“I won this during a time in my life when fear was my constant and only companion.” I handed it to her. It was the first place prize for an acrobatic competition at Ixia’s annual Fire Festival. What followed after was the worst time of my life, but I would have competed for the amulet again, even knowing the outcome.
I handed the amulet to my mother. “This is one of only four items I hold dear. I want you to have it.”
She examined the fire amulet. “What are the other three?”
“My Butterfly and snake.” I pulled out my necklace, and I showed her my bracelet.
“Did someone make those for you?”
“Yes. A friend,” I said before she could ask more.
She raised a slender eyebrow, but only asked, “What’s the last thing?”
I rummaged in my pack while I decided if my mother would be shocked to know I held a weapon dear. Far from being the perfect daughter, I figured she wouldn’t be surprised at all. Handing her my switchblade, I explained what the silver symbols on the handle meant.
“Same friend?” she asked.
I laughed and told her about Ari and Janco. “They’re more like older brothers than friends.”
My mother’s smile felt like the sun coming out after a storm. “Good to know there are people in Ixia who care about you.” She tucked my fire amulet into a pocket of her cloak. “Fire represents strength. I will keep it with me always.”
Hugging me tight for a moment, Perl pulled away and declared, “You’re freezing. Put your cloak on. Let’s get inside.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Esau and Irys waited for us in the Keep’s guest quarters on the west side of the campus. I endured a bone-crushing hug from my father, but had to decline an invitation to dinner with my parents. My desire for a bath and sleep overrode my hunger. I had to promise to spend most of the next day with them before they allowed me to leave.
Irys accompanied me to the bathhouse. Dark smudges lined her eyes and she looked as tired as I felt. She seemed in a contemplative mood.
“Did you use magic on your mother?” she asked.
“I don’t think so. Why?”
“She seemed at peace. Perhaps you did it instinctively.”
“But that’s not good. I should have complete control. Right?”
“I’m beginning to think that not all the rules apply to you, Yelena. Perhaps it was your upbringing or the fact that you started controlling your magic at an older age that has made your powers develop in an unusual way. Not to worry, though,” she added when she saw my expression. “I believe it will be to your benefit.”
Irys and I parted at the baths. After a long hot soak, I dragged myself to my rooms. My last thought before drifting off to sleep was to marvel over the fact that Irys had trusted me enough not to assign more guards to me.
It seemed a mere moment that I had sunk into a dreamless slumber when Irys’s mental call woke me. I squinted in the bright sunlight, trying to orient myself.
What time? I asked her.
Midmorning, Irys said.
Morning? That meant I had been asleep since yesterday afternoon. Why did you wake me?
An emergency Council session has been called, and your presence is required.
Emergency session?
Goel was murdered, and Cahil is claiming Adviser Ilom is Valek in disguise.
28
GOEL MURDERED? VALEK CAUGHT? My groggy mind couldn’t quite understand Irys’s comment and her attention pulled away before I could question her. I changed as fast as I could and ran toward the Council Hall.
Did Valek kill Goel? And if Valek really was in custody, he just gave the Sitians one more reason to execute him. Should I act surprised by Valek’s presence or admit I knew about him? Would I be considered an accomplice to Goel’s murder? Perhaps they suspected me. I only told Irys where to find him; I hadn’t mentioned the others to her.
Questions without answers swirled in my mind. I paused before the steps to the Council Hall, smoothed my braid, and adjusted my clothes. I wore one of the new shirts and skirt/pants that Nutty had sewn for me. Glancing at my surroundings, I checked to make sure no one had followed me. Irys trusted me to take care of myself. I couldn’t let her down.
The Council’s members, four Master Magicians, a handful of the Keep’s guards, and Cahil had assembled in the great hall. The noise of their various arguments reached deafening levels, and I spotted Cahil gesturing wildly to the Sandseed’s Councilman. Cahil’s flushed face contorted in anger as he replied.
