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.The man fell, his head cracking solidly against the stone floor of the bridge, but another defender held the base of the bridgeagainst the wolf's advance.In the cramped space Blind Seer could not gather the momentum to leap as he had before.His new opponent held a long sword and shield.Behind him, a woman slowly rose from the side of the man Blind Seer hadpushed into the river, readying her own long-handled spear.Elise became aware of other developments as well.Although Melina's attention had seemed entirely centered on Citrine and the continuation of whatever convoluted ritual theywere working between them, the sorceress proved she had some awareness for what went on around her.As the battle grewviolent enough that it might disturb even Citrine's fixed concentration, Melina raised her own voice, shouting her incantationsloudly enough that distinct passages could be heard even where Elise stood.Against the power of Melina's voice, Toriovico's attention was shifting.Once again, the Healed One raised his axe, his motionsregaining some of their former grace and power as he turned toward Blind Seer's defenseless back.Not seeing anything else to do, Elise raced forward.Grasping the haft of Toriovico's axe, she shouted in New Kelvinese:"Dance, Toriovico! Dance! It's what you love.It's what you are.Dance!"Only after she had spoken and felt his hazel green eyes focus on her did Elise feel strange about calling a foreign ruler by hisfirst name.Yet she knew she'd done the right thing.She must reach his essential self and somehow she knew that deep insideToriovico no more thought of himself as "the Healed One" than she thought of herself as "Lady Archer."Even as she steeled herself to meet Toriovico's gaze and will him to win his internal battle, Elise felt a warm, strong presencenext to her.She glanced to one side and there was Derian, pulling the axe from the Healed One's now unresisting hands."His Majesty doesn't seem quite sure," Derian said, trying the heft of the weapon and shoving past to help Blind Seer, "whoseside he's on.Get him off this bridge."Elise nodded, guiding the unresisting but strangely numb Toriovico off the span's curve and to the farther shore.Edlin darted to intercept her."I say, Elise.What's wrong with Peace?"The Illuminator had crossed to stand next to Firekeeper, his face so pale and strained with concentration that the tattoos stoodout as if they'd been etched with green ink on bleached paper."I think he's trying magic," Elise answered."Help Derian.Silence Melina.That's the best thing you can do to help him."With a final worried glance at his mentor, Edlin did as Elise had ordered.Elise continued to guide the still unresistingToriovico, stopping where Doc was neatly binding a very battered young woman, inspecting her wounds as he did so."Don't waste your gift on these," Elise told him bluntly."We may need it to save others who have more right to it."Doc looked unhappy, but nodded."This one's only bruised," he admitted, "but neither Derian or Edlin were gentle with her.The man I'm worried about is the oneBlind Seer pushed into the river."Elise shook her head, marveling at a nature so committed to healing that the fact that the man in question would have guttedFirekeeper and her wolf meant nothing now that the threat was ended.Oddly, Doc's skewed perspective did not annoy her as itmight have in another, only warmed a part of her soul she hadn't known until then was cold.aaTTnnssFFffooDDrrPPmmYYeeYYrrBB22.BBAAClick here to buyClick here to buywwmmwwoowwcc.AAYYBBYYBB r r"Help me with this man instead of worrying about one across the river." she suggested."The Healed One seems trapped withinMelina's control.I thought he was breaking free, but now I'm not certain.""What was he doing when you thought he was breaking free?" Doc asked, for all the world as if he were diagnosing a moreusual illness."I tried to get him to dance," Elise said."I remembered he told us that was what broke the spell before."Doc nodded, rising to his feet
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