Magic Study - Study 2

Chapter Twenty-Four

I quickly scanned the rest of the Ambassador’s retinue, searching for the person who had to be there. Her aide, walking one step behind her, wore the same uniform as the Ambassador except the red diamonds on his collar had been stitched with thread. His bland face was unremarkable, so I moved my gaze to the others.

Some of the guards looked familiar, but two captains near the middle caught my eye. Ari’s massive muscles strained the seams on his uniform. His tight blond curls looked almost white in the sunlight. His face remained impassive when he glanced at me, but I could see two red blotches spreading on his cheeks as he fought to keep from smiling.

Janco sauntered next to him, looking much healthier than when I had said goodbye to him in Ixia. Then his pale face had been tight with pain and he hadn’t the strength to stand. The results of defending Irys against Mogkan’s men. Now he moved his lean build with an athletic grace and his skin was tanned. Straight-faced, he peered at me, but I could see pure mischievous glee dancing in his eyes.

It was wonderful to see them, but I kept searching. Clutching my butterfly pendant through my robe, I scrutinized all the guard’s faces. He had to be here. If the Commander was here, posing as the Ixian Ambassador, then Valek had to be close by.

But Valek didn’t know about Commander Ambrose’s secret. Only I knew about what the Commander called his mutation, having been born a woman with a man’s soul. Since Valek didn’t know the Ambassador was the Commander, he probably would be with whoever was posing as the Commander in Ixia.

Unless the Commander had sent Valek on another mission, or, even worse, maybe Valek still hadn’t recovered from giving me his strength. Maybe he had been injured while weak. Or dead. Horrible scenarios chased through my mind as the delegation exchanged formal greetings.

I willed the pleasantries to move faster. My need to question Ari and Janco about Valek grew with every second.

With my thoughts on Valek, I found my eyes lingering on the Ambassador’s aide. His straight black hair fell to his ears and clung limply to his head. A soft fat nose sat above colorless lips and a weak chin. He appeared to be bored as he scanned the Councilors and magicians in the room with no hint of intelligence in his blue eyes.

Our gazes met for a moment. Sapphire-blue lightning struck my heart. That rat. I wanted to slug Valek and kiss him at the same time.

His expression never changed. He gave no sign of having seen me at all as his attention refocused on the Councilors. I could hardly bear the rest of the meeting.

Too impatient to wait until the meeting concluded, I tried to link with Valek’s mind. I encountered a formidable barrier stronger than any of the Master Magicians’. Valek sensed the magic and glanced at me.

When the introductions and formalities came to an end, the Ixian delegation was served refreshments and every one milled about in small groups.

I headed for Ari and Janco, who stood near the Ambassador as if they had metal rods strapped onto their backs, but Bavol Cacao, my clan leader, stopped me.

“I have a message from your father,” Bavol said. He handed me a small scroll.

I thanked him. This was only the second time I had talked to him since he had arrived at the Citadel. He had delivered the clothes Nutty had sewn for me. Even though I wanted to talk to my friends, I inquired after the clan.

“Dealing with the usual petty problems, and trying to combat some fungus that is eating through the wood on a few walls.” He smiled. “I’ve no doubt that Esau’ll figure it out. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to check to make sure the Ambassador’s suite is ready.”

Before Bavol could walk away, I touched his sleeve. “What does the suite look like?” I asked him.

Puzzled, he said, “Our most opulent chambers. The Citadel’s guest suites have every convenience. Why?”

“The Ambassador doesn’t like opulence. Perhaps you could have some of it removed? Simple elegance would suit her better.”

Bavol considered. “She’s a cousin of Commander Ambrose. Have you met her?”

“No. But I know most Ixians agree with the Commander’s dislike for extravagance.”

“Your concern is noted. I’ll see to the changes.” Bavol hurried away.

I broke the wax seal on the scroll. Unrolling the paper, I read the note then closed my eyes for a moment. In my mind’s eye I saw my story line twist into a big complicated nooselike knot. According to the letter, Esau and Perl were on their way to the Keep to visit me. They planned to arrive five days before the full moon.

