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“Yeah, no spark...imagination. He’ll follow orders and protocol, but if a situation goes well beyond the protocols, he’ll be stymied.”
“Stymied? Who uses that word?” Ari teased.
“Those who know what it means. Please excuse Ari. His vocabulary is limited to fifty words—most of them curse words.”
Ari drew breath to counter, but the Commander leaned forward and stopped the banter with a hard gaze from his gold, almond-shaped eyes. Time for business.
The Commander’s uniform matched Valek’s except he had two real diamonds stitched onto his collar and his was wrinkle-free. His steel-gray hair had been cut close to his scalp.
“I have two matters I wish to discuss,” the Commander said. “The first is regarding smugglers. The reports of illegal goods being stopped at the border have slowed to a trickle. However, black-market goods are still in ample supply.”
Valek considered. “That means they’ve found a new way into and out of Ixia.”
“Correct.” The Commander pushed his plate away.
“Are we still allowing some smugglers to slip by?” Valek asked. Following the caravans of illegal goods to the source was a sound strategy.
“No. The few who are attempting to cross illegally are so inept, they’re being caught right away.”
“Decoys,” Ari said. “To make us think they’re still trying to sneak through the Snake Forest.”
“Which means they’re organized,” Janco added.
“Organized how?” the Commander asked.
Janco scratched the empty place where the lower half of his right ear used to be. “If it was just one or two smugglers using the new route, then the others would continue as they have been. But with the decoys, it means all the smugglers have gotten together and figured out a way around the border guards.”
“A smuggler convention?” Ari asked with a touch of humor. “Thieves don’t usually play well together.”
“Maybe a big bad arrived with a new way of doing things.”
“A ringleader?” Ari asked.
“Exactly. Some scary dude who has taken over. He’s probably all ‘do it my way or...’”
“It’s a possibility,” Valek said while Janco cast about for a proper smuggler threat.
“Regardless. I want the three of you to figure out the new route and the new players. The sooner the better,” the Commander ordered.
“What about Maren?” Ari asked. “Will she be helping us?”
Maren had teamed up with Ari and Janco, and the three of them had beaten Valek in a fight, earning the right to be his seconds-in-command.
“She’s on special assignment,” the Commander said. “You can recruit if you need more assistance.”
Unease nibbled on his stomach. Valek knew nothing about Maren’s assignment and, from the Commander’s closed expression, he wouldn’t be learning more about it from his boss.
“Tunnels,” Janco said. “They could have dug tunnels underneath the border.”
“They’d have to be miles long. Otherwise, they’d pop up in the Snake Forest and someone would have seen them,” Ari said. “Who has the ability to build a tunnel like that?”
“Miners,” the Commander said in a quiet voice.
No surprise the Commander mentioned them. His family had owned a mine in the Soul Mountains bordering what was now Military District 3 until they’d discovered diamonds. The King of Ixia had claimed ownership of the gemstones and “allowed” the Commander’s family to stay and work for him. The King’s greedy move had started the rumblings of discontent and turned a brilliant young man into the King’s number one enemy.
“We’ll look into the possibility of a tunnel,” Valek said.
“Boats on the Sunset Ocean.” Janco held up his napkin. He had folded it so it resembled a sailboat.
“Not practical,” Ari said. “Between the storms and the Rattles, we haven’t had any problems with people using the ocean as an escape route.”
The Rattles extended from the coast of MD-7 out to at least a hundred miles into the Sunset Ocean. With submerged rocks, strong and unpredictable currents, and shallow areas that moved, the Rattles were impossible to navigate. Sailing around them took too long plus sailors ran the risk of hitting dead air and being stranded for months.
Valek tapped a finger on the table. “When did the decoys start?”
The Commander flipped through a few papers in the file on top of his stack. “End of the cooling season about sixty days ago.”
Valek calculated. “Prime storm season. It’s suicide to be on the ocean at that time of year.”
“I will leave the detecting to you. As for this other matter...” The Commander pulled a letter from underneath the folders. He scanned it then turned his gaze to Valek. “An unfortunate development, but one that we will not get involved in. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.” Valek kept his expression neutral, bracing for the bad news.
Ari and Janco exchanged a concerned glance.
“Do you remember Ben Moon?”
He couldn’t forget the man who had tried to murder Yelena in revenge for the execution of his brother, Owen Moon. Only the fact Ben remained locked tight in a special wing of Wirral Prison for the past three years kept the man alive. So why was the Commander... A sick feeling circled his chest. “He escaped?”
“Yes.”
3 (#ulink_44d79572-bfd6-5b69-8585-55e985d39769)
YELENA (#ulink_44d79572-bfd6-5b69-8585-55e985d39769)
Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Clutching the blanket in tight fists, I repeated the words. Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Except it failed to work. Panic burned up my throat. I gasped for breath. The words transformed to no magic. No magic. No magic.
