Page 36 of The Necromancer's Prisoner

“Shadow and shade,” he whispered.

He must’ve spoken loudly enough for Erys to hear because the mage chuckled. “Shadow and shade, indeed.” Alarm flared through Iggie when he realized his slip of the tongue, but Erys didn’t seem to care, continuing as if it was perfectly normal to hear a duskflame curse. “These harmonite crystals are our town’s pride and joy. Your friend here had a similar reaction when he first arrived, even if his stoic nature stopped him from showing it.”

Alistair’s cheeks reddened, and Iggie grinned despite himself. It was hard not to like the old man regardless of their suspicions. His gaze fell upon a small group of townsfolk who’d stopped to stare, and his good humor quickly dampened beneath coiled unease.

It had been easy enough to convince himself back at the cave to go along with Alistair’s plan. Now that they were actually here, however, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this had been a colossal mistake. By the time they reached a squat stone building near the center of town, his nerves had blossomed into full-blown panic.

“M-maybe I should wait out here,” he suggested, a slight tremble in his voice.

Alistair frowned but before he could reply, Erys snorted. “Nonsense! Unless I miss my guess, this discussion concerns you, too. Besides, I think it would do the others good to see you with their own eyes and listen to your perspective.”

My perspective?Just how much did this mage know? Iggie sought out Alistair’s comforting amber gaze, the tight bands constricting his chest loosening when their eyes met. After a brief pause, Alistair gave a near imperceptible nod.

Good enough.

Taking a deep breath, Iggie followed Erys and Alistair through the double doors into the hall beyond, hoping he wouldn’t regret it.

sixteen

Alistair

Astrangesenseofdéjà vu stole over Alistair as he watched Erys join the other three council members at their raised chairs near the back of the chamber. Just like his previous visit, twin hearths blazed along the walls, and benches sat stacked out of the way. The only noticeable difference lay in the demeanors of the gathered elders.

Erys looked much the same as he had, a twinkle in his eyes and his face wrinkled in a perpetual smile. It was difficult to imagine him as some evil mastermind, though the potential connection to runeflame meant that Alistair couldn’t entirely rule out the possibility.

But whereas the others had seemed if not exactly eager to greet him before then at least begrudgingly respectful, now their faces were twisted into expressions ranging from Brother Kelvin’s narrow-eyed contemplation, to Mayor Maxwell’s alarm, to Liliana’s open hostility.

Alistair ensured that his back remained straight and his face maintained its impassive mask of authority. He was still a Knight of the Order, and he intended to act like it. Protectiveness hardened his resolve when he noticed Iggie scooting behind him as if to use him as a shield from the village leaders’ stares. What happened in this meeting would affect more than Alistair himself. He owed it to Iggie to ensure they both made it out of here in one piece.

“Greetings, esteemed elders,” he began, bowing his head. “I’ve come with an urgent update on my mission.”

“I should hope so.” Liliana leaned forward, fixing him with a fierce glare. “Where in the Void have youbeen, paladin?”

“Now, now, Liliana,” Maxwell said with a nervous glance toward Brother Kelvin. “I’m sure our brave Knight has been hard at work.”

Alistair offered Maxwell a stiff nod. “Indeed, I have. And I believe I’ve uncovered more information about the fiend responsible for your missing villagers. If you’ll allow me to explain—”

“But of course, Sir Alistair,” Kelvin interrupted smoothly. “We should be only too glad to hear your heroic tale and discover what has kept you from returning to our village for so long.” His calculating gaze fixed past Alistair on Iggie, and Alistair fought to keep his expression neutral. “First, however, it seems introductions are in order.”

Iggie shuffled closer to Alistair’s back. When it became clear the necromancer had no intention of answering, Alistair replied, “This is Ignatius. He is a wayward traveler seeking refuge in these mountains for the winter. I…chanced upon him the other night in the course of my duties, and he saved me when I took a nasty fall. I’ve been sheltering with him in an old tower a few hours’ journey from here.”

The half-truths soured Alistair’s gut. Honesty might not be one of the five Dawn Virtues embraced by the Celestials and extolled by the Church, but it was still ingrained into every Knight as a core tenet of their oaths. He loathed lying, especially to another dawnflame wielder, and leaving out vital information was hardly any better.

Sensing the current mood of the town council, however, it seemed like little would be gained by exposing Iggie’s necromantic heritage. Iggie would need to come clean eventually and seek to make reparations for his thefts, but that could wait until after they’d resolved the true threat. What mattered now was ensuring everyone, Iggie included, stayed safe.

Unfortunately, Brother Kelvin didn’t appear to agree. Alistair’s heart fell when he caught the hint of a sneer curling the priest’s lip. “How curious,” Kelvin murmured, never taking his keen eyes off Iggie. “Surely, if one sought refuge, it would make more sense to shelter in Singer’s Rest or another village in these mountains. Why, wherever would he get thesuppliesto last all winter out there on his own?”

The other elders watched the exchange with interest. Erys frowned and Maxwell squinted in apparent confusion, while Liliana’s gaze narrowed on Iggie. She, at least, seemed to catch the priest’s implication.

Alistair hesitated, unsure how to reply in a way that wouldn’t implicate Iggie or force him into an outright lie. To his surprise, Iggie spoke up from behind him, his voice tremulous.

“I-I’ve been stealing the supplies I needed from your stores to survive. I’m sorry. I didn’t have a choice!” The words fell from Iggie in a rush, as if now that he’d started talking, he couldn’t make himself stop. “I never meant to cause you any harm or hardship. And I swear, neither my servants nor I have ever touched a hair on anyone’s head!”

Liliana leaped to her feet, brandishing her finger at Iggie like a blade. “Necromancer,” she hissed. Her furious eyes locked on Alistair. “How dare you bring this…thisvillainbefore us without warning! He should be chained, his magic dampened. Or do you let all your prisoners walk freely by your side?”

Alistair sought to maintain his composure, bracing himself for the explosion he expected at his next words. “He’s not my prisoner. Ignatius has come here under my protection.”

A beat of silence followed his pronouncement. He thought he caught a hint of a grin flicker across Erys’ face, quickly vanishing beneath an inscrutable mask. Maxwell paled while Kelvin regarded them both like a predator sizing up its prey. Lilian’s stunned disbelief gradually morphed into fresh fury.