Soothing words were muttered.

“Put her back in the box,” Cahil finally said. “Secure it, just in case we encounter trouble.”

Two of the Vermin lifted me. I concentrated on being a dead weight. My hands were tied and I couldn’t use magic without alerting them. I knew one of the three was a Warper but was unsure about the other two. At this point I needed more information. I decided to wait for a better opportunity and hoped I would get one.

The Vermin climbed onto a cart, dropped me into a crate and shut the lid. In the darkness the sound of metal latches being closed grated on my skin. I bit down on a cry of dismay when the snap of three locks sounded. The coffin-shaped crate seemed to press into me, and I drew in a couple of calming breaths. My gaze found the small slit between the boards, allowing air to come in. And light. The faint flicker of firelight seeped through the cracks.

I wiggled into a more comfortable position. My mind raced over my limited options. Magic remained my only weapon. The desire to project my awareness and scan my surroundings pulled at me, but I knew if they discovered I wasn’t drugged, all possibility of escape would be gone. Would the Warper feel my power while he slept? Could I put the Vermin and Cahil into a deep sleep? I would still be locked in a box, but I could call someone to break me out.

Who? Only a fellow magician could hear my mental call, and I had no idea where I was. If I was lucky enough to find a local citizen, perhaps I could discover my location.

Unable to plan a course of action, I marveled over my ability to push the drug out of my body. Had I known I possessed that skill, I wouldn’t be in this situation. And my problems with Curare, sleeping potion and goo-goo juice were solved. Although it was hard to celebrate when locked in a box.

Ever since I went to Sitia, all I wanted was to learn about magic, to discover the extent of my powers and be reacquainted with my family. Events conspired against me and I had hardly had time to catch my breath, let alone spend time exploring my magic.

Pushing the Curare out of my body was a new wrinkle. My abilities only affected living things, since my magic didn’t move the drug; it must have made the muscles in my body do the work.

Desperation and raw instinct had gotten me this far. I hoped it would carry me through, and as much as I disliked using it, magic was unavoidable. If I was lucky enough to survive this, I planned to retire as a Soulfinder and limit my magic to only communicating with Kiki. I wondered if she knew I’d been taken. Did Valek know? And what about Star’s role in all this?

Too many questions without answers swirled in my mind. Eventually, my thoughts bounced back to the need to do something soon, because I sensed being delivered to the Fire Warper would be the ultimate end.

“Let’s get moving. If we push, we can reach the Avibian border by sundown.”

Cahil’s voice woke me from a light doze. A few disorienting seconds passed before I remembered my predicament and his words sank in. Shock followed understanding. We were in Sitia. I must have been under the influence of the goo-goo juice for days. Where was Valek? So much for my promise not to go to Sitia without him.

“Should we check on her?” a voice with an Ixian accent asked.

“No. She’s under Curare now. She can’t do anything besides breathe until the potion wears off,” Cahil answered. “Finish feeding the girls. We’ll let the juice wear off before we prepare them for the ritual.”

The girls? I peered through one of the slits in my crate. Another crate lay beside mine. My stomach turned to ice. How many and could I help them? I suppressed a hollow laugh. Here I was trying to save others while locked in a box.

Two lids slammed then the crate lurched forward. The sound of trotting horses added to the rumble of the wagon. We were on our way.

My body went through a gamut of emotions as the day passed. Sometimes terrified, sometimes hopeful and sometimes bored, I even listed an inventory of woes. Thirsty, hungry, aching ribs, numb hands, sore muscles and a burning cramp between my shoulder blades. With the noise of our travel masking my movements, I attempted to alleviate some of my misery. I squirmed and wiggled until I managed to squeeze my body and legs through my arms. The benefits of keeping limber and being small became apparent as I succeeded in bringing my tied hands to the front of my body. I almost groaned aloud when cool relief spread over my back.

Having my hands in front allowed me to explore. I patted my right thigh, checking for my switchblade. No luck. Even the holder had been removed. I stared at the knots on the leather straps binding my hands and pulled at them with my teeth. I untied a few before the wagon stopped, but I decided to keep working, risking discovery.

“We’ll camp here,” Cahil said. “When you’re done setting up, let the girls out. They should be lucid by now and you can get them ready for the Kirakawa tomorrow.”

“What about the Soulfinder?” one of the Vermin asked.

“Drakke will give her another dose tonight. Too much Curare could stop her heart,” Cahil replied.

I listened to the sounds of the men in the camp as I continued to gnaw and pull at my bindings. The smell of roasting meat stole into my crate. My stomach grumbled with alarming loudness. After a while, two crates were opened and two scared voices asked questions. By the brief flash of a red jumper through the slits in my box, I guessed the girls were the students from Ixia. Liv and Kieran. My heart went out to them.

Again I wondered how the Vermin and Cahil had managed to smuggle us all out of Ixia. Perhaps the Vermin had posed as traders taking a wagonload of goods across the border.