LITMIR.BIZ

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      “Yes. Why?”

      “You just ordered me to light the candle for you,” Irys said in exasperation. “And I did it.”

      “Is that bad?”

      “No. I hope you know how to light a fire the mundane way, because, so far, it seems that’s not part of your magical skills. Let’s try something else.”

      I tried to move a physical object with no success. Unless making Irys do it for me could be considered a magical skill.

      She raised her mental defenses, blocking out my influence. “Try again. This time focus on keeping control.”

      As I pulled in power, Irys threw a pillow at me. The pillow struck me in the stomach. “Hey!”

      “You were supposed to deflect it with your magic. Try again.”

      By the end of the session, I was glad Irys had chosen a pillow. Otherwise, I would have been covered with bruises.

      “I think you just need to practice your control,” Irys said, refusing to give up. “Get some rest. You’ll do better tomorrow.”

      Before leaving, I asked something that had been on my mind for several days. “Irys, can I see more of the Citadel? And I need to exchange my Ixian coins for Sitian so I can buy some items and clothes. Is there a marketplace?”

      “Yes, but it’s only open one day a week during the hot season.” She paused for a moment, considering. “I’ll give you market days off. No lessons. You can explore the Citadel or do whatever you want. It’ll be open in two days. In the meantime, I’ll exchange your money.”

      Irys couldn’t pass up the opportunity to lecture me on spending money wisely. “Your expenses are covered while you’re in the Keep. But once you graduate, you’ll be on your own. You’ll earn wages as a magician, of course,” Irys said. “But don’t give your money away.” She smiled to ease the reprimand. “We don’t like to encourage the beggars.”

      The image of the dirty little boy rose in my mind. “Why don’t they have any money?” I asked.

      “Some are lazy, preferring to beg instead of work. Others are unable to work because of physical or mental problems. The healers can only do so much. And some gamble or spend their money faster than they can earn it.”

      “But what about the children?”

      “Runaways, orphans or the offspring of the homeless. The hot season is the worst time for them. Once school starts and the Citadel is populated again, there are places they can go for food and shelter.” Irys touched my shoulder. “Don’t worry about them, Yelena.”

      I mulled over Irys’s comments on my way back to my rooms.

      That evening, while teaching me to saddle and bridle Kiki in her barn stall, Cahil asked, “What’s gotten into you? You’ve been snapping at me all night.”

      Lavender Lady upset, Kiki agreed.

      I sucked in a deep breath, preparing to apologize, but an unbidden torrent of words poured from my mouth instead. “You want Ixia so you can be king. So you can collect taxes, sit on a throne and wear a crown of jewels while the people suffer like they did under your uncle. So your henchmen like Goel can kill innocent children when their parents can’t pay the taxes for your fine silk clothes, or so they can kill the parents, leaving their offspring homeless and beggars.” My outburst ended as fast as it had begun.

      Cahil gaped in shock, but recovered fast. “That’s not what I want,” he said. “I want to help the people of Ixia. So they have the freedom to wear whatever clothes they want instead of being forced to wear uniforms. So they can marry whomever they want without securing a permit from their district’s General. Live wherever they want, even if it’s in Sitia. I want the crown so I can free Ixia of the military dictatorship.”

      His reasons sounded superficial. Would the people be any freer with him as their ruler? I didn’t believe his answer was the real reason. “What makes you think the Ixian people want you to free them? No government is perfect. Did it ever occur to you that the Ixians might be content under the Commander’s rule?” I asked.

      “Were you content with your life in the north?” Cahil asked. An intensity held his body rigid while he waited for my response.

      “I had unusual circumstances.”

      “Such as?”

      “None of your business.”

      “Let me guess,” Cahil said with a superior tone.

      I clutched my arms to keep from punching him.

      “A kidnapped southerner with magical abilities? That is unusual. But do you think you were the first person that Fourth Magician had to rescue? Northerners are born with magical powers, too. My uncle was a Master Magician. And you know what the Commander does to anyone found with power.”

      Valek’s words echoed in my mind. Anyone found in the Territory of Ixia with magical power was killed. Magicians might be hunted in Ixia, but the rest of the citizens had everything they needed.

      “We’re not that different, Yelena. You were born in Sitia and raised in Ixia, and I’m an Ixian raised in Sitia. You have returned home. I’m only trying to find mine.”

      I opened my mouth to reply, but snapped it shut when Irys spoke in my mind. Yelena, come to the infirmary right away.

      Are you all right? I asked.

       I’m fine. Just come.

       Where’s the infirmary?

      Have Cahil show you. Then her magical energies withdrew.

      I told Cahil what Irys required. Without hesitation, he removed Kiki’s saddle and bridle. We hung them in the tack room before we headed for the center of the Keep. I had to jog to keep up with him.

      “Did she say what this was about?” he asked over his shoulder.

      “No.”

      We entered a one-story building. The marble walls were a soothing pale blue, resembling ice. A young man in a white uniform moved about the lobby, lighting lanterns. The sun’s rays had begun to disappear for the day.

      “Where’s Irys?” I asked the young man.

      He looked puzzled.

      Cahil said, “Fourth Magician.”

      “She’s with Healer Hayes,” he said, and when we failed to move, the man pointed to a long corridor. “Down the hall. Fifth door on the left.”

      “Few call her Irys,” Cahil explained as we hurried down the empty hallway.

      We stopped at the fifth one. The door was closed.

      “Come in,” Irys called before I could knock.

      I opened the door. Irys stood next to a man dressed in white. Healer Hayes perhaps. A figure lay under a sheet spread over a bed in the center of the room. Bandages shrouded the face.

      Leif hunched in a chair in the corner of the room, looking horrified. When he spotted me, he asked, “What’s she doing here?”

      “I asked her to come. She may be able to help,” Irys said.

      “What’s going on?” I asked Irys.

      “Tula was found in Booruby near death. Her mind has fled, and we can’t reach her,” Irys explained. “We need to find out who did this to her.”

      “I can’t feel her,” Leif said. “The other Master Magicians can’t reach her. She’s gone, Fourth Magician. You’re just wasting time.”

      “What happened?” Cahil asked.

      “Beaten, tortured, raped,” the healer said. “You name something horrible, and it’s

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