Shadow Mage (Blacklight Chronicles) Read Online Free PDF

stared at him with those hideous eyes.
    “I will obey the gods.” They came here for a purpose. Whatever this was must be an illusion. Would it fade away once he positioned the rune and cast the binding spell? So he strode forward and kneeled down in front of the trap, trying to avoid staring inside the blackness. When he put the rune inside, his hands disappeared. How could he see to properly position the rune? His fingertips could feel disease and rot and death.  
    “You must enter…use your power and find the right placement for the rune.”  
    Talis glanced at Mistress Cavares, hoping to find something in her expression that might tell him this was all a horrible idea. But she was like the cold on a winter’s morning. He turned back to the trap, and crawled inside, ignoring the feeling of terror slithering under his skin. The air was burning hot. As he fumbled around in the dark, his hands sensed a chill. He couldn’t answer how he knew it, but this was the right spot.  
    He placed the rune and cast the spell. The rune flashed brilliant golden light, and sucked in the black mist. The characters inscribed on the rune shone for a moment, then the rune vaporized into ash and the trap collapsed around him.
    “Quickly, retreat,” Mistress Cavares said. Her eyes had gone back to normal, and her face now held a look of worry. “I may make a runemaster out of you yet…if this succeeds.”
    “But what was all that about?”
    Mistress Cavares put a finger to her lips to quiet him. “We must wait for the thing that must come to arrive.” She turned and led Talis over to duck behind an old, mossy log.
    After many minutes of waiting, Talis heard the beating of hooves in the forest. A stag tall and proud. The animal pranced across the meadow. Don’t let it be this beautiful creature, Talis prayed. The stag looked spooked and fearful. It darted around, then stopped and perked up its ears. A paw dug into the soft earth.  
    Shouts and the whinnying of horses and baying of hounds sent the stag bounding off into the opposite forest. Talis lifted himself up to see who it was, but Mistress Cavares held him back.  
    “Don’t interfere with the hand of fate,” she whispered.  
    “But what if someone is injured by the magical ward?”  
    Mistress Cavares raised an eyebrow. “Or much worse…” Talis glared at her, but she remained unaffected, and returned to stare across the meadow.
    Soon the hounds came, slobbering and sniffing and barking in excitement. They caught the stag’s scent and gave chase.  
    “Now comes the interesting part.” Mistress Cavares chuckled.
    Was she crazy? Talis glanced at the look of humor and bland determination in her eyes. She truly didn’t care if someone died or was injured because of the rune he had cast. Well he cared. He stood, shaking off her hand from his arm, and ran towards the sound of horses galloping in the forest.
    “Sit down, you fool!” shouted Mistress Cavares. “Would you rather save a human life or invoke the anger of the gods?” Her voice faded as Talis widened the distance between her and the hunters.
    Three horses fled the forest and burst across the meadow. Another nearly ran Talis over despite his shouts and hand waving. The banners. They were the guardsmen of House Lei. Mara’s family. Talis felt a cold sweat wash down his back. He had to warn them and keep them away from the magical ward.
    “Get out of the way!” shouted a guardsman. He aimed his bow at Talis. “Can’t you see we’re on the hunt?”
    “Over here!” Another guardsman on the edge of the opposite forest waved his banner. “The hounds have got the scent.”
    “There’s danger here,” Talis yelled, but the guardsmen had already bolted off towards the hounds.  
    The thundering of more hoofbeats sounded behind him. He whirled around just in time to duck. A massive destrier draped in purple silk leapt over him and landed directly in the path of the ward.
    Talis shouted at the rider to