Castien, an elf mage who cannot speak except with the aid of a magical dagger, has been captured while on a mission. He is freed by his companion, the warrior elf Daeron, and returns with him to Daeron’s homeland. There they will join forces to rid the land of a Lord bent on the destruction of the elves.<br><br>Theirn, a young half-elf thief, attempts to rob Castien during his stay at an inn and is caught by the mage. Much against Theirn’s will, he is enlisted into the group of rebel elves. But as Theirn's infatuation with Castien grows, he becomes more than eager to risk treachery, betrayal, and even death on dangerous missions just to be close to the man he is growing to love.

Mage of Silence

They moved deeper into the forest, with the sun at their backs, and ate the meat from the bag as they went along. Neither of them wanted to waste any more time than necessary. The `liquid’ was indeed what Castien had thought; a rather harsh home-brewed liquor. Theirn would not drink any but allowed Castien a few sips as his throat was parched. He insisted Castien save the rest so he could use it to cleanse Castien’s wound when next they stopped.


Eventually they came to a small stream and Castien called a halt to their travel with a plea of thirst and a need to rest. Theirn agreed, took the one battered cup from the bag and went to the stream. He drank and filled it again to bring some water back for Castien, which he gulped down before asking for more. When Castien had had enough, Theirn filled the cup with the last of the liquor and took the bandage from Castien’s wound.


Chapter 19