When they left the armory, a young soldier ran up to Bruns and handed him a red flag. “They’re ready for you, sir.”

“Wonderful.”

Bruns led him outside the compound. The bruiser brothers closed in on Leif, staying a mere foot away. Unfortunately, the null shield remained. Leif wondered if it had been woven into his clothing. Only one way to find out, but he’d wait until he was alone to strip.

Now the air held the faint scent of the sea. The Jewelrose clan did have a thumb-shaped bit of land that extended into the Jade Sea. And, if he remembered correctly, the area was rather isolated. In fact, just north of it was the Lion’s Claw Peninsula, where the Bloodrose cult had lived for years in relative obscurity, until Opal discovered their illegal activities and stopped them.

Reaching a pasture with a wooden fence, Bruns halted. A forest lined the north and west sides. Dozens of soldiers crouched on the southern side.

“Watch this,” Bruns said. He leaned against the fence and waved the flag. Gesturing to the soldiers now climbing through the wooden rails, he said, “That’s one of our platoons. And in the woods is a mock Ixian army about the same size.”

When the platoon reached the halfway mark, arrows sailed from the forest. Instead of slamming into the soldiers, they stopped in midair, as if hitting an invisible barrier, and dropped to the ground. The platoon increased their pace. Two people called enemy positions. Branches shook, dislodging archers.

Within minutes the platoon had penetrated the forest and captured the Ixian soldiers.

Bruns beamed. “See how effective we can be when we have magicians fighting alongside soldiers?”

Leif tried hard not to get swept up in Bruns’s enthusiasm. But damn. That was one hell of an impressive demonstration.

22

YELENA

“How many are in hiding?” I asked Fisk. With all the bad news, it was nice to hear something good.

Fisk shot to his feet as if he needed to move. He paced behind his couch. “Five of them. Once the word spread that magicians were disappearing and dying, they came to me to help hide them.”

“With that cat slinking around your headquarters, are you sure they’re still safe?” Janco leaned forward in his chair.

“Yes. But the requests have stopped, and I fear he’s responsible.”

I mulled over the information. “So we still have seven missing and four dead magicians.”

“Eight, if we count Leif,” Ari said.

My heart squeezed. Leif wouldn’t become a statistic. I’d make sure of that.

“And they’re just the ones we know about,” Fisk said. “It’s not like they all work for the Council or the Master Magicians. They’re spread over the eleven clans of Sitia.”

“Who would know if there are more missing?” Ari asked.

“Does it matter how many?” Janco asked. “I’d think the more important question is where are they?”

“Not if they’ve joined forces with the Cartel.” Ari gestured. “We wouldn’t get a warm welcome if we showed up to rescue them and they have no intention of leaving, and oh, by the way, they outnumber us, so now we’re captured.”

I held up my hands, stopping Janco’s retort. “I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Fisk, do you know how long the Cartel’s been recruiting?”

“I heard rumors starting soon after you left for Fulgor eight weeks ago.”

Almost a full season.

“But they could have been at it for much longer,” Ari said. “We should assume that once the rumors started, they no longer cared if word spread.”

Good point. Unfortunately. “Any ideas where they’re...gathering?”

Fisk strode over to his desk. He leafed through a stack of papers, pulled one out and returned. “Hilly’s been keeping an eye on the people who have been associating with the man who was so interested in your whereabouts, Yelena.” He sat on the couch and handed me the paper. “I’ve been identifying them. This one...” He tapped the blank space next to a description of the man with the large ruby pendant. “I just received confirmation on his name. He’s—”

“Bruns Jewelrose?” I guessed.

“Yes. Friend of yours?”

“Hardly. He hired The Mosquito to assassinate me.”

“Odd.” Fisk’s brow crinkled.

Janco laughed. “That’s not odd. That’s just another typical day for our girl here.”

Fisk ignored him, but I scowled at him.

Unaffected, Janco said, “You know I’m right.”

Fisk continued, “I mean, why kill you and risk getting Valek involved? That would be dangerous. Plus, he already neutralized your magic.”

Ari and Janco glanced at me. Not many people knew that the first attack hadn’t been The Mosquito, but Onora following the Commander’s orders to test Valek. Perhaps Bruns had learned this and hoped my death would send Valek after Onora or the Commander.

“Bruns knows that I will rescue Leif, despite not having magic,” I said. “And that I have powerful friends to help me.” I stood. Time to answer at least one question. “Fisk, do you have a window that faces in the same direction as the stable?”

He grinned. “You want to take a look at that cat hanging around?”

“Yes. Except I suspect he’s not a cat.”

Fisk led me to the loft above his office. Navy blue curtains covered two long, narrow windows. He pointed. “The glass is tinted, so no one can see you.”