When we reached the base of the steps, Cahil handed the horse’s reins to Marrok. “Take him to the stables and then unpack. I’ll meet you in the barracks.”
“Yes, sir,” Marrok said, turning to go.
“Marrok,” I said. “Make sure you give Topaz some milk oats.”
He nodded and moved on.
Cahil squeezed my arm. “How do you know about milk oats?”
I thought fast. “Cahil, I’ve been traveling with you for over a week I’ve helped feed him.” True to a point, but I didn’t think it would be a good idea to tell Cahil that his horse had asked me for some milk oats. And I was certain he didn’t want to know that his own horse called him Peppermint Man.
“You’re lying. Milk oats are a special treat that the Stable Master bakes. He feeds them to the horses, no one else.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but a strident voice interrupted, “Cahil, is something wrong?”
Together we glanced at the woman. She and Leif were descending toward us.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Cahil said.
They stopped a few steps above us.
“Is this her?” the woman asked.
“Yes, First Magician,” Cahil said.
“Are you certain about her allegiance to Ixia?” she asked.
“Yes. She carries an Ixian uniform and has Ixian coins,” Cahil said.
“Her loyalty and longing for Ixia tastes thick like a rancid soup,” Leif said.
The woman stepped closer to me. I looked into her amber eyes. They were shaped like a snow cat’s and were just as lethal. Her gaze expanded, encompassing me and my world disappeared as the ground turned to rippling amber liquid. I began to sink. Something circled my ankles, and then pulled me under the surface. My clothes were stripped away, then my skin, then my muscles. My bones dissolved until there was nothing left but my soul.
Chapter Ten
Something sharp scratched my soul, searching for vulnerable spots. I pushed away the intrusive object and began to build a wall of defense in my mind. This magician would not reach me.
Bricks formed and stacked, but they crumbled at the edges. Holes drilled through as I struggled to stay ahead of First Magician. I poured all my strength into that wall. I patched the holes. I added another wall within the first. But the bricks disintegrated and collapsed.
Damn it! No! I scrambled for a while, but it was just a matter of time. In the end, I let the wall dissolve. But, with a sudden rush of energy, I created a curtain of green-veined marble, cutting her off.
I pressed myself to the smooth stone and held on with all my might. Exhaustion pulled at my mind. In pure desperation, I used the last of my power, calling for help. The marble transformed into a statue of Valek. He looked at me in concern.
“Help,” I said.
He wrapped his strong arms around me, pulling me close to his chest. “Anything, love.”
With nothing left, I clung to him as darkness descended.
I awoke in a narrow room; my head throbbing. Looking up at the ceiling, I realized that I was on a bed. It had been pushed against a wall under an open window. When I moved to sit up, my stiff legs protested. I felt raw and violated as though someone had scrubbed off my skin. My throat blazed with thirst. A pitcher of water sweated on a night table, an empty glass beside it. I poured a large drink and downed the cool liquid in three gulps. Feeling a little better, I examined the room. An armoire stood along the opposite wall with a full-length mirror on the right and a doorway on the left.
Cahil appeared in the doorway. “I thought I heard you.”
“What happened?” I asked.
“First Magician tried to read your mind,” Cahil said. He looked embarrassed. “She was extremely annoyed by your resistance, but she did say you weren’t a spy.”
“Peachy.” Sarcasm rendered my voice sharp. I crossed my arms over my chest. “How did I get here?”
Splotches of red spread on his cheeks. “I carried you.”
I hugged myself. The thought of being touched by him made my skin crawl. “Why did you stay?”
“I wanted to make sure you were all right.”
“Now you’re concerned about me? I find that hard to believe.” I stood on sore legs. They felt as if I had run too many laps, and my lower back ached. “Where am I?”
“In the student’s quarters. Apprentice wing. You’ve been assigned these rooms.”
Cahil retreated into the other room. I followed him into a small sitting area with a large desk, a couch, table and chairs and a marble fireplace. The walls were made of light green marble. My pack rested on the table with my bow.
There was another door. I crossed the room and opened it. Beyond the threshold was a garden courtyard with trees and statues. Through them I could see the setting sun. I stepped outside, glancing around. My rooms were at the end of a long one-story building. No one was in sight.
Cahil joined me outside. “The students will be back at the start of the cooling season.” He pointed to a path. “That leads to the dining hall and classrooms. Want me to give you a tour?”
“No,” I said, going back into the sitting room. I turned around in the doorway. “I want you and your toy soldiers to leave me the hell alone. Now you know I’m not a spy, stay the hell away from me.” I closed the door and locked it, leaving Cahil outside. Just to be safe, I wedged a chair under the doorknob.
I curled up on the bed. The desire to go home racked my body. Home to Valek. To his strength and his love. Just that brief contact with him made me miss him even more. His absence left an emptiness that burned deep inside me.
I wanted to leave Sitia. I had gained enough control of my magic to avoid a flameout. I didn’t need to be here with these horrible people. All I had to do was head north, and I would reach Ixia’s border. I planned the journey in my mind, making a list of provisions, and even considered horse-napping Topaz to make my escape. When the room grew dark, I fell asleep.
