Chapter Forty-Six

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The whispering voice continued to sound in Meyer's mind even once he removed Trant's ring from his finger. Adryn... report to me... Adryn...

For a moment he felt only shock—his body immobile—but like thawing ice, his thoughts began flowing again. Adryn was serving the Magician, and Trant had been preventing her from sending messages... And now that Trant was gone...

Meyer stepped backwards, his hands shaking. With Trant removed, Adryn would be able to communicate freely with the Magician. With a sudden lurch in his stomach, Meyer brought his hand to the small stone on his Talisman, which Jaeda had given him at Adryn's behest. Less than an hour ago he had used the ornament for its proscribed purpose—to warn Adryn if Trant used excessive force against him—but what if Adryn had only been waiting for a chance to frame Trant, to have a reason for his forced removal...

Stepping backwards again Meyer turned towards the door, his sense of dread and foreboding replaced with desire for action, as panic gripped his desperate nerves. Adryn was eliminating all obstacles to her ultimate power in Eldrin's Dale. He needed to warn Moon. Placing the two rings in his pocket, Meyer snatched up the paper's on Trant's desk, folding them even as he ran for the door.

When he burst forth from the Alchemy Building, the late afternoon sun was dancing over the beige buildings of the Dale, and he squinted into orange rays of light as he rushed towards the High Manor. In the distance he could hear the shrieks and laughs of Nahd tempests playing in the Great Meadow, but there high pitched voices sounded ominous against the quiet Dale. As Meyer reached the Great Intersection, a sharp breeze cut through the cool autumn air, sending a chill through his body.

"Where are you going, young sir?" said an emotionless guard as Meyer reached the entrance of the High Manor.

"Moon," said Meyer. "I need to see Lord Moon."

"His honor is not present."

"Where is he?" panted Meyer, but even as he spoke, he knew the answer—how could he have forgotten...

"His honor has not yet returned from the capitol," said the Guard. "If you need assistance, Planar Adryn can provide her service. She has received full command in the absence of his honor."

Meyer swallowed, his body tensing at Adryn's name. She had taken over the Dale; he was surrounded by enemies... Trust no one, Trant had warned... But he needed to alert somebody...

"Jato—where is Jato?"

The guard's blank expression suddenly grew suspicious, his eyes narrowing beneath the rim of his metal helmet. "Why do you ask for him?"

"I... um... thought Jato would be able to help me."

"Jato was discharged this afternoon," said the guard slowly, his eyes drifting to the papers clutched in Meyer's hand, their edges fluttering in the wind.

Meyer stuffed the pages of Trant's message into his pocket, but it was too late.

"I must ask that you follow me," said the guard. "Adryn will want to know the nature of this frantic inquiry."

He turned towards the High Manor, but as he did, a man appeared in the building's entrance. In a single quick stride the man stepped forward and landed a powerful kick against the guard's unarmored side. The guard gasped for breath, and as he did, Meyer realized the assailant was Jato.

Before the guard could recover, Jato slipped behind him, using his leg to force the gaurd backwards. He pulled with his arms while pushing up with his leg, sending the guard to the ground. Jatro removed the guard's helm as he fell, and no sooner had the guard collapsed, than Jato landed a powerful blow across his exposed head with the metal helmet. The abused body went limp.

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