Page 47 of Take No Prisoners
"I can't explain it. I know it wasn't a person, but it was bigger than a spell. It almost seemed like a—"
"Beacon." His grandmother nodded. "Coryn has left these traps before. Where it repelled Klaus and made him think something was wrong, it would draw me in."
"I didn't see anything," Niall said. "Shouldn't it have trapped me instead?"
"That's one bonus of having an untrained spectral mage," Vadim said. "Until he's fully trained, he can't be used against us."
"How could I be used against you?" Niall wanted to help in the fight against Coryn, but not if she could manipulate his power somehow.
His grandmother shook her head. "He's stronger than I am. His strength will work to our advantage."
She patted Niall's hand, but something in her far-away gaze gave him pause. "We'll talk more tomorrow. For now, get some rest."
Niall did his best to hide his exhaustion from Efren, but the captain steadied him on his feet and walked beside him, his hand at the small of Niall's back. The warmth seeped through Niall's shirt, both unnerving and reassuring in equal measures. Niall craved the simple touch, and so much more.
Chapter 11
Efren
"What's wrong with your seeker?" Efren asked as he and Niall followed Vadim to the ladder back to ground level within the ancient tree.
"A heart defect," Vadim said. "It's been patched over a few times by inadequate healers. If I hadn't linked with him, he would have died at sea. As much as I hate Martiz, he is one of the best healers in the land."
"one of the few healers in the land, no thanks to you." Efren couldn't help the bitterness in his voice. Vadim had been Coryn's principal weapon in the fight against healers for the last five years.
"You know I can't kill anyone who doesn't attack me first."
"How many did you string up like Niall's parents?" Efren tried to keep his voice low, but Niall turned at the sound of his name.
"Coryn's decree, not mine." Vadim shook his head. "I know you don't believe me, but I didn't willingly kill anyone. I gave them all the option to run. Some made the same decision Willamina did and stayed. Some thought Coryn would spare them, not understanding her deep hatred of all healers. Still others thought they could kill her with the little death weaving they had."
Vadim shook his head. "Consider this a warning, old friend. I've never met anyone as adept at shielding as Coryn. I don't know if she can steal offensive power and use it to defend herself, or if she's surrounded by enough weavers of opposite strengths to deflect all types of magic. Whatever the case may be, she's damn near invincible."
Efren shook his head. "I've seen her bleed."
"I've seen her heal from an arrow to the heart." Vadim grimaced. "A martial attack is the only way to hurt her, and even then, there's no guarantee of death."
"Beheading?" Efren asked.
"Possibly." Vadim stared up the ladder, where Klaus was struggling with footing on the rungs.
"Excuse me." In one leap, Vadim steadied Klaus on the ladder and helped him up into the darkness above.
"What is this place?" Niall asked as he glanced around the large circular earthen room with open corridors branching off like roots in every direction.
"It's a maze of sorts. If any of Coryn's seekers were to make it inside the tree, they would most likely fall from one of the trapdoors on the balcony above. If they found the ladder, they would get lost in the maze of tunnels."
"Grandmother is safe here?"
Efren heard the underlying suspicion. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you we would be meeting with your grandmother. Yes, she is safe here."
Elder Beatrice had surprised Efren by claiming Niall as her grandson. Willamina had been raised as an orphan. She'd even had her own bed in the barracks instead of returning home to her parents each night. Her absence almost broke her father, and it had pushed a rift between him and Beatrice. They'd split for good when he'd given Willamina his fishing vessel and stepped down to first mate. He'd sailed with her and Thomas for years before he became too ill, and then he'd kept Niall's powers a secret.
"How long did it take you to learn water weaving?" Niall asked. Instead of waiting for an answer, he hurried up the ladder after Codger Tim. It took everything Efren had to keep his eyes on his own hands and not on Niall's ass above him.
"Two years," he answered once he could be heard over the others without shouting.
Niall sighed. "That's too long."
