Chains of Fate

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty

"And how did you get rid of it again?"

Synnove's questions were endless. From the moment we started walking through the city streets, she quizzed me about everything from what the Barghest looked like to what I did in order to defend myself from it.

"I slashed it with a sword, which Astera called the Heirloom of Illtyd," I said for the millionth time. Whoever Illtyd was, he or she must have been an important figure in Eremith. From the look on Astera's face, I wagered that it was probably one of the mighty reigning sylphs.

"That was no mere magical sword then," the dancer mused to herself as we turned down a familiar alley for another millionth time. Even the Eremithians had lost interest in us, seeing us again and again. I would know this city better than I did Aria by the end of the day. "Did it have runes?" Synnove asked. When I nodded, she said, "What did the runes look like?"

"How should I know?" I snapped. My feet were starting to hurt through my leather boots. "Swirls, I guess. They were on the hilt, and—" Now that I thought of it, the runes must have been the reason the sword shone so brightly. There were probably runes encrusted on the blade as well. "I've never seen runes like that," I continued, "except on Rowan." I remember him telling me that his runes were protective seals. Maybe that protection had something to do with the sword's power against the Barghest. Apparently, there were different types of runes.

The dancer seemed to consider this. "Interesting," she said. "I also find it curious that the Barghest didn't destroy the tower," she added in a murmur. "It certainly had the power to do so."

"Maybe it wanted me alive," I suggested, gritting my teeth as she trotted at a quick pace down the loop that circled the crystal tower. The glass shimmered beneath our feet, and I had to continually remind myself that I wouldn't crack it when I stepped on it. "Can't we rest?" I asked. "We've been walking for hours."

Synnove rolled her eyes. "It's only been three hours, Lannie." Nevertheless, she gestured to a stone bench bordering an iron gate fence. I sat down and sighed contentedly as the ache in my feet dulled. I stiffened when I realized we were next to the garden behind the tower. What if Rowan was here? Well, even if he was, he hadn't attacked me in a while. Maybe he was getting better.

After a few long moments of awkward silence, Synnove leaned against the iron fence, her eyes focused on the flowers of the garden. "He always wanted to come to Eremith," she said abruptly. "And I always said we shouldn't. Anything magical is capricious where humans are involved."

I frowned at her, but her gaze was aloof, looking at something far beyond this world. Who was she talking about? Hadrian?

Before I could speak, she continued as if I wasn't even there. "You know, all they needed me for was protection."

"Hadrian's caravan?" I ventured nervously. She seemed too peaceful. It felt as if she would break at any given moment.

She nodded, strands of her raven hair coming undone from her tight bun. "But that didn't matter to him. I wasn't an assassin in his eyes." She slumped against the side of the bench, still standing. She reminded me of an old tree that refused to die—that refused to give up on life's obstacles. Synnove whispered something, and it took me several seconds to understand what she said:

"But I will never be anything more than a killer."

I tensed. I wanted to say something, anything, to make her understand that she was far more than a killer. But how? She said darkness surrounded her—that she was dangerous to be around. But the woman I saw in front of me wasn't any of that. "You protect people," I said. Synnove looked at me and I continued, "You aren't simply fated to be a killer. You're a Harbinger. You're destined to protect this world."