Page 23 of Sword & Shadow
The troop stood at the top of a hill, still a half mile’s distance from the gates. They’d passed the small town of Colmar late that morning, giving its boundaries a wide berth. And now they scouted their path ahead.
“You know,” Rafferty muttered to Evylin as they surveyed the land, “I’m rather disappointed so far.”
She passed him an amused grin. “How so?”
“Well, aside from being a grandly depressing place, this half of the country doesn’t seem all that different from our side,” he remarked. “Granted, their forests are a lot denser than ours, but other than that.”
Evylin thought he had a point. She’d also noted how similar it all felt to their homeland in the three days they’d journeyed through the northwest. Though the foliage was larger and greener, she’d not seen anything that made Wauld feel any different from Ephria.
Standing at the front of the group, Deckard spoke with Auden. “How strict is the border patrol?” he asked. Like the rest of them, he still wore his cloak with the hood up to keep the rain off his face.
“It depends,” Auden replied, ginger beard turned cinnamon in the shadow of his hood. “Some guards are lax, and others are more susceptible to a spare silver or two thrown their way. But today, it shouldn’t matter.”
When Deckard gave him a questioning look, Auden patted one of the pouches on his belt. “I have the proper documentation to get us through,” he assured. “The Alliance knew we’d have to come to Wauld eventually.”
“That’s all we need?” Thom asked, a hand on the pommel of his sword. “They won’t be suspicious of five heavily armed Ephrians traveling with two Mages?”
“The endorsement makes provision for that.”
“And if all else fails,” Ilain added, the lilt of her accent exaggerated, “I’ll bat my pretty eyes at them. I’ve yet to fail at bringing a man under my charms.”
Rafferty sniggered. “I don’t think you’ve met my friend Thommy.”
A smug grin pulled at Ilain’s lips as she scanned Thom. “If I wanted him,” she turned to Rafferty, “I’d have him.”
An exasperated sigh rolled out of Thom and Deckard, while Evylin fought to maintain her laughter. She didn’t know who she’d bet on in a battle of wills: Thom or Ilain. But something told her that the woman was right—if she truly wanted Thom, then all his denials wouldn’t stop her from achieving her conquest.
Eyes focused on the wall, Ethenn motioned at it. “Is this the only gate between here and Wauld?” he asked.
“No,” Auden said. “There is another much farther west. Verlund Reach’s border is rather small, so it only has the two.”
“And we’ve chosen this one for what purpose?” Ethenn asked, a wary glint in his dark eyes.
“It’s a direct path to Blacklion,” Auden replied, then looked at his sister.
Ilain nodded in confirmation. “If we were to take the other gate, it’d add at least three, maybe even four days, onto our journey. Time we don’t have to spare.”
“Why do you ask?” Deckard interjected.
Ethenn tipped his chin toward the gate. “I think they’re searching people.”
“What?” Auden asked in shock.
“Look—” Ethenn motioned toward the line of people on the road, his keen hunter’s eyes catching what the others hadn’t seen. “They’re moving slowly. And it seems too slow for the guards to be checking documentation alone. I can’t make out the details this far away, but...it seems suspicious. Why would they be searching people?”
“They’re looking for the Relic,” Ilain guessed. “The Order of the Night must have sent word.”
The panic in Auden’s gaze made it clear that he agreed. “Which means that their Mages can’t be far behind.”
“How do we get through, then?” Evylin asked.
Rafferty drew a hand along his wiry, white-blond scruff. “Hm. It’s a shame we don’t know someone who was paid to move illegal contraband from one location to another. Oh, wait—” A bright smile spread across his face. “That was my job.”
Evylin laughed, jabbing him in the ribs. “All right, Mr. Draaw,” she teased, using the name of his favorite legend. “How would you smuggle three Relics across the border?”
“I’d ask for a lot of money,” he replied, then held up a finger. “At which point, I’d keep ninety-eight percent for myself and give the other two percent to a very hungover-looking guard. If there weren’t one of those gentlemen available, I’d seek out a different assistant. Perhaps a fellow traveler who had reason to want the guards’ attention off them just as much as I wanted it off me.”
“Or,” Ethenn interjected dryly, “we could use magic.”
