***
A half hour had passed since Thayan ran off, and the others were getting impatient. "We better send someone after him," said Dameon. "He could get lost in that mist."
"Or get himself killed," said Kelden. He found himself feeling sorry for Thayan. Dameon had been very harsh with him--maybe needlessly so. After all, Thayan hadn't actually done anything wrong other than exchange a few angry words with one of Renstad's soldiers. Once again, Dameon had shown poor judgment.
"Chasing him around out there would be foolish at this point," said Renstad. "Give it a bit more time. He'll return or call for help if he loses his way."
"The Altan bulls won't get lost," said Dameon, pacing about. "And they can sniff him out. We need to find that boy before he does something foolish."
"I said we'll wait!" Renstad ordered, ending the discussion.
No sooner had he spoken than Thayan emerged from the fog, his steps slow and measured. "Are we ready to go?" he asked.
The others gazed at him with expressions of shock. Thayan looked like a walking corpse. His skin was tinted blue, as if he were frozen. His dark eyes held a glazed look, and a humorless smile was on his lips.
"What happened to you?" Dameon said. "You look terrible."
"Do I?" said Thayan, shrugging. "I feel wonderful. I think I blacked out. But I'm okay now. Everything is just fine."
"You don't look okay," said Dameon, his eyes narrowing. "You look like you've gazed into the face of death. What happened out there?"
"I'm not sure," said Thayan. "Last I knew, I was tripping over rocks. Maybe I fell and hit my head. I can't really remember."
"Your skin," said Kelden. "It looks..."
"Like what?" said Thayan, raising his eyebrows.
Kelden swallowed. "It looks pale, sort of. Were you bitten by something? Do you feel sick?"
"I feel great," said Thayan. "I think I fell, but now I'm fine. His grin broadened, but never touched his eyes. "Don't worry about me."
But Dameon persisted. "You bear a strange aura. Cold. I feel dark magic within you. You must tell me what has been done to you!"
"He's infested with Blue World sorcery!" hissed Theodus, stepping close to Kelden protectively.
"Very well," Thayan said. "I was attacked by the Blue World sorcerer. He fed on me somehow, but then he let me go. He changed my body in some fashion, but my mind is still intact--better than ever, actually. So stop your nagging."
"He has infected you somehow," said Dameon, his eyes wild. "Now we can no longer trust you. Tell me the truth, boy!"
"Yes, he infected me," said Thayan, shrugging. "But you can trust me. I'm still the same person. Yet he took something from me, and now I'm different. I can't explain it, but it worked out fairly well. Right?"
"He took your human essence!" said Dameon. "Admit it!"
Thayan didn't reply.
"We must make haste for Murakan," said Renstad. He glanced nervously about and flipped his axe in his hand. "That creature could be anywhere. Thayan must be kept in the cage until we know for sure what's happened to him."
"He reeks of Blue World sorcery," Theodus whispered to Kelden, "right to the core of his being. Things have taken a terrible turn for us. We never should have let him split off from the group."
Kelden shuddered. Thayan had made a dastardly mistake. But what had it cost him? "Keep him away from me," Kelden whispered to Dameon. "He looks possessed. Maybe he intends to carry out the sorcerer's work."
"He must be cleansed quickly," Dameon whispered back. "If we can get him to a healer, he may have a slim chance. But it doesn't look good. And I'm guessing you're right. He's probably been assigned the task of killing you."
"We must place you in irons, Thayan," Renstad said, nodding to one of his men. "It's just temporary, until we learn more about what happened to you."
"I don't mind being locked up," said Thayan. "But I assure you I'm no danger. In fact, I feel more relaxed and peaceful than I have in ages." He licked his lips. "By the way, did we eat lunch yet? I'm very, very hungry."