Fire Study (Poison Study 3)

“Marrok! What—” An arrow struck a tree next to me.

“Drop your weapons and dismount. Or the next arrow goes into her heart!” the Ixian shouted.

I tossed my bow to the ground and gestured to the others to follow. Tauno slid off Topaz, lowered Marrok down, then removed his bow and arrows. Moon Man frowned but released his scimitar before getting off Garnet. Leif tossed his machete next to my staff.

“Step away from the weapons and raise your hands.”

We did as instructed. I made sure to step closer to Marrok. An arrow had pierced his side.

The ring of Ixian soldiers closed in. I counted four men and two women. Armed with crossbows and swords, they advanced on us.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t send you back to the squad of southerners?” asked an Ixian captain.

His uniform was mostly black except for a row of yellow diamond shapes down his sleeves and pant legs. We had crossed into Ixia’s MD-7.

“Because it wouldn’t be diplomatic to turn away a Sitian delegation,” I said.

The captain laughed. “Delegations come with honor guards not fleeing guards. Want to tell me another one?”

“I’m Liaison Yelena Zaltana. I’m here to speak with the Commander even though my visit is not sanctioned by the Sitian Council.”

“Yelena? The ex-food taster who saved the Commander?” the captain asked.

“Yes.”

“But you have magic. Why would you want to come back to Ixia? I could kill you now and be considered a hero.”

“I see your reputation has preceded you,” Leif said, grinning. I hoped his good humor was relief over seeing Moon Man alive and well and not over the death threat to me.

I frowned at him. Leif didn’t understand just how precarious a situation we were in. The captain’s boast had merit. I was quite sure the rumors about the order for my execution had traveled throughout Ixia, while the fact that the Commander had ripped up those orders when I agreed to be a Liaison probably had not.

Especially since everyone in Sitia and Ixia believed the Commander had stayed behind in Ixia when the Ixian delegation visited Sitia a couple months ago. The Commander had been disguised as Ambassador Signe, and she had no authority to cancel an execution order.

Because of the edict that magicians were not allowed in Ixia unless invited, and any Ixians discovered with magical powers were put to death, I had one volatile situation on my hands.

While killing us wouldn’t be easy, the captain had what amounted to standing orders to execute us on the spot. If he succeeded, though, he would have to face Valek. I shied away from that line of thought.

Instead, I said, “The Commander has appointed me as a Liaison with the Council. I am a neutral third party so I would not come with an honor guard of Sitians. I come with friends. Those guards had been chasing him.” I gestured to Marrok’s prone form. “I need to discuss something important with the Commander right away.”

The captain’s crossbow wavered. He appeared to be considering my answer. I pulled a thread of magic and skimmed his mind, touching only on his surface thoughts and emotions.

His ambition warred with his intelligence. Tired of guarding the border, the captain wanted a promotion and reassignment. Killing these southern magicians would give him enough recognition to become a major. But what if Yelena told the truth? The Commander wouldn’t be happy to have his Liaison killed. Still, bringing a magician close to the Commander would be dangerous. What if Yelena lied and planned to assassinate him?

I nudged his thoughts to trust us and to believe that if he led us to his commanding officer, he would be doing a commendable deed.

“You will accompany me and my squad,” the captain said. “We will confiscate your weapons and horses, and you will obey all orders. Any trouble or signs of revolt and you will be incapacitated.” He signaled for a few of his soldiers to approach us. “Search them. What about him?”

I looked at Marrok. “Let me attend to his wounds, Captain…”

“Nytik.” Again the captain signaled to one of his soldiers. “Lieutenant, search him for weapons.”

After the lieutenant secured Marrok’s sword, he gave me permission to examine him. The arrow had pierced Marrok’s right side, missing his ribs. There wasn’t much blood and the arrow hadn’t gone deep. Why was Marrok unconscious?

Accessing my magic, I scanned the rest of his body. He had been beaten. Two ribs and his collarbone were broken. A mass of bruises covered his body and his jawbone was cracked.

“Leif, I’m going to need some help.” Healing the extensive damage in Marrok’s body would exhaust me and I needed to reserve some energy in case Captain Nytik changed his mind.

