CHAPTER 17

I GAPED AT VALEK. Assassinating the Council would help the Vermin and support Cahil’s claims. “You’re not—”

“No. It’s the wrong thing to do right now. The Commander based his decision on the state of Sitian affairs before these Vermin showed up. He allowed me a degree of flexibility on this mission. We need to find out what’s going on. The Council meeting tonight might reveal crucial information.”

“We?”

“Yes. We.”

I sighed. I was disobeying direct orders from the Master Magicians and the Council again, getting involved with Sitian affairs. Would I ever agree with their decisions or was I deep down an Ixian just pretending to be impartial? Perhaps my session with Gede would be useful. I needed guidance as well as information.

Valek and I agreed to meet back in my room later tonight. He left.

Apprehension swirled around me like a thick fog as I dressed and walked to the Citadel’s guest quarters. The small clouds in the sky darkened as the light faded. The streets hummed with people finishing up their tasks for the day. Lamplighters began lighting the vast network of street lanterns. The main thoroughfares would be lit, but the back alleys would remain dark.

My concern grew as I passed a number of Vermin sauntering along the streets as if they owned the place. I avoided their gazes and wondered how the Council could be so swayed by Cahil’s words. Perhaps a Warper had influenced them with magic, making them more agreeable.

The Citadel’s guest quarters were located in a building behind the Council Hall and next to the stables. The two-story structure housed many apartments and I peered through the gloom, trying to determine which one Gede occupied. A shadow moved next to an entrance. Moon Man stepped from a pool of darkness.

“This way,” he said.

No emotion showed on his face. Gone was his sense of mischievousness and the spark of amusement in his eyes. I missed them.

“Moon Man, I—”

“You must not keep Gede waiting,” he said in a flat voice. “Your Story Weaver is ready for you.”

He ushered me inside, closing and locking the door behind us. Heat pressed against my skin as if I stood in an oven. A roaring fire blazed in the hearth, illuminating the living area. All the furniture had been pushed against the walls. Gede sat cross-legged on a mat in front of the fire. A few Sandseeds sat in the cleared space in the center of the room.

“Come. Sit.” Gede pointed to a mat in front of him.

I hesitated.

“You are the Soulfinder. You should not be afraid of fire. Sit or learn nothing.”

Removing my cloak and pack, I placed them by the entrance. I longed to pull my bow from its holder but ignored the desire. Instead, I joined Gede on the floor.

Sweat ran down his round face. His skin appeared black in the firelight. A trick of the light revealed an intricate tattoo design connecting the scars on his bare arms. But when I blinked, the design was gone.

“As a Soulfinder you can examine a soul, twist it, hold it and return it. You can send your soul to others. And you can project your soul to the other worlds, and return without any harm being done to your body,” Gede instructed.

“The other worlds?”

“The fire world, the sky and the shadow world. You know about the shadow world from Moon Man. Moonlight is the gateway to the shadow world. The sky is the final resting place of our essence. The fire world is what some call the underworld. What it is supposed to be under, I have no idea. But that is where the Fire Warper lives. And where you must go.”

“Why? Why must it be me?”

Gede’s disappointment was evident by the sagging of his shoulders. “You are the Soulfinder. The Fire Warper’s soul is there.”

The heat from the room baked into my body. My shirt clung to my back. “How do I get there?”

“Through the fire.”

When I didn’t say anything, Gede continued. “Only you can go in and leave without being harmed. The Warpers have been feeding this creature with souls from the Kirakawa ritual. His strength grows.”

The flames in the fire pulsed with an urgency. They swelled to man-size. I looked at Gede in alarm, but he appeared serene.

“He waits for you. Go to him,” Gede said.

I stood. “No. I’m not ready. I don’t even know how to fight him. With magic?”

Gede sneered with disdain. “You have no idea, do you? All the better.”

Confused, I glanced between Gede and the fire, expecting the Fire Warper to step from the conflagration.

“He comes for you. If you will not go on your own, then I will provide an incentive.” He snapped his fingers. “Moon Man, show your pupil what she needs to do.”

Moon Man strode toward the blaze. The flames reached out to him. He extended his hands and the fingers of fire wrapped around his arms.

“No,” I yelled. “Get back.” I grabbed Moon Man’s shoulders and pulled to no avail.

The tendrils of fire advanced and crawled over my hands. A burning excitement tingled and souls writhed in agony within the depths of the blaze. Caught between worlds. Hundreds of them. They dragged us toward them.

My first instinct had been to resist, but their need for freedom, for relief clawed at my body. I needed to help them. Leaning with Moon Man, I pushed forward. The fire burned on my skin, but the pain stayed bearable and a cooling relief lurked on the other side. If I could just get through.

