Previously on Sanctuary Road: “That idiot just cast a hell of a null ring!” Mydhali crowed in delight.

  Abruptly freed of the geas, Endrah swiftly recoiled from Todd, face twisting into an expression of rage that nearly mirrored Tara’s. Then, fury morphing to resolve, he reached awkwardly for his sword with the arm not burdened by the gnawing head of a hellbeast.

  Alarmed by the implications — they should have strategically planned such a null! — Simon shouted, “Sir Endrah! Don’t kill him; you’ll die too! The null is only temporary! And so will Sohan; that would make Rishard the King!”

  Endrah hesitated, but didn’t drop his blade. Simom suspected that he considered being geasbound to Todd a fate worse than death.

  Simon added, a bit desperately, “We’re working to stop him! You needn’t die!”

  “He's going to destroy everything!” Endrah turned and stared at Simon, eyes wide with shock.

  Todd, realizing he was surrounded by a dozen temporarily free and very hostile thralls, wrapped his arms around himself and watched them with terrified eyes. Behind him, Avery had stepped in front of Tara and had both hands on her arms, holding her back. She clearly wanted another chance to kill Todd.

  Simon merely inclined his head to acknowledge Endrah’s comment while watching the scene with Avery and Tara play out. He cared little for these men, who had Hunted him of their own free will before the geas, but Yienry would die if Todd was slain today.

  The null ring had deactivated the translation component of the spell, but he didn’t need to understand her words to recognize the sound of furious profanity coming from Tara. He could hear short, sharp exclamations from her and longer phrases from Avery. By their body language, it looked like Avery had her contained for the moment, so he turned his attention back to Endrah.

  Endrah pressed his lips together in a tight, hard line. The skin around them went white. Then he looked sharply away from Todd and towards Simon and said, “One who fights for survival with such stubborn determination and righteous rage as you have shown will provide a powerful source of blood magic for the wizard to harvest, regardless of any magic you may, or may not possess. That is why Prince Rishard demanded that we assist Todd with the full weight of a royal order.”

  Simon noted, “You could have ridden poorly and allowed me to escape.”

  Endrah’s lips twisted into a smile. “You think me a coward, to fear hunting one little man among the rocks of that ridge?”

  He jerked his head up as his perspective suddenly shifted. He’d assumed the Hunters had been too craven to pursue him after he’d gone to ground atop the hill. Had they held back deliberately? He’d always liked Endrah...

  “For what it’s worth, while my mind is clear, I recognize Casey’s claim upon you. Should the opportunity arise, I will also advocate for King Sohan to absolve you of any wrongdoing. The babe was born with dark curls and brown eyes. No rational man would believe him yours.”

  Simon suddenly wished they had more time to speak. He’d assumed it would be too dangerous for anyone to dare to help him after the conviction, and he had been genuinely surprised by the gift-laden mule that Yienry had left tied in the woods. Did he have a true ally here, too?

  But their time had to be growing short, and, in any event, there was little they could discuss openly with Todd listening. Simon had no idea how Casey could hold an enormous null ring this long, and surely, he was reaching his limits. He looked back at the man who’d accidentally become his master, and saw Casey had gone pale with his fists balled at his side.

  Casey suddenly sat down all the way; the tendons of his neck stood out from the strain. He was pushing himself far past any reasonable limit. Nulls were usually kept small because they required tremendous effort and, by definition, could not derive their Power from the leys. They blocked the outside Power from entering. Casey, a complete beginner, had thrown one up that spanned hundreds of feet.

  Something warmed in Simon’s heart as he glanced repeatedly at Casey and watched him struggle. It was a different feeling from the near-unquestioning love he felt under the geas's sway, more nuanced. More real.

  Briefly, he considered taking Todd into custody and imprisoning him at Halvers Keep, but Prince Rishard would likely order his release, with the force of the King's Guard to back up his demands. That would not end well. Plus, he didn’t think Casey could hold the null long for more than a few more moments, and Todd’s thralls would defend him to the death once the null broke.

  He decided it was best to let Todd go until they were better positioned to deal with him and until Simon had a better understanding of the political mess that was at the heart of everything. He just didn't know enough yet to make wise decisions, but killing him, or trying to imprison him, wasn't the right answer... not yet.

  Simon said, curtly, “Sir Endrah, if you would, get Todd out of here after the null breaks, for his own good. Todd, be aware that Tara will kill you with very little provocation. You do not want to continue this fight today. I also wouldn’t count on Avery being able to restrain her in the future."

  At Simon’s words, Todd looked over and realized that the only thing between him and the enraged grimalkin woman was a purple-haired human man with his arms outstretched. Tara tried to duck around him. Avery grabbed her wrist and spoke to her in a low, urgent tone. She was listening to what seemed to be Avery’s urgent entreaties, but not well.

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  Simon had zero doubt that, if unleashed, Tara would swiftly end the man. Todd knew it, too. He looked wildly about, like he just wasn’t sure which way to run.

  Endrah said grimly, with a pointedly angry glance at the blood mage, “I’ll do what I can. I don’t have to tell you how difficult rational thought is when the geas comes to bear. Kylen, will you see to Sir Arah?”

  Kylen was one of the young scions of a wealthy merchant family, influential enough to ride with the noblemen but ranked below them. He gave the still visibly rage-filled Tara a concerned look, then dismounted and rolled over the body of Sir Arah, the man who’d been fatally kicked in the face after falling.

  Abruptly, Casey slumped forward with both hands clutching the earth before him. Simon wanted to tell Casey to stop before he hurt himself, but they needed Casey to hold on just a little longer.

