Fire Study (34 page)

crate. My thoughts congealed into a coherent whole. The air became invisible,

revealing my surroundings. I braced for another prick. When none came I focused.

The booted feet of a couple guards stood near me. I lay on my side in front of a

campfire. Darkness pressed against the firelight, and my hands were tied behind my

back.

Actual conversation reached my ears. The baby babble was gone. But for how

long? I coaxed my mind to think, but my thoughts remained sluggish.

A man’s voice. “Should not do this,” he said. “She should stay under until we

reach our destination. Jal is the only one strong enough to counter her power.”

A familiar voice said, “I made a promise to her. I want her to know who has her,

and what we plan to do to her.”

Footsteps approached and I tried to put a name to the familiar voice. My mind

churned as if mired in river mud.

“Take the gag off,” Familiar Voice said from behind me.

One of the guards removed the leather strap. A mixture of pain and relief flowed

into my cracked lips. I licked them, tasting blood. Other aches and cramps woke.

Only the sight of a pair of black riding boots covered with dust could distract me

from my medley of aches.

My gaze followed the boots up to jodhpurs that disappeared under a gray riding

cloak. I squinted in the firelight, hoping the person in front of me was an illusion.

The cocky smirk caused my heart to stutter. And when he kicked me in the ribs, I

knew all hopes for a pleasant reunion were gone. I coughed and wheezed as the pain

shot through my body.

“That’s for hitting me with Curare!” He kicked me again. “And that’s just

because I can.”

His words sounded thin and distant, reaching me through my efforts to reclaim

my breath. He loomed over me. When the sharp pain dulled to a loud throb, I

struggled to a sitting position. I glanced around. Four guards stood a few feet away

and I counted three Daviian Vermin nearby, but I couldn’t tell if they were Warpers

or not.

“Cahil,” I said between gasps. “You’re still…scared. Of me.”

He laughed. The washed-out blue of his eyes sparked with amusement.

“Yelena, you’re the one who should be scared.” He crouched down.

We were face-to-face. He held a dart between us. A drop of clear liquid hung

from the end. Fear coiled in my stomach as I smelled the sweet odor. Curare. I tried

not to let my terror show on my face.

“I allowed you this brief moment of lucidity. Listen closely. Remember what I

said to you the last time we were together?”

“When you wanted to exchange me for Marrok?”

“No. When I promised to find a person who could defeat you and Valek. I’ve

met with success. In fact, you have already had an encounter with my champion.”

“Ferde?” I played the simpleton to prolong the conversation, hoping my slow

mind would produce a plan for escape.

“Act the fool, but I know better. My champion makes you sweat with fear and

desire. The Fire Warper has been called to this world with one mission. To capture

you. And you’re powerless against him.” Pure satisfaction shone on Cahil’s face. “I

will deliver you to Jal and the Fire Warper. Jal will perform the Kirakawa ritual’s

binding ceremony on you, taking your powers as the Fire Warper claims your soul.”

My mind buzzed with the need to stop him yet produced nothing intelligent. I

couldn’t even connect with the power source. “And what do you get, Cahil?”

“I get to witness your death and watch your heart mate suffer before he meets the

same end.”

“But Jal gains power. Do you really believe Jal will let you rule? And what about

the Fire Warper? Do you think he’ll be content to go back after his task is

complete?”

“He has come asking for you. Once he has you, he’ll go back. Then Jal rules

Sitia, and I rule Ixia.”

I saw a faint trace of uncertainty in Cahil’s eyes. My mind pulled free from the

mire of the goo-goo juice and I made a connection. “Before you said you called him.

Now you say he has come. Which one is it?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Yes it does. If you called him, you have control over him.”

He shrugged. “Jal will deal with him. As long as I have Ixia. I don’t care.”

“You should care. The need for power is addicting. Ask your Daviian friends

about the history of the Sandseed Clan and the Daviian Mountains. Then you’ll

realize Jal won’t be content with just ruling Sitia. Once your usefulness is gone, you

will be too.”

“You’re just trying to trick me. I know better than to listen to you.”

He tried to stab the dart into my throat. I fell back and pulled power as Cahil

pinned me with his weight. With no time to think, I focused the magic on my neck as

he jabbed the dart into my skin. Closing my eyes, I treated the area as I would an

injury. In my mind’s eye, I saw the Curare as a pulsing red light, spreading through

my throat. I used power to push the liquid back through the tiny hole in my skin. It

trickled down the side of my neck.

My gaze met Cahil’s when I opened my eyes. He stared at me with a mixture of

triumph and hatred.

Hoping he hadn’t seen the drug run out, I said, “Pay close attention, Cahil. You’ll

see the truth.” I acted as if I had been paralyzed, unfocusing my eyes and letting my

body go slack.