“A poultice?” Leif knelt next to me.

“No. His story threads are frayed.” Moon Man placed his large hand on Marrok’s forehead.

I glared at Moon Man. “Stay away from him. Leif, let’s deal with the physical injuries first.”

Moon Man retreated. Leif and I drew power from the source. With my brother’s help, I assumed his injuries and repaired them. When Marrok woke, Leif gave him water and a sustaining tonic to revive him.

I questioned him on what had happened and why he was here, but Marrok just stared at me with a wild, unconnected look in his eyes. Worried about his mental state, I projected my awareness into his thoughts.

A cacophony of images flooded his mind. Memories and emotions and secret thoughts were exposed, unlocked and left to run amok, as if someone had taken a library full of books and torn and scattered them all around the room. The sheer amount of disarray overwhelmed Marrok. He could no longer bring two thoughts together to form a coherent sentence.

And there in the middle of the mess, gleefully shredding what remained of Marrok’s mind, was Roze Featherstone, First Magician.

She turned to me. There you are. I knew I’d find you in here if I looked hard enough. Now I can discover where you’ve been hiding.

She advanced, but I held my position. I’m not a memory, Roze. You won’t be able to extract anything from me.

I wouldn’t be so sure. Too much confidence can be a weakness.

You tried twice before and failed. I’m feeling pretty certain about my prediction. Why did you destroy Marrok’s mind?

She glanced around at the chaos. He’s a criminal. And you shouldn’t be so shocked. It’s no different than when you destroyed the Soulstealer’s mind.

I ignored the jab. Marrok isn’t a criminal and you know it. Did you force him to make a false confession?

He was honest, unlike you. You’ve been lying to us and to yourself, thinking you can be a benefit to Sitia. Now the Council knows the danger and I have permission to eliminate the threat you pose.

Again I failed to be impressed with her boast. How did Marrok and the others find us?

Roze smiled. You’ll have to figure that out on your own.

Are you trying to tell me I have a spy in my midst?

Dishonest people tend to find each other, Yelena. It’s the price you pay for associating with the criminal element. Frankly, I was surprised the Council hadn’t given me permission to neutralize you before. After all, how can they trust the heart mate of the most feared man in Sitia? Think about it. How could you be a Liaison when it’s obvious where your loyalties lie? First sign of trouble and you’re running for home. I will tell you one thing. You won’t be safe in Ixia.

I didn’t say anything, but she laughed. I have found what I needed. Good luck trying to put the pieces of Marrok’s mind back together.

She faded from his consciousness. Standing in the middle of the destruction she had left behind, I knew restoring order would be an impossible task. I returned to my body. There was nothing I could do.

Roze had the Council’s support against me. If I hadn’t known any better, the web of lies Cahil spun made complete sense. Roze even made sense. If she was as dedicated to Sitia as she claimed, then her efforts to discredit me were valid. Why trust me? I?

?m a Soulfinder, the one type of magician with an evil history. It would take a major effort and physical evidence to counter Cahil now.

“Moon Man, how did you find us?” I asked.

“Logic. I knew you would go to Ixia and I knew you would not cross the Avibian Plains in order to go around Featherstone lands. So that left west. Tauno found your trail in the Krystal lands.”

It was too much of a coincidence. “But Leif saw you disappear into the fire. And what about Marrok and the horses? How did you get them?” He had help and must have been sent by Cahil or Roze. Moon Man worked for them now.

“Gede pulled me from the fire. Marrok had been dumped in the infirmary and left unguarded. The horses came when we needed them.”

It still sounded too easy. “Why did Gede insist I go into the fire?”

“You will have to ask him. He is your Story Weaver now. I can not guide you.” His tone held sadness.

“Why did you go into the fire, Moon Man?” Leif asked.

“Gede is the only surviving leader of my clan. I follow his orders.”

“Even when your life’s at stake?”

“Yes. Loyalty to one’s clan comes before personal safety.”

“Like being bait for a necklace snake?” Leif gazed at me.

“Exactly,” Moon Man said.

“Can your man walk?” Captain Nytik asked. He had been standing nearby, watching us with distaste creasing his forehead. “We need to get moving.”