Ice Study

by Maria V. Snyder

  He would pay for every mark on Leif’s body. That I promised my brother.

  The magician had instructed his men to hide my brother without telling him the location. They’d set up a complicated message system to ensure their boss’s life and his freedom during the mission.

  Digging a little deeper into his mind, I learned his name: Owen Moon. And I sensed that he would keep his word not to harm Leif if I agreed to his demands and helped him steal the Commander’s Ice Moon. He also wouldn’t hesitate to order my brother’s death if I failed. I tried to discover Leif’s current location, but to no avail. With a sudden snap, my connection to Owen broke.

  “That’s enough. Do you believe me?” Owen asked.

  “Yes.”

  “And your answer?”

  “When do we leave?” I asked.

  He smirked with satisfaction. “Now. Go pack a small bag. Reed, go with her.”

  A young man with short, dark hair stepped forward. I allowed him to follow me upstairs, but I stopped outside my bedroom door. “Stay here,” I ordered.

  “But—”

  “I need to change my clothes.”

  His shoulders stiffened. “I’ll turn my back.”

  “No. You’ll stay here. What do you think I’ll do? Your boss has my brother.” I shut the door and drew in a breath before pushing my awareness toward Reed. As I’d suspected, he was no longer covered by the null shield. Owen’s confidence in my cooperation could be used to my advantage. Too bad Reed didn’t know anything useful. I capitalized on his fatigue, and eventually my escort ceased resisting and lay down in the hallway for a little nap.

  Valek coalesced from the shadows and wrapped me in his long, lean arms. I breathed in his musky smell, listening to his heartbeat. Strong and steady. No indication that he had been sneaking around.

  “What do you want me to do, love?” he asked in a low whisper. “Find Leif, or smooth the way for your trip north?”

  “How about both?”

  “It’s Ixia. Messages take forever compared to Sitia, but if you drag the trip out a few days, I could have a couple helpers in place.”

  “Leif first.”

  “Right.” His sigh vibrated through me. “So much for our vacation.” He pulled back, and I recognized the eagerness in his blue eyes. “Interesting problem, though. Could be a bit tricky.”

  “Free Leif, and then you can play,” I said.

  “Promise?” An eagerness lightened his tone.

  “If I don’t get to them first.”

  “That’s my girl.” He released me.

  While I changed, Valek packed my bag. In order to travel in Ixia without drawing attention, we would have to leave Kiki and the rest of the horses behind. I swung my gray cloak around my shoulders. The cooling season in Ixia meant icy winds and freezing nights. Valek would have to find Leif before the cold season’s blizzards began, or we would be stuck in Ixia for two months.

  Valek handed me the backpack. “Directly north of us there’s a safe house near the Ixian border.”

  “You’re not supposed—”

  “We can argue about it later. It’s stocked with Ixian uniforms, money and papers. You’ll still have to sneak across the border, but it’ll help once you’re inside.” He gave me directions to the house. “Then head for Military District 3 and find the Commander’s diamond mine—the one he grew up in. Its designation is MD-3-13 and it’s in the foothills of the Soul Mountains near the northern ice sheet. I’ll meet you there.” He rested his hands on my shoulders. “Stay safe, love.”

  I reached and pulled him close, rising up on the balls of my feet to kiss him. Heat pulsed in my chest, and I wished to melt into his skin. But I sensed Reed waking up. We broke apart.

  Valek said, “I doubt you’ll get close to the Ice Moon, but if some odd twist of fate leads you to it, do not let that magician get his hands on it. Not even in exchange for Leif’s life. The consequences—”

  “I know.”

  “How?”

  “Master Magician Bain Bloodgood told me.”

  “Good.”

  The knob on the door turned and Valek moved, disappearing once again into the shadows. Reed entered the room, glaring in suspicion.

  “I’m ready,” I said as I breezed past him. I joined Owen and the other three men in the living room. Without waiting for Owen to give the order, I said, “Let’s go.”

  Leading them outside, I turned north. I was sure Owen knew how powerful the Ice Moon was. But I’d bet my butterfly pendant that he had no idea it had been given—not stolen—to the Commander by the Master Magicians for safekeeping.

