The Study Series Bundle

by Maria V. Snyder

“Once you’re with the Commander, he can’t admit to trying to delay you, because he’ll have to answer why. He’ll probably have his people keep the whole incident quiet. Valek will most likely let him believe he got away with it. Until Valek needs something from him.” Another predatory grin spread on her face.

  Our transfer to MD-6 and into the hands of General Hazel’s soldiers proceeded with quick efficiency. The new guide wore a captain’s uniform with blue diamonds instead of Captain Nytik’s yellow.

  In fact, the whole trip to the Commander’s castle went smoothly. Admitted into his complex without any trouble, I should have savored those few quiet hours. Because after we met with Commander Ambrose, nothing went right.

  19

  AFTER OUR ARRIVAL at the castle complex, we waited in the outer courtyard. We received many curious glances from the castle’s denizens, and I knew the servants would soon be gossiping and laying bets about who we were and why we had come. They probably didn’t recognize me without my food taster’s uniform on.

  Grooms from the stable appeared to take the horses. I wanted to stay with Kiki, but we were instructed to enter the castle to await a meeting with the Commander.

  My companions exclaimed over the odd-shaped structure. With its multiple levels of unusual geometric shapes, the castle resembled a child’s toy. Balanced on the rectangular base, the other floors of the castle were a combination of squares, triangles and even cylinders built on top of one another in a haphazard fashion. On some levels all three shapes could be found. The windows of the building also reflected the architect’s fondness for geometry, including octagons and ovals.

  It had been a year since I last saw the castle. Once part of my everyday routine, I had grown used to its strange style. Now, the sight of the structure jolted me and unease fluttered through my body.

  The four towers at the corners gave the viewer some sense of symmetry. They rose a few stories higher than the main building and colored glass decorated their windows. I paused. The Magician’s Keep also had four towers in the corners and I wondered about the similarity.

  A servant led us to an austere waiting room with minimal comforts. Served refreshments, I automatically tested the drink for poisons, surprising Leif when I gargled the juice. He had been staring at the blank walls, probably wondering where all the legendary paintings and gilded mirrors had gone to. I assumed the Commander had destroyed all the treasures from the King’s era, but, remembering a comment Cahil had made to me about the amount of money needed to support Ixia, I wondered if Commander Ambrose had traded them for services instead.

  “Did you live here?” Leif asked.

  I nodded. “For two years.” One of them in the dungeon. Not many people in Sitia knew about Reyad. I preferred to keep the details of that time to myself. However, most Ixians were aware I killed Reyad.

  “Where did you stay?”

  “I had a room in Valek’s suite.”

  Leif shot me an incredulous look. “Boy, you worked fast.”

  “And you assume too much.” One day I would tell Leif and my parents about my ordeal, but not today.

  Leif grew thoughtful. Tauno napped in one of the wooden chairs. I marveled at how the Sandseed could wedge himself into a small space and still look comfortable. During our time together, he had adapted to being within walls.

  Moon Man, on the other hand, fidgeted in his chair. I couldn’t determine if his discomfort grew from being in a confined space or from my hostility. He claimed I had a new Story Weaver. It was an easy way for him to avoid telling me the truth.

  Knowing we were headed toward Ixia, Cahil must have planned Marrok’s escape. The Sitian guards who chased them were probably part of the ruse, too.

  I longed to pace the room. The wait stretched as long as a necklace snake. There was nothing to avert me from my list of worries. Valek remained near the top. Where was he? By this time, he should be back in Ixia. Thoughts circled in my mind. To distract myself, I sat in one of the hard chairs near the only window. Outside, a portion of the barracks and practice yard where the Commander’s soldiers lived and trained was visible, reminding me of Ari and Janco, my soldier friends who, according to Maren, were now Valek’s seconds in command.

  I stood, desiring action. Perhaps I should just go to the Commander’s office. I knew how to get there, and I hated this unsettled sensation sloshing in the pit of my stomach. Why was I so on edge?

