“No.” Valek eased into the room.
She held up a hand. “Stop right there.”
He did as instructed and slid his daggers back into their pockets. They wouldn’t help him in this situation. Nothing would. Her power could rip through his barrier like tissue paper. The only reason she hadn’t done it before was because he’d surprised her. Now she’d had time to think about it.
“You have magic. How did it happen?” she asked.
No sense lying. His and Yelena’s future rested in what happened next. “I made peace with my brothers’ murders. Seems that released the null shield I’d unknowingly grafted onto my soul when I’d witnessed their murders. Once the shield was gone, my magical powers were freed.” That was Yelena’s theory, and the timing confirmed it.
“Did you come here to kill me?” she asked.
“Do you think I can?”
“No. You’re strong, but not as strong as me.”
“Then why are you worried?”
“I wouldn’t call it worry. More like curiosity. Indulge me.”
“You have nothing to fear. You fall under the category of a Sitian who has been duped or brainwashed, and therefore are not to be killed or harmed if possible. Yelena’s orders.”
“Then what are you doing here?”
“Investigating. I hope Bain has some information to help us counter the Cartel.” He was growing tired of her suspicion. “Have you talked to Cahil yet?”
“No. We haven’t been able to talk privately. In fact, unless I’m in my room, I’m never alone. That magician, Cilly, is always hovering nearby. Bruns says it’s for my protection from you.” She frowned. “She’s tested my defenses a number of times, trying to get a sense of my loyalties. Don’t worry, she doesn’t have the power to get through. And I haven’t told Bruns what Yelena said or that she’s here.”
One good thing. “You’re alone now.”
“Master Magician, remember? I’m done with being protected.”
He approved. “This is a good place to hide.”
“I’m not hiding.” Zitora hooked her thumb toward the wall behind her. She stood in front of a large safe. The painting that had covered it rested on the floor. “Can you open it?”
Janco was the expert, but Valek had some experience. “Maybe. It depends on the model.”
“Will you open it for me?”
Ah, there was the right question. “If I can.”
She stepped aside. Moving slowly so he didn’t startle her, he crossed the room. He inspected the safe. Made of thick steel and with a complex lock, it would be difficult to crack. He spun the cylinder, feeling for that subtle vibration. It took him multiple tries, but finally the door opened.
He backed away. “What are you looking for?”
She dug into the contents, pulling various things out and setting them onto Irys’s desk. “Ahh.” Zitora removed a glass super messenger. “I thought she’d have one in case of an emergency.”
Smart. “Now you can contact Bain and confirm our story.”
“That’s the idea.” Yet she hesitated.
She still didn’t trust him.
“I’m going to Bain’s now. If you have time, ask him if he has any of Master Magician’s Ellis Moon’s papers.” He left.
Bain’s office was only a few doors down from Irys’s. Unlike Irys’s neat organization, a mess sprawled on every surface. Valek would have thought someone had searched the place if he hadn’t known Bain so well. The most powerful magician in the world loved researching little-known historical details when he had time. But as a member of the Sitian Council, he rarely had time.
Valek started with his desk and scanned the various piles of parchment. He found a list of missing magicians, and Valek wondered how many of them remained alive. Then he remembered Fisk had helped hide a few, which meant Bruns likely knew their locations. The desk drawers were crammed with...well, everything. Valek slid them shut without digging deeper. If Bain had gotten the notes, they would be on top somewhere. He strode over to the table. Flipping through the files, he searched for anything that appeared old.
“They’re in Bain’s tower,” Zitora said.
Valek spun around.
She cradled the messenger like a baby. Her eyes shone with unshed tears. “They’re both alive!”
A relief. While the intel on the status of both the masters was fairly recent, there had been no guarantee that they remained alive.
“You were right,” she said. “I’m so sor—”
“Don’t apologize. Otherwise I’d have to apologize for not getting to the Citadel in time to stop you from entering in the first place, and a whole list of other transgressions.”
She laughed. It was a light, sweet sound.
Bain’s tower was located in the northeast corner of the Keep. As they trudged up four flights of stairs to the living quarters, he asked Zitora what she’d told Bruns about the chase.
“I told him I’d lost you. That it was pure luck that I’d sensed you in the first place. He has watchers stationed all around the Citadel now, but they aren’t aware that you’re wearing a disguise.”
Good to know, especially considering their plans for tomorrow night. They retrieved the thick file of Ellis’s notes from Bain’s night table. Then they crossed the campus to the Keep’s library.
Yelena sat at a table in the middle of the reading room. Sunlight streamed in from the skylight above, illuminating the open book before her. Two piles of tomes were stacked on both sides of her.
She glanced up when they entered and shot to her feet. “What—”
“Relax,” he said. “She contacted Bain.”
She blew out a breath. “How?”
He filled her in, then pointed to her book. “What are you reading?”
“When I didn’t find Ellis’s journals, I pulled books that mentioned plants, hoping to find a reference to the Harman trees.” She swept her hand over the piles to her left. “Nothing so far.”
