Page 129 of Sword & Shadow
Then Ilain said, “Give him the Relic.”
Ethenn flinched. “That’s—that’s not necessary,” he said.
Following his instincts, Deckard guided Evylin forward. At her confused look, he gave her a nod. She slipped the Wind Relic over her head and held it out to Ethenn.
He shook his head. “I’m not—I don’t want—”
“Take it,” Ilain commanded.
He met her fierce glare, then wilted. He accepted the Relic reluctantly. Its silver glow brightened, and the necklace shifted form. A beautiful gray birch bow rested in his grasp, twin blades tipping its edges.
They all stared at Ethenn, dumbfounded.
Rafferty let out a low whistle. “Well, well, little Lox,” he said. “Looks like you’ve been holding out on us.”
“You’re a Warrior,” Ilain said it like an accusation.
Ethenn’s head drooped as he shrugged. “I guess.”
“You guess?” Thom repeated. “Bloody hell, kid. This would’ve been nice to know a month ago.”
“I didn’t—” Ethenn cut himself off. He sighed. “I didn’t know.”
“Until when?” Auden asked, eyeing the young man curiously.
“Until now,” Ethenn said.
Auden tipped his head to the side. “You avoided taking the Relic. That suggests you knew, but you didn’t want us to.”
“I didn’t know,” Ethenn insisted. Then he slumped. “I only suspected.”
“For how long?” Evylin asked.
Absently, Ethenn played with the string on the Wind bow. A silver arrow materialized between his fingers, and he let the string slip in his surprise. The arrow fell to the floor before disappearing in a wisp of fog.
“That’s a neat trick,” Rafferty commented.
Ethenn grimaced, holding the bow uncomfortably. “I started wondering when—” He hesitated. “When you told us about how it feels when you fight. How your senses heighten and—and everything is easier. That’s how I feel when I’m hunting or when I’m fighting. Not as strong, but...I didn’t have a Warrior uncle training me my entire life.”
When Evylin shifted tensely beside him, Deckard had to grip the hilt of his sword to keep from reaching to comfort her. She spoke steadily. “When Deckard asked if we felt it, too, you said no.”
“I shrugged,” Ethenn corrected. “I wasn’t sure then. Over time....”
“You’re a bloody Warrior,” Ilain said again, something like horror in her tone.
Deckard wasn’t sure what made the woman’s face scrunch like that, but after nearly blacking out, he was worried about her. “Ilain,” he said, barely catching her attention as she continued to glare at Ethenn. “Are you all right? Can you safely make it back through the Keep?”
Clamping her jaw, Ilain finally turned from their newly discovered Warrior. “Yes. If it weren’t for—” She flexed her hands. “If it weren’t for Ethenn, I’d be unconscious right now. When I killed the Guardian, I was able to channel his magic enough to use his energy and not mine. However, that’s the extent of my magic. I’m depleted.”
“You’re sure?” Auden asked worriedly.
Ilain nodded. “I can run out of here, but Allore help us if I need to use more magic.”
“What if you carried the Relic?” Ethenn asked, voice thin.
Ilain eyed the Wind bow he proffered toward her. “Relics give power, not strength,” she said. “Utilizing its power would drain me faster, and I’d black out more quickly with it than without.”
Ethenn dropped the bow to his side.
