She stretched out her awareness and my mind’s eye went with her. Our minds touched a young woman nursing a baby on the first floor. Her thoughts on getting the baby to nap after he’d eaten his fill. Another woman on the third floor worried about the possibility of rain. We could feel no one on the second floor, but Ferde’s magic matched Irys’s in strength and he would not be easy to detect.
I could push harder, but he would know we were here, Irys said. I will come back with some reinforcements.
Who?
Roze and Bain. Together we should be able to subdue him. And once he’s unconscious, he’ll be easier to transport to the Keep’s prison.
Why unconscious?
A magician is helpless when unconscious.
Sleeping? I asked in alarm.
No. Only if it’s a drugged sleep or you get knocked out.
What happens once he wakes? Won’t he be able to use his magic to escape?
The Keep’s prison cells contain a power loop. If a magician tries to use magic within the cell, the loop absorbs the magical power and directs it back into the cell’s defenses until the magician is exhausted.
Fisk, who had been staring at us in fascination, cleared his throat. “Do you think the one you seek is living here?”
“Could the young girl your brother saw be the one with the baby?” Irys asked Fisk.
He shook his head. “That’s Ruby. Sometimes she hires me to watch Jatee.”
I grinned. “You’re turning into quite the entrepreneur.”
“I bought my mother a new dress,” he said with pride.
Rain began to fall as we made our way back to the market. With a wave, Fisk joined his friends and disappeared. The market emptied as the vendors packed up their wares. One woman bumped into me in her haste to get out of the rain. She shouted an apology, but never slowed her pace. Rumbles of thunder echoed off the hard marble walls of the Citadel.
I’ll find Roze and Bain. You return to the Keep, Irys instructed.
But I want to be there when you search that building.
No. Stay at the Keep, Yelena. He wants you. And if something goes wrong and he threatens to hurt Opal, you know you’ll give yourself up. It’s too dangerous.
I wanted to argue. But Irys was right, and, if I followed her despite her instructions, she wouldn’t trust me again.
Irys headed toward the Council Hall to find Roze, who had an appointment with the Ixian Ambassador. A meeting I would have loved to eavesdrop on. The arrogant Master Magician against the powerful Commander.
The rain began to fall in sheets, soaking my cloak. When I tucked my cold, wet hands into the pockets, my fingers touched paper. I couldn’t remember putting anything there. I hadn’t worn my cloak since coming to Sitia, although, I had used it to sleep when we had camped on the Avibian Plains. Perhaps the paper contained a cryptic message from Story Weaver. I laughed; it seemed to be something he would enjoy doing, leaving a puzzling note in my cloak. However, the mystery would have to wait until I found some shelter from the rain.
My guards waited at the Keep’s entrance. They followed me as I headed toward my room. After they searched the interior, I invited them inside, but they declined, citing some military regulation.
After I started a roaring fire and hung up my sodden cloak, I extracted the paper. It was a message for me. My hands turned to ice as I read the words, and even the heat from the hearth couldn’t warm them up.
“What does the message say?” Valek asked, coming from the bedroom.
I had ceased to be amazed by his abilities. Dripping wet, he must have come in through the bedroom window past one of my guards.
He plucked the paper from my hand. “She had some rudimentary skills. Probably a pickpocket hired to give you this note. Did you get a good look at her face?”
I made the belated connection between the woman who had bumped into me in the market and the message. “No. Her hood covered most of her head.”
Valek shrugged, but his gaze pierced me after he scanned the note. “Interesting development.”
Yes, Valek would think this turn of events interesting. However, I found myself conflicted.
“Seems the killer is one step ahead of the magicians,” he said. “He knows they won’t exchange you for Opal. So he has taken matters into his own hands. How important is Opal’s life to you?”
Valek had, as usual, gotten to the heart of the matter. Ferde’s note specified a location and a new date for the exchange. Three nights before the full moon, which was four days from now. I guessed that he needed some time to get me ready for the Efe ritual. My skin crawled with dread and I forced horrible images of being raped and tortured from my mind.