  PART 2 – VALEK

  Valek watched Yelena, Owen Moon and his four men head north toward Ixia. The cold wind rattled the bare branches of the trees, and a shiver zipped over his skin. She was outnumbered, and the magician could protect himself with a null shield. Worry swirled in his chest as they disappeared over a slight rise. Yelena led the men on an impossible quest—to recover the Ice Moon from the Commander’s mine. If Leif’s life hadn’t been on the line, the five intruders would already be dead.

  Time to fix that problem, Valek thought. He saddled his horse, Onyx. Kiki stuck her head out of her stall and gave him a morose look. Because horses were only ridden by the Generals and special officers in Ixia, she had to stay behind and wait for Yelena to return. She would miss Onyx’s presence, but that couldn’t be helped. He needed to get to the Citadel as fast as possible.

  He fed Kiki a few milk oats and scratched her behind the ears before mounting his pure black horse. For a moment, he wished he could communicate with the horses the same way Yelena did, but he knew they were smart. He asked Onyx to hurry to the Citadel, and the horse broke into a fast gallop.

  They arrived at the northern gate of the Citadel just as the first rays of dawn shone over the white marble of the outer walls. Onyx headed straight for the Magician’s Keep in the northeast quadrant of the city. Valek wondered how Yelena fared. Was she tired? Worried? But once he reached the Keep’s gate, he shoved his concerns deep within his heart.

  With no time to be subtle, Valek informed the guard in the gatehouse that he needed to see Master Magician Irys Jewelrose. He didn’t wait for permission to enter. Onyx hopped the wooden barrier with ease—a trick he’d learned from Kiki. They crossed the courtyard to the administration building.

  If Irys wasn’t in her office, she soon would be. There was always a magician stationed in the gatehouse, and he or she would inform the second-most powerful magician in Ixia that Valek, the Commander’s assassin, waited for her.

  Having an infamous reputation is handy in certain situations.

  Valek hopped off Onyx and entered the building, arriving at Irys’s office without encountering anyone. He wasn’t too surprised to find her working at her desk. Her normally tidy hair hung to her shoulders, as if she’d given up on keeping it pulled back.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Where’s Leif?”

  She eyed his dusty travel clothes. “I asked first.”

  He huffed in annoyance. Yes, he could discover Leif’s last known location without her help, but he didn’t want to waste any more time. Besides, Irys could have information on this Owen Moon. He recounted the midnight ambush to her.

  “I remember Owen,” she said. “Cocky little twerp who came from a rich family. His strongest ability is mental communication. The only magician I know of who can lie to another magician in his mind. Most people can’t lie when you’re linked mind to mind, but he can.”

  “Where’s Leif?” he asked again.

  “Councilor Moon requested his help to interrogate a murderer. Not all of his victims have been found, and they wanted to use Leif’s magic to locate their remains.”

  “Have you heard from him recently?”

  “No, and I was beginning to worry. Last time he made contact was three days ago. He reported that he had reached Fulgor late at night and would go to the Councilor’s Hall the next day.”

>   “Can you contact one of the Councilor’s people?” he asked.

  Irys nodded and pulled a glass statue from her pocket. He guessed the red-tailed hawk glowed with magic, but he was unable to see it. She stared into the depths of the messenger.

  “Ask if Leif checked in with Tama Moon,” he said. He needed to know if Owen’s men had ambushed Leif before or after he talked to the Councilor.

  Irys frowned. “We’ll have to wait. My contact will ask the Councilor and report back. Get some sleep, Valek. You’re exhausted.”

  It was a good idea, but sleeping seemed impossible. Valek desired action. His hands itched to hurt the people who held Leif and Yelena. Instead, he stabled Onyx and then joined the morning training session, working on sword drills with the students until Irys appeared and waved him over.

  “Councilor Moon never requested Leif. She hasn’t seen him at all,” she said.

