“Get to the point.”

“Star knew you would be at Porter’s safe house—”

“Porter set me up?”

“I don’t think so. Are you going to let me tell you or not?” He put his hands on his h*ps in annoyance.

I gestured for him to go on.

“I’ve known about Porter’s rescue operation for a couple years and have allowed it to continue. However, recently, his charges have been disappearing and I’ve been wondering why. But that wasn’t the reason I watched the house. I had followed Star and three of her men there, and was shocked to see you walk blindly into her trap. Didn’t you even see her?”

“She used a subtle kind of magic.”

“I haven’t felt her, and I’ve been working with her for a while.”

I thought back to the night I had been captured. The only odd event had been when my perception had altered for a moment before returning to normal. Perhaps she had affected my vision somehow. “You didn’t pick up on my magic, either. And it flared out of control a couple times within the castle.”

“I will keep it in mind,” Valek said with an icy tone. “Star’s motives for ambushing you, I understood. The surprise arrived when she and her friends also targeted the girls. I needed to know where they were taking you.”

I mulled over his explanation. “You could have helped me that night, but instead decided to wait?”

“A calculated risk. I wanted to discover the extent of her operation and why she kidnapped the girls. I had no idea you would end up across the border and in the Wannabe King’s hands.”

Valek knelt in front of me, and would have taken my hands in his had I not kept my arms crossed. Anger simmered deep within me. I had lost five days. Five days for the Fire Warper to grow stronger.

“This wouldn’t have happened at all if you told me about your meeting with Porter,” he said.

“A calculated risk. Like it or not, I’m a magician, and if there’s a way to help my colleagues I’m going to try. I wasn’t going to tell the Commander’s magician killer about it.” Still, a small, guilt-inducing thought about killing magicians being preferable to using them to increase the Fire Warper’s power pulsed in my mind.

Valek sank back onto his heels. His expression hardened into his metal mask. “Magician killer? Is that what you think of me?”

“That is one of your duties for the Commander. I know how you operate. You like to stalk your prey before you pounce. Allowing Porter’s network to continue is part of your modus operandi.”

His expression turned flat and emotionless; my anger had ruled my tongue. My fury, though, remained.

I changed the subject. “How did Star get us into Sitia?”

As if reporting to the Commander, Valek said, “Put you into crates, stacked boxes of goods on top, and dressed as traders. They had the proper papers. The border guards did a cursory check and off you went.” He paused as extreme irritation flashed through his eyes. “The border guards will be taken to task and retrained.”

Valek stood. “I was going to suggest we get a few hours’ sleep and try to rescue those girls. But since I’m the magician killer, I guess I won’t concern myself about their fate.” He left the room.

25

THE LIFE DRAINED from the room after Valek’s departure. I blamed fatigue for my harsh words, but knew it was wrong. I had lost control of events the moment we crossed into Ixia. But the real truth was I had never had control. From the instant the Fire Warper stepped from the fire in the jungle, I’d been ruled by fear. Which had kept me alive, so far, but it had certainly made a mess of things. Valek was just the latest in a long list.

I sighed. There was a good reason for the fear. The Fire Warper’s power surpassed my own, and I didn’t think a bucket of water would douse him. Curling up on the couch, I made plans to free those girls. I couldn’t counter the Warper, but at least I could try to stop the Vermin from gaining more power.

But what about the next shipment of young magicians from Ixia? From what Valek told me, I guessed Star had tapped into Porter’s network, kidnapping his charges and selling those adolescents for the Vermin to use in the Kirakawa ritual.

After a few hours of restless sleep, I went to the stables. Kiki dozed in her stall, but she woke to my call.

Do you have enough energy for a trip? I asked.

Yes. Where?

Back to where you found me.

Bad smell.

Yes, but I need to go back and pick up their scent. They’ve probably moved into the plains by now.

We go fast.

That’s what I’m counting on. Not bothering to saddle her, I hopped onto her back. All I had was my bow. I glanced at the farmhouse. If I had apologized to Valek, he would have come with me, but I wasn’t ready to admit I needed to apologize. At least he would be safe for tonight.

We were soon near the border of the Avibian Plains. Evidence of the Vermin’s campsite littered the ground, and from the number of items left behind, it appeared Cahil had left in a hurry. Only a few hours of darkness remained.

Kiki, which way? I asked.

She headed south, and I let her choose her speed. She trotted until we reached the plains, then broke into her gust-of-wind gait. The air sped past my ears as the ground blurred. She didn’t maintain the pace for long, slowing when the smell of wood smoke and horses strengthened.

The Vermin’s magic waited on the plains. Unlike the Sandseeds’ net of protection, the Daviians preferred to lay traps, which would spring on the unsuspecting victim. Kiki sensed these hot spots and avoided them.