Roze Featherstone, First Magician pounded a gavel to bring order to the meeting. Conversations ceased as the Councilors took their seats. The decorations from the greeting ceremony had been removed, and a U-shaped table had been brought in. Roze and the other three Magicians sat at the bend, while the clan Elders sat along the straight sides. Six on one side, five on the other with Cahil taking the sixth seat. A wooden podium had been placed in the middle of the U. I stood with the Captain of the guard and his men near the side wall, hoping to blend in with the white marble.
“Let us address the matter of Lieutenant Goel Ixia,” ordered Roze.
I glanced at Irys in surprise.
All the northern refugees are given Ixia as their clan name, Irys explained in my mind. Cahil is considered their clan leader. It is an honorary clan and title. He has no lands and no power to vote in the Council.
That explained Cahil’s resentment toward the Council and his continuing frustration of not getting their support for his campaign against the Commander.
“Lieutenant Ixia was found dead in a fallow field east of the Citadel in Featherstone Clan lands,” Roze recited. “The healers have determined that he was killed with a sword thrust through his heart.”
Murmurs rippled through the Council members. Roze stopped them with a cold stare. “The weapon was not found at the scene, and a search of the surrounding fields is currently in progress. According to Fourth Magician, Yelena Liana Zaltana was the last person to see him alive. I call her to the witness stand.”
Sixteen pair of eyes turned toward me. Hostile, concerned and worried expressions peppered the group.
Don’t worry, Irys said. Tell them what happened.
I walked to the podium, guessing that was the witness stand.
“Explain yourself,” Roze demanded.
I told them about the kidnapping and my escape. A collective gasp sounded when I explained about taking control of Goel’s body. Whispers about the Ethical Code started to spread.
Irys stood and said, “There is nothing illegal about using magic to defend yourself. In fact, she should be commended for extracting herself without harming Goel.”
The Council members asked an endless amount of questions about Goel’s motives. Only after the guards that had been assigned to protect me confirmed they had been drugged did the Council run out of inquiries.
“You left Goel chained in the shed, and that was the last time you saw him?” Roze asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“She’s telling the truth.” By Roze’s sour expression, I knew that statement had been hard for her to say. “The investigation into Goel’s murder will continue. Yelena, you may sit down.” Roze gestured to a bench located behind her and the other Master Magicians. “That leaves us with the other matter. I call Cahil Ixia to the witness stand.”
As I moved toward the bench, I passed Cahil. His blue eyes held a hard determination and he refused to meet my gaze. I sat on the edge of the wooden bench, and, even though I braced myself for his accusations, Cahil’s words made my heart squeeze with fear.
“—and compounding Valek’s deception is the fact that his soul mate and master spy is Yelena Zaltana.”
The room erupted with a cacophony of voices. Roze pounded her gavel, but no one listened. I felt the force of her magic when she ordered everyone silent. She held them quiet for only a moment, but it was enough to get her point across.
“Cahil, where is your evidence?” Roze
asked.
He motioned to one of the Keep’s guards. The guard opened a door in the back wall and Captain Marrok and four of Cahil’s men entered the hall, dragging Adviser Ilom with them. Ilom’s arms were manacled behind his back and the four guards had their swords pointed at him. Ambassador Signe and a handful of Ixian soldiers followed the grim procession.
I strained to catch Valek’s eye, but he looked at the Council members with an annoyed frown.
Ambassador Signe was the first to speak. “I demand an explanation. This is an act of war.”
“Cahil, I told you to release the Adviser until this matter was settled,” Roze said. Fury flared in her amber eyes.
“And let him escape? No. Better to bring him here and unmask him in front of everyone.” Cahil strode to Ilom and yanked on his hair.
