door, watching someone else. I thought it was just worry about privacy, and later I wondered for a while if it was Mist Owl they were watching…but now I realize it was the Watchland.”
She looked up towards the green-shadowed leaves of the trees before them, slightly touched with gray as a huge cloud changed the sunlight to dusk. “We can’t wait much longer.”
“No, we can’t,” agreed Poplock. “Tobimar’s solved his riddle, you’ve paid us back for our help, it’s time for us to help get to the bottom of yours. And with what we just found out…”
Tobimar cursed. “Great Terian . The Watchland’s in charge of your entire country , and we just left him there while we walked off into what everyone thought was a deathtrap!” He had a sudden vision of what could have happened to that tiny, isolated country with a Demonlord in charge, one who now had no one to hold him back and whose plans were now well underway. Even Kyri’s Sho-ka-taida Lythos would be no match for such a creature; Tobimar remembered the other people he had met and come to know during the weeks he’d remained in Evanwyl—Arbiter Kelsley, priest of the Balance and one of the most truly holy men Tobimar had ever been privileged to meet; little Sasha Rithair, Evanwyl’s resident Summoner and all-purpose magician who’d done her best to teach Poplock her craft; Master of House Vanstell, dryly competent and faithful retainer; Minuzi, tall, dark-haired apothecary and housewife who despite her business found time to visit Kyri often as a neighbor and family friend rather than someone looking for the “Justiciar Phoenix.”
The thought of them under the rule—or worse—of the demonlord who had planned the assassination of the Sauran King was almost more than he could bear. “You’re right, we have to get back. With us out of the way, there’s no telling what he’s been doing since we left.”
“Yeah,” Poplock agreed, “and even our friend Xavier might be in trouble. He said he’d be trying to meet up with us once he finished his trip, right?”
“ Balance , you’re right. And he started out weeks before we left for the Spiritsmith. If he actually made it to the Mountain…” Kyri trailed off. “Well, he either did or he didn’t. But he could easily be on his way back right now . And if he gets there and doesn’t know what Jeridan is…”
“…things could get real ugly,” the Toad finished. “Lots of reasons to go, not too many to stay.”
Tobimar could see her hesitation, and took her hand. “I know—Rion. Don’t worry, Kyri. Do you think I’d tell you to just leave your brother—if that’s what he really is—behind?”
She looked embarrassed. “I…don’t want to make other people wait just for—”
“It’s not just for you. Or him, for that matter,” Tobimar said emphatically. “His presence here can’t be a coincidence. Maybe what they planned was to have him sent back to Evanwyl at a certain point. Wieran would have been able to implant all sorts of directives in him without him even knowing. But Wieran never got around to it, not with his main project consuming his time. Maybe Rion was a backup plan. But there’s no way this doesn’t connect to you, and we’re not ignoring it, or making you ignore it either.”
She looked at them both gratefully, and then hugged him tightly; Tobimar could see one of her hands give Poplock a pat, including him in the embrace. “Thank you both. And if you’re right…if Hiriista’s right, and that really is Rion…”
“…then we’d be plain stupid to leave behind another real honest-to-gods Justiciar of Myrionar when we’re going to face down a demonlord,” Poplock finished for her. “If their country didn’t need ’em so bad right now, I’d be begging Miri and Shae to come with us.”
Tobimar thought of that and smiled. “And I think we could probably convince them even so; they owe us a lot, and I can tell that Miri, at least, would rather
She looked up towards the green-shadowed leaves of the trees before them, slightly touched with gray as a huge cloud changed the sunlight to dusk. “We can’t wait much longer.”
“No, we can’t,” agreed Poplock. “Tobimar’s solved his riddle, you’ve paid us back for our help, it’s time for us to help get to the bottom of yours. And with what we just found out…”
Tobimar cursed. “Great Terian . The Watchland’s in charge of your entire country , and we just left him there while we walked off into what everyone thought was a deathtrap!” He had a sudden vision of what could have happened to that tiny, isolated country with a Demonlord in charge, one who now had no one to hold him back and whose plans were now well underway. Even Kyri’s Sho-ka-taida Lythos would be no match for such a creature; Tobimar remembered the other people he had met and come to know during the weeks he’d remained in Evanwyl—Arbiter Kelsley, priest of the Balance and one of the most truly holy men Tobimar had ever been privileged to meet; little Sasha Rithair, Evanwyl’s resident Summoner and all-purpose magician who’d done her best to teach Poplock her craft; Master of House Vanstell, dryly competent and faithful retainer; Minuzi, tall, dark-haired apothecary and housewife who despite her business found time to visit Kyri often as a neighbor and family friend rather than someone looking for the “Justiciar Phoenix.”
The thought of them under the rule—or worse—of the demonlord who had planned the assassination of the Sauran King was almost more than he could bear. “You’re right, we have to get back. With us out of the way, there’s no telling what he’s been doing since we left.”
“Yeah,” Poplock agreed, “and even our friend Xavier might be in trouble. He said he’d be trying to meet up with us once he finished his trip, right?”
“ Balance , you’re right. And he started out weeks before we left for the Spiritsmith. If he actually made it to the Mountain…” Kyri trailed off. “Well, he either did or he didn’t. But he could easily be on his way back right now . And if he gets there and doesn’t know what Jeridan is…”
“…things could get real ugly,” the Toad finished. “Lots of reasons to go, not too many to stay.”
Tobimar could see her hesitation, and took her hand. “I know—Rion. Don’t worry, Kyri. Do you think I’d tell you to just leave your brother—if that’s what he really is—behind?”
She looked embarrassed. “I…don’t want to make other people wait just for—”
“It’s not just for you. Or him, for that matter,” Tobimar said emphatically. “His presence here can’t be a coincidence. Maybe what they planned was to have him sent back to Evanwyl at a certain point. Wieran would have been able to implant all sorts of directives in him without him even knowing. But Wieran never got around to it, not with his main project consuming his time. Maybe Rion was a backup plan. But there’s no way this doesn’t connect to you, and we’re not ignoring it, or making you ignore it either.”
She looked at them both gratefully, and then hugged him tightly; Tobimar could see one of her hands give Poplock a pat, including him in the embrace. “Thank you both. And if you’re right…if Hiriista’s right, and that really is Rion…”
“…then we’d be plain stupid to leave behind another real honest-to-gods Justiciar of Myrionar when we’re going to face down a demonlord,” Poplock finished for her. “If their country didn’t need ’em so bad right now, I’d be begging Miri and Shae to come with us.”
Tobimar thought of that and smiled. “And I think we could probably convince them even so; they owe us a lot, and I can tell that Miri, at least, would rather
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