I could tell Irys and the others. They would set a trap for Ferde. But they wouldn’t let me near the site, so the trap was bound to fail.
Or I wouldn’t tell Irys about the note and would go to the meeting site alone. Irys’s warnings of what would happen if Ferde absorbed my magic filtered through my mind. He would then be powerful enough to control Sitia.
Let Opal die to save Sitia? I had promised myself that I wouldn’t let that happen to her. And what would stop Ferde once Opal died from tricking another magician into giving him her soul? Nothing.
I would need to keep this new situation tucked deep beneath my surface thoughts. Irys had been true to her word to not pry into my mind, but with the fate of Sitia at stake, I wouldn’t be surprised if she broke her promise.
My gaze met Valek’s. Magic couldn’t detect him.
“Her life is important,” I said, answering his question. “But capturing the killer is vital.”
“What do you need, love?”
26
VALEK AND I MADE SOME initial plans for rescuing Opal. When he returned to the Ixian delegation, I felt a renewed sense of purpose. The next day I used my free time to practice controlling my magic and to do some physical training in preparation for my encounter with Ferde.
Irys, Roze and Bain had raided the apartment where, according to Fisk, the man with the red hands lived. The rooms were empty, and, by the mess that was scattered on the floor, the occupants had left in a hurry. Either someone had tipped him off, or he had felt the Masters’ approach. A dead end either way, which made Valek and my plans critical.
I also began demonstrating self-defense techniques to Zitora, finally keeping my side of our bargain to trade the Third Magician’s pile of clothes for defense training. The review helped in my training, as well.
The rain from the day before puddled in the training yard, and splattered us with mud as we worked on basic self-defense techniques. A apt student, Zitora quickly grasped the concepts.
“I pull my wrist out of your grasp through your thumb?” Zitora asked.
“Yes. It’s the weakest part.” I grunted as she yanked her arm from me. “Perfect. Now I’ll show you how to not only free your wrist, but twist your hand so you can grab your attacker’s arm and break it.”
Her eyes lit up with glee and I laughed. “Everyone thin
ks you’re so sweet and nice. I almost feel sorry for the first person to try and take advantage of that. Almost!”
We worked for a while until her moves became more instinctive.
“That’s a good start,” I said. “Those moves will help you against someone stronger than you, but if you go against a well-trained opponent, you’ll have to use different tactics.”
Zitora looked past my shoulder and her tawny eyes grew wide. “You mean I could take on someone like him?”
I turned. Ari strode into the training area with Janco at his heels. Wearing his sleeveless training shirt and short pants, his powerful physique was apparent. While Janco might be leaner than his partner, I knew his speed could match Ari’s strength. They carried bows and broad smiles. My Keep guards looked queasy and undecided. I waved them off.
“Yes,” I said to Zitora. “With the proper training, you could escape from him. You wouldn’t last in a sparring match, but that’s not what self-defense is all about. Remember what I told you? Hit and—”
“Git!” Janco added. “Run like a bunny with a wolf on its tail. I see you’re passing our wisdom on, Yelena.” Janco turned to Zitora, and said in a conspiratorial whisper, “She was trained by the very best instructors in all of Ixia.”
“Another rule of self-defense is never believe everything you hear,” Ari said when Zitora appeared to be impressed by Janco’s words.
“How did you get past the Keep’s guards?” I asked Ari.
He shrugged his massive shoulders. “The guard asked for our names and our reason for visiting. We told him and he went into the guardhouse to consult with someone. When he came out he told us where to find you.”
There must be a magician posted at the gate who could communicate by magic to others in the Keep. That was good to know.
“Can we join you?” Janco asked. “I learned a few new self-defense moves. They’re nasty, too!”
“We were just finishing up,” I said.
Zitora wiped her face with a towel. “I need to get cleaned up before my Council meeting.” She hurried off with a wave.
“Are you too tired for a match?” Janco asked. “I want to make sure you’re at your best when I beat you.” He smiled sweetly.