Bab 257: Alone in the Dark

I stumbled through the streets, my cloak drawn tight about me. Alverin's illusion had gone, yet the sun still felt cold and distant, shadows seeming to reach out to me wherever I went. The streets hummed with hushed murmurs, everyone looking over their shoulders, casting their eyes suspiciously at the other passersbys. Patrols of heavily armored guards ranged everywhere, stopping people at random for rough interrogations, still searching for the perpetrators of the battle. 

Every step was labored and unsteady, and I had to stop many times to rest. Because I had burned my soul, it would be a long time until my mana began to trickle back, leaving me drained and dry. The summer breeze dragged over my skin, hot and oppressive, stinging my exposed wounds, yet the chill refused to depart from my bones, wracking me with shivers.