Shadow Study (Poison Study 4)

Great. How did this information help me? “Is there a cure?”

Devlen shook his head. “Not that I know. In our stories, everyone died.”

I considered. “If we can find the plant, then perhaps my father can find a cure. Do you know what it looks like and where it grows?”

“All I know is that it has long thin leaves, resembling blades of grass. In fact, it is often mistaken for a patch of crabgrass until you get closer and see that the blades are attached to a red stem. It is said that the Sandseed horses avoid those plants because the roots poison the water sources nearby.”

“Who else knows about the reedwither plant?” Opal asked Devlen.

“The Sandseeds. Not many of them left, though.”

“Less people to interrogate,” Leif quipped.

No one smiled.

“I don’t believe the Sandseeds would share this information with anyone or use the poison to attack Yelena,” Opal said. “They view her as family.”

“I agree,” Devlen said.

My thoughts circled back to Ben Moon and his famous ancestor. Perhaps the knowledge of Freeze Burn had been passed down to Ben in Master Magician Ellis Moon’s book. It wouldn’t be the first time forgotten information had returned to cause major problems—blood magic and the Kirakawa ritual both sprang to mind. Unfortunately, it probably wouldn’t be the last.

“Do you think you can envision the plant so Kiki can pick up on the image?” I asked Devlen. Perhaps she could find it in the plains.

“I can try.”

Devlen accompanied us to the Second Chance Inn. When we left, we promised Opal to return that evening for supper. On the way to the inn, we talked about Devlen’s new family.

“It has been an adjustment,” he admitted. “I am still in shock that Opal wishes to be with me and the fact she married me...” He spread his hands wide. “Plus taking care of two children is a bigger responsibility than I had thought. It is a bit overwhelming at times.”

“And then you have to deal with the crazy in-laws.” Leif smirked.

“Opal’s parents and brother have been very supportive.”

I laughed. “Notice he didn’t defend you, big brother.”

“Shut up.”

“How is Teegan doing at the Keep?” I asked Devlen.

“I was hoping you could tell us. We have only gotten a few letters from him.”

“I haven’t seen him. I don’t spend too much time at the Keep.”

“I thought since Master Jewelrose has taken him on as her student, she would confide in you.”

That I didn’t know. “She hasn’t said anything. Although, I’ve been focused on my own problems.”

He gave me a wry smile. “I understand all too well. When Opal drained my powers from me, I could not think of anything else besides reclaiming my power.”

“Do you miss it?”

“Not at all. But it took me a season to adjust to the loss and another to realize I was much better off without it. She freed me from the addiction—I had not realized just how much that craving controlled my actions. I had done nothing but bad things with my magic and have no wish to return to being that evil man. However, your loss goes beyond yourself. You have done nothing but good things, and if you do not recover your power, the entire world will suffer.”

Leif huffed. “I think you’re being melodramatic.”

“Aren’t you like the pot calling the kettle black or something?” I asked.

“Pardon me, oh great one. I forgot my place as a mere footnote in the history of Sitia.”

Talk about being melodramatic.

“Is he—”

I cut Devlen off. “Annoying? Yes, all the time.”

He studied Leif. “You are more...subdued at our house.”

“That’s ’cause I’m too busy keeping your daughter out of trouble.”

“I take it Reema has Leif wrapped around her little finger?” I asked Devlen.

“Hey,” Leif said.

“Yes. He needs a child of his own to learn how to not give in to her every demand.”

I agreed. “That would certainly mature him. Unless it backfires and Leif regresses. Then poor Mara would have two children to deal with.”

“I’m standing right here, ya know.”

We ignored him. The late-morning sun warmed my back and I considered removing my cloak. The warming season would officially start in three days.

Arriving at the stable, we woke Kiki from a light doze. She nuzzled my pockets, searching for a treat. I explained to her what we hoped to do. “Can you help?”

She turned her blue-eyed gaze to Devlen and pricked her ears forward. He stared back. I glanced at Leif. Was it working? He shrugged. Leif had told me before he couldn’t smell the horses’ magic, but I hoped he sensed something.

Kiki snorted and returned to snuffling my pockets. I removed a small apple I had swiped at breakfast and fed it to her.

As she munched and slobbered apple juice on my palm, I asked Devlen about the search for Ben Moon. “Where was his last known location?”

“We had tracked him north to a town about two and a half days from Fulgor. A place called Red Oak. It is a small village—a handful of farms, houses and a couple factories along the Sunworth river. Their main industry is logging the surrounding forest and making parchment from the wood.”

“And you lost him in a tiny town where strangers would stick out like a skinny pig in a hog house?” Leif asked.

“He left Red Oak in the middle of the night and disappeared without a trace. From there, he could have gone in any direction, but we circled the town and found no trail signs.”

I mulled over the information. “The Sunworth river becomes the border between Ixia and Sitia for a few miles near the Emerald Mountains. Could he have traveled on the river going upstream to the mountains? Or perhaps downstream toward Featherstone lands?”

“We searched the banks for boot prints in the mud or evidence of a boat launch. Nothing for miles in either direction.”

“Perhaps they used magic to erase their tracks,” Leif suggested.

Logical. Ben was a powerful magician and he’d teamed up with at least a couple of others. “Does Ben have any other siblings?”

“One sister, who is taking care of their parents. They have not been in contact with Ben in years or his brother Owen’s wife, who is still serving time at Dawnwood Prison.”

Ah yes, Selene. I’d scared her by promising to take her soul to the fire world if she didn’t cooperate and release my brother and Valek. “Dawnwood? Not Wirral?”

Devlen nodded. “She is redeemable. Selene cooperated with the authorities.

Wirral is for those who are beyond redemption.”

Too bad. Everyone deserved a chance at redemption.

* * *

Leif and I sat in the inn’s common room, eating dinner and discussing our next move.

“We’ll leave in the morning for the plains,” I said.

“What about visiting Pazia?” He filled his spoon with a huge mass of banana pudding. The portion wriggled on its way to his mouth.

“First we find the reedwither plant and deliver it to Father. If he can’t help us, then we’ll visit her.” I swirled the yellow dessert around my bowl. Unless Bain learned something from one of his old books, Pazia represented my last hope for a solution.

Then what? Find and confront Ben? I shied away from those thoughts. I’d worry about it when the time came. Coward, who me?

Hale joined us and a server arrived to take his order. He studied our expressions for a moment after she left. “I’m guessing the news isn’t good.”

“It’s mixed.” I explained about the Freeze Burn poison.

“Not a very original name,” Hale said.

“The Sandseeds aren’t known for their creativity.” Leif finished his dessert and snagged my full bowl. “They call it like it is. It’s very refreshing.”

“Unless they’re doing their Story Weaver thing,” I muttered. “Then it’s all cryptic and annoying.” And hard to describe. “What about you? Anything?”

Hale repeated most of Devlen’s information. “The town guards believe there are five of them, including Ben.”

Four unknowns. “Are any of the others magicians?” I asked.

“Yes.” He scrunched up his face as if sniffing a bad odor. “All of them.”

Leif choked, spitting out gobs of pudding. “You mean all five have magic?”

Hale snapped, “That’s what ‘all of them’ means.”

Ah. There was Hale’s snooty side. But even more disturbing was the news that Ben traveled with four other magicians. Even if I had my magic, I had no chance against them.

Leif ignored Hale as he wiped his chin. “Then it’s a good thing we’re heading into the plains. Should we leave this afternoon?”