Etchings of Power (Aegis of the Gods) Read Free Page B

believed what he said. Ryne frowned. Could Mariel have taken the villagers? The thought had crossed his mind before, but he’d yet to find proof. Yet, what made him more uncertain was the chance she might have an ability to commune with beasts similar to Sakari. He’d never seen anyone who possessed a skill comparable to his companion.
    Despite his doubts, Ryne decided on caution. If he left now without knowing where the beast headed, the last mistake he needed was to unwittingly lead Mariel to the hunters’ location. Not to mention the consequences if he didn’t find a way to calm the murderous intent Forian had stirred up.
    “But she’s a Devout,” someone from the gathered crowd shouted.
    “If she be a Devout, she wouldn’t be involved in such things,” Forian insisted.
    Mayor Bertram scoffed. “If, indeed. We’ve argued all day about whether she’s a Devout. I tend to believe differently. If only they would see it.” He regarded the other elders with his good eye narrowed. “I’ve yet to see a high priestess without their guards or their uniform.” All, except Hagan, avoided his gaze.
    The innkeeper blew a puff of perfumed giana smoke into the air. “She bears the Lightstorm insignia. And—”
    A wail broke out from the back of the crowd. Murmurs drifted through the villagers. A path opened between them to reveal a middle-aged woman stumbling toward the elders— Kahkon’s mother, Lara. Several men helped hold up the weeping woman. Dark circles ringed her eyes. Her disheveled clothing appeared as if she’d thrown on any scrap she could find when she received the news.
    Lara’s body convulsed. “My Kahkon. My poor Kahkon,” she bawled.
    One man bent close and spoke into Lara’s ear. Her head rose, and her gaze ran over the Council. They regarded her with pity. She scrubbed at her tear-streaked face as she shambled into the circle of village elders. When she saw Ryne, a faint, hopeful expression spread across her face before more sobs tore from her throat, and she swooned.
    Ryne stepped forward and caught her. In her hand, she cradled one of the books he’d given to Kahkon—the boy’s favorite— When the Gods Walked Among Us , the title read. Kahkon had a love for the old stories and would often say he dreamed of being one of the gods. In his dreams, he said Ryne was one of his Battleguards, protecting him as he did Carnas. Ryne’s chest tightened with the memory.
    “I’ll return your boy safely, Miss Lara. I promise. As soon as Sakari sends word he’s found the beast’s trail.” Ryne held her upright so he could peer down into her grief-ridden eyes.
    Lara’s legs steadied, and she craned her neck. Her bloodshot eyes darted back and forth, peering into his, hope radiating from them. “I, I know you will, Master Waldron,” she said, her voice tremulous. “He’s my only boy. I told him, you know. I told him about the dead men they been finding. I told him stay away from the woods, but you know Kahkon. He loves the trees. Why me, Master Waldron? Why my boy?”
    “I don’t know, but I intend to find out.” Ryne released his hold on Kahkon’s mother.
    “It be Mariel’s fault all this be happening,” another person yelled from the crowd.
    “Look at the kinai crops. It’s her fault we haven’t had constant rains the last few months for a proper harvest. In the middle of the rainy season. And this year’s fruit been sour besides. The storm gods punish us like in the days of the Shadowbearer.”
    Ryne eyed the large warehouse a few feet from where they stood. The normally fist-sized kinai fruit stacked in buckets in front the building were withered and brown.
    A second voice joined in. “The old blood still runs strong among us in Ostania. We’d never lay with daemons or wolves like the Granadians do.”
    “Praise be to the true god, Humelen,” a third voice yelled.
    “It’s because they partake in flesh instead of the purity of the land,” another villager shouted.
    “The