Chapter 7
TANDOR ACHED like he never ached in his life. Not when he became engulfed in icefire, not when Loriane peeled burnt skin away from his face, not when his hands thawed out after the long ride through the snow, had he felt like this. It was as if a piece of his soul had been ripped out of him. As if Ruko’s mind had grown roots inside him that had been torn out when Myra and Loriane cut the bonds. Yet he had still managed to maintain the merest wisp of a connection with Ruko. He could still feel Ruko’s presence, and see shards of what he was doing.
After his escape from the tent, Ruko had simply vaulted the fence and the Chevakians hadn’t even noticed. Now, he was running with the same superhuman strength through the Chevakian country, on his way to join his friends. Whenever he n
