Мария Снайдер - Magic Study - Study 2

I told him about the honor she gave him by changing his name from Rabbit Man to Rabbit. “Unprecedented.”

He gave me an odd look. “Talking horses. Magic. Crazy southerners.” He shook his head.

He might have said more, but I could no longer stay awake.

The next morning, I told my friends about Alea and the clan on the plateau. They wanted to go after her, but I reminded them about Valek and the need to find Ferde. My heart lurched when I thought of Valek. Even with a night of sleep, I still didn’t have enough energy to find out what had happened to him.

The rest had roused me. “We need to get to the Citadel,” I said, standing.

“Do you know where we are?” Ari asked.

“Somewhere in the plains,” I said, shouldering my backpack.

“Some magician you are,” Janco said. “Do you even know which direction the Citadel is?”

“No.” Kiki came and stood next to me. I grabbed her mane. “How about a boost?” I asked Janco.

He muttered under his breath, but offered his linked hands for my boot. When I had settled onto her back, I looked down at him. “Kiki knows where to go. Can you keep up?”

He grinned. “This rabbit can run.”

Ari and Janco packed their gear and we set off at a trot. All those laps around the Commander’s castle had kept them in top physical condition.

We reached the road, and I heard Janco curse and grumble about being lost only a mile away. When we approached the Citadel’s gates, we encountered the four Master Magicians. They all sat on horseback. A well-armed Calvary team accompanied them.

I smiled at Roze Featherstone’s look of astonishment, but sobered at Irys’s cold stare.

“Why are you here?” I asked.

“We were coming to either rescue you or kill you,” Zitora said. She flashed Roze an annoyed glance.

I met Irys’s gaze, questioning. She turned away and blocked my efforts to reach her mind. Even though I had known she would shun me for going off alone, her actions still tore at my heart.

Not bothering to conceal the satisfaction in her voice, Roze said, “Because of your dangerous disregard for the well-being of Sitia, you have been expelled.”

The least of my worries. “Is Opal safe?” I asked the magicians.

Bain Bloodgood nodded. “She told us a woman held her. Was she connected to the killer?”

“No. We still need to find Ferde. He doesn’t want me. He must have taken someone else. Has anyone been reported missing?”

My announcement caused a considerable stir. Everyone had assumed that Ferde was holding Opal. Now they needed to change tactics.

“We’ve been searching for him for two weeks,” Roze said, putting a stop to the chatter. “What makes you think we can find him now?”

“The last victim would not have been kidnapped,” Bain said. “Let us go back and discuss this. Yelena, you will be safest in the Keep. We will talk about your future when this whole mess is resolved.”

The Magicians headed toward the Keep. Ari, Janco and I followed. I thought about Bain’s comment. My future would be nothing without Valek. I caught up to Bain and asked about him.

Bain gave me a stern look, and I felt his magic press against my mental barrier. I relaxed my guard and heard his voice in my mind.

Best not to talk aloud about this, child. Cahil and his men captured him two nights ago, but Cahil would not release Valek to the Councilors or Master Magicians.

I felt Bain’s disapproval over Cahil’s actions. And I had to quell my desire to find Cahil and skewer him with his own sword.

Cahil tried to hang Valek yesterday at dusk, but Valek escaped. Bain seemed impressed. We have no idea where he is now.

I thanked Bain and slowed Kiki, letting the others go ahead. I savored my relief that Valek was alive. When Ari and Janco caught up to me, I relayed the information to them.

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.