Magic Study

by Maria V. Snyder

When we reached the Council Hall, Ari and Janco headed toward the guest quarters. Kiki picked up her pace and we joined the others.

  I thought about where Valek might have gone. Back to Ixia seemed the safest and most logical course, but I knew Valek would stay nearby until Ferde was caught. That led me to consider who would be Ferde’s next victim. He had been working in the Keep where there were many young female magicians just learning to control their magic. Since the full moon would rise tomorrow night, he would probably need a few days to prepare. The Master Magicians couldn’t locate him with magic, but they might be able to contact the girl with him. But how to find her?

  Just past the Keep’s gate, the Master Magicians dismounted, handed their horses to the guards and started for the Keep’s administration building. I followed, but Roze stopped me at the base of the steps.

  “You’re confined to your quarters. We will deal with you later,” she promised.

  I had no intention of obeying her, but I knew they wouldn’t let me into the meeting room. So before Bain could mount the steps to the building, I touched his arm.

  “The killer probably seduced one of the young first-years to come with him,” I told him. “If everyone takes a barrack you can find out who’s missing and try to communicate with her.”

  “Excellent,” Bain said. “Now go rest, child. And do not worry. We will do all that we can to find the killer.”

  I nodded. Fatigue wrapped around me like a stone cloak, and Bain’s order to rest made sense. Before heading toward my rooms, I made a slight detour to the Keep’s guest suite.

  My father answered the door. He crushed me in his muscular arms. “Are you all right? Did my pill work?”

  “Like a charm.” I kissed him on the cheek. “You saved my life.”

  He ducked his head. “I’ve made some more for you just in case.”

  I smiled with gratitude. Looking past his shoulder, I asked, “Where’s Mother?”

  “In her favorite oak tree by the pasture. She was doing so well until…” He gave me a sardonic grin.

  “I know. I’ll find her.”

  I stood at the bottom of the oak, feeling as if I’d been run over by a horse. “Mother?” I called.

  “Yelena! Come up! Come up where it’s safe!”

  No place is safe, I thought. The events of the last two days began to overwhelm me. Too many problems, too much riding on me. My encounter with Alea proved that, even when I felt confident that I could take care of a situation, I really didn’t know what I was doing. If Alea had checked me for weapons, I would be standing ankle deep in my own blood.

  “Come down. I need you,” I cried. I sank to the ground and wrapped my arms around my legs as tears poured from my eyes.

  With a rustle and creak of branches, my mother appeared beside me. I transformed into a six-year-old child, flung myself into her arms and sobbed. She comforted me, helped me to my room, gave me a handkerchief and a glass of water. Tucking me into bed, she kissed me on my forehead.

  When she went to leave, I grabbed her hand. “Please stay.”

  Mother smiled, took off her cloak, and lay next to me. I fell asleep in her arms.

  The next morning she brought me breakfast in bed. I protested about the extravagance, but she stopped me. “I have fourteen years of mothering to catch up on. Indulge me.”

  Even though the plate was loaded with food, I ate every bit and drained the tea. “Sweet cakes are my favorite.”

  “I know,” she replied with a smug smile. “I asked one of the servers in the dining hall, and she remembered that every time they cooked sweet cakes your eyes would light up.” She took the empty tray. “You should go back to sleep.” Perl went into the other room.

  I could have easily complied, but I needed to find out if the others had discovered who was missing. Unable to stay in bed, I decided to get a quick bath before finding Bain.

  “Come to our suite when you’re done at the bathhouse,” Perl said. “Once your father told me what’s been going on with this killer and the Curare, I thought of something that might help you. It may have aided you yesterday,” she huffed. “I’m not a delicate sapling. You and Esau don’t need to keep things from me. And that includes Valek.” She put her hands on her hips, wrinkling the smooth lines of her blue-green dress.

  “How—” I sputtered.

  “I’m not deaf. The dining hall buzzed with conversation about you and Valek. And Valek’s escape from Cahil!” She put a hand to her throat. But then she took a deep breath.

