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“He wouldn’t talk, you know,” the one eyed man told Vaelin over his shoulder “You should be proud of hih now you’re here in person I daresay ainst Frentis’s chest, pushing the point half an inch into the flesh and tracing a cut froe Frentis’s teeth hite on his gag as he screa the ice nuht

“Oh don’t bother,” the one eyedback frohtly bound I assure you”

Teeth gritted, Vaelin ed to push hi with the effort

“Strong indeed!” the one eyed man said “But I can’t have that”

The sas spreading into his chest and groin, forcing him back to the floor, exhausted

“You feel htenedinto an abyss, but fear fades” He held up the knife stained with Frentis’s blood “I have the secret now The knowledge to er on the knife blade, drawing a bead of blood froht it would be so si of ht victi brother here And as I bathed I foundas you cannot stand against my will I was told your destiny lay elsewh-…”

Caenis leapt through the wall of fire, his sword held high in a two fisted grip He brought it down as his feet touched the floor, the blade cleaving the one eyed man from shoulder to sternum The look on his face as he stood impaled on the sas one of complete astonishment

“Fire without heat,” Caenis said “Isn’t fire at all”

Vaelin’s paralysis faded as the one eyed man’s corpse slipped to the floor, the fire wall he had raised vanishing in an instant Vaelin felt hands lifting hi nu fro hate-filled curses at the one eyed ain and again into the body

“You stinking bastard!” he screa filth!”

Vaelin waved the others back and let Frentis abuse the corpse until he collapsed from the effort, slumped over the body, bloody and exhausted

“Brother,” he said, placing his cloak over Frentis’s shoulders “Your wounds need attention”

Chapter 8

“Sister Sherin is still in the south,” Brother Sellin told Vaelin at the gate of the Fifth Order, his eyes flicking to Frentis, hanging bloody and unconscious between Barkus and Nortah “Master Harin has undertaken her duties Co them to enter “I will take you to hi the cuts on Frentis’s body, ordering them from the treatment room when their unasked for advice and constant questions beca in the corridor

“I can see your day has been hard, brothers,” she said “There is food waiting for you in our dining hall”

They ate in silence, their conversation stilled by the presence of so many members of the Fifth Order The healers stared at the blue robed, gris to Vaelin, receiving a only a curt nod in response Their table was piled high with food but Vaelin found he had no appetite His hands retained a slight tremble from whatever the one eyed man had done to hi was still at the forefront of his thoughts

Aspect Elera joined them an hour or so later “Master Harin tells me your brother will recover He will have to stay with us for several days whilst he heals”

“Is he awake, Aspect?” Vaelin asked her

“Master Harin gave hi You can see him then”

“My thanks, Aspect May I request that word be sent to our Order? Aspect Arlyn will be expecting my report”

She sent Brother Sellin to the house of the Sixth Order and gave the with Frentis and Caenis waited with hi his weapons to pass the tileaht as he ran cloth over each blade with meticulous care Scratch had been confined to an eiven and howled continually, his plaintive cries reaching theer he had taken from Frentis, the blade the one eyed man had used to cut the web of scars into his body It was Caenis’s by right but he had refused to take it with a grimace of distaste Vaelin decided to keep it on in, the blade well teantly fashioned with a silver po with unfamiliar letters Clearly it was a weapon fro reach it seemed

“The fire was an illusion,” Vaelin said His voice sounded listless and dull to his ears, re of hihter

Caenis glanced up frouide the cloth over the blades