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“Out of the question,” Lio and Cassia said at the same time.
“We know the Collector is targeting Cassia,” Lio continued. “She must have Hesperine protection when she arrives at Patria.”
“We discussed this,” Solia said. “Cassia will be safe with me.”
Tuura patted Lio’s arm. “I will be there during the day, too.”
Lio knew, intellectually, that an Imperial mind healer and a fire mage with sisterly devotion were excellent protection. But he needed to protect his Grace himself.
“Does Flavian accept the truth of my identity?” Solia asked.
Eudias gave her a solemn nod. “He takes Sir Benedict at his word.”
“In that case, we accept his terms,” Solia announced. “I hoped to go a day early and discuss matters with Flavian before the Council commences, but so be it. I shall simply have to make a grand entrance on Summer Solstice.”
Lio unclenched his teeth. “When do the rest of us leave?”
Eudias answered, “As soon as I catch my breath.”
Solia looked at the mage with concern. “Two traversals in as many nights. Do you need to rest?”
Eudias shook his head. “Thank you for your consideration, Basilinna, but I’m all right. I have no objection to the Hesperines stepping us to Patria, however. I left an uncharged elemental heptagram behind that we can use as a focus.”
“That was good thinking,” Lio said, impressed.
Eudias’s gaze dropped. It seemed he was still learning how to accept praise.
Lyros and Karege brought the horses, the Orthros Warmbloods sporting the light fabric saddles Hesperines preferred, with mortal saddles for Tuura’s and Eudias’s mounts. Lio wore Imperial travel attire tonight, the loose trousers suitable for horseback riding. But if they ran into anyone important, his medallion and Vardaran tunic of silver and blue would not fail to impress.
Cassia stood in silence, her hand in Knight’s ruff, but her thoughts spoke loud and clear. She was tolerating this under protest. Lio gave the mind ward a reassuring touch with his magic and felt her shiver.
Then Lio focused on the magical imprint of Eudias’s heptagram and stepped them, with Lyros, Karege, and Tuura’s auras slipping along after them. The Sanctuary ward peeled away, and they arrived on the bank of a small river. Eudias’s spell gleamed among the rushes, a seven-pointed star waiting for a touch of lightning magic to awaken it.
Lio felt exposed without Hesperine magic around him. He followed Lyros’s gaze, surveying their surroundings. Across the river, the countryside was lightly wooded. On this side, the terrain rose gradually into rolling fields.
A sea of tents covered the hills, filled with the tense presences of mortals trying to sleep. On the highest rise stood Castra Patria, the fortress even older than the Mage King’s palace. Its heavy towers and eroded parapets had been built with no thought for beauty, only for the protection of the small lives clustered around it, uncertain of their future.
Eudias showed them a parchment map of the region. “This small tributary of the River Silvistra forms the boundary of Patria to the south and east. That makes it easier for Lord Flavian’s sentries to control who enters from this side. To the north and west, he had his men erect guard posts at intervals, and their patrols are vigilant. Master Gorgos and the other warders among the mages of Anthros maintain defensive spells, as well.”
Marvelous. Their defenses relied on Master Gorgos, the incompetent bigot who had attended the Solstice Summit. Lio gave Eudias a rueful look. “In your professional opinion, are Master Gorgos’s wards effective?”
Eudias sighed. “They’re sufficient to deter non-mages, and if war mages tried to break through, at least we would sense their attack on the wards in time to respond. But these spells are nothing to an Old Master.”
“A Gift Collector would still be able to slip in,” Lyros predicted.
“Dare I ask what a Gift Collector is?” Tuura inquired.
Karege shook his head grimly. “Battle mages who serve Hypnos, the god of death worshiped here. They specialize in assassinating Hesperines.”
“That’s what their name means?” Tuura sounded outraged. “No wonder you prefer to go errant in the Empire.”
Lio could not disagree. “They’ve been bounty hunters for the Order of Hypnos for centuries, but we recently learned that their true master is the Collector himself.”
Eudias pointed to the vulnerable points on the map. “I would feel more reassured if you check the defenses, Steward Lyros.”
“Of course.”
“I will begin my divination on that side, too,” Tuura said. “Lio, you begin your thelemancy here. Between the two of us, we will perform a magical sweep from opposite directions and leave no stone unturned.”