A hand tugged on my shoulders. I tried to shake the person off. “It’s okay. They need me.”

An arm from outside the fire world circled my neck and squeezed. My hands still clutched Moon Man’s shoulders, trapped in the fire world. “No. Stop. I must…”

The souls ceased their pleading and flinched. “Wait.” The word wheezed from my lips as I strained for air. But they hid and cowered. “I’ve come to help—”

“But who will help you, my little bat?” the Fire Warper asked.

I lost my grip on the Story Weaver. Without the breath to speak, I projected, Do something! into Moon Man’s mind.

I can not. I have no power here.

The fire world blurred into a blob of orange and yellow. I plucked at the arm around my neck, but my hands weighed a hundred pounds. The blob transformed into black.

I woke. Lying on my back, I squinted and blinked until my eyes adjusted to the darkness. The cold air moved like silk over my hot body. My head throbbed and the skin on my hands and arms sizzled with pain. I drew a thread of magic and used it to soothe my head and heal the blisters.

“How about helping me,” Leif said. He held out his arms. They had been scorched.

Leif sat next to me. We were in an alley in the Citadel. Concentrating, I pulled power and healed his burns. My energy sapped, I leaned back against a wall as a wave of dizziness made my head spin.

“What happened?” My voice croaked as pain ringed my neck.

“I had business in the Citadel tonight and thought I’d wait for you by the guest quarters. Out of nowhere Valek appeared.” Leif paused, but when I failed to explain, he continued. “He muttered a comment about a Council meeting and asked where you were. By the firelight blazing through the windows, it wasn’t hard to figure out. Valek picked the lock and we peeked in time to see you and Moon Man hug the fire.”

He wiped soot from his face with a sleeve. “Valek attacked the Sandseeds inside and yelled for me to get you. Gede screamed for me to leave you alone, that you need to learn. Valek’s scarier than Gede, so I listened to him, but I couldn’t pull you away from the fire. I choked off your air until you passed out. Carried you out here.”

I touched my neck. “Did you do the same for Moon Man?”

“He was too far in. I couldn’t reach him.” Leif’s voice cracked with anguish. “Does the Fire Warper have him?”

“I don’t know. It was strange. I’m not certain what just happened.” My brain felt overcooked and logic stuck to the sides of my skull like a burnt crust. I needed another opinion. “Where’s Valek?”

“Disappeared. But he left your cloak and pack. And orders.” Leif smiled ruefully. “We are to leave the Citadel as soon as possible.”

“Did he say why?”

“No. Just to meet him about two miles south of the Citadel.”

I stood, wrapped my cloak around me and shouldered my pack. My legs protested the weight. “Let’s get our horses and supplies from the Keep.”

Leif shook his head. “He said not to return to the Keep for any reason.”

I mulled over the implications. Valek had been in the closed Council session where they questioned Marrok. Evidence must have been gleaned, but obviously not in our favor. So much for my promise to visit Gelsi.

We fled the Citadel and camped in a farm field west of the main road. With no supplies, and me refusing to let Leif light a fire, a miserable night loomed. We huddled in the dark.

Leif muttered over Valek’s reason for sending us here. I cursed my own stupidity; I didn’t have to wait for Valek. I could contact Irys myself.

I asked Leif to keep watch.

“Better than freezing to death,” he said.

Lying on the hard ground, I projected my thoughts. Irys’s tower sparked with life. And instead of finding the Master Magician sleeping, she was bent over a handful of books in her study. Because of the bond we shared, her thoughts were open to me.

Irys, I said in her mind.

Yelena! Thank fate! Are you okay?

I’m fine.

Where are you?

I don’t know if I should answer. What happened at the Council session?

A long pause. Marrok confessed.

To what? He didn’t do anything.

To freeing Ferde and conspiring against Sitia.

Stunned, my mind blanked for a moment. What…what was his motive?

Just like Cahil said. Marrok wanted to get Cahil arrested and be in charge of Cahil’s men. But…

Go on, I urged.

There’s a new wrinkle. Marrok conspired to team up with Ferde and the Daviians to provoke a war with Ixia.

Why is that new? We already know the Daviians want war.

The new part is Marrok named accomplices. Another pause. You and Leif.

My body numbed. Unbelievable. Someone must have forced Marrok to confess. It’s all a lie. Did you feel any magic being used? How can the Council swallow that? The thoughts tumbled one after another.

Unless you have some proof otherwise, the Council has signed an arrest warrant for you and Leif. They wish to capture you so you can be safely executed.

