The Best of the Realms, Book I

IV

Orlando drew back onZephyr's reigns. The animal, well trained and eager to please its master,slowed quickly from its trot to a full stop. The enigmatic black equine thatLelanda rode did the same, though Orlando saw no sign of a command from riderto mount. The horse seemed always to know what the enchantress expected of it.

"Aren't we going a bit out of our way?" Orlando asked.

"Only slightly," responded the witch."I thought we might stop at Jolind's estate and tell her what happened.She won't be interested in joining us, of course, but she was one of the Six.She has a right to know."

Orlando was surprisedto hear Lelanda speak like that. In their adventuring days, she'd had littleuse for the individual members of the Six of Swords. To her, they werebodyguards, scouts, and healers who enabled her to explore the mysteries ofmagic, recover rare spell components, and otherwise practice her arcane art.Perhaps time had softened her heart, or perhaps there was more to the detourthan she was telling him.

With the aid of Lelanda's magic, the miles passed asfleeting images in the corner of the eye. Even at that rate, however, it wasseveral hours before the lights of Jolind's tower were visible. When theyreached the edge of the clearing in which it stood, both riders brought theirmounts to a stop.

"She's done a remarkable job here," said Orlando as his head swept back and forth to indicate the lush forest that rose aroundthem. "I remember when we first found this clearing. The soil was sopoisonous that nothing less robust than spitweed would grow here."

"I'll go in first," said Lelanda, ignoringhis attempt at conversation. "Jolind always valued her privacy, and I'dhate to have a druid angry at me in the heart of her own forest."

She slipped the hood of her cloak over her head, causingthe sunset colors of her hair to vanish into a thick darkness. Even as hewatched, Orlando found that he could no longer focus clearly on her. Though heknew exactly where she was standing, he was able to see her only as a fleetingimage in the corner of his eye.

I'll be back as quickly as I can, said the darkness.

Before he could respond, Orlando realized he and thehorses were alone by the side of the road. He wanted to chuckle, but the chillsthat her macabre voice had left running along his spine wouldn't let him.

While he waited for his companion to return, Orlando opened the saddlebags draped over Zephyr and pulled out an apple. He fished aroundfor a few seconds more and brought out a small knife. With a deft flick of hiswrist, he split the fruit cleanly in two. After wiping off the blade andslipping it back into the leather pouch, he offered one of the halves to hishorse and considered the other for a moment. With an unconscious shrug, hereached over and held it before Lelanda's mount. The ebon animal eyed hisoffering, but then snorted and turned away. Orlando shrugged again and ate ithimself. The first hints of dawn were lighting the horizon, and he had anunhappy feeling that the animal's snobbery was to set the tone for the dayahead. He was right.

Jolind is dead, came the too-familiar voice of the darkness. And the body is warm.The killer must still be nearby.