Fire Study (28 page)

happen when General Rasmussen finds out we escaped?”

“Once you’re with the Commander, he can’t admit to trying to delay you,

because he’ll have to answer why. He’ll probably have his people keep the whole

incident quiet. Valek will most likely let him believe he got away with it. Until Valek

needs something from him.” Another predatory grin spread on her face.

Our transfer to MD-6 and into the hands of General Hazel’s soldiers proceeded

with quick efficiency. The new guide wore a captain’s uniform with blue diamonds

instead of Captain Nytik’s yellow.

In fact, the whole trip to the Commander’s castle went smoothly. Admitted into

his complex without any trouble, I should have savored those few quiet hours.

Because after we met with Commander Ambrose, nothing went right.

AFTER OUR ARRIVAL at the castle complex, we waited in the outer courtyard.

We received many curious glances from the castle’s denizens, and I knew the

servants would soon be gossiping and laying bets about who we were and why we

had come. They probably didn’t recognize me without my food taster’s uniform on.

Grooms from the stable appeared to take the horses. I wanted to stay with Kiki,

but we were instructed to enter the castle to await a meeting with the Commander.

My companions exclaimed over the odd-shaped structure. With its multiple levels

of unusual geometric shapes, the castle resembled a child’s toy. Balanced on the

rectangular base, the other floors of the castle were a combination of squares,

triangles and even cylinders built on top of one another in a haphazard fashion. On

some levels all three shapes could be found. The windows of the building also

reflected the architect’s fondness for geometry, including octagons and ovals.

It had been a year since I last saw the castle. Once part of my everyday routine, I

had grown used to its strange style. Now, the sight of the structure jolted me and

unease fluttered through my body.

The four towers at the corners gave the viewer some sense of symmetry. They

rose a few stories higher than the main building and colored glass decorated their

windows. I paused. The Magician’s Keep also had four towers in the corners and I

wondered about the similarity.

A servant led us to an austere waiting room with minimal comforts. Served

refreshments, I automatically tested the drink for poisons, surprising Leif when I

gargled the juice. He had been staring at the blank walls, probably wondering where

all the legendary paintings and gilded mirrors had gone to. I assumed the

Commander had destroyed all the treasures from the King’s era, but, remembering a

comment Cahil had made to me about the amount of money needed to support Ixia,

I wondered if Commander Ambrose had traded them for services instead.

“Did you live here?” Leif asked.

I nodded. “For two years.” One of them in the dungeon. Not many people in

Sitia knew about Reyad. I preferred to keep the details of that time to myself.

However, most Ixians were aware I killed Reyad.

“Where did you stay?”

“I had a room in Valek’s suite.”

Leif shot me an incredulous look. “Boy, you worked fast.”

“And you assume too much.” One day I would tell Leif and my parents about my

ordeal, but not today.

Leif grew thoughtful. Tauno napped in one of the wooden chairs. I marveled at

how the Sandseed could wedge himself into a small space and still look comfortable.

During our time together, he had adapted to being within walls.

Moon Man, on the other hand, fidgeted in his chair. I couldn’t determine if his

discomfort grew from being in a confined space or from my hostility. He claimed I

had a new Story Weaver. It was an easy way for him to avoid telling me the truth.

Knowing we were headed toward Ixia, Cahil must have planned Marrok’s escape.

The Sitian guards who chased them were probably part of the ruse, too.

I longed to pace the room. The wait stretched as long as a necklace snake. There

was nothing to avert me from my list of worries. Valek remained near the top. Where

was he? By this time, he should be back in Ixia. Thoughts circled in my mind. To

distract myself, I sat in one of the hard chairs near the only window. Outside, a

portion of the barracks and practice yard where the Commander’s soldiers lived and

trained was visible, reminding me of Ari and Janco, my soldier friends who,

according to Maren, were now Valek’s seconds in command.

I stood, desiring action. Perhaps I should just go to the Commander’s office. I

knew how to get there, and I hated this unsettled sensation sloshing in the pit of my

stomach. Why was I so on edge?

Understanding crashed through me and I needed to sit down again. Inside these

walls I had always been a prisoner. Either by the bars of the dungeon or by the belief

I had ingested a poison called Butterfly’s Dust, knowing I couldn’t get far without

the daily antidote keeping me alive. And all the logic in the world couldn’t convince

my body I was free.

Finally, an adviser arrived to lead us though the main corridors of the castle. Leif

gasped in surprise when we entered the main hall. Greeted by the sight of the silk and

gold tapestries hanging in tatters, I sympathized with my brother’s reaction. Black

paint stained the once famous quilts that had symbolized each province during the

King’s era. They now represented the takeover. The old provinces had been torn

apart and borders redrawn into eight neat Military Districts.

Commander Ambrose’s disdain for opulence, excess and greed was evident in

every part of the stone building. Stripped of the trappings of royalty, the castle had

been robbed of its soul, and reassigned as a basic utilitarian structure.

The transformation of the throne room was another example of his disregard.

Instead of lavish decorations and thick carpets, the room buzzed with the activity of

numerous advisers and military officers from every Military District in Ixia, with no

sign of a dais or throne in sight. With desks wedged in tight together, getting the five

of us through the room turned into an exercise in agility as we threaded our way

toward the back.