  Understanding crashed through me and I needed to sit down again. Inside these walls I had always been a prisoner. Either by the bars of the dungeon or by the belief I had ingested a poison called Butterfly’s Dust, knowing I couldn’t get far without the daily antidote keeping me alive. And all the logic in the world couldn’t convince my body I was free.

  Finally, an adviser arrived to lead us though the main corridors of the castle. Leif gasped in surprise when we entered the main hall. Greeted by the sight of the silk and gold tapestries hanging in tatters, I sympathized with my brother’s reaction. Black paint stained the once famous quilts that had symbolized each province during the King’s era. They now represented the takeover. The old provinces had been torn apart and borders redrawn into eight neat Military Districts.

  Commander Ambrose’s disdain for opulence, excess and greed was evident in every part of the stone building. Stripped of the trappings of royalty, the castle had been robbed of its soul, and reassigned as a basic utilitarian structure.

  The transformation of the throne room was another example of his disregard. Instead of lavish decorations and thick carpets, the room buzzed with the activity of numerous advisers and military officers from every Military District in Ixia, with no sign of a dais or throne in sight. With desks wedged in tight together, getting the five of us through the room turned into an exercise in agility as we threaded our way toward the back.

  The Commander’s office matched the rest of the castle. Stark, neat and organized, the room lacked personality but reflected its occupant perfectly.

  Wearing a tailored black uniform with real diamonds glittering from his collar, Commander Ambrose stood when we entered. I studied his clean-shaven face as I introduced him to my companions, detecting only a faint resemblance to Ambassador Signe. As if they were truly cousins instead of the same person.

  The power of his gaze, though, remained the same. My heart flipped in my chest when he focused his gold-colored eyes on me.

  “This is an unexpected visit, Liaison Yelena. I trust you have a good reason for bypassing standard protocol,” he said, raising a single slender eyebrow.

  “An excellent reason, sir. I believe Sitia will try to mount an offensive against you.”

  The Commander glanced at my companions as he considered my words. More gray had infiltrated his black hair, which had been cropped so short it looked as if Kiki had grazed on it.

  Walking to his office’s door, the Commander called to one of his men.

  “Adviser Reydon, please escort our guests to the dining hall for lunch and then to the guest suite.” He turned to the others. “The Liaison will dine with me and meet up with you later.”

  Leif looked to me for guidance. I opened my mind to him.

  Do you want us to stay? he asked.

  I don’t think you have a choice.

  He isn’t my Commander. I don’t have to listen to him.

  A childish, stubborn remark. Perhaps Leif felt left out. Be a good guest and do as he says. I’ll let you know what happens.

  You sure you don’t need backup? This guy creeps me out.

  Leif, I warned.

  He left the office with obvious reluctance, shooting me an annoyed frown before following the adviser.

  When the room emptied, the Commander gestured for me to sit in the chair in front of his desk. Unnerved, I perched on the edge.

  He served me a cup of tea before settling behind his desk. I sipped the drink with care, testing for poisons. In command of a powerful military and with eight ambitious generals to oversee, the Commander needed a food t
aster on his staff.

  “Why have you come?” he asked.

  “I told you. Sitia plans—”

  He stopped me with a dismissive wave. “You know that’s old news. Why are you really here?”

  “To ask you to delay a first strike.”

  “Why?”

  I paused, gathering my thoughts. Only logic would persuade the Commander. “The Sitian Council has had a dramatic change of opinion from wanting to trade and communicate with you to being terrified of you.”

  “Yes. They’re very unstable.”

  “But not that unstable. They’re being influenced.”

  “With magic?” The Commander said the word as if it pained him.

  General Brazell and Mogkan—my kidnappers—had used magic and Theobroma on him to gain control of his mind despite his ban on magicians. Though his firm censure softened, the Commander still viewed magicians as untrustworthy. Consenting to let me act as Liaison for Ixia had been his first and only concession.