  “I know I tend to overreact about some things and go running for the trees.” She smiled ruefully. “Valek has the most horrible reputation, but I trust you. When you have some time, you need to educate me about him.”

  “Yes, Mother,” I said and also promised to stop by their suite after my bath.

  It was the middle of the morning so the bathhouse was almost empty. Washing, I thought about how much I would tell my mother about Valek. When I finished drying off, I changed and headed toward the guest suite.

  Dax intercepted me. His usual jovial face was taut with worry, and the dark smudges under his eyes made it look as if he hadn’t slept in a while.

  “Have you seen Gelsi?” he asked.

  “Not since the New Beginnings feast.” So much had happened since that night. The semester had not gone as I had imagined. Nothing since coming to Sitia had gone as I had imagined. “Wasn’t she working on some special project for Master Bloodgood?”

  “Yes. She was experimenting with the Bellwood plant. But I haven’t seen her in days and I can’t find her anywhere.”

  His words struck me like Alea’s knife. I gasped.

  “What?” His green eyes widened in alarm.

  “Plant? Where? With who?” The questions tumbled from my mouth.

  “I already checked the greenhouses many times. She worked with one of the gardeners. Maybe we could ask him?”

  Him. My heart twisted. I knew who Gelsi was with.

  32

  “ME? BUT I’VE NEVER LINKED with Gelsi.” Dax’s drawn face took on a wild fearful expression.

  I had taken Dax back to my rooms. We sat together on the couch. “Don’t worry. I’ve only worked with her once, but you’ve known her for a year. I’ll find her through you.” I hoped. “Relax,” I instructed. I took his hand in mine. “Think of her.” Finding a thread of magic, I reached toward his mind.

  A horrible vision of Gelsi, bloody and terrified, filled my mind. “Dax, don’t imagine where she might be. Think of her at the New Beginnings feast.”

  The image transformed into a smiling young lady wearing a soft green gown. I felt Dax’s thrill when he held her hand and guided her while they danced. I sent my magic to Gelsi, trying to see Dax from her mind.

  She gazed up at him. They had always danced together at the feast, but this time felt different. Her skin tingled where he had touched her, and a warmth pulsed in her chest.

  Gelsi, I called, pulling her into the memory.

  What a lovely evening, she thought. How things have changed. Dax seemed distant after that night. Preoccupied.

  Gelsi, where are you? I asked.

  Shame flared. I’ve been a fool. No one must know. Please tell no one. Fear trembled through her mind.

  You were deceived by a cunning sorcerer. No one will hold that against you. Where are you?

  He will punish me.

  She tried to pull away. I showed her Dax’s concern for her. His hunt through the Keep. Don’t let your captor win, I pleaded.

  Gelsi showed me a bare room. She was naked and tied to metal spikes that had been driven into the wooden floor. Strange symbols had been painted on the floor and walls. Pain throbbed from between her legs and the multiple cuts along her arms and legs burned. He hadn’t needed to drug her with Curare.

  I loved him, she said. I gave myself to him.

  Instead of the wonderful loving experience she had expected, Ferde tied her down, beat her and raped her. Then he bled her, collecting the blood in
an earthen bowl.

  Show me where you are, I instructed.

  Beyond the room was the living area and outside I could see a courtyard with a white jade sculpture of fifteen horses.

  Have faith, I said. We’ll be there.

  He’ll know. He has surrounded the neighborhood with a magical shield, he knows when someone passes through and if he feels threatened, he’ll complete the ritual.

  Doesn’t he need to wait until the full moon tonight?

  No.

  The note left by Alea had originally set the exchange for the full moon so everyone had not only assumed Ferde sent the note, but that the phase of the moon was critical for the ritual.

  He had to move many times, Gelsi said. I had thought it exciting. I didn’t know he was the one the Masters were searching for. He led me to believe he was on a secret mission for the Master Magicians.

  We’ll find a way, I promised.

  Hurry.

  I withdrew my awareness and sat back. Dax stared at me in horror, he had been able to see and hear our conversation.

  “She will need you when this is over,” I told him.

