Fire Study (39 page)

Keep’s layout?

Bain’s private stash of books most likely contained the information I needed. The

irony of my situation was not lost on me. The Second Magician had told Bavol

about the tunnel’s existence because he knew Bavol would be the first person I

would contact. What Bavol had thought was an interesting tidbit of information

turned out to be a message for me.

The lack of details remained a problem. East side of the Keep and big enough for

a horse didn’t give me much to go on.

The flow of people in and out of the Council Hall stayed steady. However, a few

Vermin hung about and I decided not to risk my life for research.

When I headed back toward the market, a strange feeling touched my back as if a

thousand little spiders crawled up my spine in unison. Turning a corner, I glanced to

the side. A male Daviian walked a small distance behind me. He wore red pantaloons

and a brown hooded short cape. When I rounded another corner, he remained on

my tail.

His scimitar glinted in the sunlight. I entered the market. Pausing at a vegetable

stand, I hoped the Vermin would pass me, but he leaned on a lamppost. Small darts

of panic began to pierce my heart. If the Daviian was a Warper, I wouldn’t be able

to lose him.

Joining with a group of women, I stayed with them as they shopped. The man

kept pace with us. I needed a distraction and fast.

One of the women in the group paid for a beaded necklace. She had been rather

loud and full of opinions as we went from stand to stand, and she made her

annoyance over my unwanted presence clear to me.

When the stand owner handed her the wrapped package, I leaned over and

whispered to her, “He sold that very same necklace to my friend for two silvers last

week.”

The woman had just paid four silvers. As predicted, she loudly demanded the

same price and the confused seller tried to reason with her. The ensuing argument

drew a considerable crowd and I squeezed between them, hoping to lose the

Daviian.

No luck. He caught sight of me and followed. A few shoppers temporarily

blocked his way, and I ducked under one of the market stands.

Not the best decision, but I had run out of options. I hunched under the table. A

purple cloth had been draped over it and the material hung to the ground. A few

bolts of fabric and a box of buttons had been stored underneath.

I wondered when it would be safe to leave. Popping up just as the Vermin walked

by wouldn’t be ideal, so I squirmed into a more comfortable position to wait.

The purple fabric pulled aside. I froze.

A man’s face peered through the opening. “Your friend’s gone. It’s safe to come

out.”

He backed away when I started to move. “Thanks,” I said, brushing the dirt off

my cloak.

“Attracting their attention is never a good thing,” the man said. His round face

held a serious expression. “People tend to disappear around here. Especially those

with five golds on their head.”

I calmed my furious heartbeat. The stand owner knew I hid under his table and he

hadn’t reported me. At least not yet. Perhaps he wished to strike a bargain?

Something like six golds to keep quiet.

“Don’t worry. You’re a friend to Fisk and his guild. And just the fact the

Daviians would be willing to pay five golds for your capture means you, of all

people, scare them. I hope for the sake of my family the reason you scare them is

because you can do something to bring our normal lives back.”

“I scare them,” I agreed, thinking about the Sitian Council and how terrified they

had been over me being a Soulfinder. “But I don’t know if I can restore your old

way of life. I’m only one person.”

“You have Fisk’s help.”

“Until my money runs out.”

“True. That little scamp, forcing me to make an honest living!” The man paused

and considered. “Aren’t there any others to help you?”

“Would you help me?”

He blinked in surprise. “How?”

“Not all these Vermin are Warpers. They carry scimitars and spears, but look

around you—they are outnumbered.”

“But their Warpers have powerful magic.”

“You don’t have any magicians? No one has escaped from the Keep? No one

has come from the other clans?”

His eyes lit with understanding. “But they’re scattered around the Citadel. They

hide in fear.”

“A concerned citizen needs to convince them to act despite their fear, to organize

them and, when the time is right, to lead them.”

“You can do that. You’re the Soulfinder.”

I shook my head. “My presence would jeopardize the efforts. I’m needed

elsewhere. If you’re determined, you will find the right person.”

The man smoothed out the fabric on his table. He appeared deep in thought.

“Merchants come and go from the Citadel all the time…caravans of goods…”

“Just be very careful.” I started to walk away.

“Wait. How will we know when the time is right?”

“I have a bad feeling that you won’t be able to miss it.”

After the day settled into night, I met up with Fisk and his uncle. People walked

the streets in good humor despite their Vermin watchers and the late hour. While

Fisk went to prepare for later, I led his uncle onto the roof.

Once we ascended, we traveled over the roofs of the Citadel to Bavol’s dwelling.

If they weren’t out celebrating, the other residents had already gone to bed. I pulled

the rope Fisk had bought for me from my pack, and secured it around the chimney

before tossing the end over the side.

The glow from the lamplights didn’t reach the back alley, so I hoped Bavol had

remembered to open the back window. Clutching the rope, I shimmied down the

side of the house and was relieved to find the window open. I climbed into Petal’s

room with the utmost care. Inside the room, I stilled and listened to her breathing,

steady with the occasional snore. I yanked on the rope, then held it stable while

Uncle slid down. He joined me in the room with a thump. We both froze until Petal

resumed her even breathing.

Bavol, awake and ready, waited for us in his room. Uncle slipped into bed,

pulling the blankets up to his neck and the Councilor came with me to the back

window. Living in the jungle canopy all his life, Bavol had no trouble ascending the

rope. I followed.

