CHAPTER 28
I stand facing a barrier once more, the one leading to the final location, the last of the First’s bonds. Now practiced, I form my shield ready to deflect it as I’ve done before. As soon as I step forward, I’m hit by a powerful force and flung back against the ground.
I stand up. Someone--a man, I think--is laughing. But there’s no-one else here. In fact, there’s nothing here at all except for withered plants and red sand. I turn my attention back to the barrier, but instead of trying to deflect it, I probe around it instead.
The laugh comes again as I gasp in surprise; this barrier is alive.
“So, you can feel me,” comes a whisper of a voice.
“Yes, but I can’t tell what--or who--you are,” I reply warily, scanning the whole area to make sure this isn’t someone’s idea of a jo