I almost laughed at the words safely and executed said together. The whole situation was ridiculous.

I’m not supposed to be telling you this either. I could be incarcerated in the Keep’s dungeon if the Council finds out. Bain and I are already being watched for disagreeing with them. They’ve gone quite mad.

That’s putting it mildly.

What are you going to do? Irys asked.

There has to be a reason the Council has gone mad. Discovering the reason should be next. Guess I really was going to stick my nose in Sitia’s business. Nothing like having a warrant for your execution to get a girl motivated.

But all the clans will be alerted to your arrest warrant, and there’s already talk of a reward. There’s no safe place for you in Sitia.

I’ll figure something out, and I think it’s best if I don’t contact you again for a while. You’re already under suspicion. I don’t want to compromise you any further.

Good point. Be very careful, Yelena.

I’ll try. But you know me.

Yes, I do. So I’ll say it again. Be very careful.

I pulled my awareness back, breaking our connection. Exhaustion dragged at my body and I would have drifted to sleep if Leif hadn’t bumped my arm.

“Oh, no you don’t, little sister. You were gone a long time. Tell me what’s happening.”

I filled Leif in on the details and managed to shock him into a rare silence.

“So what do we do now?” Leif finally whispered.

“We wait for Valek.”

Valek arrived near dawn. He rode Kiki and had Rusalka in tow. The saddlebags bulged with supplies. Fatigue lined his face.

He peered at me. “You know?”

“Yes.”

Valek dismounted. “Good. Saves time. The Citadel and Keep are crawling with soldiers looking for you.”

“How did you get the horses out then? A secret spy maneuver?” Leif asked.

“No. A distraction at the Keep’s gate, and I bribed the guards at the Citadel’s south entrance.”

Leif groaned. “Now they’ll know where we are.”

“I want them to think you went south. But you should get as far away from here as possible.”

“And go where?” Leif asked.

“Ixia.”

“Why would we do that?” Leif s jaw set into a stubborn line.

Danger flashed in Valek’s eyes, but he bit back a sarcastic reply. “Things are happening too fast right now. We need to regroup and plan. We need reinforcements.”

Valek made sense. Ixia was the only place where we would be safe.

“We should go now,” I said.

“I’ll meet you at the Commander’s castle.” Valek handed me Kiki’s reins.

She nudged my arm, but I ignored her. “You’re not coming with us?”

“No. I still have a few of my corps inside the Citadel. They need to be informed about what’s happening. I’ll join you at the castle afterward.”

Before he could go, I pulled him aside. We embraced.

“Stay safe,” I ordered.

He smiled. “I’m not the one getting pulled into fires, love.”

“How did you know I was in trouble?”

“After I heard the Council agree to your execution, I had an odd notion the Council was the least of your worries.”

“Thank you for saving me.”

“You keep things interesting, love. It would be boring without you.”

“Is that all I am to you? An amusement?”

“If only it was that simple.”

“I guess I’m no longer retired.” I managed a tired smile.

Valek kissed me goodbye. “Take a roundabout route to Ixia. The borders north of the Citadel will probably be watched.”

“Yes, sir.”

Valek left and the air turned cold. I shivered. Kiki nipped at my sleeve and I opened my mind to her.

I stay with Lavender Lady. Keep warm.

I’m glad you’re here, I said. I checked my pockets for a treat. No luck.

Ghost put peppermints in bag.

I laughed. Kiki always knew where to find the mints. I marveled that Valek had taken the time to include treats in his packing. The horses’ name for him was perfect, though. He appeared and disappeared as if he were a true ghost.

“Which way?” Leif asked.

Good question. Valek said to go around. The best direction would be to head northwest through the fields of the Stormdance Clan’s lands. Then head north toward Ixia, skirting the Featherstone lands surrounding the Citadel. I outlined my plan to Leif.

“Lead on.” Leif’s resignation tainted his voice. “I’ve never been to Ixia.”

Throughout the day, our passage through the fields hadn’t drawn any notice, but we still felt exposed by the daylight. Leif and I decided to do the bulk of our traveling during the night. After a short break for dinner, we rode through the dark hours. Between galloping, walking and resting, the horses made progress toward our goal.

We found an apple orchard as the sun dawned. Kiki sniffed around the neat rows of trees, but they had been picked clean of apples. Nothing grew in this area during the cold season. Deciding to camp within the shelter of the orchard, we found a site hidden from the few surrounding farmsteads.

“Have we crossed into Stormdance lands?” I asked Leif as I pulled Kiki’s saddle off her back.

