Magic Study - Study 2

Irys returned to my bedside. An odd mixture of anger and admiration on her face. “Feeling better?”

“No.”

“Leif, go,” Irys said. “I’ll catch up in a moment.”

He shot me a rueful glance on his way out. Leif’s way of saying goodbye, I guessed.

Irys perched on the edge of my bed and pushed me back onto the pillow. “You’ll never get better if you keep using magic.”

“I’m sorry. I just can’t stand being so—”

“Helpless.” A wry smile bent Irys’s mouth. “It’s your own fault. At least, that’s what Roze keeps telling me. She wants me to assign you to a season of kitchen duty as punishment for rescuing Tula.”

“She should be rewarded, not punished,” Tula said.

Irys held her hand up. “Advice I won’t be taking. In fact, I believe that your current situation is bad enough that you’ll think twice next time you’re tempted to use more magic than you can handle. And being stuck here while Cahil, Leif and I travel to the Avibian Plains to visit the Sandseed Clan is sufficient punishment.”

“What happened?” I asked.

Irys softened her voice, her words just louder than a whisper. “Last night Leif and I asked Bavol, the Zaltana’s Councilman about the Curare. It did come from your parents. They made a large batch and had it delivered to the Sandseed Clan.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Why?”

“According to Bavol, Esau had read about a substance that paralyzes muscles in a history book about the nomadic tribes of the Avibian Plains. So, Esau traveled to the Sandseed Clan and found a healer named Gede who knew a little about this substance. In the Sandseed Clan, information is orally passed down from one healer to the next, and sometimes knowledge is lost. Esau and Gede searched the jungle for the Curare vine and, once found, they had Perl help them extract the drug. It’s a time-consuming process so Gede returned to the plains, and Esau promised to send him some Curare as a gift for helping him.” Irys stood. “So, now we are going to find out what Gede did with his Curare since Councilor Harun Sandseed didn’t know.”

“I must come!” I struggled to sit up, but my arm refused to hold my weight.

Irys watched me impassively. When I stopped, she asked, “Why?”

“Because I know the killer. I’ve seen him in Tula’s mind. He might be with the clan.”

She shook her head. “We have Dax’s drawing and Leif caught a glimpse of the man when he helped you connect your mind to Tula’s.” Irys reached out and smoothed my hair from my face. Her hand felt cool against my hot skin. “Besides, you’re not strong enough. Stay. Rest. Grow strong again. I have a great deal to teach you when I return.” She hesitated, then leaned over and kissed me on the forehead.

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 my strength.

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