“Where did you run into the three guards?” Valek asked Leif.

“In the kitchen.”

Valek suppressed a sigh. Someday Leif’s stomach would get him into serious trouble.

Once they confirmed no one lurked on the ground floor, they searched the upper floors and surprised a group playing cards. It didn’t take long to subdue them and escort them down to the prison below.

“Wow. You’d think a dozen soldiers would be enough to keep us from escaping,” Leif said.

Then he sobered. “The man who has Yelena isn’t fooling around is he?”

“No. And he’s quite adept at lying even when he’s linked with another magician mind to mind.”

Concern for Yelena swirled around his heart.

“Can we send her a message, letting her know we’re free?” Leif asked.

“I signaled when Owen’s wife was linked to him, who was linked to Yelena.” Valek paused, marveling at the intricacies of magical communication. Ixia really needed to find a way to keep up.

“And?”

“If she remembers all the signals, she’ll know Owen can lie and to not trust what he shows her. I hope she’s leading him on a wild Valmur chase right now, waiting for me to catch up.”

“And if she doesn’t remember?”

“Then I need to rendezvous with her before she reaches the mines.” Valek calculated how much time Yelena had been on the road. Taking into account their slower pace due to having to keep a low profile and sneaking over the Ixian border, Valek guessed they were about half way through MD-5. They had to walk, but he had Onyx, which meant it would take him approximately seven days to catch up.

Valek wasted no time. He left Leif to inform the authorities, and to lead the soldiers back to the house so they could arrest Owen’s men. Returning to the Weir Inn, Valek saddled Onyx and headed north toward Ixia.

He arrived at the border between Ixia and Sitia a day and a half later. Ixian soldiers surrounded him as soon as he crossed into the Snake Forest, but they relaxed once they recognized him. He sent a message to the Commander’s castle. As the messenger raced to the northwest, Valek continued deeper into MD-5, following a smaller road that paralleled the main route through MD-5. He suspected Yelena would avoid the more popular road and keep to the side road.

Five days after leaving Fulgor, Valek encountered a squad patrolling the area. The soldiers blocked his path, forming a circle around him. A young, blond haired Lieutenant ordered Valek to dismount. None of the fourteen soldiers knew who he was. And to make it worse, he still wore his nondescript Sitian clothes under his cloak. I really need to spent more time in Ixia. A shave and a haircut would have probably helped, too.

Valek slid from the saddle.

“Papers.” The Lieutenant held out his hand.

When Valek introduced himself, the Lieutenant laughed. “And I’m the Commander of Ixia.

Want to try that again?”

He tried the code words that his special corp. used in case they ran into trouble.

“Those are two weeks old. You’re under arrest. Ben, secure our guest so he doesn’t get any ideas.”

Valek eyed the big bruiser approaching him. He could easily slip past him and escape, but then the whole squad would give chase. Losing them wouldn’t be the problem, he worried more that his disappearing act would cause a wide spread commotion that might reach Owen, tipping him off. Plus the Lieutenant couldn’t be faulted for doing his job. Despite the Lieutenant’s flippant attitude, Valek sensed the young man possessed a keen intelligence.

Frustrated with the delay, but unable to think of a better solution, Valek allowed the squad to arrest him. He hoped someone would recognize him back at their headquarters. No luck.

Manacled to a chair in an interrogation room, Valek realized escape was his only option. The Lieutenant asked him a series of questions—who are you working for, do you have any accomplices, etc… All of which Valek ignored. Instead he worked on unlocking the metal cuffs around his wrists.

Then the Lieutenant asked, “Are you connected in any way with those six miners who passed through here, claiming they were delivering diamonds to General Ute?”

That wasn’t a standard question. Valek leaned forward. “When do you see them?” he asked.

“I knew they were trouble. Something about them…” He shook his head as if to clear it.

“Answer my question.”

“No. You wasted enough of my time.” Valek dropped the manacles on the table between them and stood.

The Lieutenant scrambled to his feet, but by the time he reached for his weapon, Valek had already taken it from him. He pressed the tip of the sword against the man’s throat. Before Valek could do anything, the door banged open.