“Not yet. See that ridge?” He pointed to the northwest.

“Yes.”

“That’s their border. Stormdance lands are mostly shale. They have a few farms in the eastern portion of their territory, but the west side is just sheets of shale on top of rock. The storms blown in from the Jade Sea have carved fantastic sculptures along their coast, but no one lives there. They only go to the coast to dance.” Leif sat down and assembled sticks for a fire.

I plopped next to him. Saddle sore and drained of energy, I delayed grooming the horses. “Why do they dance?”

“It’s how they harness the power from the storms. They capture the storm’s force in glass orbs. It’s a dangerous dance, but the risk is worth it. If they’re successful, they protect our land. Instead of being lashed with gale-force winds and soaked with heavy rains, Sitia receives a mild rain. The added benefit is the Stormdancers can use those orbs to fuel their factories.”

I gestured for more information.

“Haven’t you paid attention in class?”

“My lessons kept getting interrupted by mundane things like chasing after a Soulstealer. I’ll try harder in the future to ignore such events.”

“Boy, you’re grumpy when you’re tired.” Leif started a small fire and poured water into his cooking pot. “This container was made by the Stormdance Clan. They smelt ore to manufacture different metal items, including Sitian coins. They also produce parchment and make ink from indigo plants they grow on their eastern farms.”

I mulled over Leif’s lecture. Buying goods at the market, I hadn’t stopped to consider who might have made them. In Ixia, every Military District had a particular product or service contributing to the Territory which could be used for barter and trade. It appeared Sitia worked the same way, although the Stormdancers were a new twist. I wondered if they could harness the power of the blizzards blowing down from the northern ice pack. Life in MD-1, MD-2 and MD-3 turned into a struggle for survival during the cold season.

Would Commander Ambrose consider lifting his ban on magicians to alleviate the storms? He had grown up in MD-3, working in the diamond mines so he was no stranger to the incapacitating snowstorms. Even Valek, who had lived in MD-1, had seen his father’s leather business destroyed by the heavy snow.

I thought about the chain of events that had started with the collapse of Valek’s father’s roof. He didn’t have enough money to replace his equipment, feed his family and pay taxes to the King. When Valek’s father asked the soldiers, who had come to collect the taxes, for an extension, they had killed three of his four sons. That act sent Valek on a mission of revenge against a King who allowed his soldiers to murder innocent children. Becoming the best assassin in Ixia, Valek eventually joined forces with Ambrose. Together they had defeated the King and gained control of Ixia.

If the roof hadn’t collapsed, I wondered if the King would still be in power or if Ambrose would have found another assassin to help him. Would I even be here?

I shied away from those thoughts and focused on our present situation. Leif and I needed to guard our small camp. He manned the first shift while I tried to sleep.

The fire had been doused as soon as our meal was cooked. The smoke drifted on the breeze. Dreams swirled in my mind like sparks rising from a hot fire. The dizzying images slowed for a moment, and each time I glimpsed a horror. Stono’s twisted stomach transformed into a necklace snake. Blood rained in the Illiais Jungle. Severed heads floated over the sands of the plains. And fire danced on my skin. The hot prick of each flame both seared and excited me.

I jerked awake. My skin tingled. Afraid to go back to sleep, I sent Leif to bed.

Uneasy sleep came in fits during the next two days. We kept out of sight, used small fires to cook meals before we extinguished the flames, and shivered on the cold, hard ground. On the third day, we crossed into the Krystal Clan’s lands and turned north for the Ixian border.

Located directly west of the Featherstone Clan and the Citadel, the rolling terrain of the Krystals’ land was dotted with clumps of pine trees. Quarries stretched between the wooded areas. The Krystal Clan mined marble for buildings and exported the high-quality sand needed by the glassmakers in Booruby, leaving behind deep pits gouged into the ground.

We avoided the bustle of activity around the quarries and journeyed through the pine forests. Another day of travel would get us to the Ixian border. Our approach to the boundary needed to be considered with care. Sitian soldiers could be waiting to ambush us. And if we managed to get through, I would need to choose the right words when addressing the Ixian guards. Or risk being arrested by them.

In the end, all the planning, all the time and energy Leif and I had spent finding the perfect spot to cross the border without alerting the Sitians was for naught. Just as we made our way into the hundred-foot-wide swatch of cleared land that was the official neutral zone between Ixia and Sitia, two riders on horseback bolted from the pine forest and into the borderland.

Two things happened that made the riders’ presence go from bad timing to a deadly coincidence. Their horses headed straight toward us, and a whole squad of Sitian solders erupted from the woods in armed pursuit.