The Night Voice by Barb Hendee Page B

absolute silence unnerved Chane. They had what they had come for, so should not Chap express some relief? Once both chests were together again, far from the open pit, the question remained as to which one of them would guard the orbs while the other went for the guide and sled.
    Chane had his answer when Chap climbed up and settled to straddle both chests.

CHAPTER FIVE
    K halidah and the others had walked for half of the night, another night after many along the desert’s fringe below the foothills. In the predawn darkness, he noticed Wynn dragging one foot after the other as if she could barely remain upright.
    The sage had shown surprising stamina, but of the five of them, she was the least suited to this seemingly endless trek. More important, since their routine midnight rest, Khalidah had pondered how to preoccupy Magiere and the others so that he could attend to a private task. Wynn’s exhaustion provided the remedy.
    In one blink, the dark behind his eyelids filled with lines of spreading light. A double square formed in sigils, symbols, and signs. As his eyes opened, they fixed that pattern upon Wynn Hygeorht. All it took was a soft command at the edge of her consciousness.
    Sleep
.
    She collapsed face forward onto the sand.
    â€œWynn!” Magiere cried.
    She and Leesil ran for the sage, and both crouched as Leesil rolled Wynn over.
    â€œShe’s breathing all right,” he said with exhaled relief. “But she’s done in.”
    He scooped her up in his arms and rose as if she weighed nothing. Magiere stood up beside him. The worry on her face was clouded by thinly veiled anger.
    During the days, Magiere’s hair and skin were still a baffling sight. They had been under a desert sun for so long, and yet her skin retained its pale color. Bloodred tints were always visible in her black hair as well.
    She was most certainly marked by Beloved.
    In the dark, these traits were not so noticeable.
    â€œFind a place to set the tents,” Brot’an called out, still managing both camels’ leads. “We will make camp early.”
    Khalidah still found the hulking, scarred elf an enigma.
    Though Brot’an claimed to simply be assisting in Magiere’s search, Khalidah did not believe so and never would. Too often, he caught Brot’an eyeing Leesil. No, that one had another agenda as yet a mystery. But he had revealed something useful earlier on.
    Khalidah had been unable to penetrate the master assassin’s mind to any depth, just as with both majay-hì now conveniently elsewhere. There was one anomaly that also matched the same in those annoying beasts. Brot’an had been affected exactly like all the others by the ensorcellment embedded in Ghassan il’Sänke’s sanctuary.
    That could be very useful, eventually. He felt Ghassan begin to rage again, but he only smiled briefly.
    â€œI will find us a place,” Khalidah called.
    He headed into the foothills. Quickly enough, he spotted one taller hill on the right that would block the sun once it rose . . . for a while.
    â€œHere!” he called back.
    Soon, the others were busy setting up tents and tending to Wynn—even the aging elf. As they worked, Khalidah studied all of their belongings and supplies as if searching for something.
    â€œOur water is low,” he said, and Leesil looked up for an instant. “If I can find a hidden well, I will return for assistance.”
    No one questioned this, as all were too concerned for the sage, and so he slipped away. But Khalidah only searched for a place out of their sight, in case someone followed him too soon. Alone again, he crouched and prepared for another “peek” at Chane and Chap’s position.
    The pebble he had given Chane was common knowledge to all involved. It had been meant to help them all find one another again. However, “finding” Chane was what the pebble could do for him. And he had his own vested interest