was the manâs eyes that transfixed him in shock and understanding. They were set and shaped in ideal proportion, spaced exactly wide enough and perfectly even, but a thick, milky film covered the whole of their surface.
The prisoner raised a hand while seeming to gaze into the empty space above Tomâs shoulder. âI am Tristan.â
Chapter 9
E llà held a finger to her mouth. âQuiet. Stand right there, Edmund. Donât move. Watch my eyes.â
Edmund could find himself looking nowhere else. EllÃâs blue eye dilated, until the iris was a tiny strip of clouded sky encircling night. Her brown eye contracted to a pinpoint, a shaded forest where he might wander and lose himself forever.
Ellà reached into the sack slung at her belt. She drew forth dustâit glittered as she threw it high into the air. âA LL FLOWS, NOTHING STAYS. I PU T MY HAND INTO THE S TREAM .â
Edmund looked up. The dust arced and began to fall.
â B Y MY WILL I TURN THE CURRENT.â EllÃâs voice took on a vibration that Edmund felt in his belly. â B Y MY WILL THE FERMENT CURLS. A LL FLOWS, NOTHING STAYS. I PUT M Y HAND INTO THE STRE AM.â
Edmund shuddered. He gaped. The bits of dust hung in the air. At first they seemed utterly stillâbut they descended, everso slowly, their turning edges glinting, reflecting a light whose source he could not see.
âWe can speak freely now,â said EllÃ. âNo one can hear us here.â The glittering dust turned and turned, stars winking on and off around her head.
Edmund felt as though a whisper and a shout would sound just the same. âWhere are we?â
EllÃâs voice seemed to come from behind him, even though she stood in front of him. âWe are under the Sign of Obscurity.â
Shadowsâvoices, presencesâmoved through the edges of Edmundâs world. He felt a thrum beneath his feet. âI donât understand.â
âEdmund, listen to me.â EllÃâs hair slipped free from the net that bound it. It cascaded around her face as though it had a will to move and flow, every strand of it a different shade, blown by a wind that Edmund could not feel. âLord Wolland means to start a war. Indeed, he has already started it.â
Edmund hissed. âA war? Then what is he doing in Elverain?â
âEvery war needs allies.â
The hairs on Edmundâs arms stood up and stayed raised.
âLord Wolland means to make war and he means to win.â Ellà held a hand to her forehead, the palm over her blue eye, her face contorted as though in pain. âHe has made a bargain to secure the aid of creatures that once came near to exterminating every man, woman and child in the north. He is in the service of the Nethergrim, and he does not even know it.â
A trembling dread filled Edmund at the mention of the Nethergrimâs name. He tensed and came to understand that he was waiting for the Voice to intrude upon his thoughts, eventhere under the Sign of Obscurity. âWhy are you telling me all this?â he said. âWhat do you need me for, and how did you even know my name when we first met?â
âIâm telling you because I hope that you will help me.â Ellà drew in a long breath through pursed lips and took her hand away from her face. âI need you because you thwarted the Nethergrim once already, and no wizard in centuries has been able to do that, no matter how well trained. I know your name because the wizard who taught me everything I know whispered it when she thought I was not listening.â The blue in her eye had dilated to nothing, leaving a glassy void.
Edmund turned his head. He was nearly sure that he had heard the sound of his own voice in the distance, shouting or maybe screaming. He shuddered but tried not to let his fear show.
âThe creatures whose power Wolland seeks are called the Skeleth, in the language that is
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