LITMIR.BIZ

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time to...adjust to my predicament.”

      “Time is an excellent way to gain perspective. I trust this won’t happen again.”

      “Yes, sir.”

      The Commander pushed away from his desk and swiped a decanter of brandy before settling into the cerulean suede armchair. He waved Valek into the other chair and poured two drinks.

      Valek sipped the spicy liquid. Blackberry. A pleasant warmth spread into his stomach and he smiled, remembering when he’d taught Yelena how to detect poisons in various flavors of brandy. She’d gotten drunk at the General’s brandy meeting and tried to seduce him. Talk about self-control. Valek had deposited her in her bedroom and bolted before he ravished her. Worry had trumped desire. She might have regretted it when she sobered, and he’d wanted more from her than a drunken one-night stand.

      With the tension between him and the Commander gone, Valek asked how he’d found out about the null shields.

      “Janco mentioned it before you arrived. He’d assumed I knew and I didn’t correct him. And during his monologue of prattle, he remarked that he has a certain sensitivity to magic. Is that true?”

      “Yes, he’s pretty good at seeing through magical illusions.”

      “Useful. What about Opal Cowan? After all that training, is she going to join your corps?”

      “Not quite.” Valek swallowed a mouthful of brandy. “She offered to assist us if we need her.” He set his glass down. “And she sent you a present.”

      “One of her glass animals?”

      “No. She no longer is able to make her magical messengers, but what she can now do is far more useful to us.”

      “Oh?”

      “I’ll be right back.” Valek dashed across the hall and grabbed the package from his saddlebags that had been delivered as promised. He returned and handed it to the Commander.

      Unwrapping the cloth, Ambrose uncovered a lifelike glass snow cat. He examined the hand-sized statue. “Her artistic skill has improved, but it doesn’t glow with an inner fire.” He raised a slender eyebrow, inviting Valek to explain.

      “That fire was her magic trapped inside.” And only visible to magicians and the Commander. “What’s inside that snow cat is a bit of her immunity. What you’re holding is a magic detector. When a magician uses magic near that cat, it will flash with light, alerting you to its presence.”

      “Clever. Is she mass-producing these for the Sitians?”

      “The Councilors all have one for protection, and in case a rogue magician tries to use magic to influence them. Regarding mass production, I don’t know what Opal plans. The Sitian Council wishes to be in charge of the distribution, but Opal won’t give them control. I think she’s letting her father handle the allocation of the detectors.”

      “Wise.” The Commander tapped a finger on the glass. “And our spies can purchase more of these for us, evening the playing field a little between Ixia and Sitia.”

      “They still have those super messengers.”

      Ambrose frowned. “Those put us at an extreme disadvantage.”

      Valek agreed. The messenger was a glass cube with a magic-charged black diamond at its heart. The cube allowed magicians to communicate over vast distances instantly. An indispensable tool, and one that would give Sitia a big advantage during warfare.

      “We can hire magicians and they would no longer have the upper hand,” Valek said despite the Commander’s deepening scowl. “You know how versatile magicians are and how many ways they could aid Ixia.”

      “Better to stop the Sitians from making the super messengers. If we assassinate Quinn Bloodrose, Sitia couldn’t produce any more.”

      The thought of killing Quinn didn’t sit well with Valek. “Not quite. They could still charge the blacks with magic and encase them in glass, but once the magic is gone, it’d be useless. Quinn’s the only one who can recharge them without cracking the diamond.”

      “Then we need to steal the diamonds and sabotage their mining operations.”

      Once they’d won their freedom, the Bloodrose Clan kept dredging the sand for the black diamonds, going deeper into the sea with each sweep. Soon they’d have to use boats.

      “It would be difficult.” His stomach soured.

      “Look into it after you find the new smuggling route.” The Commander finished his drink. “I need to write a note to General Rasmussen and have him check his beaches for black diamonds.” He returned to his desk.

      Valek held up his glass. The light from the fire reflected off the amber liquid. An odd shuffle-step sounded behind him. He jumped to his feet, yanked out his dagger and spun in one fluid motion.

      A figure dressed from head to toe in black pressed a knife to the Commander’s throat.

5

       YELENA

      “Other than needing a full night’s rest, you’re healthy,” Healer Hayes said. He’d examined me using both his magic and a mundane physical check. Opening a file with my name on it, he jotted a few notes.

      How could good news be bad? I sat up, clutching the sheet to my chest. “Are you sure you didn’t detect a poison?”

      “All your body systems are working properly. I didn’t sense any taint or rot or infection. I’m very sorry.”

      Frustration grew. “Do you know or have you heard of any substance that would cause my problem?”

      I’d explained the entire story to him when I’d arrived at his office in the infirmary an hour ago. Hayes had listened without interruption, then led me to an examination room. Located on the ground floor of the administration building, the infirmary had a number of private rooms for recovering patients as well as an open area of beds for those who needed only a few hours. Unfortunately, I’d spent more time under Healer Hayes’s care than most.

      “No. I can read through my medical books and see if there is a mention of such a substance. It’s a long shot, Yelena. If someone had discovered this poison before, it would have caused trouble and been reported by now.”

      “Unless it had been forgotten like Curare. That had been mentioned in a history book about the Sandseed Clan and, combined with the knowledge from a Sandseed healer, my father had been able to find it in the jungle.” I gasped then groaned over my own stupidity. “My father. He’s discovered many medicines and substances in the Illiais Jungle. He might know about this magic blocker.”

      “A good idea.”

      I hopped off the table.

      “Before you rush off, I need to update your file.”

      As I dressed, he asked a bunch of questions.

      “How old are you?”

      “Twenty-seven.” Although most people assumed I was younger because of my five-foot-four-inch height. I twisted my long black hair into a bun and used one of my sets of lock picks to keep it in place. Despite being in the Keep, I couldn’t let my guard down. Especially not now.

      “When was your last blood cycle?”

      I paused and glanced at him. He kept his gaze trained on the file in front of him.

      “And this is relevant how?”

      “Your last dose of Moon potion was close to a year ago. You’re due for another, but the timing is critical.”

      Oh. Since Valek and I hadn’t even discussed marriage let alone a child, I needed to take the Moon potion. I thought

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