If Irys wasn't in her office, she soon would be. There was always a magician stationed in the gatehouse and he or she would inform the second most powerful magician in Ixia he waited for her. Having a reputation is handy in certain situations, he thought wryly.

Valek hopped off Onyx and entered the building, finding Irys's office without encountering anyone. He wasn't too surprised to find her working at her desk. Her normally tidy hair hung to her shoulders as if she'd given up on keeping it pulled back.

“What's wrong?” she asked.

“Where's Leif?”

She eyed his dusty travel clothes. “I asked first.”

He huffed in annoyance. Yes he could find out where Leif's last known location was without her help, but he didn't want to waste anymore time. Besides Irys may have information on this Owen Moon. He explained the midnight ambush to her.

“I remember Owen,” she said. “Cocky little twerp who came from a rich family. His strongest ability is mental communication. The only magician I know who can lie to another magician in his mind. Most people can't lie when you're linked mind to mind, but he can.”

“Where's Leif?” he asked again.

“Councilor Moon requested his help to interrogate a murderer. Not all of his victims have been found and they wanted to use Leif's magic to locate their remains.”

“Have you heard from him recently?”

“No and I was beginning to worry. Last time he made contact was three days ago. He reported that he had reached Fulgor late at night and would go to the Councilor's Hall in the morning.”

“Can you contact one of the Councilor's people?” he asked.

Irys nodded and pulled a glass statue from her pocket. He guessed the red tailed hawk glowed with magic, but he couldn't see it. She stared into the depths of the messenger.

“Ask if Leif checked in with Tama Moon,” he said. He needed to know if Owen's men had ambushed Leif before or after he talked to the Councilor.

Irys frowned. “We'll have to wait. My contact will ask the Councilor and report back. Get some sleep, Valek. You look exhausted.”

It was a good idea, but sleeping now seemed impossible. Valek desired action. His hands itched to squeeze the life out of the people who held Leif. Instead, he stabled Onyx and then joined the morning training session, working out with the students until Irys appeared and waved him over.

“Councilor Moon never requested Leif. She hasn't seen him at all,” she said.

Valek calculated. Leif was taken three days ago. He could still be in Moon Clan lands or in Cloud Mist's lands or even the Featherstone lands. He would need to travel to Fulgor, but Onyx required a few more hours rest before they could leave. With reluctance dragging at his feet, he finally took Irys's advice and slept.

#

By mid-afternoon, Valek and Onyx headed toward Fulgor. The horse seemed to sense his impatience and pushed himself harder than normal. The five day journey turned into four. Valek made sure to find a clean stable and rubbed the black horse down himself.

“You've been hanging out with those Sandseed horses too long,” Valek said to him, patting his neck in gratitude. With Onyx fed, watered and settled, Valek hurried to his safe house. He didn't care if anyone recognized him on the streets of Fulgor, but he made sure no one saw him enter the small nondescript townhouse a few blocks from the Councilor's Hall.

The agent on duty shot to her feet when Valek appeared. She would have launched into an update about what had been happening in the city, but he silenced her with a sharp wave.

“I need to know if any of our Fulgor agents has reported seeing Leif Liana Zaltana in the last ten days,” he said.

The young woman pulled a log book from the desk. Flipping through the pages, she scanned the entries. Valek paced the narrow room. A few armchairs had been set up near the window to give the appearance of a home. However the rest of the dwelling was used as an office and safe haven for his corps. The Commander had ordered him to set up and maintain one of these safe houses in each major city in Sitia, including the Citadel. All to keep track of the neighbors to the south.

Yelena would be livid if she knew, but Valek couldn’t disobey a direct order from the Commander. Besides the houses came in handy.

“Sir, he was spotted entering the Weir Inn seven days ago, and two days ago an agent noted his horse is still at the inn’s stables. No one has seen him around town or at the Councilor’s Hall.”

Valek raced to the inn, beating the supper rush by a few minutes. The common room hummed with voices and servers weaved through the table. Valek sought out the inn’s owner and heard the same story. Here for one night and disappeared the next day. She figured Leif would return for his horse eventually.