“Keep looking while I read through the journals.” He placed the file on the table. They were safer here than in the apartment. Valek turned to Zitora. “You can stay in the Keep until the big rescue. We’re going—”
“I’m not leaving.”
“Why not?” Yelena asked.
“I’m going to stay with Bruns and play along, like Bain and Irys. I’ll be in the perfect position to help you when you stop the Cartel.”
Such confidence.
“How will we contact you?” Valek asked.
“Here.” She gave him the super messenger.
Magic pulsed inside, and the vibrations traveled up his arm.
“You can contact us all,” she said.
“I don’t—”
“It’s not hard to use. I can teach you.” She took back the glass cube. “Let down your mental barrier and reach out to me with your magic.”
He did as instructed. At first, he hit a solid brick wall. Zitora? he thought.
An opening appeared. Welcome to my mind, she thought. Sorry about the mess. I’ve had an interesting couple of days.
Same here.
She smiled. All right, now you know how to knock on another magician’s shield. Now I want you to reach out to Irys and tell me when you’ve hit your limit.
He sent his awareness to the northeast, toward Irys in the Featherstone garrison. A few people traveled on the road outside the Citadel. Then he picked up on the thoughts of those living in Owl’s Hill before he was unable to go farther—although he was shocked he had managed to even reach that far. I’m at the end.
Zitora placed the messenger in his hands. Use the magic inside to propel you further.
It was like a concentrated piece of the power blanket. As the extra magic infused him, he flew over the miles,
seeking Irys. Then he slammed into a stone barrier. Dazed, he needed a moment to collect his wits before knocking. Irys?
Valek? What are you doing here?
Long story, but I can access the power blanket now, and Zitora’s teaching me how to use your super messenger.
A pause. Ah, good. Contact me again when I’m needed. Remember those messengers have a limited amount of magic. Once used up, it can only be recharged by Quinn.
How can I tell how much has been used?
I could send a dozen messages before it’s depleted. Since you aren’t as strong, it would be less for you. Maybe eight total.
He calculated. It’d been used three times—twice by Zitora, who was stronger than Irys. Six left?
Yes. That’s probably right. Good luck. Give Yelena my love.
He retreated, returning to the Keep’s library. Not that he’d ever left. Odd. Both Yelena and Zitora stared at him expectantly.
“Irys sends her love,” he said.
They both grinned.
Yelena gestured to the messenger. “That’s a game-changer for our side. I told you your magic would come in handy.”
“Yes, love, you were right.”
Zitora slapped him on the back. “If you keep using those words, you’re going to have a long, happy marriage.” Then she sobered. “I’d better head back before Bruns gets too suspicious. Good luck with the big breakout.” She turned, then stopped. “Oh, I almost forgot.” She pulled a locked wooden box from her pocket. It was about six inches long and two inches wide. Zitora handed it to Yelena. “Give this to Opal when you see her.”
“What is it?” Yelena asked.
“Opal will know what to do with it.”
* * *
They spent the rest of the daylight hours reading. Valek quickly realized that his knowledge of magic and all things magical was rather limited, despite his years countering it, so they swapped tasks. Now he scanned pages of text and botanical drawings, seeking any sign of the Harman tree.
At one point, Yelena glanced up and said, “Ellis was a genius, but he had a warped way of thinking. Now I know where Owen Moon gets his crazy ideas. Owen must have read through these when he was a student at the Keep.” She tapped a page with her fingernail. “Ellis believed that only the very strong and master-level magicians should be able to keep their powers. He thought all the others were just a danger to themselves and others. He wanted to start a magicians’ guild to keep track of everyone.”
“That sounds like Bruns’s philosophy.” And Bruns was close to Owen’s age. “I wonder if Owen and Bruns knew each other before—” A thought popped into his head. While the Commander had financed most of Owen’s glass hothouses in order for the man to produce Curare, Owen would have needed funds prior to that endeavor. Money to pay for his failed effort to recover the Ice Moon from the Commander. Had Owen and Bruns been planning this takeover all along?
“Before?” Yelena prompted.
He explained his theory. “The Ice Moon would have accomplished their goal of limiting who has access to magic.” Once activated, the huge blue diamond could have stored the entire power blanket within its depths. But that would be too much power for one person to wield, so the Master Magicians sent the Ice Moon to the Commander for safekeeping. Believing it was a dangerous weapon, he had sliced it into thin sheets and incorporated them into the stained glass windows of his war room. Had he known what it had been capable of, the Commander might have been tempted to use it. He’d never trusted magicians and would have been happy to strip them of their powers.
Yelena fingered the edges of a book as her forehead crinkled in thought. “When the attempt to retrieve the Ice Moon failed, they came up with a plan B to control the magicians.”
“For now. The Theobroma is just a short-term solution. Eventually they will need to weed out the magicians who are not dedicated to their cause.”
“By killing them all?” she asked with a horrified tone.