I cringed, but Ilom’s head jerked down as he cried out in pain. Undaunted, Cahil pulled Ilom’s nose then clawed at the flesh under his chin. Ilom yelped and blood welled from the scratches on his neck. Cahil stepped back astounded. He reached toward Ilom’s face again, but Marrok grabbed him and held him. Cahil’s mouth hung open with astonishment.
“Release the Adviser,” Roze ordered.
Ilom’s manacles were removed as Cahil, his face red with rage, and his men were escorted from the room. The session ended and Roze rushed to make amends and apologize to the Ambassador and Ilom.
I stayed on the bench, watching as Signe’s anger and Ilom’s pout transformed into more agreeable expressions by Roze’s words. I was afraid to call attention to myself, hoping no one would remember Cahil’s other accusations about me.
Cahil’s shock over Ilom had matched my own. Even knowing his tricks, Valek continued to surprise me. I scanned the Ixian guards, and, sure enough, one blue-eyed soldier looked mighty pleased with himself. Ilom probably dressed as a guard when Valek disguised himself as the Adviser, and they probably switched places when Valek needed to sneak around Sitia.
Eventually, the Council members and Ixians began to leave. Irys joined me on the bench.
Tell Valek to leave, Irys said. The danger is too great.
You know.
Of course. I expected him to be with the delegation.
It doesn’t bother you that he’s here. That he might be spying on Sitia.
He’s here for you. And I’m glad you had some time together.
But what if he killed Goel?
Goel was a danger to you. While I would have preferred to arrest him, I’m not upset by his demise.
“Go get something to eat. You look a little pale,” Irys said.
“That’s just great. I went from having none to having two mother hens.”
Irys laughed. “Some people just need the extra help.” She patted my knee and went in search of Bain.
Before I could leave, though, I saw Bavol Zaltana heading toward me. I waited for him.
“Ambassador Signe requests a meeting with you,” Bavol said.
“When?”
“Now.”
Bavol led me out of the great hall. “The Ambassador has been assigned some offices so she can conduct business while a guest here,” Bavol explained as we walked through the Council Hall.
The entire Sitian government was housed in the vast building. Offices and meeting rooms hummed with the daily tasks of running a government. An underground record room stored all the official documents, although the local records remained at each clan’s capitol.
I wondered about the Sandseed’s moving capitol. Did they haul their records with them as they traveled throughout the plains? Remembering Irys’s lecture about the Sandseeds, I realized they kept a verbal record, telling history through the Story Weavers. An image of Moon Man painted blue and sitting in the Council’s underground room caused me to smile.
Bavol gave me a questioning glance.
“I was thinking of the record room,” I said. “Just trying to imagine how the Sandseed Clan reports information to the Council.”
Bavol grinned. “They have always been difficult. We indulge their…unusual ways. Twice a year, a Story Weaver comes to the Council and recites the clan’s events to a scribe. It works, and keeps peace in our land. Here we are.” Bavol gestured to an open door. “We will talk again later.” Bavol dipped his head and shoulders in a half bow and left.
The invitation had not included Bavol. I walked into a receiving area. Adviser Ilom sat behind a plain desk. The scratches on his neck had stopped bleeding. Two soldiers guarded a closed door.
Ilom stood and knocked on the door. I heard a faint voice, and Ilom turned the knob. “She’s here,” he said, then pushed the door wider and gestured me inside.
I entered Ambassador Signe’s office, noting the simple functional furniture and lack of decorations. Guards stood behind her, but she dismissed them. None of the soldiers had been Valek, and I wondered where he had gotten to. Ari and Janco were probably off-duty.
“You caused a considerable stir last night,” Signe said when we were alone.
Her powerful eyes scanned me. I marveled at her appearance. She had the same delicate features as the Commander, yet the long hair and the thin lines of kohl around her eyes transformed his face into her ageless beauty.
“I hope your sleep wasn’t interrupted,” I said, sticking to a diplomatic approach.
She waved away comment. “We’re alone. You may speak freely.”
