Book 2, Chapter 148 (1/2)
An End And A Beginning
Sinclair seemed to notice Richard’s gaze, tilting her head and making a huge effort to look at him with her one eye. She smiled at him, but it wasn’t the charming smile she once had. There was an unspeakable melancholy behind the expression; this was a smile that would make others sympathise with her helplessness.
“I… look awful now, don’t I?”
Richard hadn’t expected this to be her first sentence. He hesitated for a while before nodding.
“Ha! You mages are a bunch of dull characters,” Sinclair laughed in self-mockery, “I… I want to live on, can I surrender? My body is very special, given some time I’ll slowly return to normal. There’s no need to worry about my ability in combat.”
“That was never my concern,” Richard said calmly, “But you…”
He stretched out his hand. Olar, who was adept at reading his body language at this point, immediately tossed a dagger over. The dagger was surprisingly heavy and cold, a chill permeating Richard’s body the moment he touched its handle. Originally left with the last dredges of his energy, Richard felt the cold surge through him like a tide as it stimulated the moonforce within, like cool water that refreshed his spirit. He felt strange, realising that the elven bard had given him one of Sinclair’s daggers.
Richard held the dagger as he continued, “Some hostilities can never be erased. However, if you can share the reason for your presence and give me some details about the Schumpeters, I won’t harvest your runes in your death.”
Once the removal of the rune was mentioned, Sinclair couldn’t help but shudder. Her rune hadn’t been slotted in, instead tattooed onto her body. If it were removed, her corpse would be left an unrecognisable mess. Even though she didn’t want to die, she was not afraid of death. However, death at the hands of a runemaster would definitely not end well.
The young lady inarticulately expressed that three families had joined forces to offer a sacrifice to the Eternal Dragon, changing Richard’s destination. Even though their offering was extremely valuable, there were many rules and limitations to the effects. The Dragon would not allow Richard’s destination to have a stable passage, nor would it allow a change in the basic characteristics of the destination plane. They had to find a new plane, one not registered with the Church, with fewer restrictions on level. The end result had surpassed everyone’s expectations, landing both parties in the unknown plane of Faelor. Moreover, those of this plane surprisingly could possess legendary might!
Sinclair’s mission was to kill Richard, the cost of transportation being shared by the three families.
Sinclair’s answers validated Richard’s prior suspicions. However, he still held onto a last glimmer of hope as he asked, “Do you have the coordinates to return to Norland?”
Sinclair forced out a smile, “If I did, I would have returned long ago. You should be well aware just how valuable a plane of this level is. Pity; our Lighthouse of Time was extinguished when we left the portal.”