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I peered through the kitchen window. Petal, his housekeeper, scrubbed pots. Tapping on the door with my knuckle, I stepped back as she opened the door.
Petal’s wide face creased with first alarm then concern when she recognized me and Leif.
“Oh my, you gave me such a fright!” Petal ushered us inside. “Come in, come in. What kind of trouble are you two in now?”
“Seems you have a reputation, dear sister,” Leif muttered.
“I believe she was referring to you as well, dear brother.” I turned to Petal. “No trouble. We just wanted to visit our clan’s leader without alerting the entire quarter. You know how nosy the other Councilors and their aides can be.”
“That I do. They’re the worst gossips. But give an old lady some credit, child. An unannounced visit through the back door only means one thing. Trouble.”
No sense arguing with her. “Is Bavol in?”
“He’s in his office. I’ll go fetch him. Would you like something to eat or drink while you wait?”
Leif opened his mouth, but I said, “No, thanks.”
She led us into the front parlor and we settled on a pair of turquoise-and-silver armchairs while she ascended the steps to the second floor.
“You didn’t need to answer for me. Petal makes the best jungle soup—even better than Mom’s.” Leif pouted.
“You ate at Fisk’s. How can you be hungry?”
“It’s not about being hungry. It’s about the combination of spices and the explosion of flavors inside your mouth.”
My stomach roiled just at the thought of jungle soup. One of the favorite dishes of the Zaltana Clan, it contained leaves and flowers from the Illiais Jungle, where our clan lived. To me, it tasted like pulpy rotten coconut mixed with vanilla and lemons. Yuck.
Bavol followed Petal into the room, his wide smile at odds with her worried frown. She clutched her apron in her hands before disappearing into the kitchen.
“What a pleasant surprise,” Bavol said.
Gray had almost covered all his hair, and he was a bit stockier since I’d last seen him.
“Yelena, I didn’t know you were back from your vacation already.” Bavol sat on the couch.
“There was a change in plans.” I studied his expression. Suddenly, I wanted to know if he’d tell me about Ben Moon.
“Oh?” His smile remained, but a slight wariness crept into his gaze.
“I was attacked on the way to our cabin.”
“Oh, that.” He brightened with relief.
Interesting reaction.
“I’ve heard. Nasty ambush.” Bavol tsked.
“You heard I was attacked, but didn’t know I had returned to the Citadel?”
Leif shot me a warning look. Bavol was the leader of our clan and I was cross-examining him like a criminal. Too bad. Bavol should have told me about Ben Moon.
“Yes...well...Master Magician Bloodgood reported the incident this afternoon, but I assumed you remained at your cabin with Valek. Er...how are you feeling?” Bavol asked.
“I’m fine. I wanted to ask you if you had any idea who might be behind the attack.”
“No, sorry,” he said too quickly. “We discussed this at the Council meeting. And while we listed a number of suspects, we didn’t think any of them could have pulled it off.”
Leif stiffened, but kept his mouth shut. Even I sensed Bavol had lied to us. Why? And did I call him on it or ignore it?
“Who were the suspects?” I asked.
“Uh...you know...the usual...”
Oh joy, I had usual suspects—I should write a letter to my mother. I waited for him to continue.
“You know...Valek’s enemies, the relatives of the Cloud Mist men you arrested during that sting operation, and Lyle Krystal, who you exposed as a fraud.”
“Oh yeah. I’m good at spotting liars.”
Bavol squirmed.
“Okay, Bavol, what’s really going on?” Leif asked.
“What are you talking about?”
“Come on. It’s us. Besides, we already know about Ben.”
He leaned forward. “That’s classified. How did...? Did you read my mind?” Bavol peered at me. Suspicion narrowed his eyes.
“No.” I stared at him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“The Council—”
“I don’t care what the Council decided. I needed to know. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I can’t go against the wishes of the Council.”
Again I waited. He’d gone against their wishes in the past.
Bavol sighed and sank back against the cushions. “Councilor Moon promised he’d be caught and they didn’t want anyone to panic.”
“And they didn’t want Yelena informing Valek, right?” Leif asked.
He didn’t answer, which meant we’d been right. The Council still didn’t fully trust me despite all I’d done for them over the years.
“I keep Sitia’s secrets along with Ixian secrets,” I said in a tight voice. “I’d only alert Valek if I had information that Ben planned to travel to Ixia to hunt for the Ice Moon. Do you know if Ben targeted me? Or what he might do now that he’s free?”
“We don’t think he’s behind the attack. As for his plans, he’s too busy running and hiding right now.”
“Anything else you can’t tell us?” Leif asked. “Perhaps another escaped criminal? Or a new drug on the black market? Or an attack of rabid Valmurs?”
Bavol shook his head. “We’ve had an increase in black-market goods and haven’t been able to track the source down yet. But other than that...just the usual crises and bickering between the clans.”
I stood. “Thank you for your time.”
Leif joined me.
“Wait. How did you find out about Ben?”
“Sorry, we can’t reveal our sources,” I said. “However, I will tell you that Valek probably already knows.” I held up my hand. “Not from us or our sources but one of his spies in Fulgor. Despite all my efforts, there are still a few in all the major cities of Sitia. And after finding out the Council had kept vital information from me, I’m glad there’s a network of spies that I can tap into.”
I strode into the kitchen and said goodbye to Petal, who handed Leif a steaming bowl and spoon.
“You’re the best, Pet.” He pecked her on the cheek. “I’ll bring the bowl back tomorrow licked clean.”
She giggled.
I shook my head as we left. “Does everyone feed you?”
“Only the nice ones.” He slurped the jungle soup as we headed to the Keep.
Exhaustion pulled on my muscles. My legs weighed a hundred pounds each. It’d been a long day and I wasn’t sure if I’d accomplished anything or not. When Leif finished his second supper, I asked about his take on the conversation with Bavol.
“He doesn’t know about the magic-blocking poison,” Leif said.
“How did you figure that out?”
“When I listed those other threats, I didn’t smell a reaction to the one about the new drug or the attack of rabid Valmurs, for which I am grateful—those little devils have sharp teeth.”
Ah. Leif had used his magic. “But he did say there were more illegal goods for sale.”
“Yes, and I think that’s my next assignment from the Council.”
Irys had also mentioned he would be needed soon. “Guess that means we need to leave town as soon as possible.”
“Field trip to Fulgor?”
“Yes. We can also visit Opal and see if she has any ideas about my problem.”
But first to bed. Leif and I agreed to meet at the Keep’s stable at noon tomorrow. We both needed to wrap up a few things in the morning.
Irys wasn’t in her tower, so I slogged up the three f
lights of stairs and collapsed into bed, covering my entire body with my cloak. I pulled my switchblade and slid the weapon under my pillow. Not paranoid. Just cautious.
* * *
The next morning, I visited Bain and surprised him when I opened his office door without knocking. He started and spilled a bottle of ink. I rushed to apologize and help clean up the mess. Nice to know the null shield woven into my cloak worked against a master-level magician.
He waved my apology away. “I am more glad you are protected than upset over another stain on my desk. As you can see, it blends right in. Now sit and tell me what you have learned.”
I updated him on everything except for the news about Ben Moon. “In other words...nothing.”
“That is not true. You’ve ruled out a number of possibilities. We are narrowing down the routes to an answer.”
I asked him how the meeting with the Council went.
Bain played with the fraying threads on the sleeve of his robe. “Not as expected.”
Good or bad? I waited.
“Of course they were upset and tossed about a few names of suspects. But no one offered to investigate through their clans. Odd.”