I shook my head. “Master Magicians have excellent hearing.” I thought about Roze, she would consider eavesdropping on the Ambassador to be her patriotic duty.
Signe nodded in understanding. “Seems the Wannabe King has gotten hold of some wrong information. I wonder how that happened.”
“A miscommunication between several parties.”
“There will be no more false accusations?” Signe asked.
Her gaze pierced me as if she held a knife to my throat. She wondered at my ability to keep her disguise a secret.
“No.” I showed her my palm, pointing to the scar she had made when I promised not to reveal the Commander’s secret to anyone. Not even to Valek.
That thought reminded me of Irys’s suggestion that Valek leave Sitia. I pulled my Butterfly pendant out. “Some rumors tend to smolder, and it would be best to make certain there is no fuel left to ignite another fire.”
Signe had to know about Valek. “I will take that under advisement. However, I had another matter to discuss with you.” Signe pulled a sheet of parchment from her black leather briefcase. She rolled it up, and held it in her hand.
“The Commander has sent a message for you. He has thought in depth about your last conversation with him. He decided that the advice presented was valid and would like to thank you for the suggestions.” Signe handed me the paper roll.
“An invitation to come visit us when your magical training is complete. We are planning on returning to Ixia in a week’s time,” she said. “Your response is required before we leave.”
A dismissal. I bowed to the Ambassador and left her office. I puzzled over her words as I headed toward the Keep. The Commander had signed an order of execution, visiting Ixia would be suicide.
I waited until I had a warm fire lit in my rooms before unrolling the Commander’s message. Staring at the dancing flames, I contemplated Commander Ambrose’s offer. I held the order for my execution in my hands. But tossing it into the fire would not be a simple act. A brief note had been written on the document.
Prove my loyalties to Ixia and the order would be nullified. Show the benefits of having a magician working for Ixia to the Ixian generals and an adviser’s position would be mine. Do these things and I could return to Ixia. Return to my friends. Return to Valek.
Without knowing it, Cahil had seen my possible future when he had called me a master spy at the Council’s session.
29
I GAZED AT THE FIRE AS MY conflicting emotions, my conflicting loyalties and my conflicting desires all burned and danced in my chest, mimicking the flames. Coming no closer to a deci
sion, I hid the execution order in my backpack. It might be better to think about it later.
Remembering my promise to my parents, I headed toward the dining hall, hoping I would find them eating lunch. Along the way, I encountered Dax.
“Yelena,” he said, falling in step with me. “Haven’t seen you in days.”
“I’m sure you’re just dying to tell me all the campus gossip about me. Right?”
“I do have a life. Maybe I’ve been too busy to listen to rumors,” he huffed, pretending to have hurt feelings.
I looked at him.
He sighed. “Okay, you win. I’m bored out of my skull. Second Magician is busy playing detective, and Gelsi is neck-deep in some project and I never see her anymore.” Dax paused dramatically. “My life is so boring that I have to live vicariously through your adventures.”
“And since the rumors are so accurate—”
“Your adventures have turned into legends.” He swept his arms wide, laughing. “So where are you off to now? Going to slay a dragon? Can I tag along as your lowly squire? I’ll polish your staff of power every night with my shirt. I promise.”
“I’m glad my problems are keeping you entertained,” I said with some sarcasm. “I’m searching for my…ah, for the Tree King and his Queen. We’re going to plan our attack against the evil Tree Varmints who have assembled an invisible army in the Keep.”
Dax’s eyes lit up. “I heard about the Tree Queen’s adventures this morning.”
The game soured. I didn’t want to hear the students’ gossip about my mother. Before Dax could elaborate, I invited him to tag along.
I found my parents in the dining hall and we joined them. While we ate, Dax’s presence worked to my advantage. The topic of conversation stayed on school and horses and mundane matters, giving my parents no chance to question me about the Council session. And when my mother offered to distill a special cologne for Dax, I knew she was glad I had found a Sitian friend.
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