The pillars of creation

Of course, she knew that this was not the time or place he could afford to give her comfort; they were all on the brink of battle. Still, it hurt.

Over the sound of the wind moaning through the bare branches of majestic, mature maple trees lining the road, she picked up the sound of hooves at a gallop. All eyes turned to watch bearded, long-haired men, streamers of fur and hides trailing out behind as they hunched forward over their horses' withers, charging in from the road on the right. Jennsen recognized them by the lead horse's patchy white, pied coloration. They were one of the small reconnoitering parties the emperor had sent ahead hours before. In the distance to the west, their counterpart was returning from the opposite direction, but they were yet tiny specks riding down out of the far foothills.

As the first group of horsemen came storming in before the emperor and his advisors, Jennsen covered her mouth with the edge of her cloak to mask her coughing on the cloud of dust.

The husky man at the lead of the riders pulled his pied horse around.

His greasy strings of hair whipped around like the horse's white tail. "Nothing, Excellency."

Jagang, looking in a foul mood and near the end of patience, shifted his weight in his saddle. "Nothing."

"No, Excellency, nothing. No sign of troops anywhere to the east, or on the far side of the city, or all the way up the slopes of the mountains. Nothing. The roads, the trails-all deserted. No people, no tracks, no horse dung, no wagon ruts… nothing. We could find no sign that anyone has been here for a good long time."

The man went on with a detailed account of where they had looked, but without result, as the other knot of men thundered in from the west, their horses lathered and in a high state of excitement.

"No one!" the man at the front called out as he hauled in on the reins, laying his horse's head over. The horse, eyes wild and keyed up from the hard ride, pivoted around to a halt before the emperor, snorting through flared nostrils. "Excellency, there are no troops-or anyone-to the west."

Jagang glared at the Confessors' Palace. "What about the road up to the Keep?" he asked in a quiet growl. "Or are you going to tell me that my scouts and patrols were ambushed by the ghosts of all the vanished people!»

The brawny man, layered in hides, looked as fierce as anyone Jennsen had ever seen. His top teeth were missing, adding to his savage aspect. He cast a cautious look back up at the wide ribbon of road that wound its way up from the city toward the Wizard's Keep. He turned back to the emperor.

"Excellency, there were no tracks on the road up to the Keep, either."

"Did you go all the way up to the Keep to check?" he asked, his dark gaze turning on the man.

The man swallowed under the hot scrutiny of Jagang's glower. "There is a stone bridge, not far from the top, that crosses a great crevasse. We went that far, Excellency, but still saw no one, nor any tracks. The portcullis was lowered. Beyond, the Keep showed no sign of life."

"That means nothing," a woman not far behind scoffed.

Jennsen turned, along with Sebastian, most of the advisors, officers, and Jagang, to look at her. It was Sister Perdita who had spoken. At least she managed to keep most of the superior smirk off her face as everyone stared at her.

"It means nothing," she repeated. "I'm telling you, Excellency, I don't like this one bit. Something is wrong."

"Something? Like what?" Jagang asked, his voice low and surly.

Sister Perdita left the company of several dozen Sisters of the Light and walked her horse forward to speak more privately to the emperor.

"Excellency," she said only after she was close, "have you ever walked into a wood, and realized that there were no sounds, when there should be? That it had suddenly gone quiet?"

Jennsen had. She was struck by how accurately the Sister had hit upon the peculiar, uneasy feeling she was havinga kind of portent to doom, yet without definable cause, that made the fine hairs at the back of her neck stand on end like when she would be lying in her bedroll, almost asleep, and every insect, all at once, went silent.

Jagang glared at Sister Perdita. "When I walk into a wood, or anywhere, it always goes silent."

The Sister didn't argue, but simply started over. "Excellency, we have fought these people long and hard. Those of us with the gift know their tricks with magic. We know when they are using their gift. We've learned to know if they've used magic to set traps, even if those traps are not themselves magic. But this is different. Something is wrong."

"You still have not told me what," Jagang said with restrained, impatient irritation, as if he didn't have time for someone who wouldn't come to the point.

The woman, noting his annoyance, bowed her head. "Excellency, I would tell you if I knew. It is my duty to advise you of what I know. We can detect no magic being used-none. We sense no traps that have ever been touched by the gift.