in the barrier.
“Are you able to shape?” Lacertin asked.
Veran nodded. He fumbled for his sword and managed to unsheathe it. With a shaping of wind and earth, he trapped the hound that had attacked him. Lacertin focused on the other two, using a similar shaping but adding more fire to his than Veran had attempted. He bound the hounds in the shaping and squeezed, pulling the air from a bubble that surrounded them.
The hounds attacked his shaping frantically, but Lacertin held onto it. Moments passed and the struggling grew weaker before they finally stopped struggling. Within the shaping, the hounds fell at nearly the same time.
The lead hound that Veran held trapped in earth stared at them defiantly. Sharp intelligence burned in its eyes. Veran approached and, with a heavy sweep of his warrior sword, beheaded the hound.
He turned to Lacertin, clutching a hand over his chest. “They shouldn’t have been able to cross…”
“You disrupted the shaping,” Lacertin said. He started a water shaping to attempt to heal Veran, but there wasn’t enough water in the air to do much. He might be able to slow the bleeding, but he wouldn’t be able to fully mend the wounds. What Veran needed now was real healing, not what Lacertin could offer.
But before he could do anything to help Veran, he had to repair the barrier. Lacertin listened to the shaping, using the vibrating sense of each of the elements to guide him. He reached the place where Veran’s earth shaping had disrupted the pattern. With a draw on fire—the element opposite earth—he pulled the barrier back into alignment.
Was that why the hounds had been able to cross? Would it have mattered if Veran had used water or wind, or was it that he had chosen earth? Lacertin didn’t know, only that he’d worried about what a shaping through the barrier would do to it. He’d never had the answer before, but now he did.
Lacertin lifted Veran off the ground, ignoring the blood pooling from the hound. Part of him wished they had been able to study the hounds. They had never managed to catch one of the creatures alive. So little was known about them. How did Incendin create them, or were they some twisted form of elemental? How did the lisincend control them? Were the other shapers of Incendin able to control them?
If they had the opportunity to study them, they might be able to answer some of the questions. Once again, they wouldn’t know.
He carried Veran toward the village, using shapings of earth and wind to help him. When he reached the outskirts of the village, he paused. Nassa hadn’t been his village, but he’d grown up near enough that he knew many people here. Now the streets were empty. Had they left because of the attack, sent deeper into Nara and away from the border for safety, or was there a different reason? He could imagine the suspicion the shapers would have and they way that they would wonder and fear whether the people of Nassa would help Incendin. Those shapers wouldn’t understand that those who remained in the village had already made their choice.
Near the small well at the center of the village, he stopped and lowered Veran to the ground. The other man groaned but didn’t say anything else. Lacertin used the bucket for the well to pull water to the surface and dripped it into Veran’s mouth and then over his wounds. Using a shaping of water, he probed for the extent of Veran’s injuries. The warrior had lost a lot of blood, and there was a warmth burning within what blood remained, a warmth that was in some ways familiar.
With a shaping of water, he sealed the wound and tried to draw the heat out of Veran’s blood. He could heal, but not with the same deft touch the master water shapers could manage.
Veran rested more easily with Lacertin’s shaping, and his ragged breathing eased.
Lacertin looked around. Within Nassa, had there been anyone here, he might have tried to leave Veran and return to the university for help, but with
“Are you able to shape?” Lacertin asked.
Veran nodded. He fumbled for his sword and managed to unsheathe it. With a shaping of wind and earth, he trapped the hound that had attacked him. Lacertin focused on the other two, using a similar shaping but adding more fire to his than Veran had attempted. He bound the hounds in the shaping and squeezed, pulling the air from a bubble that surrounded them.
The hounds attacked his shaping frantically, but Lacertin held onto it. Moments passed and the struggling grew weaker before they finally stopped struggling. Within the shaping, the hounds fell at nearly the same time.
The lead hound that Veran held trapped in earth stared at them defiantly. Sharp intelligence burned in its eyes. Veran approached and, with a heavy sweep of his warrior sword, beheaded the hound.
He turned to Lacertin, clutching a hand over his chest. “They shouldn’t have been able to cross…”
“You disrupted the shaping,” Lacertin said. He started a water shaping to attempt to heal Veran, but there wasn’t enough water in the air to do much. He might be able to slow the bleeding, but he wouldn’t be able to fully mend the wounds. What Veran needed now was real healing, not what Lacertin could offer.
But before he could do anything to help Veran, he had to repair the barrier. Lacertin listened to the shaping, using the vibrating sense of each of the elements to guide him. He reached the place where Veran’s earth shaping had disrupted the pattern. With a draw on fire—the element opposite earth—he pulled the barrier back into alignment.
Was that why the hounds had been able to cross? Would it have mattered if Veran had used water or wind, or was it that he had chosen earth? Lacertin didn’t know, only that he’d worried about what a shaping through the barrier would do to it. He’d never had the answer before, but now he did.
Lacertin lifted Veran off the ground, ignoring the blood pooling from the hound. Part of him wished they had been able to study the hounds. They had never managed to catch one of the creatures alive. So little was known about them. How did Incendin create them, or were they some twisted form of elemental? How did the lisincend control them? Were the other shapers of Incendin able to control them?
If they had the opportunity to study them, they might be able to answer some of the questions. Once again, they wouldn’t know.
He carried Veran toward the village, using shapings of earth and wind to help him. When he reached the outskirts of the village, he paused. Nassa hadn’t been his village, but he’d grown up near enough that he knew many people here. Now the streets were empty. Had they left because of the attack, sent deeper into Nara and away from the border for safety, or was there a different reason? He could imagine the suspicion the shapers would have and they way that they would wonder and fear whether the people of Nassa would help Incendin. Those shapers wouldn’t understand that those who remained in the village had already made their choice.
Near the small well at the center of the village, he stopped and lowered Veran to the ground. The other man groaned but didn’t say anything else. Lacertin used the bucket for the well to pull water to the surface and dripped it into Veran’s mouth and then over his wounds. Using a shaping of water, he probed for the extent of Veran’s injuries. The warrior had lost a lot of blood, and there was a warmth burning within what blood remained, a warmth that was in some ways familiar.
With a shaping of water, he sealed the wound and tried to draw the heat out of Veran’s blood. He could heal, but not with the same deft touch the master water shapers could manage.
Veran rested more easily with Lacertin’s shaping, and his ragged breathing eased.
Lacertin looked around. Within Nassa, had there been anyone here, he might have tried to leave Veran and return to the university for help, but with
Similar Books
