Lon brought his griffin down on the dirt patch inside The Citadel wall. He’d left Kat and Amanda at The Tower to make a full report to Thomas. Though eager to find David Weks, Connor’s other yearmate, he needed to speak to Fredric first. He strode past the students enjoying the warm afternoon sun while doing their forms in the yard and hurried up the steps to the main gate.

He took the right-hand passage down to Fredric’s office. If he didn’t find the commandant there he’d have to go hunting for him and Lon really didn’t want to waste that much time. Fredric’s door was closed and the gold shield nailed to it polished to a mirror shine. Lon crossed his fingers and knocked.

“Enter.”

Finally a bit of good luck. He pushed the door open and smiled to find Jennifer standing in front of the desk, her hands clasped behind her back. She wore the sword Damien had made for her, his soul force pulsing from the hilt in time to her heart.

“Lon, this is a surprise.” Fredric stood and the two men shook hands. “What brings you to The Citadel?”

“I have two missions that require warlords, a hard one and a really hard one.”

Fredric sat back down and gestured to the empty chair. “Why don’t you tell me about it?”

Lon sat and filled him in on what had happened. “So I need a team to come with me to meet David. I have no idea if more soul force eaters will show up, but I mean to be ready. It’s certainly within the realm of possibility that Connor sent the monsters to kill anyone that might know something about him. Not that Kat did, in fact, know anything. The second group needs to hunt down the monsters near the border. Since I doubt they’ll hang around the lookout, that will be the harder task, if it’s even possible.”

“So you got stuck finishing my son’s work.” Fredric shook his head.

“It wasn’t Damien’s fault. When the archmage summons you, you go.”

Fredric grunted.

“I volunteer to take my squad to the border,” Jen said.

“Actually, I hoped you and your team would come with me,” Lon said. “Truth is, I doubt anyone will find the first bunch of monsters and if a second group attacks David, I’d prefer to have a team whose abilities I know beside me.”

Fredric nodded. “Good idea. I have people in the northern army that can check out the watch post. They’ll be more familiar with the territory so they’ll have a better chance of finding the creatures. Prepare your squad.”

Jen saluted and marched toward the door.

“I’ll meet you in the courtyard,” Lon said. “No need to bother with horses, we’ll be traveling a good ways.”

Jen grinned back at him. “Edward will be thrilled.”

When she’d gone Fredric said, “How is Damien faring?”

“Fine. I’m sure you’ve seen the reports. I haven’t actually spoken to him since he started serving with the archmage.”

“I have read the reports and I’m afraid it all might be too much for a sixteen-year-old boy to handle. She sent him virtually alone into a nest of vipers on the southern border.”

“I’m told he acquitted himself brilliantly. Young as he is, Damien is already a masterful sorcerer. You need to stop seeing the boy who failed at being a warlord and start seeing the amazing sorcerer he’s become.”

Fredric shook his head again. “Far easier said than done.”

Lon left his old friend to brood and went out to the courtyard. He found Jen and her team waiting. A golden chariot appeared as he walked down the steps. Edward turned green as it formed.

Everyone climbed aboard and Lon took his place at the front. David was stationed in the east, in a village not far from the Barrier Mountains. He served as an assistant to the local lord, handling healing and interrogations, helping out with the occasional bandit raid, that sort of thing. According to the report, David wasn’t anything special as far as power went, but he had a solid reputation for getting his missions done.

They left The Citadel behind and Jen asked, “So what are we dealing with if these things do show up?”

The rest of the squad, save Edward who had his head over the side of the chariot, leaned closer.

“The ones up north had a reptilian appearance, but that doesn’t mean much. Warlocks create them from a unique sort of demon called a Hungerer. They have no soul force of their own beyond what all living things have to stay alive. As long as no one attacks them with external soul force they shouldn’t pose much of a threat to you. You need to be careful they don’t stick their claws or fangs into your flesh. If they do they can draw out even internal soul force.”

“Great,” Talon muttered. “Yet another thing iron skin is useless against.”