Who else could come? If I had gotten a message from the underworld announcing Reyad and Mogkan’s arrival, I wouldn’t have been surprised.

Tucking the note away, I shook my head. I had no control over these events and I would deal with my parents when they arrived. I approached the Ixians. The Ambassador chatted with Bain, Second Magician.

Her gold eyes flicked to me and Bain stopped speaking to introduce us. “Ambassador Signe, this is Apprentice Yelena Liana Zaltana.”

I clasped her cool hand in the Ixian greeting, and then bowed formally in the Sitian salutation.

She returned the bow. “I have heard much about you from my cousin. How are your studies progressing?”

“Very well, thank you. Please extend my best wishes to Commander Ambrose,” I said.

“I will.” Signe turned toward her aide. “This is Adviser Ilom.”

I held my face in a neutral expression as I shook his limp hand. He mumbled a greeting then ignored me as someone not worth his time or attention. I knew Valek had to be acting, yet his complete disregard made me worry if his feelings for me had changed.

I didn’t have much time to brood, though. When Bain led Signe and Ilom to meet another Councilor, Ari grabbed me in a quick bear hug.

“What’s with the dress?” Janco asked.

“Better than that wrinkled uniform,” I countered. “And is that gray hair in your goatee?”

Janco smoothed a hand over his facial hair. “A little present from my run-in with a sword. Or should I say from when the sword had a run-in with me?” His eyes lit up. “Want to see the scar? It’s cool.” He started pulling his shirt out of his pants.

“Janco,” Ari warned. “We’re not supposed to be fraternizing with the Sitians.”

“But she’s not Sitian. Right, Yelena? You haven’t gone south on us, have you?” Janco’s voice held mock horror. “Because if you have I can’t give you your present.”

I took my switchblade out, showing the inscription to Janco. “What about ‘Sieges weathered, fight together, friends forever’? Does that change if I become an official southerner?”

Janco rubbed the hair on his chin, considering.

“No,” Ari said. “You could change into a goat and it would still apply.”

“Only if she made us some goat’s cheese,” Janco said.

Ari rolled his light blue eyes. “Just give her the gift.”

“It’s from Valek,” Janco said, digging into his pack. “Since he was unable to accompany the delegation.”

“Suicide,” Ari said. “The Sitians would execute Valek if they caught him in their lands.”

Concern for Valek coursed through me, and I glanced around the hall, looking to see if anyone else had recognized him. Everyone seemed to be engaged in conversation except Cahil. He stood alone, watching the Ixians. He met my gaze and frowned.

At Janco’s triumphant grunt I turned back to my friends. Once I saw what Janco had in his palm, all thoughts about Cahil disappeared. A black stone snake with glints of silver twisted four times around his fingers. The snake’s scales had been carved with a diamond pattern along its back, and two tiny sapphires gleamed from its eyes. One of Valek’s carvings.

“It’s a bracelet,” Janco said. He took my hand and slipped the snake over it until it fit onto my forearm. “It was too small for me,” Janco joked. “So I told Valek he should give it to you. Looks like it fits you perfectly.”

I marveled at my gift. Why had Valek chosen a snake? Apprehension coiled in my stomach.

“Things have been quiet since you left,” Ari said. “Even though we’re not part of his corps, Valek made Janco a fox statue and a horse for me. They’re the nicest things we own.”

We talked until Ari and Janco had to follow the Ambassador to her suite. They told me they would have rotating shifts to guard Signe and Ilom and would have some time to talk to me again. I offered to show them around the Citadel and perhaps the Keep.

Irys found me before I left the great hall and she accompanied me through the Citadel’s streets to the meeting to discuss the ongoing efforts to find Opal. My ever-present guards, who had been discreet during the ceremonies, followed us.

“Janco looks great,” Irys said. “That was a quick recovery from such a severe injury. I’m glad.”