  Valek calculated. Leif had likely been taken three days ago. He could still be in Moon Clan lands, or in Cloud Mist’s lands, or even the Featherstone lands. He would need to travel to Fulgor, but Onyx required a few more hours’ rest before they could leave. With reluctance dragging at his feet, he Valek finally took Irys’s advice and slept.

  #

  By mid-afternoon, Valek and Onyx headed toward Fulgor. The horse seemed to sense his impatience and pushed himself harder than normal. The five-day journey turned into four. Valek made sure to find a clean stable and rubbed the black horse down himself when they arrived.

  “You’ve been hanging out with those Sandseed horses too long,” Valek said to him, patting his neck in gratitude. With Onyx fed, watered and settled, Valek hurried to his safe house. He didn’t care if anyone recognized him on the streets of Fulgor, but he made sure no one saw him enter the small, nondescript townhouse a few blocks from the Councilor’s Hall.

  The agent on duty shot to her feet when Valek appeared. She opened her mouth, about to launch into an update on what had been happening in the city, but he silenced her with a sharp wave of his hand.

  “I need to know if any of our Fulgor agents has reported seeing Leif Liana Zaltana in the last ten days,” he said.

  The young woman pulled a log book from the desk. Flipping through the pages, she scanned the entries. Valek paced the narrow room. A few armchairs had been set up near the window to give the appearance of a home. And a fire always burned in the hearth in case important documents needed to be destroyed. However, the rest of the dwelling was used as an office and safe haven for his corps. The Commander had ordered him to set up and maintain one of these safe houses in each major city in Sitia, including the Citadel. All to keep track of the neighbors to the south. Yelena would be livid if she knew, but Valek couldn’t disobey a direct order from the Commander. Besides, the houses came in handy during times like these.

  “Sir, he was spotted entering the Weir Inn seven days ago, and two days ago, an agent noted that his horse remains at the inn’s stables. No one has seen him around town or at the Councilor’s Hall.”

  Valek raced to the inn, beating the supper rush by just a few minutes. The common room hummed with voices, and servers weaved through the tables. Valek sought the innkeeper and heard the same story. Here for one night and disappeared the next day. She figured Leif would return for his horse eventually.

  “Did he talk with anyone?” Valek asked her.

  “He spent a good deal of time with our chef. They’re friends,” she said.

  The sizzling smell of grilled beef dominated the kitchen. Valek’s stomach grumbled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten since yesterday. The chef flipped beef steaks with an expert twist of his wrist.

  “I stayed up all night with Leif,” the chef said between tasks. “We talked food—no surprise there, the man has an excellent palate—and then I whipped him up some sweet cakes for breakfast. Afterwards, Sarah said there were guards asking for him.” He shrugged. “He told me he was in town to help the guards, I think they all left together.”

  Valek thanked him and left the kitchen. Returning to the common room, he sat at a table in the back corner and ordered a beef steak. It didn’t take a genius to guess that those guards weren’t legit. After Valek finished his meal, he walked toward Fulgor’s Councilor’s Hall. In order to maintain the ruse long enough to lead Leif somewhere relatively deserted, the fake guards would have had to start out in the right direction.

  In the graying twilight, Valek scanned the street, searching for places he would use for an ambush. He peered into dark alleys and circled abandoned buildings. One alley a number of blocks away from the Inn had signs of a struggle scuffed on the cobblestones near the alley’s entrance. It could be from a street fight, but he needed to investigate before the light was gone. Halfway down the alley, he discovered drag marks leading to a warehouse door. Rust coated the hinges and knob, but not the lock.

  Could it really be that easy? Not trusting the door, Valek climbed to the second floor and found an unlocked window. Ghosting inside the empty building, he didn’t encounter anyone or anything on the second floor. On the first floor, he found a machete in the corner of a big open room. Dried blood splattered the blade. Nearby, he spotted faint scratches on the brick wall, but it was too dark to decipher them.

  “Need a light?” a woman’s voice asked.

  As a fire blazed to life behind him, Valek spun and grabbed his daggers. Six black-clad figures fanned out in front of him, pointing their swords at him. Guess it isn’t going to be that easy.

