Lacuna - N.R. Walker Page 0,70

middle of their castles. There’s a good chance we might find ourselves at the end of a spear or axe.”

Chapter Sixteen

Maghdlm was still tired and the bruising on her face now resembled that of a pummelled corpse. Tancho remembered seeing a dead fisherman when he was quite young; he’d been thrown by rough weather into the mast of his boat, thrown overboard, and drowned. The healers had said he was dead before he hit the water, and from the sunken mast-impression on the side of his head, Tancho would believe it.

Maghdlm looked much like that.

Tancho knew Crow didn’t exactly trust her, but Tancho felt sorry for her. She was beyond old, small and frail, and someone had tried to kill her. Not just any someone, but someone from within the Elders’ Consul. They might not have delivered the blow themselves, but they ordered it be done.

She was alone, betrayed, and left for dead.

And she was helping them. Somewhat begrudgingly, Tancho could admit. When Crow had asked her to teach him how to operate the doorway, she had blinked owlishly before schooling her reaction. But she had eventually obliged.

The arrows still pointed to their last location and Crow held the pouch of elements. “Potassium, lanthanum, vanadium, indium,” he said, as he sprinkled a dusting of metal shavings onto the compass tiled onto the floor. And before Maghdlm could say the incantation, Crow recited it from memory. Tancho wasn’t sure he could remember every word, given they’d only heard it once, but Crow certainly did.

Maghdlm couldn’t hide her surprise at that either.

Armed guards stood at the ready in case it wasn’t the Westlands they’d just opened a door to, and the purple sparks burst to life, forming a circle in mid-air. They could see Tancho’s guards in white on the other side, katanas raised, waiting to see who should step through. Kohaku did the honours.

Crow led Erelis through with Tancho, and they introduced him to Asagi, whose eyes lit up at the pile of books Erelis carried with him. Erelis stared in wonder at the room they were in and the view outside until he remembered his mission, and within moments the two older men were already discussing the history books and maps.

Crow had two Northlands’ guards attend Erelis. “It’s nothing personal,” Crow murmured to Tancho. “Erelis means a great deal to me, and I would feel better knowing he doesn’t find himself in a strange land alone.”

Tancho understood. “If I’d asked Asagi to visit your lands by himself, I’d insist upon guards with him as well.”

Kohaku returned carrying three bottles of rice wine and a huge grin. “I will show Soko how we Westlanders drink.” He didn’t even pause as he stepped back through the doorway.

Crow laughed and Tancho sighed. “We shouldn’t leave them unsupervised,” Tancho said.

“True. They can’t be drinking before we go to see Elmwood and Samiel.” Then Crow made a face. “Unless you think they would appreciate a comedy routine.”

Tancho stared at him, trying to gauge if he was serious. Thankfully Crow smiled. “Absolutely not.”

“Are you ready to leave?” Crow asked.

Tancho looked around the grand hall of his castle, taking in the familiarity, and inhaled deeply before he gave Crow a nod. “We’ll be back.”

Crow grinned. “We will be.”

Tancho gave a wave to his guards. “The tiles are to stay as they are, the doorway is to remain openable for now. I’ll send word if it should be closed.” Then he had a thought. “If anyone but us try to enter, pull up the tiles so the doorway is shut. If we can’t enter when we try, I’ll know why.”

The guard gave a bow of his head. “Yes, my king.”

Crow waited for Tancho and they stepped back through the doorway into the Northlands again. Maghdlm waved her hand with a dusting of elements and said, “Claude ostium.”

The purple circle got smaller and smaller until it was nothing but a burst of sparks falling to the floor. Tancho noticed that Kohaku, Karasu, and Soko now held a bottle of wine each. “Please put the wine down,” Tancho said. He gave Karasu a stern glare with a pointed nod to Soko. “Are you trying to kill him?”

Karasu smiled at that, but Soko was offended. “Oh, I can drink.”

“Westlanders have been known to use that wine to light the lamps on occasion,” Tancho said.

Soko shot Kohaku an affronted look. “You told me it was good.”

Kohaku grinned at him. “It is.”

“Yeah, for lighting lamps,” Soko grumbled. “And I was going to offer