“I doubt they would risk upsetting Sitians with such an extreme action. They need another way to neutralize them.”
“Like me?”
He considered. “If they had succeeded in blocking your magic, I’d think they would have used that substance on the other magicians by now. Perhaps they’re experimenting with null shields. They can be attached to objects. Maybe they found a way to inject a shield into a person’s body or bloodstream.”
Color leaked from her face. “Do you really think...?”
“I’ve no idea if it’s possible. But I’m pretty certain they’re working on something. Bruns and Owen want control of who keeps their powers and who doesn’t. Since the magicians are all in Sitia, the Cartel must be leading the efforts. Maybe the answer is in Ellis Moon’s notes.”
They kept working.
Yelena finished before Valek. “Is this everything you found?”
“Yes. Why?”
She pushed the file away. “It’s missing a few journals. Ellis mentions experimenting with various substances, but he keeps referring to a lab book for more details.”
“It might have been passed down through the family. Owen is Ellis’s great-great-grandson.”
“Or it could be shelved under a different topic.”
They searched through the rows and rows of bookshelves for the lab notes but found nothing. Then Yelena helped him look through the rest of the botany books that she had collected earlier. Nothing. And the last of the light was fading. He hefted half the stack to return to the shelves while Yelena grabbed the rest. They all belonged in the same section of the library. When he slid in the last volume, another book title caught his eye. Ixian Horticulture. The image of the trees in the castle flashed. Could it be?
He grabbed it and brought it to the brightest spot in the library. Yelena followed him and leaned over his shoulder as he flipped through the pages. Unlike all the other books, he recognized many of the plants and trees. Funny how he’d never known most of their names.
Valek paused at a drawing of a familiar circular leaf.
“The Cheeko tree,” Yelena said with a laugh. “The leaves are good for camouflage. Remember?”
“That is one of my favorite memories.” When they’d first met, he’d suspected she was intelligent, but when she had glued them onto her bright red uniform in order to blend in with the forest, it confirmed his assessment. Plus she’d looked adorable, even with mud on her face and her hair covered with leaves.
Valek continued to turn pages, scanning each one as the light dimmed.
“There!” Yelena stabbed a page with her finger.
Excitement pulsed as he spotted the Harman tree with its distinctive leaves. He read through the description, but it focused on planting the tree for shade and listed the ideal growing conditions.
“Why can’t anything be easy?” he asked.
“Were you hoping for a footnote that tells us why Owen is so interested in it?”
“Yes.”
She patted his shoulder. “At least we know it’s grown in Ixia. That’s more than a few minutes ago. And maybe there’s something here that my father will find useful.”
He gripped the page to rip it free from the book.
Yelena stopped his hand. “The library won’t like that.”
Since so many student magicians had spent long hours in here researching over many years’ time, magic had infused every inch of this place—the library was very protective of the books.
“Will it let us take the book?”
“I don’t know.”
Feeling silly, he addressed the walls. “This book might help us solve a problem, and if we do, then the students will return and study here again.”
Yelena covered her mouth with a hand and her eyes shone, but she didn’t laugh.
“Come on,” he said, tucki
ng the book under his arm. “We need to check in with Onora.”
They left the building without any shelves crashing down on them—a good sign. Crossing under the Keep’s wall, they ascended and slipped into the alley. No one appeared to notice as they joined the flow of day shift workers hurrying home. The streets buzzed with conversation. The sun had just set, leaving behind a flat gray twilight that would soon turn black. Valek held Yelena’s hand, keeping her close. Zitora had warned that watchers sought him. They would be on the lookout for a lone man versus a couple. He hoped.
They talked on the way back. Yelena said she was craving sweet cakes.
“You’re always in the mood for sweet cakes, love.”
“But this time it’s because of the baby.” She told him about Onora’s aunt.
“Anything else you plan to blame on the baby?” he teased.
“Actually...” Yelena explained about baby brain. “So it wasn’t my fault that I forgot about my disguise when I was going to drink from the Unity Fountain’s water spout.”
“It was due to baby brain?”
“Exactly!”
He laughed. “I thought I’d heard every excuse possible, but that’s a new one.”
She glared at him. Oops.
“However, since I have very limited experience with pregnant women, I’ll defer to your expertise in these matters from now on.” He brought their clasped hands up and kissed her knuckles.
“Was that an apology? Am I supposed to swoon now?”
“Yes it was. And I believe swooning is required. Don’t worry, I will catch you.”
“Men,” she muttered, shaking her head.
* * *
Onora waited for them in the apartment. She had purchased supplies for the rescue and bought half a dozen meat pies. Yelena groaned in pleasure as she devoured the warm, spicy beef. So much for sweet cakes. Onora and Valek shared an amused glance.
“Everything should be good to go,” Onora said after they finished eating. “However, the timing of your distraction is going to be crucial. So far, most of the activity in the Council Hall occurs in the late afternoon, when everyone is leaving for the day.”