Irys’s words reminded me of something Story Weaver had said. With all the commotion surrounding Opal and the delegation, I hadn’t discussed Moon Man’s claims with her.

“Irys, what is a Soulfinder? My—”

Don’t say anymore aloud, Irys’s voice admonished in my mind. That’s not something you want anyone to overhear.

Why not? Why all the fear? My hand sought Valek’s bracelet. I twisted it around my arm.

She sighed. Sitian history is full of wonderful and brave magicians, who have joined the clans together and stopped the wars. Unfortunately, those tales aren’t told in the taverns and to the children. The tales of the few magicians who have caused harm seem to be the ones whispered by the fireside. With Mogkan’s corruption and now this beast that has Opal, I don’t want rumors and stories to circulate about a Soulfinder.

Irys fiddled with the brown feathers on her hawk mask that she carried. About a hundred and fifty years ago, a Soulfinder was born. He was considered a gift from the underworld. His strong magic affected people’s souls, healing both emotional and physical pain. Then he discovered he could pluck a soul from the air before it could float to the sky, waking the dead.

But something happened. We don’t know what, but he became bitter and he went from helping people to using them. Keeping the souls for himself, he woke the dead without their souls. These emotionless creatures followed his orders and had no remorse for their actions. That ability is considered an aberration and is against our Ethical Code. With his soulless army, he had control of Sitia for many many dark years before the Master Magicians could stop him.

Before I could ask for details, Irys continued her story. Yelena, you have all the abilities of a Soulfinder. When you breathed for Tula, you shocked me and alarmed Roze. That’s why I was so harsh with you about losing your guards. I had to show Roze I could control you. But today you made me realize that was wrong. It was probably the same type of panicked response that pushed the Soulfinder over the edge. We need to discover the extent of your abilities before we categorize you. Who knows? You could be a Master Magician.

I laughed, thinking of how easy it had been for Irys to ambush me and break through my magical defenses. “Highly doubtful,” I said. And also doubtful was Moon Man’s claims that I was a Soulfinder. Tula’s soul was stolen. I could breathe for her, yet I couldn’t wake her without it. I shared some abilities with a Soulfinder, but obviously not all.

As we drew closer to the Keep’s entrance, I noticed a small beggar wearing a dirty cloak huddled by the wall, shaking a cup. Annoyed that I was the only one to notice, I walked over and dropped a coin into the cup. The beggar looked up, and I saw a flash of Fisk’s smile before he hid his face again.

“We have news about the one you seek. Come to the market tomorrow.”

“Hey, you! Stop bothering the lady,” said one of my guards.

I spun to glare at the guard. When I turned back, Fisk was gone.

I mulled over Fisk’s message. My first instinct involved ditching my guards tomorrow and meeting with him, an Ixian response, but I decided to try the Sitian approach and see what the others had found regarding Opal.

Leif leaned over a table in the meeting room, studying a map. He greeted my arrival with a surprised expression, but I refused to acknowledge him and had to suppress a sudden fury that welled in my throat. I had no idea how I would fulfill my promise to Moon Man when all I wanted to do was shake Leif and demand an explanation.

Irys broke the silence and filled me in on the group’s efforts so far. They had divided the Citadel into sections and one magician was assigned to search each quarter. Councilor Harun, the Sandseed’s Councilman, had taken his people to hunt for Opal in the part of the Avibian Plains that bordered the Citadel. No clues had been found.

“We’ll send guards to search every building in the Citadel,” Roze said, sweeping into the meeting room with Bain on her heels.

“Which will cause Opal’s immediate death,” I said.

Roze sneered at me. “Who invited you?” She gave Irys a poisonous glare.

“She’s right, Roze,” Irys said. “News of the searches would spread like a barn fire and he would be alerted.”

“Does anyone have a better idea?”

“I do,” I said into the silence.

All eyes turned toward me. Roze’s gaze froze my blood.

“I have friends in the Citadel who can get information without calling attention to themselves. Seems they might have already learned something, but I need to meet them at the market tomorrow.” Under my sleeve, I twisted Valek’s snake around on my wrist, waiting for their response.

