“Remember when I asked about shapers in Nor?” Tan nodded. “For some reason, hounds can cross the barrier. They do so rarely, and at great cost, but most towns are protected by their shapers.”
Had his mother protected Nor? He didn’t think so, especially since she said she had abandoned her ability since settling in Nor. Then who? His father and Cobin often hunted the woods, but he never heard anything about hounds. And Cobin hadn’t seemed to recognize the prints. “And if there are no shapers?”
“You pray they lose interest.” Roine looked up the rocky slope. “The hounds roam freely throughout Incendin, no different than the wolves of this area. But occasionally they’re directed.”
“Directed?”
Cobin’s eyes went wide. “Lisincend?”
Roine looked over to him and they shared a look. He nodded.
“You lost me. What are the lisincend?” Tan asked. What kind of creature could direct these hounds? How terrible must they be?
“They were men, once,” Roine answered. Cobin raised his eyebrows at the comment. “Long ago, the first of the lisincend were men, fire shapers all, and powerful.” He paused, collecting his thoughts before going on. “Some have said they were all related to the Incendin throne. It’s not known how, but they performed a shaping upon themselves, using fire to alter themselves. Now they serve fire directly, twisted by their own shaping and empowered by it in a way none of our scholars have ever understood. They are powerful shapers, made more powerful by what they have become.” He voice grew more withdrawn as he spoke, and his eyes closed, almost as if remembering. “Even the hounds fear and obey them.”
“And they are here?” Tan asked.
Roine pointed to the tracks and nodded grimly. “It appears so, but I should have feltthem.”
“How do you mean?” Cobin asked.
“The lisincend can’t move undetected. Their shaping has turned them into a manifestation of the fire they serve. They radiate heat as they move. This can be felt. This is one of their few weaknesses.”
“You think that a weakness?” Cobin asked.
Roine stared at him. “When you know where your enemy moves, you can either move to attack. Or avoid.”
Cobin grunted but said nothing else.
“Why are they here? Is it the same thing you’re after?”
Roine glanced to the sky. “I hadn’t considered the lisincend would be sent. The barrier should have prevented them. That they’re here…” He looked down at the tracks again before turning to Tan. “Can you follow these? Can you tell me where they went?”
Tan thought he could. Not just following the tracks, but he could sense the disturbance in the forest they made as they moved through if he focused hard enough. “The tracks start here.” He walked over to the rocks and pointed down at the prints evident in the dirt. “They climbed down the rock and jumped down here.” Enough of an indentation remained for him to almost envision the foot that left it.
“How many?” Roine asked.
Tan shrugged. “I can’t tell. It might only be one.”
Roine looked at the rock again, considering. “One is probably more than we can handle. Pray there aren’t others.”
“If it’s the lisincend, where’d it go?” Cobin asked.
He was answered by a series of lightning strikes in quick succession, far in the distance. Heavy waves of thunder followed. Roine turned, looking back down the slope.
Toward Nor, Tan realized.
CHAPTER 13
Return to Nor
Over the drizzling rain and the rolling thunder, Tan smelled the stink of sulfur.
Roine took off without saying another word. He rode through the forest and back toward Nor. Cobin looked after him. “Tan…” He trailed off, as if unable to say anything more.
Tan nodded. “I know.” If the lisincend had attacked Nor, what would they find? Would his mother have been able to defend the city or had the wind not answered when she called? Tan knew so little about shaping. Had
Had his mother protected Nor? He didn’t think so, especially since she said she had abandoned her ability since settling in Nor. Then who? His father and Cobin often hunted the woods, but he never heard anything about hounds. And Cobin hadn’t seemed to recognize the prints. “And if there are no shapers?”
“You pray they lose interest.” Roine looked up the rocky slope. “The hounds roam freely throughout Incendin, no different than the wolves of this area. But occasionally they’re directed.”
“Directed?”
Cobin’s eyes went wide. “Lisincend?”
Roine looked over to him and they shared a look. He nodded.
“You lost me. What are the lisincend?” Tan asked. What kind of creature could direct these hounds? How terrible must they be?
“They were men, once,” Roine answered. Cobin raised his eyebrows at the comment. “Long ago, the first of the lisincend were men, fire shapers all, and powerful.” He paused, collecting his thoughts before going on. “Some have said they were all related to the Incendin throne. It’s not known how, but they performed a shaping upon themselves, using fire to alter themselves. Now they serve fire directly, twisted by their own shaping and empowered by it in a way none of our scholars have ever understood. They are powerful shapers, made more powerful by what they have become.” He voice grew more withdrawn as he spoke, and his eyes closed, almost as if remembering. “Even the hounds fear and obey them.”
“And they are here?” Tan asked.
Roine pointed to the tracks and nodded grimly. “It appears so, but I should have feltthem.”
“How do you mean?” Cobin asked.
“The lisincend can’t move undetected. Their shaping has turned them into a manifestation of the fire they serve. They radiate heat as they move. This can be felt. This is one of their few weaknesses.”
“You think that a weakness?” Cobin asked.
Roine stared at him. “When you know where your enemy moves, you can either move to attack. Or avoid.”
Cobin grunted but said nothing else.
“Why are they here? Is it the same thing you’re after?”
Roine glanced to the sky. “I hadn’t considered the lisincend would be sent. The barrier should have prevented them. That they’re here…” He looked down at the tracks again before turning to Tan. “Can you follow these? Can you tell me where they went?”
Tan thought he could. Not just following the tracks, but he could sense the disturbance in the forest they made as they moved through if he focused hard enough. “The tracks start here.” He walked over to the rocks and pointed down at the prints evident in the dirt. “They climbed down the rock and jumped down here.” Enough of an indentation remained for him to almost envision the foot that left it.
“How many?” Roine asked.
Tan shrugged. “I can’t tell. It might only be one.”
Roine looked at the rock again, considering. “One is probably more than we can handle. Pray there aren’t others.”
“If it’s the lisincend, where’d it go?” Cobin asked.
He was answered by a series of lightning strikes in quick succession, far in the distance. Heavy waves of thunder followed. Roine turned, looking back down the slope.
Toward Nor, Tan realized.
CHAPTER 13
Return to Nor
Over the drizzling rain and the rolling thunder, Tan smelled the stink of sulfur.
Roine took off without saying another word. He rode through the forest and back toward Nor. Cobin looked after him. “Tan…” He trailed off, as if unable to say anything more.
Tan nodded. “I know.” If the lisincend had attacked Nor, what would they find? Would his mother have been able to defend the city or had the wind not answered when she called? Tan knew so little about shaping. Had
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