The Currents of Magic

Chapter Forty

"But if Eschera was in possession of the master ring," said Cade, "why would Meyer be seeing her in the visions? He should be seeing and hearing everything around her—not her."

"So the ring must belong to someone close to Eschera," said Damian.

"Hard to know," said Cade. He turned towards Meyer. "Didn't you have once vision where you didn't see Eschera at all?"

"It was more of a dream," said Meyer. "I wasn't wearing the ring, but I saw the Raiders. Eschera had just ordered them to stop attacking the Outlands."

"But every time you've had a vision while wearing the ring you've seen Eschera?" asked Cade.

Meyer nodded.

"What do we do?" said Ander.

"Tell Moon," said Cade. "We tell him about the ring, and that there is someone in the Dale hiding his or her true loyalties."

"You don't think he'll punish us?" said Damian.

"It's a risk we have to take," said Meyer.

Ander sighed dramatically. "So when are we putting our necks on the chop block for the greater good?" he asked.

"Tomorrow morning," said Cade. "We'll go right after breakfast."

"Why not tonight?" said Meyer.

"By the time we get back it will be near midnight," said Cade. "I'd rather not go knocking on Moon's door when half the Dale is asleep. I don't think it will make for the best entrance."

Meyer nodded. While he was eager to visit Moon, he still wasn't sure he fully subscribed to Cade's interpretation of the ring. Perhaps the ring had once belonged to a covert correspondent, but Moon most likely already knew that the ring was a decryptor. Syburn had said discovering as much was not difficult. The visions of Eschera were the cause of Meyer's greatest uncertainty—the part of the ring Moon surely did not understand—and even after visiting Syburn, Meyer was not more confident as to their meaning.

As the darkness enclosed around them, they lapsed into silence, and for long stretches they said nothing, walking silently along the shadowy path, light charms held high. Meyer noticed Damian's head constantly darting back and forth at the slightest sound in the trees around them, but Ander was humming to himself, and far as Meyer could tell, Cade was still deep in thought. They passed nobody, and soon the moon had risen high above, illuminating the path ahead, even where the rays of their light charms faded.

Meyer was staring down at the path in front of him when suddenly Ander stopped. "We're almost at the Dale," he said, gesturing at a barely discernable statue of a soldier holding a sword in the air. "Best duck into the woods," he continued, then started off the road.

Cade followed him, but Meyer paused, turning towards Damian.

"I'm fine," said Damain.

Meyer nodded and followed Ander quickly into the trees, but their pace soon slowed. Despite their light charms, skinny branches poked out invisibility from the darkness, and small stones appeared treacherously underfoot. Everyone but Damian tripped multiple times, and as if their progress weren't slow enough, they stopped frequently for Cade and Ander to argue about directions, each trying to reorient according to the moon, which was only sometimes visible through the leaves above.

Suddenly Ander exclaimed aloud. "Ow!" he said.

"I told you the enchantment shield was due north," said Cade.

"Well with all that confidence, you should have been leading the way," he muttered, still rubbing his nose. "Stupid enchantment-shield..."

Meyer smiled, but unfastened the anti-enchantment belt from around his waist. It took five minutes for everyone to pass through, Damian acting as an escort for each person, but soon they were all on the other side of the barrier, weaving through the trees again. To Meyer's relief, they quickly found a forest path, and they followed it out of the woods to where it deposited them in Tempest Circle.