  “We need to tell the Masters—”

  “No.” My mind raced through options.

  “But he’s strong. You heard Gelsi. He has a shield,” Dax said.

  “All the more reason to go alone. They have been searching for him and he knows them. I think I can get through undetected.”

  “How?”

  “There’s no time to explain. But Gelsi will need you close by. Can you meet me in the market in an hour?”

  “Of course.”

  I jumped up and started gathering supplies.

  Dax hesitated at the door. “Yelena?”

  I looked at him.

  “What happens if you don’t stop him?” Fear shone in his green eyes.

  “Then we find Valek. Otherwise, Sitia will be Ferde’s.”

  Dax swallowed his fright and nodded before leaving. I packed my equipment and changed my clothes. Dressed in a plain brown tunic and pants I would blend in with the regular citizens of the Citadel. Covering my disguise with my cloak, I stopped at my parent’s suite on the way out.

  Leif sat with them in the living room. I ignored him. “Father, do you have those extra pills?” I asked, hoping he knew I wanted the Theobroma.

  He nodded in understanding and went to retrieve them. While I waited, Mother remembered her little invention she had told me about. She handed me a strange device made of tubes and rubber and explained how to work it.

  “Just in case,” she said.

  “This is great,” I said. “You were right about it being useful.”

  She beamed. “That’s what every mother wants to hear.”

  Leif had said nothing, but I could feel his penetrating stare as if he tasted my intentions.

  Esau handed me the pills. “Are you coming to lunch with us?”

  “No. I have something I need to do. I’ll catch up with you later,” I said, giving my father a hug and my mother a kiss on her cheek.

  A queasy feeling rolled in my stomach. Perhaps I should tell the Master Magicians about Ferde and Gelsi? After all, it had been only pure chance that saved me from Alea. I was still discovering what I could do with my magic. And now that I had been expelled, would I be able to fully explore my potential?

  My mother stopped me just past the door.

  “Here,” she said, handing me my fire amulet. “I think you need this. Remember what you endured to win it.”

  I opened my mouth to protest, but she shook her head, “I want it back.” She squeezed me in a tight hug for a moment.

  Examining the scarlet prize in the sunlight, I marveled at Perl’s empathy. I tucked the amulet into my pocket and set a brisk pace for the Citadel.

  After I had passed the Keep’s gate, I heard pounding footsteps behind me. I whirled, drawing my bow. Leif halted a few feet away. His machete hung from his belt, but he made no move to grab it.

  “Not now, Leif,” I said, turning, but he clasped my shoulder and spun me around to face him.

  “I know where you’re going,” he said.

  “Bully for you.” I shrugged his hand off. “Then you know time is of the essence. Go back to the Keep.” I started to walk.

  “If I do, I’ll tell the Masters what you’re doing.”

  “Truly? You’re not very good at telling.”

  “This time I won’t hesitate.”

  Seeing the stubborn set to his broad shoulders, I stopped. “What do you want?”

  “To come along.”

  “Why?”

  “You’ll need me.”

  “Considering how helpful you were in the jungle fourteen years ago, I think I’m better off on my own.” I spat the words at him.

  He cringed, but the obstinacy remained in his face. “Either include me in your plans, or I’ll follow you and ruin them.”

  I clamped down on my sudden rage. I didn’t have time for this. “Fine, but let me warn you that you’re going have to let me inside your mind in order for you to get through Ferde’s shield.”

  His face paled, but he nodded and fell into step with me as I hurried to the market. Dax waited there. I left Leif with him and hunted for Fisk. He helped a woman barter for a bolt of cloth, but he finished as soon as he recognized me.

  “Lovely Yelena, do you need help?” he asked.

  I told him what I needed.

  He smiled and said, “Sounds like fun, but—”

  “It’s going to cost me,” I finished for him.

  He raced off to gather his friends.