  Valek had theorized the Commander feared magicians, but I believed it had more to do with what the Commander referred to as his mutation. Born with a female body, he believed his soul was a man’s and he worried a magician would expose him. But from my interaction with him when he had been disguised as the female Ambassador Signe, I had sensed the presence of two souls within his body.

  Standing in front of him, I suppressed the desire to project into his mind, avoiding even a surface sweep. It would be a serious breach of protocol. Besides, it felt wrong.

  “Magic could be a factor, but there could be another reason or even a person influencing them. At this point I don’t know, but I want to find out. If you kill them all, you might not solve the problem and those who replace them will be worse,” I said.

  “Sounds rather vague. Perhaps you have more information on this?” The Commander flourished a scroll then handed it to me.

  I unrolled the parchment. Each word I read increased my concern and outrage.

  “And if you notice—” he leaned over and tapped the bottom “—it’s signed by all the Councilors, but it’s lacking two Master Magicians’ signatures. Curious.”

  Curious wouldn’t be the word I would use. Disastrous sounded more fitting. I worried about Irys and Bain. If the Council tried to coerce their signatures, what had happened to them by refusing? I focused on the paper in my hand. Fretting wouldn’t help Irys and Bain.

  In short, the letter warned the Commander about my renegade status and suggested my treasonous companions and I be killed on sight. Probably the reason Roze had been confident I wouldn’t be safe in Ixia.

  “They seek to undermine your credibility all the while planning to attack me. Do they think I’m a simpleton?” He relaxed back in his chair and sighed. “Explain to me exactly what’s going on.”

  “If I knew exactly, then I wouldn’t have sounded so vague.” My turn to sigh. I wiped a hand over my face, thinking how best to tell the Commander about Cahil. Did I mention the Fire Warper or not? I had no idea what role he played in all this. Exactly the problem.

  So I explained about Ferde’s escape with Cahil’s help and how Cahil had turned it all around to implicate Marrok, Leif and me.

  “Sounds like assassinating the Council would be a good deed for Sitia,” the Commander said.

  “That would give Cahil and his cohorts evidence they were right to suspect you. Sitia would rally behind them in support. Valek agrees with me. He hasn’t targeted the Council yet. He’s on his way here.”

  If the Commander was surprised, he didn’t show it. “So you already delayed my preemptive strike. Yet you have no proof.”

  “None. That’s why I wanted you to wait before launching another attack. We need more information. Valek and I—”

  The office door opened. Star came into the room, carrying a tray of food. The Commander’s food taster froze in shock when she recognized me. My own pulse skipped when I saw my old uniform being worn by her. And not just any woman, but the former Captain Star, who had been the leader of a successful black market and racketeering ring before Valek uncovered her operation.

  Star stared daggers at me. Her goon’s unsuccessful attempt on my life had led to her capture. Already warned about Valek’s setup, Star could have disappeared into her own underground network. Instead, she had let petty vengeance rule her and now she tasted food for the Commander.

  “At least you survived the training,” I said to her.

  She looked away. The long red curls of her hair had been tied into a sloppy knot, and her prominent nose led the way as she walked. Putting the tray onto the Commander’s desk, she performed a fast taste and left. Even though two lunches had been set on the tray, she tested only the one.

  I eyed my food. Star seemed surprised at my presence, but that could have been an act. She could still be nursing her desire for revenge. The Commander handed me a plate. Not to appear rude, I took a tentative bite of the meat pie, chewing slowly and rolling the food around my tongue. The beef was flavored with rosemary and ginger and lacked poisons. At least, I couldn’t taste the poisons I remembered. I lost my appetite when I remembered Moon Man’s comment about learning by doing and how easy it was to forget dictated information.

  We talked about minor things while eating. When I complimented his new chef on the lemon-wedge dessert, he told me Sammy now held the position.

  “Rand’s fetch boy?” I asked. He was thirteen years old.

  “He worked with Rand for four years and it became evident only he knew all the ingredients in Rand’s secret recipes.”

