The Sage's Vow

17.3 || The Wasted Strip

Cale didn't know how much time had passed before he felt it: the flicker of life energy.

His body went rigid with expectation before he managed to breathe through the instinctive reaction and focus his mind. The spell's effect returned in full effect. He saw the world through its connection with the earth.

Mara lay nearby, sleeping atop his bundled shirt and her arm. Past their protective dome, various monsters prowled. He saw half a dozen insect monsters flying low enough to the ground that he could detect their energy, while beasts varying in sizes hunted, hid, or slept.

He expanded his senses, though, past the deep vibrations of the river slicing through the land behind them. There it was again. The steady hum of life that only creatures with a soul would have. Meaning something that wasn't a monster lurked in the shadows of the Waste that night.

It wasn't human, though. At least, he didn't think so. There was too much concentrated elemental energy in one place, which Cale had only ever felt in, well, Elementals. The figure was stout. Based on that and the way their essence called so readily to the earth around them, he had a good guess as to what type of Elemental they would be.

Why would a dwarf be here, though? Especially when Tzanach emphasized that only the most reclusive of beings ever roamed these invested parts? What confused him most, though, was the direction in which the probable dwarf traveled.

If he wasn't mistaken, they headed directly toward the Shadow Knight's base.

At a slight mental nudge, Ezraim appeared. Cale opened his mind, allowing the new situation to transmit through the bond to his dragon. Ezraim rumbled in thought. It would make sense for the Shadow Knights to make allies with the nearby Elementals. What were the villages that Tzanach mentioned?

Cale frowned, attempting to track the traveling energy, their surroundings, and hold the conversation. I cannot recall. I know there was the intermingled Elemental village that the others are flying from. But the other that Tzanach mentioned... It may have been dwarves.

He mentally kicked himself. The Elder Dragon had causally mentioned the other village once or twice. He should have paid better attention.

Either way, it doesn't seem they have noticed you, Ezraim reasoned. I will inform Xander and Boomer of this, but I don't think the Elemental is a threat to you. If they were to tell the Shadow Knights anything, it would be that there are Paladins and Sages in the realm. As the Shadow Knights don't have any way to confirm we know their existence, it would be too foolish of them to attack you and expose themselves.

Unsurprisingly, Cale found he agreed with his dragon. The Shadow Knights had gone to great lengths to ensure the secrecy of their new base. It would take far more than potentially taking out a couple of their numbers to give themselves away. After all, even if they did kill him and Mara, the information would get back to the others thanks to the bond.

He also couldn't rule out that this could be a normal occurrence. If a dwarf assisted the Shadow Knights, they could report to the Soul-Bound group regularly. And all of that relied on the theory that this dwarf was going to the Shadow Knights.

Too many variables danced around, mocking him. He wished he could slip out of the dome and tail the dwarf, but that would be a game far too dangerous should they be heading for the Shadow Knights. As much as he hated it, he would have to settle for knowing he would be rescued the next day.

Despite his own frustrations with the mystery, Ezraim grunted his agreement with the decision.

Cale continued his watch, though he kept a special attention on the direction the dwarf had gone, making sure their mistake didn't creep back up on them in the form of a Shadow Knight army.