trampled. And on the ground, Tenn found his answer. Written in the same script as the desk in his dorm room, were words written in blood.

come out, come out, wherever you are

“He’s toying with us,” Tenn muttered. His gut writhed with anger and self-hate. He’d been right. The illusion of safety was just that: an illusion. He would never be safe. He would never feel at home. Not so long as Matthias was out there.

Or maybe even that was a lie. Maybe Tenn was the greatest danger to himself—death seemed to follow wherever he went.

“Correct,” Dreya said. “And so, the question: Will you play his games?”

Dreya opened to Air beside him, her pale blue eyes fixed on a point far, far away.

“Anything?” Tenn asked. He didn’t answer her question; mainly because he felt like, no matter what, he was a pawn in someone’s game. Matthias or Tomás, the death following him seemed the same. His grip was tight on his staff, the point digging into the frozen earth. He refused to stare at the blood in the snow.

She nodded.

“Yes. I can feel them moving a few miles off. They have quite the start. I don’t know how they moved so fast...” She shook her head and looked at him. “It is not the full army, of that I’m certain. Matthias must have split his forces.”

“Where are they going? And where are the others?”

Dreya gestured to the horizon. “There is a town nearby. They are heading toward it. A few more Howls wait there. But not all. As for the rest, I cannot say.”

This was a trap. They all knew it. But the alternative was waiting around and letting an innocent die. Jarrett’s image flashed through his mind. He wasn’t going to have any more deaths on his conscience. It was time to fight back. The Witches had their defenses—they would be safe. It was Tenn that Matthias was after.

“Well, then,” he said. He opened to Earth and stretched the points of his staff into two wickedly curved blades. “Let’s show these bastards what happens when they mess with our friends.”





CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

TENN AND DREYA sat nestled in the relative safety of a pine grove, huddled under blankets and watching the town on the horizon. To the left of the town was the white light of the sept. Just the sight of it made Tenn shiver. Devon was out scouting. There was no chance they’d use magic and give themselves away, so they were forced to rely on their other senses. He wanted to attack, but Dreya advised waiting—if there were necromancers in the town, it would be best to attack when they were asleep.

It still felt like wasting time to him. The only consolation was the idea that Matthias would have expected them to rush in. That maybe, by biding their time for the proper moment to strike, the trio was turning the tables, playing a game Matthias wouldn’t expect.

It was barely a consolation at all; every blink, and he saw Tori’s blood in the snow. Every heartbeat, and he imagined hers stopping.

“Why didn’t you tell me about the tracking rune?” Tenn asked.

Dreya glanced at him. There was a small fire between them, just enough to give a little light and warmth, but not enough to give them away. Her eyes went wide, then narrowed. It took her a long time to answer.

“What?”

“The tracking rune. Devon knew about it, so you did, too. Why didn’t you tell me? Or show me?”

She opened her mouth to speak, then bit back her words and stared into the fire for a while.

“Because it was not my information to give,” she whispered. “You must understand, Tenn. We have already broken so many vows. We had to hold on to those we could.”

“If you had told me, we could have skipped coming here. Tori would still be alive.”

She gasped. It sounded like she was biting back a sob.

“Yes,” she finally said. “Yes, I know that. But they have magics we have never dreamed of. Runes we’ve never seen—like their defenses. We were ever only shown the tracking rune so we could find the clans. A small magic. Of no use to fighting the Dark Lady. That is why we brought you here—the Witches have access to so much more. They can teach you how to understand runes we’ve never seen. And when this is over... When this is over, you will learn everything they know. They will help you. I’m sure of it.”

“If they’re so helpful, why are you scared of them?”

He didn’t care that it was mean. He couldn’t even blame it on Water at the moment. He was tired of being the cause of so much pain. Especially when it seemed to be preventable.

“Devon and I...we grew up among them. Years ago, years before the Resurrection, we lived in an orphanage. We were five when Genevieve adopted us. She was smart, that woman. Most people believe that the Spheres were discovered only shortly before the Resurrection, when the first Academy was built, but the Witches, they’ve known about the Spheres for centuries. They just never told anyone or hid them under different names. Genevieve was one of those who knew the true power of the elements, how to attune to the Spheres and use their powers, and she guarded her knowledge with ferocious passion. She created one of the first clans after the Resurrection hit.”