When the sun woke me, I rolled onto my other side, weighed my chances of escaping the Keep without anyone knowing, and realized I knew nothing of the layout of the Keep. I could make a reconnaissance of the area, but I had no desire to see anyone or be seen. So, I stayed in bed all day and went back to sleep that night.
Another day passed. Someone rattled the doorknob then knocked, calling out to me. I shouted for them to go away, and was content when they did.
Eventually, I lay in a stupor. My mind floated and reached some creatures in the garden. I flinched away from even that light contact, seeking a peaceful place.
Then I found Topaz. Peppermint Man had come to visit, but the horse wondered where Lavender Lady was. I saw a picture of me in Topaz’s mind. Lavender Lady must be the name he had given me. It was funny that Topaz called me Lavender Lady. Traveling with Cahil left little time for bathing, but I had managed to find some privacy to freshen up and apply a few drops of my mother’s Lavender perfume.
Go smooth and fast, Topaz thought.
Would you take me far away to the north? I asked.
Not without Peppermint Man. Smooth and fast with you both. I am strong.
You are very strong. Perhaps I’ll stay with you.
No, you won’t, Yelena. You’ve sulked enough, Irys’s voice said in my mind. Her contact was like a thick cool salve rubbed on an open wound.
I’m not sulking.
Then what would you call it? Irys demanded with annoyance.
Protecting myself.
She laughed. From what? Roze barely got through.
Roze?
Roze Featherstone, First Magician. And she’s been in a rage ever since. You’ve weathered worse things, Yelena. What’s the real problem?
I felt helpless and alone with no one to watch my back. But I buried that thought deep, unwilling to share it with Irys. Instead, I ignored her question. Knowing my mentor was back, I rallied. She was the only person I could trust in the Keep.
I’m coming with some food. You will let me in and you will eat. Iry
s ordered.
Food? Topaz thought hopefully. Apple? Peppermints?
I smiled. Later.
My stomach grumbled. As I moved to sit on the edge of the bed, a wave of dizziness overcame me. I had lost track of the days and I was weak from hunger.
Irys came as promised, carrying a tray laden with fruit and cold meats. She also brought a pitcher of pineapple juice and some cakes. As I ate, she told me about her trip to May’s home. May was the last of the kidnapped girls to find her lost family.
“Five sisters just like her,” Irys said, shaking her head.
I grinned, imagining May’s homecoming. Six girls squealing with delight, laughing and crying as they all talked at once.
“Their beleaguered father wanted me to test all the girls for magical potential. May has some, but I want her to wait another year before coming to the school. The others were still too young.” Irys poured two cups of juice. “I had to cut my visit short when I felt your call for help.”
“When Roze was invading?”
“Yes. I was too far away to assist you, but it seems like you managed on your own.”
“Valek helped me,” I said.
“That’s impossible. I couldn’t reach you. Valek’s not a magician.”
“But he was there and I drew on his strength.”
Unwilling to believe me, Irys shook her head.
I thought about how Irys had found me in the north. “You felt my power when I was in Ixia,” I said. “It’s the same distance for Valek to reach me.”
She shook her head again. “Valek is resistant to magic so I think you used his image as a shield against Roze. When I felt you last year, you had no control over your powers. Uncontrolled bursts of magic cause ripples in the power source. All magicians, anywhere in the world can feel that, but only Master Magicians will know from which direction it comes.”
That worried me. “You felt my call for help when you were at May’s home, though. Was I out of control to be able to reach you at that distance?” Loss of control led to flameout, which led to death for the magician and damaged the power source for all magicians.
She looked startled. “No.” She frowned and stared at the wall, considering. “Yelena, what have you been doing with your magic since I left you?”
I told her about the ambush, the escape and the truce with Cahil.
“So you put all of Cahil’s men into a deep sleep?” she asked.
“Well, there were only twelve. Did I do something wrong? Have I broken your Ethical Code?” There was so much I didn’t know about magic.
Irys snorted, reading my mind. And you wanted to run away with a horse.
“Better than staying here with Cahil and Leif,” I said aloud.
“Those two.” Irys frowned again. “The Master Magicians had a discussion with both of them. Roze is furious that they misled her about you. Cahil actually had the audacity to demand a Council session in the middle of the hot season. He’ll just have to wait until the cooling season. Perhaps he’ll get on the agenda, or perhaps not.” Irys shrugged, seeming unconcerned.
“Would the Sitians go to war for Cahil?” I asked.
“We have no quarrel with the north, but no love for them either. The Council has been waiting for Cahil to mature. If he develops the charisma and strong leadership abilities, his plans to take back Ixia may be supported by the Council.” She cocked her head to the side as if considering the prospect of going to war.
“The trade treaty is the first official contact we’ve had with Ixia in fifteen years,” she explained. “It’s a good beginning. We have always been worried that Commander Ambrose would try to take over Sitia as he did in the north, but he seems content.”
“Would a Sitian army prevail against the north?”
“What do you think?”
“Sitia would have a difficult time. The Commander’s men are loyal, dedicated and well trained. To lose a battle, they would either need to be vastly outnumbered or be vastly outsmarted.”