The Commander’s office matched the rest of the castle. Stark, neat and

organized, the room lacked personality but reflected its occupant perfectly.

Wearing a tailored black uniform with real diamonds glittering from his collar,

Commander Ambrose stood when we entered. I studied his clean-shaven face as I

introduced him to my companions, detecting only a faint resemblance to

Ambassador Signe. As if they were truly cousins instead of the same person.

The power of his gaze, though, remained the same. My heart flipped in my chest

when he focused his gold-colored eyes on me.

“This is an unexpected visit, Liaison Yelena. I trust you have a good reason for

bypassing standard protocol,” he said, raising a single slender eyebrow.

“An excellent reason, sir. I believe Sitia will try to mount an offensive against

you.”

The Commander glanced at my companions as he considered my words. More

gray had infiltrated his black hair, which had been cropped so short it looked as if

Kiki had grazed on it.

Walking to his office’s door, the Commander called to one of his men.

“Adviser Reydon, please escort our guests to the dining hall for lunch and then to

the guest suite.” He turned to the others. “The Liaison will dine with me and meet up

with you later.”

Leif looked to me for guidance. I opened my mind to him.

Do you want us to stay? he asked.

I don’t think you have a choice.

He isn’t my Commander. I don’t have to listen to him.

A childish, stubborn remark. Perhaps Leif felt left out. Be a good guest and do as

he says. I’ll let you know what happens.

You sure you don’t need backup? This guy creeps me out.

Leif, I warned.

He left the office with obvious reluctance, shooting me an annoyed frown before

following the adviser.

When the room emptied, the Commander gestured for me to sit in the chair in

front of his desk. Unnerved, I perched on the edge.

He served me a cup of tea before settling behind his desk. I sipped the drink with

care, testing for poisons. In command of a powerful military and with eight

ambitious generals to oversee, the Commander needed a food taster on his staff.

“Why have you come?” he asked.

“I told you. Sitia plans—”

He stopped me with a dismissive wave. “You know that’s old news. Why are

you really here?”

“To ask you to delay a first strike.”

“Why?”

I paused, gathering my thoughts. Only logic would persuade the Commander.

“The Sitian Council has had a dramatic change of opinion from wanting to trade and

communicate with you to being terrified of you.”

“Yes. They’re very unstable.”

“But not that unstable. They’re being influenced.”

“With magic?” The Commander said the word as if it pained him.

General Brazell and Mogkan—my kidnappers—had used magic and Theobroma

on him to gain control of his mind despite his ban on magicians. Though his firm

censure softened, the Commander still viewed magicians as untrustworthy.

Consenting to let me act as Liaison for Ixia had been his first and only concession.

Valek had theorized the Commander feared magicians, but I believed it had more

to do with what the Commander referred to as his mutation. Born with a female

body, he believed his soul was a man’s and he worried a magician would expose

him. But from my interaction with him when he had been disguised as the female

Ambassador Signe, I had sensed the presence of two souls within his body.

Standing in front of him, I suppressed the desire to project into his mind,

avoiding even a surface sweep. It would be a serious breach of protocol. Besides, it

felt wrong.

“Magic could be a factor, but there could be another reason or even a person

influencing them. At this point I don’t know, but I want to find out. If you kill them

all, you might not solve the problem and those who replace them will be worse,” I

said.

“Sounds rather vague. Perhaps you have more information on this?” The

Commander flourished a scroll then handed it to me.

I unrolled the parchment. Each word I read increased my concern and outrage.

“And if you notice—” he leaned over and tapped the bottom “—it’s signed by all

the Councilors, but it’s lacking two Master Magicians’ signatures. Curious.”

Curious wouldn’t be the word I would use. Disastrous sounded more fitting. I

worried about Irys and Bain. If the Council tried to coerce their signatures, what had

happened to them by refusing? I focused on the paper in my hand. Fretting wouldn’t

help Irys and Bain.

In short, the letter warned the Commander about my renegade status and

suggested my treasonous companions and I be killed on sight. Probably the reason

Roze had been confident I wouldn’t be safe in Ixia.

“They seek to undermine your credibility all the while planning to attack me. Do

they think I’m a simpleton?” He relaxed back in his chair and sighed. “Explain to me

exactly what’s going on.”

“If I knew exactly, then I wouldn’t have sounded so vague.” My turn to sigh. I

wiped a hand over my face, thinking how best to tell the Commander about Cahil.

Did I mention the Fire Warper or not? I had no idea what role he played in all this.

Exactly the problem.

So I explained about Ferde’s escape with Cahil’s help and how Cahil had turned

it all around to implicate Marrok, Leif and me.

“Sounds like assassinating the Council would be a good deed for Sitia,” the

Commander said.

“That would give Cahil and his cohorts evidence they were right to suspect you.

Sitia would rally behind them in support. Valek agrees with me. He hasn’t targeted

the Council yet. He’s on his way here.”

If the Commander was surprised, he didn’t show it. “So you already delayed my

preemptive strike. Yet you have no proof.”

“None. That’s why I wanted you to wait before launching another attack. We

need more information. Valek and I—”

The office door opened. Star came into the room, carrying a tray of food. The

Commander’s food taster froze in shock when she recognized me. My own pulse

skipped when I saw my old uniform being worn by her. And not just any woman,

but the former Captain Star, who had been the leader of a successful black market