Free Path of Honor by Diana Pharaoh Francis

stiff-necked posturing.”
    As they walked, Sodur questioned Juhrnus closely about his journey. Juhrnus dredged through his memory for the details that Sodur seemed to want, part of his mind worrying the question of Reisil like a dog with a rabbit. But there didn’t seem to be an opening to ask about her.
    At the Temple, Sodur yawned and rubbed his stomach. “I’ve not eaten since breakfast. I’ll have someone send something for us to my quarters.”
    Soon Juhrnus found himself ensconced in an overstuffed chair, booted feet propped on the andirons, Esper sprawled along his legs. He cradled a mug of mulled wine in one hand, a flaky meat pie in the other, idly noting the cracks and holes in his boots. The fire crackled, and his eyes grew heavy.
    “Did you go by Mysane Kosk after Kallas as I suggested?” Sodur asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
    Juhrnus blinked and shook his head to clear it. “I did. How did the wizards do that? What did they do?”
    Sodur gave a little shrug. “What did you see? It’s been more than a year since I’ve been there. Does it continue to expand?”
    “That’s what they say. The ahalad-kaaslane watching over the place showed me the markers where the borders had moved. They say it’s expanding faster now. Almost fifty yards this year.”
    Sodur sat back, tapping the side of his cup as he sipped his wine, watching Juhrnus carefully. “You didn’t try to go inside?”
    A frisson ran down Juhrnus’s spine, all hint of sleepiness evaporating. “It’s a foul place. Even without the warning of the ahalad-kaaslane guarding it, I wouldn’t have gone near the place.” He paused, licking his lips, tasting cloves and cinnamon and orange. “It’s like there’s something inside watching, waiting. You can feel it. And the place itself . . . I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s beautiful in a terrible way and so very, very alien .” Sodur waited as Juhrnus crushed his meat pie in his fist, dropping it onto his plate and wiping his hand on his napkin. “You’ve seen it. You know how it is.”
    “It’s been a long time. I’m sure a lot has changed. I’d like to know what it’s like now.”
    “Like the Demonlord’s fourth hell, if there was one.” Juhrnus swigged the rest of his wine, setting the cup on the table with a clatter.
    Sodur nodded, waiting.
    Juhrnus glared at the other man. “All right. Have it your way. There’s no color. Not the grass, not the rocks, not the trees, nothing. And yet everything sparkles like glass in the sun. It all looks sculpted, twisted, cursed.” Juhrnus splayed his hands. He didn’t have the words. “There’s a sound to it, like the wind blowing through a field of knives. A sharp, eerie sound that scrapes along your bones and puckers your ass. And the smell—like something rotten, only you can’t place where exactly it’s coming from, because there’s this sweetness to the air, like syrup. It clogs in your throat and makes you want to turn your stomach inside out to be rid of it. Down where the city used to be is a mist. It’s the most beautiful thing you’ll ever see. Sparkles like a sea of gemstones. You can’t see anything inside it. The ahalad-kaaslane there say it’s growing too, expanding with the borders. Whatever the wizards did there, it’s still thriving. It’s evil, and I don’t know when it will stop.”
    Juhrnus filled his cup again and drank deeply. Just laying eyes on the place had frightened him in ways he didn’t want to admit. Nightmares pursued him down from the mountains, and only the thought of Reisil and her magic staved them off. She’d destroyed a hundred wizards in one blow; all the way back to Koduteel he’d imagined how she would wipe Mysane Kosk clean. But now her magic wasn’t working. And something else was going on. . . .
    “I saw Reisil today,” he said abruptly, fixing his gaze on Sodur.
    “Did you?” Sodur began to eat again.
    “She’s found a new place to live.”
    Sodur glanced