Keith Baker - Son of Khyber

“No words,” he said. “Hands on the table, spread wide.” He pressed the point of the frigid dagger against her throat.

Thorn’s instincts urged her to retaliate, to break his hold. But Sorghan was a Sentinel Marshal, and his reflexes could easily match her own. For now, it was best to play along. She leaned over, spreading her fingers against the desk. What game was he playing?

He pressed his hand down against the back of her neck, rubbing his fingers along the skin until he reached the embedded shard. Thorn’s illusion only fooled the eyes, and though he couldn’t see the stone, he could feel it.

“Drop the glamer,” he growled.

She tried to speak, but the instant she opened her mouth the chill blade pressed into her throat. She could feel her blood freezing on contact with the blade.

“No words.”

Thorn reached out with her thoughts, pulling on the threads of magic surrounding her. There was a tingle as the magic faded, and in that instant Thorn moved. She threw herself backward, slamming her head into his nose. She fell back with him, tumbling to the side before he could regain his balance and cut her throat. She rose to her feet, Steel in her hand.

That went well, Steel said.

Thorn ignored him. “Stop. I’m trying to save your life, you fool!”

Sorghan laughed. “Of course you are. And the one who warned me that a piece of aberrant scum with a stone in her neck would try to kill me… I suppose that was a trick of some sort?” He drew his rapier, and his frigid dagger steamed in the warm air.

“Nothing is what it seems,” she said. “I’m working for the Twelve.”

“Your own flesh proves you a liar,” he snarled. “No one of tainted blood could ever sit at Alder’s table.”

“I’m not an aberrant, you thrice-damned idiot! I’m working to infiltrate the Tark-”

Sorghan’s skills were as good as she’d heard. The dagger struck her before she’d even seen him move. The blade sunk into her chest, but she barely felt any pain. A terrible chill drowned all sensation. Her blood was freezing in her veins, and she could barely find the strength to draw breath.

“I care nothing for the schemes of weaklings,” Sorghan said. “It’s time we destroyed Tarkanan’s brood. Beginning with you.” He lunged, sword glittering in the light of the cold fire. He shouldn’t have gloated. The shock of the icy dagger’s blow had stunned Thorn, and if he’d struck immediately, Sorghan might have finished her. As it was, she had enough presence of mind to stagger backward, staying just out of his reach.

It was hard for Thorn to focus on anything except for the terrible chill, and she had no time to study the wound. At least the cold held any pain at bay.

Sorghan struck again, and this time there was no room to retreat. Instinct took over as Thorn stepped forward, knocking the blade out of line with an armored bracer and charging at Sorghan. Too close for him to bring his rapier to bear, she smashed him to the floor. There was no time for thought or regret. She lashed out with Steel, a blow that should have buried the blade in his throat.

But it didn’t.

It felt as if she’d struck a block of ice, as if the air had solidified before her blade. Sorghan was a warrior of House Deneith, heir to the Mark of Sentinel. And the powers of this mark defended the bearer from harm.

“Your blood is no match for mine!” Sorghan snarled as they wrestled on the floor. At the moment it was true. Thorn’s wound was sapping her strength. Her fingers were numb, her vision fading at the edges. Sorghan spun her to the floor and pulled his icy dagger from her chest, raising the steaming blade for the killing blow.

And in that instant, she hated him. Not for his bigotry, his treacherous attack, or even the fact that he was about to kill her. There was no conscious thought, just pure, primal emotion. And that rage gave her the strength she needed to press her open hand against his chest. For a moment, she felt nothing but fury, then Sorghan collapsed on top of her, his dagger clattering across the floor.

Sorghan was dead weight, and he slumped to the side as Thorn pushed him away. It was then that she realized that both cold and pain were gone. Blood stained her vest along a gash where the dagger had struck her, but the flesh beneath was pure and unmarred.

It had happened again.

Thorn rose to her feet, expecting to feel weak and unsteady. Instead she felt stronger than ever. Filled with energy. Sorghan lay still, and a quick examination confirmed her suspicions. He was dead. His skin was pale and cold, his mouth twisted in a grimace of pain, but there wasn’t a mark on his body.

She picked up Steel. “What happened to him?”

He died. I should think that was obvious.

Thorn nearly threw the dagger at the floor. “This isn’t a joke, Steel! What did you see?”

There was a burst of arcane energy at the moment you touched him, consistent with the use of a dragonmark or offensive spell. It would appear that you drew out his lifeforce and used it to heal yourself, as you did with Toli in Droaam.

“But I didn’t cast a spell.”

If you say so.

Thorn shook the dagger. “I didn’t mean to kill him!”

In doing so, you saved your own life. For the second time. A useful talent, in my opinion.

That was a sobering thought. “But I don’t know how. Have I… am I an aberrant?”

Not unless you have a dragonmark. But there are other possibilities.

“Such as?”

You could be a demon. Disguised in human form.

“Oh, brilliant deduction. And I never noticed?”

In this scenario, I’d assume that you’ve been concealing your identity for some sort of sinister purpose. Though admittedly doing a poor job of it.

Thorn took a deep breath, resisting the urge to fling Steel across the room. Fear and anger warred within her. The dragonshard at the base of her neck had come alive, burning against flesh and bone, and she seized on that familiar pain, using it to anchor her racing thoughts.

“I need to know what’s going on, Steel. I’ve been lucky so far. But damn it, this is my cover story. I’m supposed to be here because I can kill with my touch and I can’t control it. Well, guess what? I can kill with my touch, and I can’t control it. And I’ve got Sentinel Marshals trying to kill me. I’m really starting to think I’m on the wrong side of this one.”

You have no aberrant dragonmark-

She drove the dagger into the floor and released it. “You don’t know that! You don’t have any explanation for what’s going on. What if the mark is in the back of my throat? What if it just hasn’t appeared yet?”

Steel couldn’t answer when he wasn’t in her grip. The red disk on his pommel gleamed, almost like an eye.

“Damn it, Steel,” Thorn said. “I just keep thinking of Fileon’s stories. The Twelve sending him to his death. We aren’t doing this job for Breland. And now this. Sorghan was ready to kill me just because I was an aberrant. And for all I know, I am. For all I know, I do need these people.” Her dream of Far Passage returned to her mind, the vision of Mayne falling at her touch. The anger was gone. All that was left was the pain of the shards and uncertainty. She reached out and picked up Steel. “If I can’t control this, how long before I do kill someone I care about?”

I suppose you’re lucky that your only friend is a dagger. His mental voice was softer than usual. I apologize for questioning your judgement, Lantern Thorn. I hope that you have earned the Tarkanan’s trust with your actions. Sorghan’s death is unfortunate, but I can testify to your attempt to protect him. I sympathize with your concerns, but I urge you to set them aside and proceed with the mission.