LITMIR.BIZ

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introduce you to Bain.”

      I followed her from the infirmary. We headed toward the large building with the peach-and-yellow marble blocks that was located across from the Keep’s entrance.

      The structure housed offices for the Keep’s administrative staff. It contained various-size conference and meeting rooms, and an office for each Master Magician. According to Irys, the Masters preferred to meet with outsiders and officials in these rooms rather than in their towers.

      Irys led me into a small meeting room. Four people huddled over a map that was spread open on a conference table. Other maps and charts were hung on the walls.

      Of the four, I recognized Roze Featherstone and Leif. Roze wore another long blue dress and Leif wore his customary scowl. Beside them stood an elderly man in a navy robe and a young woman with braided hair.

      Irys introduced me to the man. He had curly white hair that stuck out at odd angles.

      “Bain, this is Yelena, your student for the next week or so,” Irys said.

      “The girl you rescued from the north?” He shook my hand. “Strange mission that.”

      A failed mission, Roze’s cold thoughts stabbed my mind. Yelena should have been killed, not rescued. She’s too old to learn.

      Yelena’s linked to me. She can hear your thoughts. Irys’s annoyance was clear.

      Roze gazed at me with her amber eyes. I don’t care.

      Unflinching, I stared back. Your mistake.

      Irys stepped between us, breaking our eye contact. “And this is Zitora Cowan, Third Magician,” Irys said, gesturing to the young woman.

      Zitora’s honey-brown braids hung to her waist. Instead of shaking my hand, she hugged me.

      “Welcome, Yelena,” Zitora said. “Irys tells us you may be able to help us find Tula’s attacker.”

      “I’ll try,” I said.

      “Tula’s from my clan, so I would appreciate whatever you can do to help her.” Zitora’s pale yellow eyes shone with tears. She turned away.

      “As you can see,” Bain said, indicating the room’s contents, “we are trying to deduce the methods and means of this killer. A very cunning and shrewd fellow. Unfortunately, that’s all we know. Perhaps fresh eyes can spot something we missed.” Bain pointed to the map on the table.

      “She shouldn’t be here,” Leif said. “She knows nothing about this.”

      Before Irys could speak in my defense, I said, “You’re right, Leif, I haven’t dealt with this before because a horror like him would not have survived in Ixia for long.”

      “Why don’t you just run back to your precious Commander and your perfect Ixia and keep your nose out of our troubles?” Leif spat the words at me.

      I drew breath to counter, but Irys put a warning hand on my sleeve.

      “Yelena and Leif, that’s quite enough,” Irys said. “You’re wasting time. Catching this killer is imperative.”

      Chastised, I peered down at the map on the table. The Sitian lands were divided into eleven territories, one for each clan. City and town locations were marked, as well as the places where the other girls had been found. Some towns had two victims, while others had none. I failed to see a pattern.

      “The only consistency has been in the victims,” Bain said. “All are unmarried females fifteen to sixteen years old. All were missing for approximately twelve to fourteen days. All were taken during the night. Some were stolen right from the very bedrooms they shared with siblings. And no witnesses. None.”

      My initial gut feeling indicated that magic had been involved, but I didn’t want to say as much in front of four Master Magicians.

      “We have considered a rogue magician,” Irys said. “And while we have confirmed the alibis of the magicians who have graduated from our school, we are unable to question those who have one-trick powers.”

      “One-trick?” I asked.

      “There are some who have just enough magic to do one thing like light a candle, but are unable to use magic for anything else,” Irys explained. “One-tricks do not come to the Keep, but they normally use their gift in beneficial ways. Some, though, do use their ability for crime. Mostly petty. It’s possible this killer’s one-trick is to turn himself invisible, or be able to walk without making a sound. Something that gives him the upper hand when kidnapping a girl.”

      Irys’s face hardened into an expression of serious determination. A look I recognized with a queasy feeling deep in my stomach. She had worn it when she had tried to kill me in Ixia.

      “But only for the moment,” she vowed.

      “We have not ruled out a rogue magician,” Bain said. “History is full of them. And I include recent history.” He nodded to me. “Some day, you must tell me of the misdeeds of Kangom in Ixia, and how he met his end. I wish to add his folly to the history books.”

      Confused at first, it took me a moment to remember that Kangom had changed his name to Mogkan upon fleeing to Ixia.

      “Speaking of books,” Bain said to me, “I have some for you in my office.” He turned to Roze. “Are we finished here?”

      She gave a curt nod.

      The other magicians made to leave, but Zitora stayed by the table, tracing a finger over the map of Sitia.

      “Irys?” she asked. “Did you mark Tula’s location?”

      “No.” Irys picked up a quill and dipped it into a bottle of red ink. “With all the commotion, I forgot.” She placed a mark on the map and stepped back. “I’ll be back in ten days. Please send word if something happens. Yelena, keep practicing your control.”

      “Yes, sir,” I said.

      Irys smiled then left the room. I glanced down at the map to see how far Booruby was from the Citadel. The red ink had not yet dried. Tula’s town resided on the western edge of the Avibian Plains. I had thought Captain Marrok exaggerated when he had said the plains were huge, but the map showed that the plains dominated the eastern Sitian landscape.

      When my eye caught the other red marks, I must have made a sound because Zitora clutched my arm.

      “What is it?” she asked.

      “A pattern. See?” I pointed to the map. “All the marks are near the border of the Avibian Plains.”

      The others returned to the table.

      “Fresh eyes,” Bain said, nodding to himself.

      “It’s obvious, now that the map’s been updated,” Roze said. Annoyance made her voice sharp.

      “Did anyone search the plains when the girls went missing?” I asked.

      “No one goes into the plains,” Zitora said. “The Sandseed Clan doesn’t like visitors, and their strange magic can befuddle the mind. It’s best to circumvent them.”

      “Only the Zaltanas are welcomed by the Sandseeds,” Roze said. “Perhaps Yelena and Leif could visit and determine if anything is amiss.”

      “No need to rush,” Bain said. “Better to wait until Irys returns with Tula’s sister. If Tula awakes and identifies her assailant, we would have the advantage.”

      “What if another girl goes missing in the meantime?” Leif asked. His scowl had deepened, and he seemed upset either by the thought of another victim or the prospect of traveling with me again.

      “Then, welcome or no, we will send armed searchers into the plains,” Bain said.

      “But you might be too late,” I said.

      “We have some time.” Zitora

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