The Invisible Ring

retreating into the tavern. He took a deep breath, let it out slowly. Took another. Following Thera’s terse, final instructions, he began to fill the psychic web with his Red strength. Slow and steady. No pulses of power that could overwhelm the non-Jeweled Blood in the web. Slow and steady.
    Randolf. Blaed. Talon.
    He used them as touchstones because they had been the last three added to the web and he could still recognize them. He used them because feeling Talon strongly through the web let him know the web was fully engaged.
    They were as ready as they could be.
    Any Hayllians coming up from the landing place would have to pass the Coaches, would have to pass by him.
    Jared bared his teeth. “Come on, bastard. Let the battle begin.”

    Chapter Thirty-eight

    Hearing Lord Krelis’s voice thunder over the village, one of the Hayllian guards who was watching the east end of the village rubbed his hands in anticipation.
    Now Hayll would teach another of these inferior races what it meant to be Blood. Now he’d have a chance to bring himself to Lord Krelis’s—and the High Priestess’s— notice.
    Maybe he’d even have a chance to show one or two of these Shalador bitches what it was like to be mounted by a real man.
    He glanced over his shoulder at the slope that led down into that dirt circle. His grin faded. He shuddered.
    What had they used that circle for? Some kind of witches’ celebration? Some bestial rite that the males feared?
    He’d thought of exploring that circle, maybe even dropping his pants and taking a squat to defile it. But when he’d reached the top of the slope, he’d hit a wall of cold air that made him certain that any male who walked through it would end up with shriveled balls and a permanently limp cock.
    So he was here, at the bottom of the slope, waiting for the signal to move forward. The bloodletting would have to wait. The commanders had been very firm about that. Full psychic shields to protect themselves and controlled strikes to wear down the Jeweled Blood and drive them all to the center of the village.
    However, once the little bitch-Queen was caught . . .
    Something passed by him, a few yards to his left, and headed up the slope.
    Immediately, he extended his psychic probe and started searching.
    The answer that came back from that probe was more subtle than a thought: Nothing there .
    Uncertain, he sharpened his probe. If any of the villagers managed to slip past the Hayllians surrounding this privy hole, it wasn’t going to be near him .
    For just a second, he thought he felt something, touched something.
    Something female. Something fiercely violent and powerful.
    A cold fist settled against his lower back.
    Then: Nothing there .
    Shaking his head, he turned back to face the village.
    When the order finally came, he moved forward eagerly.
    That damn circle was making him jump at shadows, was making him feel odd things, hear odd things.
    Because, for just a moment, he could have sworn he heard drums.

    Chapter Thirty-nine

    Jared clenched his teeth, squeezed his eyes shut, and concentrated on feeding his Red strength to the web.
    Damn you , he thought when he felt Randolf take a hard strike. Tap the strength that’s offered. Use it .
    They wouldn’t use it. He’d realized that after the first couple of minutes. The males who had decided to be the main diversion would sip the strength he was providing to maintain their protective shields, but they were draining their own Jewels to strike at the Hayllians and keep the bastards from closing in too quickly.
    With his inner vision, he could see the web, its spidersilk threads now colored a strong red from his Jewel. He could see the Jewel stars flare with each strike. They were all winking, constantly flaring and dimming as the fighting continued.
    Another strike.
    Another.
    Talon’s Sapphire Jewel star flared wildly for a moment.
    Jared held his breath until it steadied.
    How long could they hold out? What were Thera and Lia waiting for?
    He wanted to be out there, fighting with his friends, his people.
    The Silver Ring kept him chained inside the tavern.
    A cold gust of wind rushed over his skin, the kind of wind that made the changing leaves sound like rattles. The kind that was always a prelude to a violent autumn storm.
    Jared opened his eyes.
    He was inside the tavern. He shouldn’t be able to feel the wind. He was dressed. He certainly shouldn’t be able to feel it on his skin.
    Then he heard the drums.
    The sound singed his