  Kylen and Mydhali lifted the dead man over the back of Kylen’s horse, and while they tied him on with a picket rope, Endrah nudged his horse closer to Todd. With his jaw set in anger and resentment, he again offered his stirrup to the man. Todd scrambled wordlessly up behind Endrah and landed awkwardly on the horse’s rump. The horse, a large and sturdy animal, scooted sideways then half-heartedly bucked in protest, and for a moment, Simon was fearful that Todd would land on the ground a second time — with potentially devastating results if Todd were dumped on his head and killed.

  Then, Endrah pushed the protesting horse forward with a firm thump from his heels. The animal broke into a quick and animated trot, ears still flat to his head, leaving behind the crippled mare that Todd had been riding — in the way of horses, she had bolted, but then circled around and returned to the other beasts. Mydhali hastily grabbed her trailing reins before she could run after the rest of the horses.

  Quickly, the Hunting party disappeared.

  Casey gasped and sagged in place as the null dissipated. Avery shouted something in a foreign language that abruptly ended with, “... okay? Casey?”

  “That was hard,” Casey said, standing slowly as they approached. He complained, “My head hurts.”

  Simon let out a slow sigh of relief. Casey would not be on his feet if he’d pushed himself to the point of a severe injury, though he was certain the man would be unwell for several days.

  “He needs rest.” Tara wiped bloody claws off on a handful of fuzzy leaves, then peered at the result with dissatisfaction. Avery fished in his pockets and handed her a travel pack of tissues. She blinked, then visibly refocused on Avery and said, “I’m not sure whether I should thank you or cuss you out for stopping me.”

  “Everyone he’s geasbound would die if he’s killed, right? That includes Simon’s dad," Avery replied. He noticed something brown smeared on the end of the metal bar in his hand, warily sniffed it, and then made a face. With an expression of disgust, he scraped the substance off on the ground. Simon recalled that Mark had been shoving animal feces down a hole with that iron rod less than an hour previously. Apparently, it was still fouled.

  “Those men were all thralls,” Casey confirmed, eyes closed against the brightness of the day. “Nadria wanted me to kill him then and there. She’s pissed I didn’t. She says the cost would be worth it, even if it threw the country into chaos when the King died."

  Simon ran a hand down his face. His fingers were shaking. He’d been sure they would die in that fight. His heart kept thumping in his chest, even though the threat was past. "King Sahon’s advisors are doubtless aware that he is bound. He has multiple Sighted mages in his orbit. I can't figure out why Todd is still free to roam."

  Mydhali grunted, then offered an explanation. "According to rumor, King Sahon has taken ill and is convalescing at the summer palace, but he is not expected to return to power. His brother has been sworn in as regent in his absence."

  "A coup. Do you think Prince Rishard is using Todd to his ends?" Simon turned to Mydhali. The grimalkin man’s nostrils flared as he breathed. He was covered in a sheen of sweat. He looked calm, though, as if he fought in small battles every day.

  "Likely. King Sahon is not granting an audience to anyone in his usual circles. He is, supposedly, spending his days listening to music in his gardens and dining on the finest of foods, with little else to occupy his time while he ‘rests’ — which doesn’t sound much like Sahon; the man is many things, but never slothful." Mydhali scratched his bare calf with the claws of his other foot. Simon wondered how Mydhali knew Sahon well enough to make that statement, though he wouldn’t dispute the accuracy.

  Mydhali continued, "Everyone in that Hunting party was allied with Sohan. Endrah and Yienry, in particular, hold significant influence and rank. My belief from the beginning was that Todd intended to geasbind Rishard’s enemies. I tried to tell Yienry that it was unwise for me to leave him unguarded, but he discounted my concerns and sent me after his spare horse, a few miles away. He said nothing would happen in the hour it took to retrieve the beast — he didn’t think Todd capable of binding all thirteen men in that party without some of them noticing the spell and reacting with appropriate violence. And, he did not feel capable of walking the entire distance back to our camp. But he underestimated Todd and the power of that soul staff. When I returned, they were all thralls."

  "This sounds ugly," Simon said. Nausea suddenly made his stomach twist. He always felt sick after a fight. He was shocked by how calm his own words sounded as he said, "Eventually, the Temple will take notice of the geasbound men, I would think..."

  That prompted a sigh that seemed to come from Mydhali’s very bones. "The Temple is allied with Rishard. There will be no salvation coming from that quarter. Sohan runs the nation's economy with strict adherence to the law, and that has affected the Temple's coffers. Rishard is a fool, but he is a fool who can be manipulated with flattering words. Many of the High Priests and their acolytes prefer him. Plus..." he trailed off, and sighed. “Todd’s Staff is more powerful than we ever believed. Even those in power who normally adhere to the true teachings of the Gods have been remarkably... sacriligious, of late.”

  The grimalkin man jerked his chin at Casey, changing his subject, even as Simon was staring at him somewhat incredulously. How did a grimalkin man know so much about the state of current politics? Mydhali said, "That was an impressive display of power for any wizard, much less a novice."

  "Yes," Simon agreed. "And, if he’s up to it, he'll need to do it again yet tonight — I need to talk to Yienry without the compulsion of a geas on either of us."

  Simon's own geas made him flinch at those words. It wouldn't be good for Casey to use his power again so soon. Casey, however, nodded in agreement. He'd help. Simon’s geas settled reluctantly, with a promise of pain if Casey was hurt.

  He needed to know what was going on. Yienry would have answers.