“Please, Bardamen.... Do you realize that if Alora completes a transport with my son, they will most likely come here? And Alora will be the main target of Vindrake? Do you really think we can afford to take the risk of leaving Alora with only wards to protect her?”
“Bright!” Bardamen swore, jerking down his hood. “Fine. I will stay. But don’t say I didn’t warn you when Vindrake sends wendts your way. I don’t know how you intend to protect all three groups with one shaman.”
“Bardamen, believe me. I wish you had two siblings. I’m well aware of how precariously this expedition is balanced.” For just a moment, Graely allowed the weight of his worry to show on his face. The gifts were dwindling with each generation born in Stone Clan. His resources were already stretched thinner than he liked, even without the expedition. He shook his head. “Truly, I fear I may never return. You are not only our last shaman, but also my closest successor after Kaevin. If neither of us returns, you will be clan leader. Then you will see for yourself how difficult these decisions are to make.”
Bardamen’s rigid posture crumbled, and he bowed his head. “Forgive me, Graely. My judgment was clouded by my pride. I should not have undermined your leading.” He clenched his fist to his heart. “My prayers are with you.”
*****
Abaddon stirred a foul-smelling brew in the large iron pot hanging over the fire. The odor didn’t bother him, for it was his greatest opportunity for glory. With this feat, he would rise to second in power in the kingdom. And who knew? Perhaps he might eventually be the supreme power. But for now, he must concentrate on the task at hand. “So, you’ve had no more contact from Lena? Not even the slightest pull?”
“None at all,” Vindrake replied. “It has been five days. I must assume she fears me too much to try again.”
“Did her spirit seem so frightened when you spoke to her? If she were that afraid, an untrained bearer ought to have closed the channel immediately.”
“No. … We spoke for several minutes. She seemed quite calm. She is extraordinary.” Vindrake spoke almost like a proud father. “She has inherited much of my strength and power. Imagine, such a feat with fifteen years and lacking apprenticeship.”
“Yes,” Abaddon agreed. “Lena will be a great boon for our cause... if we can find her. However, if her gift were melded with Stone Clan—”
“That will not happen,” snapped Vindrake. “I won’t allow it. I’m certain she isn’t in Laegenshire, for I can sense the gifts there, despite their meager wards. I believe Graely is unaware of her existence, as I was before she called to me.”
“But you stated she’s guarded by extraordinary wards to prevent you from sensing her. Isn’t it possible she is indeed in Laegenshire?”
Vindrake scowled. “I doubt greatly Nordamen has that kind of power. I’ll conduct a thorough search, beginning with Laegenshire. However, we must be surreptitious in our efforts. If Raelene or Graely were to discover the existence of the child and contact her first, they might turn her against me.”
“Still,” said Abaddon, “if you stole the child from them, surely you could compel her to do your bidding.”
“I found it impossible to make use of Wendelle when she detested me so greatly. No matter what coercion was applied, I was unable to break her spirit. I planned to use the child as leverage to bend her to my will, until they escaped.”
“Why did you not simply force her to take the bond of fealty as you have all others in your kingdom?”
Vindrake’s mouth pulled downward as he spat out the words. “I discovered some thirty years ago the bloodbond destroys the power of the bearer. Had my shamans discovered this problem before the bond was forced on my previous bearers, I wouldn’t have this void in my council and weaponry. The bearer must serve me willingly, without gifted coercion.”
“I see. Indeed that is a problem. I am afraid that was before my time so I was unaware of this difficulty. Perhaps I could—”
“Your only charge is to help me obtain the girl. I will deal with her once she is here.” Vindrake grimaced as the smoke from the draught wafted his way. “What is that malodorous concoction?”
“This concoction is the very remedy you need to conduct your search without alerting the other clans of your maneuverings. It is the solution to hiding the presence of your bond on every Water clansman.”
“How could that work? Will it remove the allegiance?”
“No. Nothing can do that except death. The bond of fealty is extremely powerful, as you know. And also totally irreversible.”
As it was impossible to lie to Vindrake due to the iron will imposed by the bloodbond, Abaddon skirted carefully around the truth with his statement. It was accurate that Vindrake’s bond of allegiance could never be reversed. While only death could remove the bloodbond, he had discovered that the death did not necessarily need to be that of the bearer of the bondmark. He kept this secret closely guarded for his own protection and possibly for future use. Some day, his life might be saved by this undisclosed knowledge, and also by a piece of clandestine black magick he’d imbued on his person, at great personal cost—magick that made his skin impervious to metal.
He paused to add a black powder to the cauldron. “But as you are also aware, the power instilled in the bond is detectable to anyone with even the slightest gift.”
“Yes, but it also multiplies the powers of my clansmen and guarantees no one will betray me.”
“True. Yet, it will be impossible to look for the girl among the clans without alerting everyone, since every citizen of the shires and countryside can sense your bondmark.” He paused for effect before adding in a dramatic tone, “This formula will solve that problem.”
“How does it work?” Vindrake peered at the cauldron through narrowed eyes.
“One only need take a small swallow and, within a few breaths, the bondmark will be undetectable for a full day.”
Vindrake pinned Abaddon with his glare. “Yet I sense you are holding something back. There is some drawback you have not revealed.”
“Only a minor inconvenience, my Sire.” He continued to stir the pot in a slow figure eight, trusting Vindrake wouldn’t detect the slight tremor in his hands. “While the bondmark is masked, all gifts are inaccessible.”