In Shade and Shadow

Chane had never heard this before. "That was foolish!"

Wy

He fell silent.

"But my attempt went wrong," Wy

"You failed?"

"No." She took a long breath. "I couldn't end it afterward. Chap had to do it for me, and that turned out to be temporary."

Chane shook his head. "How would seeing Spirit let you read the scroll's content?"

Wy

Again, Chane disliked where this was headed. He had suffered mishaps in his youth when first attempting conjury on his own with no tutor. One had left him bedridden for many days. The physician called by his mother had no idea what was wrong with him, nor why he had succumbed to a sudden burning fever that made his body seem to dry out and left him with an insatiable thirst.

"I not only see where Spirit is strong or weak," Wy

"The writing in undead's fluids would not," Chane finished.

"Side effects of the sight," Wy

"No!" Chane hissed, standing up.

And the dog—Shade—rose on all fours, growling.

"Chap is not here," he said. "If you ca

"There's no time," Wy

"You trust him?" he asked harshly. "Enough to let him know about the scroll?"

Her lips pursed in indecision. "I trust him more than my own superiors… though sometimes I think he has his own agenda."

"Then do not trust him further."

The room fell silent except for Shade's rumble.

"I have to try," Wy

Chane's first urge was to hold her in this room until she swore not to do this. Not even if it meant never learning the scroll's secret and why it had come to him.

"Do you have it with you?" he asked.

"No, it's hidden in my room. I was afraid the wraith might try to take it if I had it with me."

Chane pulled on his spare shirt, wincing slightly, and then snatched up the second overcloak she had brought. "You ca

"Inside the guild?" Wy

"We do not know what is in that scroll! Nor what will happen to you if you ca

He had placed her in enough danger already with his obsession, and her stubbor

"And what about Captain Rodian?" she demanded. "What if he is there? He saw you, as did some of his men, and he has stationed guards around the guild's grounds."

Chane scowled. "I have no concern over city guards."

"You can barely close your hand," she said. "And would you shed blood at the guild?"

He flinched, ashamed at his lack of thought. Wy

"Is the captain expected tonight?" he asked.

"No, but he shows up unexpectedly, whenever he wants."

"Then we will be cautious—but I am coming with you!"

"I don't even know how to get back in myself," she said. "There is a curfew in place at the guild, which is why the city guard is there, to protect us from this killer. I had to bluff my way out, and I can't get back in the same way, let alone bring you."

"And the other night, when you met me at the stable?"

Wy

"I crawled out of the new library and along the i

"Too tall for the living," Chane corrected.

Wy

Despite the risk, Chane could not help a rising excitement.

It had been a hopeless dream until now, and though this was not the way he would have wished for it, tonight he would step inside the guild and Wy

Chapter 16

Wy

He was a killer, regardless that he had nothing to do with the deaths surrounding the lost folios. Turning him over to Captain Rodian would've been the rational choice, but she couldn't. Rodian would never solve the murders and thefts. Monster that he was, Chane at least tried to uncover the truth, to help her find out what this «wraith» wanted and why. Besides Shade, who else did she have?

Her whole world had shifted in two days, from her being nearly alone to having two companions, each carefully watching along the dimly lit streets. She felt almost as she had in company with Magiere, Leesil, and Chap—almost.

As she slipped across Old Bailey Road to the wall, she glanced both ways for any sign of patrolling city guards. The road was empty, so she urged Chane left along the wall toward the bailey gate, keeping herself between him and Shade.

At least bluffing her way out of the keep provided one advantage: The guards at the portcullis didn't know who was a real sage or not. A fictitious domin named Parisean sending a «wolf» to escort a delayed scribe meant Shade might get back in on her own. If the dog pestered the guards enough, they would simply open the portcullis and let her in. Once Wy

Shaded trotted close, brushing against her leg, and a memory appeared in Wy

She saw through Shade's eyes and found herself peering across a large dark room filled with barrels and bundles lashed to the floor and walls. No, not a room, but the belly of a ship. And she saw Chane on the hold's far side. He opened an old chest, glanced inside, then looked about as if something were missing therein.

Another memory came of Shade watching Chane from the shadows as he moved about the ship at night.

"You were both on the same ship?" Wy

Chane glanced back at her.

"Shade says you were both on the same ship."

"How…?" And he glanced warily at the majay-hì. "I will tell you everything later. First we must get inside and out of sight."

But those flashes from Shade left Wy

"Why doesn't Shade sense what you are?" she whispered. "She is like Chap, and her kind hunts yours."

Chane didn't answer at first. It still struck Wy

Chane stopped and held up his left hand, spreading his fingers, but Wy

"The ring," he whispered. "Welstiel made it long ago… called it the 'ring of nothing. I took it before Magiere finished him. It seemed to protect him from Magiere's and Chap's awareness. He was also able to shield those he touched, perhaps expand its influence further through his skills."