Irys nodded. “A campaign against them would have to be launched with the utmost care, which is why the Council is waiting. But that is not my concern today. My priority is to teach you magic, and discover your specialty. You’re stronger than I thought, Yelena. Putting twelve men to sleep is no easy task. And having a conversation with a horse…” Irys pulled her hair back from her face and held it behind her head. “If I hadn’t been listening in, I wouldn’t have believed you.”
Irys rose and began to pile the dishes onto the tray. “What you did to Cahil’s men would normally be considered a breech of the Ethical Code, but you acted in self-defense, so it was acceptable.” She paused for a moment. “What Roze did to you was a clear violation of our ethics, but she thought you were a spy. The Code doesn’t apply to spies. All Sitians are united in their intolerance for espionage. The Commander gained power by infiltrating the monarchy and using assassination, so Sitia worries when a spy is uncovered that the Commander is trying to collect enough information to launch another takeover.”
Picking up the tray of dirty plates, Irys said, “Tomorrow, I will show you the Keep and start your training. There are candles and flint in the armoire if you need a light, and there’s firewood behind the building for when it gets cold. I’ve assigned you to the apprentices’ wing because you’re too old for the first-years’ barracks. And I think by the start of school, you’ll be ready to join the apprentice class.”
“What’s the apprentice class?”
“The Keep has a five-year curriculum. Students start the program about a year after they reach maturity. Usually around the age of fourteen their magic has grown to a point where they can direct it. Each year of the Keep’s curriculum has a title. First year, novice, junior, senior and apprentice. You’ll be at the apprentice level, but your schooling will be different since you need to learn about our history and government.” Irys shook her head. “I’ll figure it out before classes start. You’ll probably be with students from different levels, depending on the subject. But don’t worry about that now. Why don’t you unpack and make yourself at home.”
Her words reminded me that I had something for her in my pack. “Irys, wait a moment,” I said before she could leave. “My mother sent you some perfume.” I dug into my bag. By some stroke of luck, the bottles hadn’t been damaged during the trip to the Citadel. I gave Irys the Apple Berry perfume, and put my bottle of Lavender on the table.
Irys thanked me and left. After she was gone, the room felt empty. Taking everything out of my backpack, I hung my old uniform in the armoire and decorated the table with the valmur statue I had bought for Valek, but the rooms still seemed bare. I would ask Irys to exchange my Ixian money. Perhaps I could purchase a few things to brighten up the place.
I found Esau’s field guide at the bottom of my pack. Taking a candle into the bedroom, I read his book until my eyes grew heavy. From his vast notes, it seemed that almost every plant and tree in the jungle had a reason for existing. I caught myself wishing there was a page in his guide that had my picture on it with the reason for my existence written underneath in Esau’s neat hand.
In the morning, Irys scrunched up her nose when she entered my rooms. “Perhaps I’ll show you the bathhouse first. We’ll send your clothes to the laundry and get you some fresh ones.”
I laughed. “Bad?”
“Yes.”
Irys and I went to another marble building with blue columns all around. The bathhouse had separate pools for men and women. Washing the road grime from my skin felt wonderful. The laundry mistress took my tattered and stained clothes. Nutty’s outfit, my white shirt and black pants all needed mending.
I borrowed a light green cotton tunic and khaki-colored pants. Irys told me the Keep had no particular dress code for classes and everyday events, but special functions required an apprentice robe.
After I combed and plaited my hair, we walked to the dining room for breakfast. Gazing around the Keep, I could see a pattern in the inner layout. Paths and
gardens wound their way past marble buildings of various size and shape. Barracks and student housing ringed the main campus. The stables, laundry and kennels lined the back wall of the Keep. Horses grazed in a large fenced pasture next to an oval training yard.
I asked Irys about the four towers.
“The Master Magicians live in them.” She pointed to the one in the northwest corner. “That one is mine. The one in the northeast corner near the stables is Zitora Cowan’s, Third Magician. The southwest one is Roze Featherstone’s, and the southeast one is Bain Bloodgood’s, Second Magician.”
“What if you have more than four Masters?”
“In the history of the Magician’s Keep, we have never had more than four. Less, yes, but never more. It would be a wonderful problem to have. The towers are huge so there would be plenty of room to share.” She smiled.
Three people sat in the dining room. Rows and rows of empty tables lined the long room.
“When school starts, these tables will be filled with students, teachers and magicians. Everyone eats here,” Irys explained.
She introduced me to the two men and one woman eating breakfast. Gardeners on break, they were just a small part of the vast force needed to tend the landscaping.
We ate, I pocketed an apple for Topaz and Irys took me to her chambers. After climbing what seemed like a million steps and passing ten levels of rooms, we emerged at the top. The circular room’s windows stretched from floor to ceiling. Curtains, long and lacy, blew in the hot breeze. Colorful cushions and couches in blues, purples and silver decorated the bright area. The place was ringed with bookshelves, and the air held a fresh citrus scent.
“My meditation room,” Irys said. “The perfect environment to draw power and to learn.”
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