Traveling over the rooftops proved to be ideal. Eventually, we climbed down to

the ground. When we came within sight of the north gate, we found a place to hide.

No traffic. I worried, and the longer the gate remained empty the greater my fear.

As I tried to decide if we should risk crossing through, a group of obviously

inebriated men and women approached. With loud voices, a few of the group

decided they wanted to go outside the Citadel, and a discussion ensued, leading to a

fight.

When the guards became entangled in the brawl, Bavol and I slipped through the

gate unnoticed. Once out of sight of the guardhouse, we ran. Our time was limited.

We reached Valek’s cottage and I hoped we would be far enough away from the

Citadel and the Warpers.

Kiki whinnied in her stall and I opened my mind to her.

Lavender Lady safe, she said with contentment. Ghost upset.

I’ll talk later. No time right now. I hustled Bavol into the cottage. Valek sat on the

couch, his expression set into cold fury.

I ignored his anger. He of all people should know the nature of this operation lent

itself to unforeseen circumstances. However, I knew why Bavol’s face blanched

when he spotted Valek on the couch.

“You set me up,” he said, taking a step back.

“Relax, Bavol. If Valek was going to assassinate the Council, you would be dead

by now. He’s helping me.”

Valek snorted. “I am? Funny how I forgot. Or is it because someone forgot

about me?” Sarcasm spiked each word.

Again, I ignored his fury and filled him in on what Bavol had told me. His face

lost some of his ire as he considered the new information.

“Bavol, sit down. Close your eyes. Think of your daughter,” I ordered.

When he settled on the couch, I reached for power. Touching the source caused

a sudden rush of relief. I hadn’t used magic in two days and reconnecting felt like

being wrapped tight in my mother’s arms.

I projected my awareness to Bavol. His loving thoughts dwelled on his little girl.

She appeared to be around eight years old. Strands of gold streaked her long brown

hair and a spattering of freckles dotted her warm maple-colored cheeks. A beautiful

child, she twirled with delight after being presented with a piece of sap candy.

Through Bavol, I reached toward Jenniqilla. Within the memory, her happiness

over the candy matched her joy over spending time with her father. I pushed past the

memory and tried to find the girl.

She missed her father with a painful desperation. Cold and hungry, she wanted

her father and mother more than food or heat. She rocked back and forth, trying to

soothe the child in her arms. The two-year-old boy’s crying had set off a chain

reaction among the children in the room. A woman paced with a year-old baby girl

and the man tried to cajole another two-year-old.

The gloomy light in the wooden room came from small cracks between the gray

boards. The area contained no furniture and only two slop pots had been placed

behind a ripped screen. From the harsh acidic smell, the pots hadn’t been emptied in

a while. A coating of grime clung to Jenniqilla’s skin and she promised herself she

would never fuss at her mother about bathing again. An icy chill seeped into her legs

and back from the dirt floor.

Jenniqilla, I said in her mind. Where are you?

She glanced around, wondering if someone had called her name. Seeing no one,

she continued to sing to Leevi.

I’m your cousin, Yelena. I need to know where you are so I can help you and the

others.

She remembered how her second cousin was taken long ago, but had returned. If

she got away, than I can, too, she thought.

Jenniqilla was too young to access the power source. She couldn’t communicate

with me directly, but she felt the intentions of my power. She remembered her

kidnapping. Somehow, she had lost sight of her mother at the market. As she

wandered around, searching for Mama a man dressed in the loose tunic of the

Sandseed clan picked her up. Before she could yell, he clamped a sweet-smelling rag

over her mouth and nose.

Jenniqilla woke inside a box and cried for Mama. A man banged on the wood

and threatened to kill her if she didn’t shut up. She felt movement and when the box

stopped and opened, the same Sandseed man pulled her out and brought her to an

old dilapidated barn smelling of rot. Within the barn was another structure. This one

smelled like sawed wood and had shiny locks on the door.

When they shoved her through the door, dark shapes moved in the corners.

Distraught and confused, she cried. A woman materialized from one of those black

forms and took Jenniqilla into her arms. After she had quieted, the woman, Gale

Stormdance, explained to her why they all were there.

Ask Gale where you are, I encouraged Jenniqilla.

But Gale wasn’t sure. “I think somewhere in Bloodgood’s lands,” she said. Her

face grew thoughtful, and I projected myself toward her and encountered a magical

defensive barrier.

She stared at Jenniqilla in shock but lowered her defenses tentatively.

I’m here to help, I said to Gale, explaining who I was and how I had found her.

Thank goodness, she said. I’ve been hoping a Keep magician would look for us.

Why did it take so long?

I updated her on what I knew, then asked her again about her whereabouts.

I only had a brief glimpse. I sensed her frustration.

Visualize the area around the barn for me.

Forest-covered hills loomed behind the barn and a large stone farmhouse was

located to the right. Something odd had caught her eye on the left. A glint of sunlight

off a crimson-colored pond. The shape, though, had been stranger than the color.

Her mind sifted through all the panic and fear of being hauled out of a crate and

taken inside to find the required image.

A diamond, she exclaimed. The pond is shaped like a diamond.

It was a start. I thanked her for her help and promised to find them.

I pulled away from Gale, away from Jenniqilla and back to Bavol. A thin filament

looped around my mind as I returned to Bavol. As if another power had caught me