Blood of Innocents (Book Two of the Sorcery Ascendant Sequence) by Mitchell Hogan Page A

hadn’t found or finished what they had come for in Anasoma.
    He shrugged and felt the hilt press into his back. Simmon had managed to break the hold of coercive sorcery, for a little while, and his first action had been to hide the sword. Was the trinket that important, or was hiding it the only thing he could accomplish in the little time he had free of the sorcery’s hold over him?
    Behind him, Caldan could hear the others had stopped while he’d been deep in thought. Gently, he grasped Miranda’s shoulders and halted her shuffling steps.
    She blinked a few times, and her head quivered. “Wh… ” She swallowed convulsively, and he stroked her hair until she calmed. The others could wait a few moments.
    “Why… stop…?”
    In recent days her condition had deteriorated, albeit very slightly. She’d initially improved a little, her mind probably adapting to the fracturing, learning how to get around the disruption in some way. But any progress she’d made was now regressing.
    He patted her on the shoulder. “Wait here,” he murmured. “I won’t be long.” As always, when talking to her, he tried to keep his voice positive, rather than reflecting the sorrow he felt.
    Leaving her standing there, he looked back to see Amerdan, Bells, and Elpidia all staring into the distance, back the way they had come. A plume of dark smoke spiraled into the sky from the direction of their abandoned camp. A signal or a warning? He couldn’t begin to guess.
    Elpidia frowned and then brushed past Caldan. Taking Miranda’s hand, she helped her to resume walking and continued along the road.
    Bells gave Caldan a mock look of sorrow, bottom lip jutting out. “Poor little Protector,” she said.
    Amerdan turned to him and spoke; a smile played across his mouth. “The smoke’s coming from our camp. Whoever was following has only just realized we didn’t stay the whole night. They’re signaling they know what we’ve done. They want us scared. Scared and careless. If we continue to keep Miranda and Elpidia with us…” He trailed off.
    “I will not abandon them,” Caldan said firmly.
    Amerdan shrugged. “Then we need to find more people to mingle with, as camouflage and confusion. Out here—” He gestured at the countryside. “—we’re easy to spot and have nowhere to hide.”
    “I can help you,” chimed in Bells, her voice smooth. “If you let me go, I can—”
    “Be quiet!” hissed Caldan. He raised his hand to her then stopped, aware of what he’d been about to do. Trembling, he clamped down on his emotions. By the ancestors, he’d been about to strike a bound woman.
    Without acknowledging anything had happened, Amerdan continued. “Let’s hope there is an inn or town just ahead and we can acquire some horses or join another group traveling west.”
    Caldan gestured for them to resume walking. “And how can we acquire some horses? We don’t have many ducats left, and I can’t sell any of Bells’ crafting s.”
    “You’d better not,” warned Bells.
    Amerdan smiled thinly. “Leave the horses to me.”
    They approached the crossroads with trepidation. Around the intersection, a few buildings crowded close together, and a sizeable market had sprung up at the side of the road. Local farmers had set up dilapidated wooden stalls and displayed their produce in baskets and crates: trays of eggs and chickens in cane cages, and vegetables and fruits.
    Over the years, the place had obviously become a way station of sorts. No signs adorned the wooden structures, but from the look of them, at least two of the buildings were inns. One of them was built from stone and had a wooden stable attached to the side.
    Caldan spied a number of Quivers patrolling the makeshift market and sighed with relief. Two of the soldiers disappeared into the stone building, which he surmised was their garrison.
    He motioned for the others to follow and stepped confidently toward the building. A strong hand gripped his shoulder.
    “Make