Ginn Hale - Lord of the White Hell Book One

"I'm not going to tell you." Kiram was a little insulted that Rafie would expect him to give away his plans. He was also irked that he'd almost responded. "You'll just have to find out along with everyone else."

Rafie looked deeply annoyed but Alizadeh laughed out loud, earning himself a hard glare from Rafie.

"It's not my fault that he's so much like you, now is it?" Alizadeh addressed his attention to his dinner, murmuring, "Ah, the irony."

Rafie just shook his head.

After they had eaten, Nakiesh and Liahn offered them the shelter of their wagon for the night. The space was cramped and smelled of sweat and rich spices. Kiram wasn't sure if it was a pleasant perfume or not, but the wagon was warm and his family was close. Despite the strangeness of the deerskin bedding and the soft sounds of birds' wings all around him, he slept soundly.

The sharp cries of crows woke Kiram. He sat straight up, staring into a deep darkness, trying to find Javier. An instant later he remembered he was in an Irabiim wagon, far away from the tower room he had shared for so many months in the Sagrada Academy. He bowed his head against his legs, and wished the absence didn't hurt him so deeply.

Kiram could hear Alizadeh's voice somewhere outside the wagon. Uncle Rafie was gone too-probably outside. Crows shrieked and dogs barked. The wagon's small, wooden door creaked open.

"Did the crows wake you, Kiri?"

Kiram could only make out a vague shape in the darkness of the wagon, but he knew Rafie's voice.

"Is something wrong?"

"Nothing that you or I could do anything about," Rafie said. Kiram didn't find the answer at all reassuring.

"What is it that's got them so alarmed?"

"No one is quite sure," Rafie replied. "Alizadeh and the other Bahiim all felt a shock of some kind. Something very powerful triggered all of their wards."

"The shadow curse?" Kiram couldn't help but fear the worst. Had it awoken and taken Fedeles? Had it assaulted Javier?

"No, it wasn't a mere shadow. This was something different. Much more powerful, I think." Rafie sat down beside Kiram. He was cold and his clothes were damp from rain. "I really can't tell you much more. I only know that Alizadeh woke up like lightning had just struck him and then the crows started screaming. Alizadeh, Liahn, Nakiesh and both the old mothers are outside now, replacing the wards that burned up. They're trying to trace the source of the assault." Rafie patted Kiram's shoulder gently. "Ybu think you can get back to sleep?"

"No," Kiram said.

"Me either." Rafie sighed heavily.

"Are they going to be all right?" Kiram asked. "I mean Alizadeh and Liahn and Nakiesh. They aren't in danger, are they?"

"I don't know." Fear tinged Rafie's voice. That, more than anything else, frightened Kiram. He had always held Rafie in such esteem that he had never been able to imagine anything disturbing him. "Whatever burned through the wards, it was stronger than any of the Bahiim, and it was searching."

"What for?"

"For Alizadeh probably. Nakiesh says it was concentrated very close to the Laughing Dog when it struck."

"Did it hurt him?" Kiram asked.

"No. It just struck powerfuly but blindly, though it seared through every ward anywhere near it. Liahn thinks it was meant as a warning from the man on the hill. He doesn't want any Bahiim involved in his business."

Kiram scowled at the surrounding darkness. "None of them are involved in his business."

"Both Alizadeh and Nakiesh breached his domain yesterday. Maybe he felt threatened enough to send out a warning." Rafie sighed and then straightened. "It's nearly sun up. You want to help me with breakfast?"

"Help? You mean, cooking it?" Kiram had never cooked anything in his life.

Rafie laughed, sounding more himself. "Yes. That great mystery: cooking. Come, I'll show you how to burn adhil bread and scald mare's milk."

Kiram dressed in the dark and then joined Rafie outside. The sky was pale with predawn light and a humid wind whipped Kiram's hair into his face. Most of the Irabiim were awake also. Women stoked their fires up to bright yellow blazes. Boys yawned and trudged out to their rangy horses, with brushes and bridles. Kiram guessed that they would be taking the animals to auction at the fair in an hour or so.

Kiram didn't see any of the Bahiim. When he asked, Rafie said that they were out in the woods, anchoring their wards in the wood of the trees. As he spoke Rafie frowned at the deep shadows of the forest then turned back to Kiram with a determined expression.

"Well, let's see about your first cooking lesson."

He kept Kiram running all over the camp, trading spices with Irabiim mothers and begging mare's milk from an older man with dozens of brilliant bangles on his wrists. Rafie taught him to mix adhil batter and cut onions. The sun peaked over the distant hills and the last of the night bells rang over Zancoda. People would be up and about their business in the city soon.

Rafie heated oil in an iron skillet and fried the bread. He flipped the thin disks of bread with a flick of the pan. Kiram watched, feeling his awe of his uncle grow. Rafie cracked several eggs into the pan, stirred black salt and spices into them and tossed in the onions. After a few minutes he turned the eggs and onion out onto the bread.

Kiram ate quickly, noting the fragrant spices but still too hungry to savor them.

Rafie ate his own breakfast much more slowly. "You need to be back at the city stable soon, don't you?"

"Master Ignacio wants us there by the first morning bell," Kiram said.

Rafie frowned into the deep shadows of the woods again.

"I can go by myself," Kiram said. "You should be here for Alizadeh, in case he needs you."

Rafie studied Kiram closely. Kiram could see him weighing his desire to be near Alizadeh in case he or any of the other Bahiim were injured against his need to prevent Kiram's escape.

"I won't run away," Kiram assured him.

Rafie studied him for a moment. "I need to have your word."

Kiram sighed, nodding his resignation. As clever as it might be, he just couldn't bring himself to use Rafie's fear for Alizadeh for his own gain. And in any case where would he run away to?

"I swear on Mother's blood," Kiram said. "I'm just going to check in with Master Ignacio and then attend the tournament races. If you don't come for me after the races then I'll come back here, all right?"

"All right," Rafie agreed. He ruffled Kiram's hair lightly. "Be careful."

Kiram hurried back toward Zancoda. The moist wind tossed his hair into his face and sent shudders across the back of his neck. He pulled up the collar of his coat, wondering if it would rain again today and what would be done should a downpour foul the race course. The sky looked both pale and gloomy, white clouds diffusing the sunlight into an eerie glow.

As he passed the Laughing Dog he paused to look for signs of the night's disturbance. At first he saw nothing unusual. The small stone building and its plank stable stood just as they had two days before. Crows perched in the nearby trees.

Kiram bowed his head from the wind and began to walk again. Then he noticed a few black lines cracked through the flagstones just outside the stable. The stone seemed glassy in places and when Kiram stepped back he saw that the black cracks formed a perfect circle around him. A wave of fear washed through Kiram and he quickly stepped out of the circle.

As he did so he noticed a crumpled dark form at the corner of the stable and nearly called out in alarm. His sharp gasp brought the shadowy form suddenly up into the shape of a man. Kiram recognized Javier with relief but didn't feel any less surprised.

He had no idea what Javier was doing here or why he had been hunched like broken firewood against the stable wall. Javier whispered something but Kiram didn't hear the word over the wind. Then Javier rushed forward and pulled Kiram to him, clutching him desperately.