My protests froze on my lips. My reason for being at the Keep was to learn, and already I felt as if I had gone off course, but visiting the Sandseeds could be an educational experience. Why wasn’t anything simple?

Irys reached the door when I remembered to ask her about the Ixian delegation.

Pausing at the threshold, she said, “The Council has agreed to a meeting. The messenger left this morning to deliver our reply to Ixia.”

She shut the door, leaving me to ponder all that she had told me.

“Ixia,” Tula said with wonder. “Do you think Valek will escape the vines and come with the delegation?”

“Tula, that was a nightmare.”

“But it seemed so real,” she insisted.

“Bad dreams are ghosts of our fears and worries, haunting us while we sleep. I doubt Valek is in trouble.”

My thoughts, though, lingered on the image of Valek trapped. It had seemed real. I gritted my teeth in frustration and impatience. Irys had been right, lying here unable to do anything was far worse than scrubbing the kitchen.

Taking some deep breaths, I calmed my mind, cleansing out my worries and irritation. I focused on my last night with Valek in Ixia. A cherished memory.

I must have drifted off to sleep because I felt Valek’s presence. A strong cloud of energy surrounded me.

You need help, love? he asked in my dream.

I need you. I need love. I need energy. I need you.

His regret pulsed in my heart. I can’t come. You already have my love. But I can give you mystrength.

No! You’ll be helpless for days! The image of Valek tangled in vines leaped into my mind.

I’ll be fine. The power twins are with me. They’ll protect me. Valek showed me an image of Ari and Janco, my friends in Ixia, guarding his tent. They camped in the Snake Forest, participating in a military exercise.

Before I could stop him, power washed over me, soaking into my body.

Good luck, love.

“Valek,” I yelled out loud. He disappeared.

“What was that?” Tula asked.

“A dream.” But I felt rejuvenated. I stood on my now steady legs, marveling.

Tula stared. “It wasn’t a dream. I saw a light and—”

I made a sudden decision and bolted for the door. “I have to go.”

“Where?” Tula demanded.

“To catch up with Irys.”

Chapter Nineteen

The two men guarding our room jumped in surprise when I sprinted out the door. I raced toward the stable before my mind could slow me down with logic, but I arrived too late. The yard was empty.

Kiki poked her head out of her stall. Lavender Lady better?

Yes, much better. I stroked her nose. I missed the others. When did they leave?

Some chews of hay. We catch up.

I studied Kiki’s blue eyes. She presented an interesting idea. Even if I had caught up to Irys before they left, there was no guarantee that she would have let me go with them to the Avibian Plains.

Kiki pawed the ground with impatience. Go.

I thought fast. Perhaps it would be better if I followed Irys and Leif to the plains, revealing myself only when we traveled too far for her to send me back to the Keep.

I need supplies, I told Kiki. On the way to my room, I made a mental list of everything I would need. My backpack and bow, my switchblade, my cloak, some clothes and food. Money perhaps.

After gathering what I could from my room, I locked the door, turned to go and bumped into Dax.

“Look who’s vertical,” he said. A wide smile spread across his lips. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. After all, you are a living legend.”

Shaking my head, I said, “Dax, I don’t have time to exchange barbs with you.”

“Why?”

I paused, realizing that taking off on my own would be yet another black mark against me. An Ixian decision. But getting information from the Sandseeds was too important for me to worry about the consequences. I told Dax about my plans. “Can you tell Second Magician where I’ve gone? I don’t want Bain combing the Keep for me.”

“You’re on the fast path to expulsion,” Dax warned. “I’ve lost count of points against you.” He paused, considering. “Doesn’t matter now. How long of a head start do you want?”

I glanced at the sky. Midafternoon. “Till dark.” The timing still left Bain a slight chance to send someone to retrieve me, but I hoped he would wait until the morning.

“Done. I’d wish you good luck, but I don’t think it would help.”

“Why not?”

“My lady, you make your own luck.” Then he shooed me away. “Go.”

I hurried to the kitchen and grabbed enough bread, cheese and dried meat to last for ten days. Captain Marrok had said the Avibian Plains were vast and it took ten days to cross them. If the Sandseed Clan lived on the far side, I would have enough food to reach them, and I hoped I could buy more for the return trip.

With my thoughts focused on supplies, I raced toward the barn. As I approached, Kiki snorted in agitation, and I opened my mind to her.

Bad smell, she warned.

I spun in time to see Goel rush me. Before I could react, the point of his sword stopped mere inches from my stomach.

“Going somewhere?” he asked.

“What are you doing here?”

“Little birdie told me you flew the coop. It wasn’t hard to track you.”

The guards outside Tula’s room must have alerted Goel. I sighed. My distraction while collecting supplies had made me an easy target.