  Once Fisk had assembled about twenty children, I explained my plan to them. “Make sure you don’t go within a block of the courtyard until you hear the signal. Understand?” I asked. The children nodded. When I felt satisfied they knew what to do, Fisk’s friends scattered and went to get into position. Fisk led Leif and me toward the white jade statue. Dax waited in a side alley far enough away not to touch Ferde’s shield, but within sight of the second-story windows.

  I kept my mind open, seeking for the edge of Ferde’s magical barrier. About half a block away from the courtyard, Leif touched my arm, stopping me.

  “It’s just ahead,” he whispered.

  “How do you know?”

  “I feel a wall of fire. Don’t you?”

  “No.”

  “Then it’s good that I came.”

  I glared, but had no reply. Fisk watched us, waiting for our signal.

  This was not the time for a fight. I looked at Leif. “You have to open your mind to me,” I told him. “You have to trust me.”

  He nodded without hesitating. “Do it.”

  I pulled power to me, spinning it around me like a huge curtain. Reaching out, I made contact with Fisk’s mind. “Think of your parents,” I instructed, hoping this would work.

  The young boy closed his eyes and imagined his parents. I linked to their minds through Fisk then reached for Leif’s.

  Leif’s mind resembled a black labyrinth of pain. Guilt, shame and anger twisted together. I understood why Moon Man wanted to help him, but I felt a mean satisfaction at Leif’s remorse.

  Pushing his dark thoughts aside, I replaced them with Fisk’s father’s concerns about finding work and supporting his family. I pulled in Fisk’s mother’s thoughts about her sister’s ailing health into my own mind. Holding their personalities and thoughts in Leif’s and my mind, I gave Fisk the signal.

  He barked like a dog. Soon other barks echoed on the marble walls in reply. Fisk’s friends would begin the distraction, playing tag and running in and out of the courtyard and Ferde’s magical shield as many times as they could.

  I took Fisk and Leif’s hands and the three of us continued on to the courtyard. As we crossed the barrier, I felt the probing heat of an annoyed and powerful magician. He scanned our thoughts, determined we were one of the local beggar families and dismissed us.

  When we reached the statue, I released Fisk’s parents. T
hey would have an unusual story to tell their friends about how they had felt as if they were in two places at once.

  “That’s half the battle,” I said to Leif.

  He wouldn’t meet my eyes. His face was flushed with shame. Irritated, I snapped, “Now is not the time for this.”

  He nodded, but still wouldn’t meet my gaze. Fisk ran off to join his friends in the game, giving us a few more minutes to get into the house.

  We approached the house from a side street. The door was locked. I pulled my diamond pick and my tension wrench from my backpack and began working on the lock. Once I had aligned the pins, the lock’s tumbler turned and the door swung inward. I heard a surprised huff from Leif. Then we stepped inside the foyer and closed the door. I shoved my picks into my pocket.

  Walking without sound, we entered a living area. The normal furniture and decorations seemed out of place. I guess I had expected something wild and weird; something that reflected a killer’s mind.

  Leif held his machete and I gripped my bow, but I knew they would not protect us. Magic filled the house. It pressed against my skin and I started to sweat. The sounds of the children faded and we heard the light tread of feet from the floor above us.

  Connecting with Gelsi’s mind, I saw Ferde approach her. He held a brown stone bowl and a long dagger. He wore his red mask and nothing else. She had been fascinated with the tattoos and symbols on his sculpted physique, but now she eyed them with revulsion.

  I’m downstairs, I told her. What’s he going to do?

  He wants more blood. Wait or else he will kill me if he hears you.

  I had to physically hold on to Leif when Gelsi started moaning with pain. Handing him one of Esau’s Theobroma pills, I motioned that he should put it into his mouth. I placed my pack on the floor and quietly removed Perl’s device from my backpack.

  With my bow in one hand and the device in the other, I waited at the bottom of the staircase with Leif. Finally, we heard Ferde moving again.

  He’s gone, Gelsi said with relief.

  My stomach tightened with apprehension. I pulled power to me to strengthen my mental defenses. A mistake. Ferde felt the draw and I could sense his growing alarm.

  “Now,” I whispered to Leif. We rushed up the stairs, taking them two at a time.