Kathir's Redemption (Book 6) Read Online Free PDF

to silence them. “ The charges are true and correct! You are guilty! Guilty of treason! ”
    After an moment of tense silence, the crowd erupted into cheers. The High Priest nodded solemnly and then started toward the gallows.
    “ Now what? ” Tallin asked.
    “ Now they hang us, ” said Mugla.
    F ë anor piped up. “ They won ’ t kill me that easily — I ’ m not surrendering without a fight. ”
    Mugla shook her head. “ Can ye break the bonds of cold iron, elf? They know yer weakness. They won ’ t remove yer shackles, not even after ye are dead. There ’ s no escape. ”
    F ë anor ’ s shoulders slumped, and Amandila started to cry.
    Tallin felt the glowing warmth of his dragon stone inside his pocket. In all the commotion, he was lucky that the guards had forgotten to take it from him. “ Don ’ t despair, ” he said quietly. “ There ’ s still hope. Duskeye sent me a message. He ’ s coming to rescue us! ”
    Mugla ’ s eyes grew wide. “ No, Tallin. No! Tell him he can ’ t. He ’ ll be killed! Any dragons crossin ’ the island perimeter will activate the protective wards. There are wards specifically designed to stop dragons from coming to this island. Without protection, he ’ ll be torn apart in the sky! ”
    Tallin ’ s face went white. “ What? You never told me that! Who would set wards specifically against dragons? Oh no! ” He felt fear rising up within him. Would Duskeye die trying to save them?
    “ Duskeye might be able to circumvent the wards, ” said F ë anor, a bit cryptically, “ if he was smart enough to get help from my queen. ”
    Tallin looked at the elf. “ Explain yourself. And I mean right now. ”
    F ë anor cleared his throat. “ The Balborites didn ’ t set the wards upon this island — their spellcasters aren ’ t skilled enough to set wards on such a large area. The elves did it, thousands of years ago, as part of an ancient compact. The only way to bypass the wards is by using a special key — a shadowkey — and our Queen has it in her possession. ”
    Tallin grasped at this small glimmer of hope. “ What is it? I ’ ve never heard of such a thing . ”
    “ A shadowkey doesn ’ t look like a regular key, ” said the elf. “ But it works in a similar fashion. It ’ s an enchanted object, but more powerful than any enchanted object  in the human realm. A shadowkey will allow anyone to bypass the wards with ease. ”
    “ I ’ ve heard of shadowkeys, but I ’ ve never seen one myself, ” said Mugla.
    F ë anor continued. “ You wouldn ’ t be able to — there aren ’ t any shadowkeys left in the mortal lands. The elves destroyed most of them eons ago. Any remaining shadowkeys are kept in Brighthollow. There are several shadowkeys in Queen Xiiltharra ’ s possession. A few were made by humans, and others were crafted by other races, but the spells required to create them has been lost to mortals. ”
    Tallin ’ s eyes narrowed. “ Why didn ’ t you mention this earlier, when we were still on the mainland? ”
    The elf paused, as if surprised by the question. “ The information is rather sensitive. Knowledge of the shadowkeys is restricted to elves only. The keys themselves are an abomination. The knowledge of their creation has been lost to mortals for some time, which is as it should be. To create a key like this, you have to slay a dragon and then anoint the key with the sacrificial blood of the creature. Killing a dragon is not something that my people take lightly. ”
    Disgust flashed in Tallin ’ s eyes. “ You have to kill a dragon to create a shadowkey? So the elves slaughtered a dragon to create this key? ”
    F ë anor looked uncomfortable. “ Yes. One was made by the elves long ago after the Balborites were barred from breeding dragons. Long ago, the Balborites had their own dragons and dragon riders. The elves put a stop to that. ”
    Tallin gave a harsh bark of laughter. “ Unbelievable! Your queen gets to determine