  “But he’s so young.” The kitchen during meal times had been a cacophony of ordered chaos guided by Rand’s firm hand.

  “I gave him a week to prove he could do it. He’s still there.”

  I had forgotten age didn’t matter to the Commander. He could have forced Sammy to divulge the recipes, but he respected ability over experience or gender. My young friend, Fisk the beggar boy turned entrepreneur, would have flourished in Ixia.

  When we finished lunch, the Commander moved the tray aside and repositioned his snow cat statue. Glints of silver sparked from the black stone. The single piece of decoration in the room, the cat was one of Valek’s carvings. Killing a snow cat was considered impossible. The citizens of Ixia avoided the lethal creatures living on the northern ice pack. The cat’s preternatural ability to escape death made it feared.

  Commander Ambrose was the only person to successfully hunt and kill one, and in doing so, he proved to himself that despite his mutation he could infiltrate a man’s world just as he had lived among the snow cat’s world. He believed his female body had just been a disguise for his soul. Only the Commander and I knew about his hunt and dual personalities. He had sworn me to secrecy when I had rescued him from Mogkan’s mind control.

  “Before Star came in with lunch you mentioned getting more information about the Sitian Council. Now that you’re a wanted criminal, how do you plan to achieve that?” the Commander asked.

  “I had hoped to infiltrate the Citadel and talk to one of the Councilors. But I fear the Master Magician’s magic would discover me, so now I want to borrow Valek and a few of his men. They could assist us in contacting the Councilor.”

  “Which one?”

  “Bavol Cacao Zaltana, my clan’s Councilman. He has been my strongest supporter and if you see by his signature…” I picked the Sitian letter up and pointed to his name. “He didn’t include his family name, Cacao, in his signature, so it’s not an official inscription. I believe it’s a message to me that he can be approached.”

  The Commander stared across the room as if considering my words. After a while, he brought his attention back to me. “You want me to risk my chief of security to help you gain information. All the while I’m to do nothing and hope the Sitians don’t attack before you discover what’s going on?”

  “Yes.” Although, the way the Commander said it made the situation sound terrible. There was no sense sugarcoating it. And the
last thing I wanted was to put Valek or anyone else at risk. But it had to be done.

  The Commander rested his chin on his folded hands. “The information isn’t worth the risk. I could wait to see what develops with the Council and then decide how to handle it.”

  “But—”

  A warning flashed in his eyes. “Yelena, why would you care what happens to the Council? They have turned their backs on you. You can’t go back to Sitia. You would provide the most help here with me as my adviser.”

  An unexpected offer. I considered. “What about my companions?”

  “Magicians?” A small crease of distaste pinched his forehead.

  “Two.”

  “They could be part of your staff if you want. But they can not use their magic against any Ixians without my permission.”

  “What about my magic? Would you place the same restrictions on me?”

  The Commander’s gaze didn’t waver. “No. I trust you.”

  I froze for a moment in shock. His trust was an honor, and, considering the recent reaction from the Sitian Council about me, the temptation to become his adviser warred with my emotions. It would probably be easier to stay and help defeat Cahil from this side of the border.

  “Don’t answer right away. Talk to your companions. I should have news from Valek soon. We’ll meet again then. In the meantime, do you need anything?”

  I thought about our dwindling supplies. If we left, we would need more provisions. “Could you exchange Sitian coins for Ixian?” I rummaged in my pack, placing various loose objects on his desk to get them out of my way.

  “Give them to Adviser Watts. You remember my accountant?”

  “Yes.” The covering on Opal’s bat had come undone and was all over the bottom of my pack. I removed the glass animal and freed it from the wrapping. The Commander gasped.

  His focus was riveted on the statue in my hand; his fingers poised as if to snatch the bat.

  “May I see?” he asked.

  “Sure.”

  With a snap of motion, he plucked the statue from my palm. He spun the bat, examining it from every possible angle. “Who made this?”