Free Blood of the Earth by David A. Wells Page B

him, smiling with rat blood smeared around his mouth.
    Alexander moved straight up through hundreds of feet of stone until he came to the surface, rising higher still, until he was floating many thousands of feet over the Reishi Isle. He made a mental note of the location in the rugged northwestern mountains of the island and then faded back into the firmament.
    Next, he focused on Rankosi.
    His awareness coalesced over a road cut through pasture. A lone man was walking briskly like he had a purpose in mind. He was older, with white hair and a white goatee. He was dressed in the simple robes preferred by so many wizards. Alexander floated around in front of him to get a better look, when the man stopped and smiled at him.
    “Hello, Alexander,” Rankosi said.
    Alexander was taken aback. He couldn’t imagine how the shade knew his name, let alone how he could see him. Not for the first time, he wished he knew how to speak through his clairvoyant presence.
    “Of course, I know your name,” Rankosi said. “You and your woman brought us into this world … and without binding us to your will first.” He laughed with maleficent glee. “In all of eternity, we never imagined that anyone would be so foolish. As a reward for such a priceless gift, my brothers and I have decided to spare you until the end, so you can watch the results of your carelessness. We are going to ravage your world and there’s nothing you can do to stop us.”
    Alexander wanted to scream. All of his worst fears about the shades were coming true. He took a firm grip on his turbulent emotions and rose high into the sky directly above the shade until he could make out the form of the Isle of Fellenden. He marked the position of the shade and faded back into the firmament.
    Finally, he focused on Shivini.
    His fear spiked when his awareness coalesced within Blackstone Keep.
     A possessed Ranger stood over the broken and mutilated corpse of another maidservant, savagely beaten to death.
    The shade turned from his victim toward Alexander.
    “Master has sent me to undo your alliance,” Shivini said. “It was so good of you to summon all of your allies to one place. But there’ll be plenty of time for that. At the moment, I’m very focused on the more important work of beating innocent young women to death. The taste of their fear when they realize they’re going to die is exquisite.”
    Alexander was repulsed and infuriated. He drew his awareness up through the Keep to get an idea where Shivini was, then slammed back into his body and bolted to his feet.
    “Little One, go find Kelvin and guide him to me,” he said to Chloe without speaking.
    She buzzed up and kissed him on the cheek before spinning into a ball of light and disappearing into the aether.
    “Be safe, My Love,” she said in his mind.
    He came out of the meditation chamber at a run, racing through the sitting room as Anatoly, Jack, and Boaberous scrambled to their feet.
    Alexander reached into the Keep Master’s ring as he ran, searching for the location where he’d found Shivini and then looking for the quickest route there. The shade was in one of the areas designated as quarters. Alexander searched for any shields nearby and found three, one at each of the access points to that particular section of the Keep. He raised the magical barriers to prevent his enemy from escaping.
    He heard Anatoly bark an order to the Ranger standing sentry outside his quarters. The man ran in the opposite direction to get reinforcements.
    Alexander wasn’t sure what he was going to do once he found Shivini, but he wasn’t about to let the shade roam the halls of Blackstone Keep killing people at his whim. He was confident that he could kill Shivini’s host, but he also knew that wouldn’t stop the shade from taking another. Still, he had to do something.
    He raced through the halls until he reached the area where Shivini had been. He slowed his pace, stretching out with his all around sight into the