“No,” Roze said. “It could be a trap.”

“Now you’re concerned for my welfare? How touching. Although I think jealousy is the real emotion,” I shot back.

“Ladies, please,” said Bain. “Let us focus on the task at hand. Do you trust this source, Yelena?”

“Yes.”

“It would not look unusual for Yelena to go to the market to shop. Her guards would be with her,” Irys added.

“The guards would scare away my source,” I said, which was true enough for my purposes. “Also my source might lead me somewhere, so I’ll have to move quick.”

“But you’ll need protection. We could disguise your guards,” Irys offered.

“No. They’re not the protection I need. I can defend myself against a physical threat, but I need to defend against a magical one.” Irys was a powerful ally.

Irys nodded, and we made plans for the next day.

After the meeting, I went to the dining room to grab something to eat and I picked up a few apples for Kiki and Topaz. My guards continued to follow me, and it felt odd how I had grown used to their presence. At least I didn’t need to worry about Goel trying another surprise attack. Especially when I had so many other things to occupy my thoughts.

I hadn’t been able to ride since my house arrest, and, even if I couldn’t leave the Keep, at least I could practice riding. Kiki’s mother had sneered at my saddle, so I wanted to learn how to ride bareback. Besides, it could be a useful skill to learn. In an emergency I wouldn’t have time to saddle her.

And I needed the distraction. Bad thoughts of losing my guards and sneaking into a certain Adviser’s room in the Citadel’s guest quarters kept surfacing. I drowned the dangerous impulse. I wouldn’t risk Valek’s life for my own selfish reasons. Pulling up my sleeve, I examined Valek’s gift in the late afternoon sunlight, running a finger along its back. The bracelet even felt like a snake, although its body language seemed to indicate a protective rather than an aggressive stance.

Again, I wondered at his choice. Perhaps he had somehow witnessed my nightmares about snakes, but why make one as a present? Wouldn’t a mongoose make a better gift?

Kiki waited for me by the pasture’s gate. She nickered in greeting, and I fed her an apple before climbing over the fence. My guards took up positions outside the gate, close but not too close. They were learning.

As Kiki ate, I checked her over. She had nettles snarled in her tail, and dried mud on her belly and caked around her hooves.

“Didn’t anyone groom you?” I asked aloud, tsking.

“She wouldn’t let anyone near her,” Cahil said. He held a bucket of brushes and combs over the rail. “Seems only you can do the honors.”

I took the handle. “Thanks.” I pulled out a currycomb and began to loosen the mud on her coat.

Cahil rested his arms on the fence. “Saw you talking to the northerners today. You know some of them?”

I glanced at Cahil. A serious expression gripped his face. So his timely arrival with the supplies hadn’t been a coincidence. He had waited to ambush me with questions about the Ixians.

Choosing my words with care, I said, “Two of the guards are my friends.”

“The ones who taught you how to fight?” Cahil tried to sound casual.

“Yes.”

“What division do they belong to?”

I stopped brushing Kiki and stared at him. “Cahil, what do you really want to know?”

He stammered.

“You’re not thinking of jeopardizing the delegation are you? Planning to sabotage the meetings? Or are you more interested in ambushing them on their way back to Ixia?”

He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

“That would be unwise,” I continued. “You’ll make both Sitia and Ixia your enemy, and besides…”

“Besides what?” he demanded.

“The Commander’s elite guards surround the Ambassador. It would be suicide to make a kidnapping attempt.”

“Aren’t you just full of wisdom today,” Cahil said with a sharp jab of sarcasm. “Your concern for the welfare of my men is truly heartwarming. Are you sure you’re not just protecting your northern friends? Or perhaps protecting your heart mate?”

He had to be guessing. I called his bluff. “What are you ranting about?”

“I was watching you when the delegation arrived. Although your face never moved, I saw your hand fly to that butterfly pendant under your robe. I know the one who gave that to you is here. In fact, he gave you another gift today.”