The darkness pressed against my skin, sealing me inside my body, blocking me from the warmth and light that was my magic. All my senses had been stolen along with my magic. Sounds, sights and scents gone. A bitter taste all that remained.
No magic. Cut off from the lost souls, disconnected from the wildlife and severed from my colleagues, I’d been rendered useless. No magic.
I stayed on the hard floor of our bedroom huddled under the blanket. My thoughts buzzed with misery. When the sun rose, a bit of relief eased the chaotic terror that had consumed me. My vision worked after all.
A loud bang on the door broke the early-morning quiet and Kiki’s piercing whinny cut right through my conviction that all had been lost. Hooves pounded on wood and I staggered to my feet.
I’m okay, I said. No response. My heart twisted.
“I’m okay,” I shouted over another barrage.
Kiki stopped. But for how long? I grasped the handrail and eased down the steps. Sharp hunger pains stabbed my guts, but I aimed for the door. Kiki’s mostly white face peered through the window. A patch of brown circled her left eye.
As soon as I opened the door, she barged in, almost knocking me over. Not hard to do since I hadn’t eaten in over a day.
I wrapped my arms around her neck. “I’m fine.” Leaning my forehead against her soft hide, I opened my mind to her. Nothing. I breathed in her scent—a mix of dry straw, cut grass and earth.
“I can’t... I don’t have...” Why was it so hard to say? “My magic...is gone. I can’t talk to you.”
Kiki snorted.
“Yes, I know I’m talking to you, but we can’t communicate.”
She pulled away and gazed at me. And while her thoughts didn’t sound in my mind, I understood her sarcastic, what-do-you-call-this look. Then she nudged me with her nose as if prompting me to explain.
Her actions snapped me from my scatterbrained panic. Logic wrestled raw emotion aside and I considered. What happened before my magic disappeared? A lovely evening with Valek, but we’d had a number of them throughout the years without consequences.
And before that? I touched the still-tender area on my upper chest. “The poison! How could I be so stupid?”
Kiki nodded in agreement.
“Thanks,” I said drily. “Now I just have to figure out what poison blocks a person’s magic.” Curare fit, except I’d have been paralyzed and I would have recognized its crisp citrus scent. “The arrow.” Perhaps a few drops of the poison remained.
Kiki followed me to the stable. Poor girl hadn’t been fed grain in over a day. I filled her feed bucket before searching for the arrow’s shaft. It didn’t take long to figure out Valek must have taken it with him.
Valek. Should I join him in Ixia? It’d be safer. And without the taint of magic, the Commander would welcome me with open arms. Ambrose’s aversion to magicians started back in his childhood. Even though he had a female body, he insisted he was male. He dressed as a boy and changed his name. Terrified that a magician would “see through” him, he banned them from Ixia and executed any found within the Territory when he gained power. Plus it didn’t help that the corrupt King was also a magician who had abused his power.
When I accepted my Soulfinding abilities, I discovered the true nature of the Commander’s dual personality. His mother died in childbirth, but she’d refused to leave her newborn son. She had just enough magic that her soul remained with Ambrose, turning him female. I’d offered to guide her to the sky, but the Commander felt her presence aided, not hindered, him. For now.
The Commander’s stance on magicians in Ixia had loosened a bit since he learned of his own magical beginnings, but he still had a long way to go.
Besides, traveling to Ixia wouldn’t help me discover what happened. My condition could be temporary and if so I was freaking out for nothing.
Searching my memories, I reviewed the list of poisons Valek had taught me when I’d been the Commander’s food taster over eight years ago. None of them had side effects that matched my symptoms. Then again, Valek wouldn’t have been worried about a substance that blocks magic. But would he know if one existed? Possible.
How about the Master Magicians? I groaned. First Magician Bain Bloodgood! His knowledge of history and magic was unparalleled, and if he didn’t know about this poison, he’d hunt through his stacks and stacks of books until he found it.
Feeling much better, I returned to the cottage to eat and pack. I checked the hearth and coals in the washroom, ensuring all had been properly extinguished. When I closed and locked the door, a pang of regret vibrated in my chest. Because of the attack, Valek would insist on moving. I rubbed my fingers on the stones. Fond memories swirled. The distance to the stable seemed to stretch, growing longer with each step.
Once I reached the stable, I saddled Kiki. We didn’t use reins or a bridle and normally, I’d forgo the saddle, but the saddlebags were stuffed with enough food and supplies to last a week. I paused. Had Valek and I ever had a full week to ourselves? No.
Kiki grunted, jarring me from my thoughts.
“What’s wrong?”
