Page 39 of The Necromancer's Prisoner

“Duty…” Kelvin reached up to fiddle with the silver holy symbol that hung around his neck. “A core aspect of our faith in the Light, to be sure. Duty to oneself. Duty to one’s fellow man… And above all else, duty to the Celestials and to the Church that serves as their guiding star.”

Alistair’s skin prickled as the priest leaned in closer over the table separating them. “I’m sure I don’t need to remind you to be cautious. Even if that necromancer is not solely responsible for this town’s current woes, he remains a practitioner of forbidden magic. Such evil is poison to those who walk in the Light—as you know only too well. You father was a great man, and even he could not withstand its corrupting touch.”

Anger spiked through him. Howdarethis priest brandish his father’s passing like a cudgel to browbeat him into obeying his will. A rebuttal hovered on his tongue. He could reveal Iggie’s past, argue that if anything it was the Knights who had butchered Iggie’s family who were evil.

Yet, prudence once again forced him to keep quiet. As much as he yearned to defend Iggie, he knew nothing he said would change the priest’s mind. To a fanatic like Kelvin, the world was black and white—his views didn’t allow for the existence of agoodnecromancer.

“Of course, brother.” He forced out the words, bending his back into the barest hint of a bow. “I will keep an eye on him. You needn’t worry about me.”

Brother Kelvin studied him for a long moment before slowly nodding. “Good. It warms my heart to know that we were blessed with so capable a Knight, despite his relative youth. It would have pained me to inform your superiors that your performance here had been…lacking.”

With one last lingering look, the priest turned and left. Alistair stared after him, a tremble racking him. Kelvin’s threat had been plain—put a single toe out of line, and he’d taint Alistair’s reputation in the Order. It was unlikely that alone would be enough to ruin him or his family, but it could certainly set him back. His first solo mission might well be his last for years to come.

Some small part of him that had been festering ever since Iggie’s confessions the previous night wondered if that might be for the best, but he shoved it aside. He’d worked too hard, sacrificed too much, to abandon everything he’d spent his life striving toward.

For his own good—and for Iggie’s as well—he needed to remember what was really important here. No more distractions. He’d solve this crisis, help Iggie escape unscathed, and then return to the Order, triumphant in his mission. It was the only logical choice.

He’d barely taken a handful of steps outside when Iggie appeared beside him. He greeted the necromancer with a frown. “I thought I told you to meet me back at the inn?”

“AndIthought we were in this together!”

The betrayal in Iggie’s voice brought Alistair up short, a flicker of his previous guilt threading through him. “I defended you to the village elders the best I could.”

“Requesting they refrain frommurderingme sets a pretty low bar. You didn’t exactly contradict that priest when he accused me of lying, did you?”

Alistair winced. “I couldn’t risk contradicting Kelvin more directly, not when he already suspected that we…I mean, that I, uh…”

He trailed off, and Iggie’s eyes narrowed, his azure gaze piercing Alistair like twin shards of ice. “That we had sex in a cave?” he declared a touch too loudly for Alistair’s liking.

Alistair checked to ensure no one was in earshot, and Iggie sighed, his shoulders hunching beneath his layered clothes. “Look, I get it. You don’t want to sully your reputation by consorting with a wicked necromancer. But you’re the one who convinced me to come here. I need to know I can rely on you to have my back.”

“You can. I said I’d protect you, and I will.” Even as Alistair spoke the words, however, a part of him wondered if they were true. If Kelvin or the others demanded Iggie’s head, would he defy their edicts to save the necromancer, even if it meant violating his oaths to the Order?

It won’t come to that,he insisted silently, his stomach churning as they started toward the inn.I’ll find a way to help Iggie and the town both. I must.

seventeen

Ignatius

“Youdon’thavetodo this. If you’d rather wait in your room, I can meet with Erys alone.”

Staring out over the small clearing at Erys’ tower, Iggie swallowed. He had to admit he found Alistair’s offer tempting. The too-friendly mage set him on edge. Why would Erys risk standing up for Iggie if he didn’t think he had something to gain? Not to mention Alistair’s previous suspicions. While nothing was certain, the runeflame connection was too incriminating to ignore.

His eyes settled on Alistair’s concerned face, and the knot of tension within him eased. “No,” he said, firming his shoulders. “I’ve followed you this far. I intend to see this through to the end. Besides, I owe these people for mooching off their supplies. The least I can do is try to help.”

Their gazes locked, and Iggie’s heart leaped as the paladin gave him a tentative smile. “Thank you,” he said softly. He licked his lips, looking like he wanted to say more…or perhapsdomore. One hand tentatively raised as if to reach for Iggie, only to lower a moment later.

When the paladin resumed walking, Iggie shoved down his instant regret.I need to keep my distance, he reminded himself. That was the only way he’d escape this mess with his heart relatively unscathed. Alistair’s hesitation to defend him yesterday offered proof enough of that.

“Come on, then,” Alistair called over his shoulder. “And make sure to stay on your guard. If Erys does have a hand in whatever’s happening here, we might be walking into a trap.”

A fresh wave of unease rippled over Iggie as they stepped into the clearing, packed snow crunching underfoot. After the lukewarm reception he’d received yesterday, part of him had considered slipping off in the middle of the night. It would have been easy enough. There were no guards posted at the inn that he could detect, and Alistair had retired to his room early.

Yet, something had held him back. He’d told himself it was simple curiosity—now that he was part of this, he wanted to see how it all played out, and it wasn’t like he had anywhere else to go. But he knew that therealreason he’d stayed despite all his instincts screaming at him to flee was walking right in front of him, his golden breastplate gleaming in the morning sun.

Iggie would stick around long enough to help the paladin complete his quest and repay the town for the trouble he’d caused. Then, he’d move on. Navigating the mountain pass would be tricky in the winter, but he’d find a way to survive. He always did.

The mage’s tower appeared much like the one Iggie had occupied for the last several weeks. The battering mountain winds had worn its stone facade smooth, and the walls shimmered in the morning sun. At first, Iggie thought that might be the result of enchantments woven into the rock. As they drew closer, however, he spied the tiles of harmonite set into the tower like scales, each aglow with its own unique pattern.