“What about us?” Drayce asked. “Do you want us to stay here?”
Vale snorted. “Given the chances of that are slim to none, no. You can wander around the village, but just stay out of people’s way. It’s less likely they’ll start a fight with you here, but it’s best not to give them a reason.”
Drayce snapped his feet together and gave her a sharp salute, which earned him some rolled eyes, but she was at least grinning too. While Vale had been less than excited to be stuck with them over her real mission in Zastrad, she seemed to be rebounding from that disappointment fast. He wouldn’t go so far as to say that she’d warmed up toward them, but she was definitely less angry.
Caelan adjusted the heavy cloak around his shoulders so that it partially covered his face. While it was unlikely anyone would recognize him, he didn’t want to tempt fate. It was better if he was overlooked and forgotten completely.
Rayne and Vale disappeared into one of the two-story stone buildings. A few people lingered outside in idle conversation, but that died as their eyes followed Rayne. Even in local garb, he stood out. Probably the lack of a proper beard.
Every man in the village had a beard of some sort protecting their faces. Well, that was going to be fixed soon enough. Caelan rubbed his fingers over his jaw, prickles already starting to scratch. Yeah, they’d all stopped shaving a couple of days ago. Two weeks was enough time to grow a thick enough beard to at least stop grabbing the notice of everyone they passed.
But for now, they were clearly outsiders. It would be best if they acquired their supplies quickly and quietly. From what Vale had said at dinner, they’d be on their own most of the journey. Avoiding towns was their best bet for not drawing attention.
Eno took the lead as they strolled down the street. The wind had grown quieter, or maybe it was just that they finally had some buildings to help block it. The sun was sinking lower in the pale-blue sky. Jagged blue-gray mountains poked at the overhead tranquility, but they seemed farther off to the southeast. Those were the mountains they were heading toward. The mountains that guarded Mrtyu and the Dead God.
The silence of the town was overwhelming, reminding him of Shallow Edge back in Caspagir. No rushing cars, honking horns, or even the continuous murmur of people. There was nothing but the wind, a soft whinny from some horses, and a barking dog. They could have been the only ones in the village.
“Hey, what’s that?” Drayce asked in a low voice. Even his outspoken friend was keeping his voice near a whisper as if he were afraid to break the silence.
Caelan glanced up to see where Drayce had gestured with his chin. At the end of the street was an enormous black yurt, larger than any other he’d seen so far. The darkness of it was like a black hole drawing them in closer while still holding an ominous feel. They should have been walking in the opposite direction, but his feet kept carrying him closer.
A couple of men stood at the entrance to the yurt, wearing matching black clothes with a finer deep-purple border. They didn’t hold weapons like guards but were welcoming people inside.
As they drew closer, Caelan’s heart tumbled over itself to see a large flag draped along the side of the yurt beside the door. It looked like a giant amethyst crystal, except it had an enormous crack down the center. Was…was that supposed to be the broken godstone of Zastrad?
The question had barely formed in his mind when an image flashed through his brain of a deep purplish-black crystal hovering just a few inches off the ground in what appeared to be a cave lit by a handful of flickering torches. The vision was so real that he could swear that he heard the distant drip of water and felt the chill of air brushing his face.
But the vision was gone almost as quickly as it appeared in his head.
This didn’t make any sense. How could they be using an image of the godstone for anything? No one was supposed to know about the other godstones. The only one known to the people of Thia was the Godstone of Erya. That was it.
“What the fuck,” Drayce muttered beside him.
“How do they know?” Caelan replied.
“What?” Drayce’s gaze jerked to Caelan, a look of confusion gathering his brows together.
“The flag. The godstone image,” Caelan murmured.
“Yeah, that’s weird, but I think he’s talking about inside the tent,” Eno explained.
Caelan turned his attention from his companion to what he could see of the interior of the tent through the wide opening between the two greeters. People were lying everywhere on the ground in strange, twisted positions. For a moment, he thought they were all corpses, but then one of them moved, slowly clutching at his chest.