Eldrin hit the ground hard.
Before he could roll away, the man twisted his arm behind his back and forced him against the road.
Another pair of hands seized his shoulders.
"Get off me!"
He kicked backward.
The second man caught his leg.
Eldrin struggled harder.
"Who are you?!"
One of them immediately clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Quiet."
Eldrin’s pulse hammered.
he knew one thing.
These men hadn’t attacked him randomly.
They had been waiting for him.
"Stop fighting," the second man muttered.
Eldrin bit down against the hand covering his mouth.
The man cursed and tightened his grip.
Kaiser crouched beside him.
For the first time, Eldrin saw his face clearly.
There was no anger in it.
No excitement.
Just recognition.
"So it really is you."
Eldrin froze.
Kaiser looked at the other man.
"The last survivor of House Novaryn."
The words went through him like ice.
They know.
His thoughts scattered.
Everything he’d tried to hide....
They know.
Eldrin’s heart hammered.
The Silver Tongue.
He reached for the familiar warmth beneath his chest.
Come on...
He looked directly at Kaiser.
The thought formed.
"You should let me go."
Nothing.
Eldrin waited.
The warmth stirred faintly beneath his chest...
Then disappeared.
Kaiser’s grip didn’t loosen.
His expression didn’t change.
Eldrin’s eyes widened.
Why?
He tried again.
"Let me go."
Nothing.
Not even a twitch.
Kaiser tightened his grip and pulled Eldrin’s arm farther behind his back.
Pain shot through his shoulder.
"Stop struggling."
Eldrin clenched his teeth.
Why isn’t it working?
It had worked before.
The trader.
The guard.
It had worked when he needed it least.
And now....
Now that someone was actually taking him...
Nothing.
Useless.
He reached for the warmth again.
Nothing came.
"Damn it..."
The words escaped beneath his breath.
The second man glanced at him.
"What?"
Eldrin immediately shut his mouth.
The man stared at him for another second before looking away.
They hadn’t understood.
Almost nobody even knew that the Silver Tongue existed.
Eldrin had been taught from childhood that Kingsbane abilities were not something to discuss outside the family.
And this one...
Eldrin twisted violently, trying to break Kaiser’s hold.
"Let me go!"
Kaiser shoved him down.
His head struck the ground.
Pain flashed through his skull.
The world tilted.
Eldrin tried one last time to reach for the warmth.
Still nothing.
"Please..."
Nothing.
His vision began to blur.
The last thing he felt was a hard grip dragging him away from the street.
Then everything went black.
........
It’s been too long.
Zarian had been waiting near the Korrandis estate for hours.
He had expected Eldrin to return before nightfall.
The longer he waited, the less he liked it.
He finally left the gate and began walking through the surrounding streets, keeping his eyes on every road that led back toward the estate.
Then....
A sudden burst of shouting broke through the evening.
Zarian turned.
A plume of smoke rose several streets away.
Then came another shout.
And the unmistakable glow of fire reflected against the buildings.
His expression changed.
He immediately started toward it.
He pushed through the gathering crowd and reached the edge of the street.
Then he saw them.
Two men.
One was carrying a boy over his shoulder.
Black hair fell loosely across the boy’s face.
Zarian stopped breathing.
Young master...
For a moment, the noise around him disappeared.
He almost ran straight toward them.
Almost.
Then he saw the second man walking beside the first.
Two.
Zarian’s hand tightened around the knife beneath his coat.
I can’t take both.
And certainly not while Eldrin was unconscious.
He followed.
Keeping far enough behind that they wouldn’t notice him, but close enough not to lose them.
The two men eventually left the main road.
They entered a narrow passage between several old buildings.
Zarian continued after them.
He watched their movements carefully.
The man carrying Eldrin was slower.
The other kept looking around.
They were cautious.
But caution created a weakness.
They couldn’t both watch the same direction.
Zarian waited.
Then the second man moved ahead to check the next corner.
For barely a moment...
The two were separated.
Zarian moved.
His foot struck the ground.
A weak gust of wind burst beneath him, pushing his body forward.
He lunged from the shadows.
His blade came free.
And he went straight for the man carrying Eldrin