A list of recriminations spun through my mind. I should have stayed at an inn as Janco had wanted and then visited Fisk in the morning when the traffic through the gates would have hidden us. Too bad I hadn’t thought of this sooner. I’d grown lazy, relying on my magic. Being extra cautious, paranoid even, was no longer a habit of mine. At least my stupid mistake didn’t get us killed. Not this time.

Instead of leading us to the Citadel’s jail, Romas escorted us to the holding cells in the basement of the Council Hall. No surprise that the members of the Council had signed the order to arrest me and my companions on sight. And I probably shouldn’t be shocked that they didn’t incarcerate me in the Keep’s special cells—the ones that blocked a prisoner’s magic. By now, news of my condition had probably spread throughout the Citadel and Sitia.

While they searched Ari and Janco and removed a substantial pile of weapons and lock picks, they only performed a quick pat-down on me—an interesting side effect of being considered harmless. They found my switchblade, but nothing else.

We were locked in three adjoining cells, the guards departed and the metal outer door clanged shut, leaving us in utter blackness. I groped for the bed and tried to get comfortable on the thin mattress. The silence didn’t last long.

“Ah, just like old times,” Janco said. “Oh, wait. What am I saying? It’s just like almost every time I’m with you, Yelena. Don’t you get tired of being arrested all the time?”

“You’re exaggerating,” I said.

“Oh, that’s right. I forgot about our last mission. We weren’t locked up, just tied down. My mistake.”

“Give it a rest, Janco,” Ari said.

“Yeah, well, it seems every time I’m in Sitia, I’m thrown into jail. Do you think they’ll stamp my frequent-visitor card? I think I get a prize if I’ve been in them all.”

“What’s the plan?” Ari asked. “Do either of you have a set—”

“This place gives me the creeps,” Janco interrupted, warning us of magic in use nearby.

A magician was probably listening or monitoring us in some way. Lovely.

“Everything gives you the creeps,” Ari said, but he didn’t sound as exasperated as usual.

“Not everything. There are a few things that don’t bother me.”

“What about you, Yelena?” Ari asked.

They had switched to talking in code. I replayed their comments in my mind, teasing out the true meaning. Ari was about to ask if we had a set of lock picks and from Janco’s recent comment, I guessed he did.

“There are a couple things that give me the willies, but being locked in a cell isn’t one,” I said. In other words, yes, I had two sets of lock picks on me, but we should stay put. I’d hoped to convince the Council of our innocence, and escaping would be a guilty action.

“Do you think we’ll have visitors?” Ari asked.

“I’m sure Master Magician Irys will stop by in the morning to explain what’s going on.”

“As long as that annoying little bloodsucker doesn’t show up, I’ll be happy,” Janco said.

He referred to The Mosquito, an assassin who’d been hired to kill me. I’d also be happy to never encounter him again. “We’ve only just arrived. It’s doubtful he knows we’re here.”

“News spreads fast.” Concern laced Ari’s voice.

“We won’t be here long,” I tried to assure him.

“Have you been in here before?” Janco asked.

“Yes, to visit Opal when the Council was worried about her glass-siphoning powers.” Which meant I knew the layout of the cells and building. “She scared them and they kept her well guarded.”

“Do we scare them?” Ari asked.

“Not as much.” It’d be difficult to break out, but not impossible. However, I hoped to avoid the necessity of escaping. “Just let me do all the talking.”

Ari’s deep laugh echoed on the stone walls. “Good luck with that.”

* * *

As I predicted, Irys arrived with our breakfast. My appetite disappeared when her harsh demeanor failed to soften after the guards left. She stood on the other side of the bars and studied me. Deep lines of worry scoured her forehead and dark circles ringed her emerald-colored eyes. Wearing her official purple silk magician’s robe, she had pulled her long once-black-but-now-painted-with-gray hair into a neat bun.

“Yelena, why didn’t you message me you were coming?” she finally asked.

“I didn’t have time.” I tapped my ear and gave her a questioning look.

“No one can hear us. I’ve made certain of that. Now will you tell me the real reason you tried to sneak into the Citadel last night?”

“I wasn’t sneaking. I just wanted to avoid a confrontation with the Council before I had a chance to talk to you.”

“I see. And how did that work out for you?”

“Wowzers,” Janco said in awe. “That’s some impressive sarcasm!”

“Zip it, Janco,” Ari growled.

“Yes, I realize I made a big mistake,” I said. “But Owen Moon is in Ixia, and we need help.”

“You mean like the help I needed to convince the Sitian Council of a few impossible things, like Owen being alive despite the Commander’s assurance to the contrary, and that the Commander funded an illegal Curare manufacturing facility in Sitia and now has barrels of the drug at his disposal? Like the help I could have used to explain why our Liaison headed to Ixia along with every person who could have enlightened the Council about what had happened in Lapeer? That type of help?”