Taken

“Every one of the disappearances was cross-checked against Fountain Reach before the decision was made to host the tournament there. In every case we found absolutely no connection. In fact, the conclusion reached was that the gate wards would make Fountain Reach one of the safest possible locations in England. It was the principal reason that it was chosen.”

“What about Yasmin?”

“We’ve narrowed Yasmin’s disappearance to Kings Cross in London. She might have been at Fountain Reach earlier that night but she wasn’t there when she vanished.”

“Unless she was taken back.”

“Do you have any evidence that she was?”

I was silent for a moment. “No.”

“Verus, are you sure you’re in the right place?” Talisid sounded sceptical. “I didn’t question your plan to go to Fountain Reach but the majority of the disappearances have been in London and they aren’t stopping. We could use you here.”

“You got me for this job because you trusted my judgement,” I said. “No, I’m not sure. But it’s my best guess.”

Talisid sighed. “All right. If you want to keep following this lead, I’ll dig up what I can find about the last people to live in Fountain Reach and pass it on. I hope it leads you somewhere.”

So do I. “Thanks.”

*  *  *

Hours passed. I searched, but found nothing. There was an urgency to it now; I had the sense that I was running out of time. As seven o’clock drew near I went to the duelling hall.

The hall was packed with mages and apprentices: dozens of competitors and five times that number there to watch. To one side two apprentices were sparring with focus swords, the inactive weapons striking each other with a clack-clack-clack. An older mage was giving some sort of demonstration to a group of apprentices, an illusory duel painted in blue-white light playing out in the air between them, while the mages placed in charge strolled around importantly calling out names. The hall was filled with noise and energy and at the far end a board showed the list of matchups. The two duelling pistes had been cleared, and spectators had already started to gather around them.

Lyle appeared from the crowd as I crossed the hall, looking from side to side. I’d known he was at the tournament but it was the first time I’d seen him here. “Oh, Verus,” he said. He seemed distracted. “Have you seen Crystal?”

“Not recently.”

Lyle walked past. I gave him a curious glance and kept going.

Luna was standing alone in a corner. She was fiddling with her focus weapon, flipping the whip handle between her fingers without seeming aware of it, and she gave me a grateful look as she caught sight of me. “Who are you up against?” I asked.

Luna nodded past me. I followed her gaze to see a tall, strongly built, good-looking girl with blond hair tied up in a bun. She was carrying a slim staff about three feet long and she was listening and nodding to an unsmiling older woman who seemed to be giving her instructions. “Her name’s Ekaterina.”

I looked at Luna, saw the way she was standing. “Relax.”

“What if I mess up?”

“It’s just a match.”

“They don’t think it’s just a match,” Luna said. “Everyone takes this really seriously. And . . . That girl’s going to be a mage, right? I’m just an adept. How am I supposed to fight something like that?”

“Mages are still human.”

Luna gave a short laugh. “Easy for you to say.”

“You’ve stood up to mages before.”

“And every time I do it I get kicked around like a football.”

“Hm.” I studied Luna. “Might be time to change that. Back in a sec.”

I crossed the floor towards Ekaterina and the woman. As soon as I got close they stopped their conversation and turned to watch me. “Hey there,” I said.

“You are Verus,” the woman said with a slight accent. She was maybe fifty, with a hard unsmiling face.

“Good to meet you.” I picked up a focus weapon from a nearby table, a dagger, and spun it in my hand. “Looking forward to the match?”

The woman’s eyes narrowed slightly, and Ekaterina stepped into a defensive stance. To my mage’s sight light brown energy flared around her, and I saw the staff pulse slightly. I looked into the futures in which I attacked Ekaterina, seeing the outcomes.

“What do you want?” the woman asked. She was standing at the ready, watching me suspiciously.

“Just saying hello.” I put the dagger back on the table and gave them a smile. “Nice to meet you.”

I walked back to Luna. “Okay,” I said once I was close enough. “Ekaterina’s an earth mage. Remember that guy we ran into in Tiger’s Palace?”

“Yes . . .”

“Same sort of thing. Augmentation to physical strength, defensive reinforcement of her body. If she lands a hit she’ll probably knock you out so don’t let her. You have two advantages. First, your whip gives you range—she can use ranged earth magic but she obviously isn’t comfortable with it or she wouldn’t be relying on that focus weapon.