She jerked the girth’s latigo strap from my hand. I’d pulled it too tight. It took me a moment to understand. It was easy to saddle a horse that instructed you on how tight to make the saddle. I wondered how many other things I would need to relearn—a dreary prospect.
I fixed the girth and mounted. “Back to the Citadel as fast as possible, please.” That remained the same. I’d always let her find the best way and set the pace.
She galloped through the mud. The bright sunshine of midmorning failed to lift my spirits. I scanned the forest, seeking predators. A bird screeched and I ducked. I drew my switchblade when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. And I flattened, hugging Kiki’s neck when a thud sounded behind us.
After a few hours, Kiki stopped for a rest. I stayed by her side, keeping my back against her and my switchblade in hand. Invisible dangers lurked in the forest. A whole army of ambushers could be waiting for us downwind and I’d have no warning.
Panic simmered. I was weak, vulnerable and an easy target. When Kiki stopped for the night, I didn’t light a fire, and the few uneasy hours I slept were spent between her hooves.
By the time we reached the northern gates of the Citadel two days later, I started at every noise. Never had I been so glad to see the white marble walls that surrounded the Citadel reflecting the sunlight. The guards waved us in and I worried. What if the guards conspired with a group inside? What if we were mugged?
I twisted my fingers in Kiki’s copper mane as we crossed through the rings of businesses and factories that occupied the center of the Citadel like red circles around a bull’s-eye. A bustling market lay at the heart of this section. Skirting the crowded stalls, Kiki headed toward the Magician’s Keep, located in the northeast quadrant.
People hustled through the streets, talking, laughing, arguing as they attended to their morning chores. I stared at them. No thoughts or emotions reached me from the crowds. To my senses they had no souls. A horde of walking dead.
I leaned forward and whispered to Kiki, “Faster to the Keep, please.”
She increased her pace, weaving through the busy streets. The logical part of me understood that the shouts and curses following our passage did not come from soulless dead people. However, that knowledge didn’t stop my trembling hands or rapid pulse.
Shocked, I realized my magic had influenced how I viewed the world. I barely remembered how I had interacted with my world without magic. I wouldn’t have thought I relied on my power so much or used it to connect to the people around me in the past six years. Yet, I felt as if I’d been wrapped in a thick black cloth from head to toe. The cloth had holes for my eyes, ears, nose and mouth, but the rest of me remained swaddled.
I eased my tight grip on Kiki’s mane when the Magician’s Keep’s grand entrance loomed. Elegant pink marble columns supported scalloped arches that framed the two-story-high marble doors. The doors were always open, but they were guarded by four soldiers, a magician and a wooden gate.
They straightened as we approached.
“Good morning, Liaison Zaltana. Back so soon?” asked the sergeant in charge.
“Yes, Mally, an urgent matter has cut my vacation short. Is Master Bloodgood in his office?”
She turned to the magician...Jon from the Krystal Clan.
Jon peered at me, questioning. “Can’t you—”
“Not right now,” I said between clenched teeth.
“Oh...kay.” His gaze grew distant. “Yes, First Magician is in his office.” Then he met my gaze. “He’s with a student right now and says to come by in the early afternoon.”
I had no intention of waiting and no desire to tell Jon. Instead, I thanked him. Mally moved aside, but didn’t raise the gate. Kiki jumped the heavy wooden barrier in one easy stride, showing off just like she always did.
The Keep’s administration building sat directly across from the entrance. A few blocks of peach marble marked the yellow structure and a set of grand marble stairs led up to the first-floor lobby.
Kiki stopped at the base of the steps.
I dismounted and patted her sweaty neck. “I’ll catch up with you at the stables and give you a proper grooming.”
She butted my palm with her soft nose, then trotted toward the stables located in the northwest corner of the Keep right next to Irys’s tower. The Magician’s Keep had four towers stationed in each corner. They rose high into the air. Each Master Magician lived in a tower. Right now, only two were occupied. Second Magician Zitora Cowan had resigned her position to hunt for her missing sister and no other magician had the power to be a master. So far. There was always hope that one of the new students at the Keep would mature into master-level powers.
I raced up the steps and into the administration building. And just like its name implied, the structure housed the administrative staff who handled the day-to-day accounts and bills and the details involved in running a school for future magicians. The Masters all had offices inside and the infirmary was located on the ground floor.
Ignoring the staff in the hallways, I headed straight toward Bain’s office. I opened the door without knocking. Not surprised to see me—no one could sneak up on a Master Magician—Bain frowned at my rude intrusion. But one look at my expression and he ushered his student from the room.
Once the girl left he turned to me. He tapped his temple with a wrinkled finger. “Why didn’t you answer me?”
“I can’t. It’s gone. My magic is all gone!” Panic spun in my chest. Tears threatened.