I turned back to work on Kiki, hiding my face from Cahil. “If you know so much then why are you asking me questions?”

“Who is he?” When I refused to answer, Cahil continued, “It’s the man who’s missing half of his right ear. The one who gave you the snake.”

Cahil wore such a smug expression that I laughed. “Janco? We bicker like brother and sister. No. He was just delivering the gift.”

“I don’t believe you.”

I shrugged. “Here.” I handed a wire brush to Cahil. “You can get the nettles out of her tail.” When I saw him hesitate, I added, “Don’t worry, she won’t kick you.”

We worked for a while in silence.

Cahil, though, wasn’t content with the quiet. “You’re happier now that your northern friends are here.”

“I missed them,” I agreed.

“Would you want to go back to Ixia?”

“Yes. But that’s impossible because I’m a magician.” And there was a signed order for my execution, but I thought it prudent not to mention that.

“Nothing’s impossible.” Cahil finished Kiki’s tail and began combing her mane. “When I gain control of Ixia and free the people, you would have a place by my side if you chose to accept it.”

Avoiding his unspoken question, I gave him a dubious look. “Do you still believe Sitia will support you even after they’ve been making nice with the northern delegation?”

With the passion of a mystic, Cahil said, “All my life I have been told I would rule Ixia one day. Every lesson, every interaction and every emotion was tailored to that single purpose. Even the Council encouraged me to plan and train and wait for the perfect moment to attack.” Cahil’s blue eyes radiated such a pure intensity that I almost stepped back.

“Then the north agrees to a trade treaty and they visit Sitia.” He spat the words out. “Suddenly the Commander is the Council’s friend, and my reason for existing is no longer supported. The Council has failed to realize that the Commander is deceiving them, and when he tips his hand, I’ll be there. I have many loyal followers who are equally unhappy about the Council’s dalliances with the north.”

“You’re going to need a trained military if you plan to go against the Commander’s forces,” I said. “And if Valek—”

“What about Valek?” Cahil grabbed my arm. His fingers pressed my bracelet into my skin. I winced in pain.

Kiki cocked an ear. Kick?

No. Not yet.

“If Valek discovers what you’re planning, he’ll stop you before you can rally your men.”

“Do you really think he can stop me?” he asked.

“Yes.” I pulled my arm out of Cahil’s grasp, but he caught my wrist with his other hand and yanked my sleeve up with his free hand, exposing the snake circled around my arm. Before I could stop him, he let go of my sleeve and tugged my collar down. My black stone butterfly pendant swung free. The silver spots on its wings glinted in the sunlight, matching the silver on the snake’s body.

“And you would know,” Cahil said, releasing me. His face took on a stunned expression as he made a sudden realization.

I staggered back.

“As the Commander’s food taster, you worked with Valek every day. He had to teach you about poisons and poisoning techniques.” He stared at me in revulsion. “Marrok told me that when the royal family members were assassinated, the assassin would leave behind a black statue that glittered with silver. It was the assassin’s calling card. Only after the Commander took control of Ixia was Valek named the assassin.”

I returned to brushing Kiki. “That’s a big leap in logic, Cahil. Based on a bedtime story, which I’m sure gets more interesting with each telling, and a couple of trinkets. Valek is not the only person who carves things out of those rocks. Think about that before you leap to conclusions.”

Refusing to meet Cahil’s gaze, I put the grooming equipment back into the bucket and led Kiki to her stall. By the time I finished filling her water pail, Cahil had gone.

My guards trailed me to the baths, and stayed outside while I washed off the horse hair and dust that coated my skin. The sun had set by the time we reached my rooms. I waited outside, shivering in the cold night air while one guard searched inside. Given the all clear, I entered my dark living room. I shuttered and locked my windows against the chilly wind, then lit a fire in the hearth.

“That’s better,” said a voice that set my soul on fire.

I turned. Valek lounged on a chair with his booted feet propped up on the table.