  Valek was literally cornered. Six armed figures blocked his only escape route. He kept his expression neutral, but inside he chastised his own lack of judgment.

  “Only six?” he asked, sounding bored. “My, my.” He tsked and spun his daggers in his hands. “Do you want to surrender to me now or later?”

  The woman laughed—a deep, almost seductive sound. She held the lantern aloft. Standing safely behind the semi-circle of fighters, she had pulled the hood of her long cloak up to conceal her face. “We’re well aware of your reputation. And I must say, I’m disappointed,” she said.

  Magic brushed Valek’s skin. At least one of the ambushers was a magician. Even though he was immune to magic, he could feel it, and if it was strong enough, it could slow him down.

  The woman continued, “We expected you to show up at some point, but we never thought you would be this easy to catch.”

  “Who says I’m caught?” he asked.

  A chuckle rippled through the six fighters. Valek studied them. They wore tight-fitting black clothes that covered everything but their eyes. Sharp swords pointed at him with steady hands, and a few clutched short knives as well.

  His daggers wouldn’t reach as far as their weapons. Leif’s machete lay by his feet, but the thick blade still wouldn’t be long enough. He considered the darts treated with Curare. tucked in his belt. They would even the odds a bit if he had time to use them.

  “Enough banter,” the woman said. “Put down your weapons, and you will not be harmed.”

  “Did you give Leif that choice as well?” he asked.

  “No. In fact, if you manage to escape tonight, he will be harmed in retaliation for your attempt to interfere. Yelena will witness us cutting his arms off.”

  So they did have him. “And if I surrender?”

  “He will not be hurt, and you will provide more incentive for her to complete her mission successfully.”

  “What if she doesn’t follow Owen’s orders?”

  “You and Leif will suffer.”

  “But you just said I wouldn’t be harmed.” Valek kept his tone reasonable as he suppressed a smile at the woman’s growing frustration. She might think she had the upper hand, but Valek was in control.

  “Yelena’s disobedience would hurt you. As long as she obeys, you will be fine.”

  He noted the woman’s speech patterns. Her word choice reminded him of Moon Man. Strange. Most of the Sandseed clan had been killed, and he couldn’t imagine one of the survivors working for Owen M
oon.

  “Drop your weapons, now,” she ordered.

  He considered, taking his time just to piss her off. No doubt he’d escape, but why go to all that effort? They’d probably just take him to Leif. They weren’t smart enough to keep him and Leif far apart, which was what he’d do in their place. Plus, if he escaped, they might use a glass messenger to report his involvement and then injure Leif before he could rescue him. And he’d yet to be locked in a prison that could hold him for long.

  Valek slowly set his daggers on the floor and held his hands up.

  “And the rest,” she said.

  He removed a few more weapons, but left the darts, lock picks and a couple other surprises in place. She ordered him to turn around and put his hands on the wall. Doing as instructed, Valek knew exactly what would happen next. Even though he braced for the blow, the impact sent him to his knees. Blackness claimed him.

  #

  A dagger of pain stabbed him between the eyes. Valek groaned and touched the back of his head, fingering a tender, fist-sized lump. Nausea churned in his stomach. He lay still to keep from losing his supper.

  “At least you’re not dead,” Leif said. “Although after a few meals in here, you’ll wish you were.”

  Valek opened his eyes. He was in a cell comprised of one stone wall with bars along the remaining three. Beyond his door was a wide walkway and another stone wall. The walkway ended at a set of metal doors on his left. Lanterns hung along the far wall, illuminating the narrow prison. From his location, he counted three cells in total. The configuration was unfamiliar.

  Leif stood in the adjoining cell on his right, watching him with a semi-amused expression. Purple bruises and half-healed cuts marked his face. He wore a blue coverall that resembled a prison uniform.

  “If you’re my knight in shining armor, I’m screwed,” Leif said.

  Careful not to jar his head, Valek pushed into a sitting position. He was getting too old for this nonsense. Valek also wore a blue coverall, and a quick check confirmed that none of his own clothing remained, which meant no weapons and no lock picks.