Page 53 of Sword & Shadow
“Jonn—”
Auden’s voice jolted Deckard out of his thoughts. He whipped his head to look at the Mage. He could only see the tip of the man’s knife-sharp nose peeking out from under his hood as they rode toward the city gate.
Promising himself that he’d return to his contemplations later, Deckard cleared his mind to focus on Auden’s words.
“I have a question to ask you,” the highlord said. “One that may...well, it may come across as an accusation, but I swear to you, it isn’t.”
Furrowing his brow, Deckard kept his voice low as they passed through the gate, the guards alert to their exit. “All right,” he said cautiously.
Waiting until they’d put several dozen feet between themselves and the guards, Auden asked, “Why does Evylin still have the Day Relic?”
Deckard blinked.Does Evylin still have the Day Relic?He hadn’t realized that was the case. As he didn’t want to appear such an unaware leader, he said, “No reason. She simply does.”
“You’re sure?” Auden asked, his words clipped.
Deckard raised an eyebrow. “That certainly sounds like an accusation.”
“Only voicing a concern.”
“A concern that we’re keeping the Relics from you?”
“Not at all,” Auden assured him. “My sister and I are more than happy to relinquish the Relics after our time in the Keeps. We understand how dangerous they can be, and we don’t want to become liabilities to our mission.”
Deckard found that statement to be rather pointed. “What exactly are you getting at?”
“I’m worried about Evylin’s sanity.”
That caused Deckard’s heart to stutter, the ivy rustling with shock. “Her sanity? What could possibly lead you to believe—?” He broke off as understanding flooded him. Evylin’s sudden change in demeanor, her unexpected joyousness. Somehow, it had to do with the Relic.
Auden’s downturned mouth and softened expression radiated a sense of compassion. “I’m sure you’ve noticed it too. She’s not the same as before we left the Night Keep. She’s begun to laugh, joke, and live as she did before Hewitt’s death. The change was immediate. I didn’t expect that you’d let her keep the Relic, so I didn’t think to speak up. However, Ilain noticed her playing with its chain while they rode together yesterday, and we felt it imperative we warn you.”
Deckard had no means to deny the highlord’s words. His mind worked to comprehend the issue as their horses plodded through the mud. How had he completely overlooked the tie between Evylin’s access to a Relic and her emotional adjustment? But then, he hadn’t known the Relic could cause such a dramatic change.
“Warn me of what exactly?” Deckard asked.
Cautiously, as though approaching a sleeping wolf, Auden said, “Day magic is life-giving. It is healing. And Evylin underwent a deeply wounding experience.”
That is an understatement,Deckard thought.
“As a general rule,” Auden continued, “Mages are studious and creative beings. We are the balance to the Warriors’ more strategic and aggressive nature. As such, we tend to seek ways to make things with our magic.”
“What does that have to do with Evylin?” Deckard asked.
Auden wet his lips, his eyes downcast. “Centuries ago, some Day Mages discovered the ability to infuse their magic into physical substances. Through the right methods, they could synthesize an elixir made of honey or heated sugar water. Originally, it was intended to be for medicinal use, but it was discovered that in higher concentrations, the magic within could provide amplified feelings of joy and peace. Nobles like to purchase these elixirs and mix them into various beverages, often tea or spirits, resulting in a drink imbued with Day’s essence. It helps them to lose their inhibitions or clear their minds of fear and doubt, and in high doses even results in lifelike hallucinations.”
The Mage met Deckard’s gaze then, his verdant eyes impressing solemnity. “Do you understand what I’m telling you?” he asked.
Deckard drew in a tight breath. “It’s a narcotic.”
Auden dipped his head in confirmation.
Thinking back to Auden’s warning about the power gifted to him and Ilain by their magic’s corresponding Relic, Deckard now realized his concern. “You said that the power granted by the Relics can become an obsession.”
“It amplifies our magic,” Auden said, “and along with it, the side of us that connects with the resource’s essence. While the Relics are very fragments of Allore himself, their raw power cancause dramatic, potentially dangerous effects upon humans. As such, when I wore the Fire Relic, it made me more reckless, more violent. It amplified my zeal for our quest and turned me into a fighter when the time came. Ilain and I shared the load on our journey into Ephria, and once we arrived, we left it under Carlile’s care. But once we began our mission, I alone carried it. It was a daily struggle not to give in to its pull upon my emotions. And I still feel the effects from time to time.”
Auden shifted to face him more fully. “That is why it’s dangerous for those of us with magic to carry them. The longer we hold them, the more influence they have over us. And the more we desire to feel that side of ourselves and the power that comes with it.”
Deckard ran a hand over his beard. “And that’s what’s happening to Evylin?”
