Stars lit the night sky as they emerged into the cold. Thom shivered slightly, peering toward the watchtower, which stood dark. It was always dark when Rory had the watch—when most of them had the watch. They’d let their eyes adjust to the darkness, their low-light vision becoming better and better as they grew more and more used to nights lit by moonlight and stars.
Another howl echoed in the distance and Thom shivered, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. “I left my sword with Marin.”
“That was probably ill-advised,” Thordin said as their boots crunched in the snow.
“Probably,” Thom agreed, glancing back over his shoulder. “Too late for that now, though. I think there’s a spare up in the tower.”
“Matt’s making good progress with axes,” Thordin said. “How’s he progressing with other blades?”
“He likes forging them more than wielding them. I don’t blame him.” He knows the earth, knows metals. He’s more grounded than the rest of us. Matt had never really talked about having a talent, but Thom suspected that he had one—something. Given the magnitude of Marin’s abilities, it struck him as near-impossible that Matt shouldn’t have a gift of his own.
After all, that radio probably exploded in his face for a reason.
Thom shivered slightly at the memory. The wounds were long healed, but the memory of that incident was still a raw, painful scar.
“I don’t, either,” Thordin said after a moment of contemplation. “He’s a good man, a gentle man.”
“Did you know the man he was before? The druid?”
“Ciar?” Thordin smiled faintly. “There are more than a few stories.”
“But did you know him?” Thom pressed, not sure why it suddenly felt important. Maybe it was because there was something tugging at the back of his brain, something he couldn’t fathom, couldn’t explain.
“I knew him,” Thordin said quietly. “I chased him, faced him in battle. It’s not an experience I’d be keen to repeat.”
“How did that happen? Facing him on a battlefield?”
Thordin snorted softly. “Accident. When he still Ridden, he was dangerous, a force to be reckoned with, one who could barely tell friend from foe. I had the misfortune of riding against him. We were lucky to escape with our lives—both he and I.”
A shudder ran through Thom. That doesn’t sound pleasant.
There was a bright flash in the distance coupled with a howl. Up in the tower, Rory swore, loudly.
“You two better get up here!” he shouted. “Because I think I know what I saw and I don’t like it!”