He grunted and stood. “I’ve seen the truth. That’s why I want you dead.”

The Vermin joined him next to the fire, and I watched them from the corner of

my eye.

“I felt magic. Brief. Did she use her power on you?” one of the Vermin asked

Cahil.

“No. I got her in time.”

They discussed their plans for leaving in the morning.

When the others moved to set up camp, Cahil said, “I should kill her now.”

Alarmed replies told him it would be imprudent. For the first time ever, I agreed

with the Vermin.

“Jal needs her and we do not wish to infuriate the Fire Warper,” another said.

“Why should I care about infuriating the Fire Warper?” Cahil asked. “I’m in

charge. He should answer to me. He should worry about infuriating me, especially

after the fiasco in the jungle.”

Soothing words were muttered.

“Put her back in the box,” Cahil finally said. “Secure it, just in case we encounter

trouble.”

Two of the Vermin lifted me. I concentrated on being a dead weight. My hands

were tied and I couldn’t use magic without alerting them. I knew one of the three was

a Warper but was unsure about the other two. At this point I needed more

information. I decided to wait for a better opportunity and hoped I would get one.

The Vermin climbed onto a cart, dropped me into a crate and shut the lid. In the

darkness the sound of metal latches being closed grated on my skin. I bit down on a

cry of dismay when the snap of three locks sounded. The coffin-shaped crate

seemed to press into me, and I drew in a couple of calming breaths. My gaze found

the small slit between the boards, allowing air to come in. And light. The faint flicker

of firelight seeped through the cracks.

I wiggled into a more comfortable position. My mind raced over my limited

options. Magic remained my only weapon. The desire to project my awareness and

scan my surroundings pulled at me, but I knew if they discovered I wasn’t drugged,

all possibility of escape would be gone. Would the Warper feel my power while he

slept? Could I put the Vermin and Cahil into a deep sleep? I would still be locked in

a box, but I could call someone to break me out.

Who? Only a fellow magician could hear my mental call, and I had no idea where

I was. If I was lucky enough to find a local citizen, perhaps I could discover my

location.

Unable to plan a course of action, I marveled over my ability to push the drug out

of my body. Had I known I possessed that skill, I wouldn’t be in this situation. And

my problems with Curare, sleeping potion and goo-goo juice were solved. Although

it was hard to celebrate when locked in a box.

Ever since I went to Sitia, all I wanted was to learn about magic, to discover the

extent of my powers and be reacquainted with my family. Events conspired against

me and I had hardly had time to catch my breath, let alone spend time exploring my

magic.

Pushing the Curare out of my body was a new wrinkle. My abilities only affected

living things, since my magic didn’t move the drug; it must have made the muscles in

my body do the work.

Desperation and raw instinct had gotten me this far. I hoped it would carry me

through, and as much as I disliked using it, magic was unavoidable. If I was lucky

enough to survive this, I planned to retire as a Soulfinder and limit my magic to only

communicating with Kiki. I wondered if she knew I’d been taken. Did Valek know?

And what about Star’s role in all this?

Too many questions without answers swirled in my mind. Eventually, my

thoughts bounced back to the need to do something soon, because I sensed being

delivered to the Fire Warper would be the ultimate end.

“Let’s get moving. If we push, we can reach the Avibian border by sundown.”

Cahil’s voice woke me from a light doze. A few disorienting seconds passed

before I remembered my predicament and his words sank in. Shock followed

understanding. We were in Sitia. I must have been under the influence of the

goo-goo juice for days. Where was Valek? So much for my promise not to go to

Sitia without him.

“Should we check on her?” a voice with an Ixian accent asked.

“No. She’s under Curare now. She can’t do anything besides breathe until the

potion wears off,” Cahil answered. “Finish feeding the girls. We’ll let the juice wear

off before we prepare them for the ritual.”

The girls? I peered through one of the slits in my crate. Another crate lay beside

mine. My stomach turned to ice. How many and could I help them? I suppressed a

hollow laugh. Here I was trying to save others while locked in a box.

Two lids slammed then the crate lurched forward. The sound of trotting horses

added to the rumble of the wagon. We were on our way.

My body went through a gamut of emotions as the day passed. Sometimes

terrified, sometimes hopeful and sometimes bored, I even listed an inventory of

woes. Thirsty, hungry, aching ribs, numb hands, sore muscles and a burning cramp

between my shoulder blades. With the noise of our travel masking my movements, I

attempted to alleviate some of my misery. I squirmed and wiggled until I managed to

squeeze my body and legs through my arms. The benefits of keeping limber and

being small became apparent as I succeeded in bringing my tied hands to the front of

my body. I almost groaned aloud when cool relief spread over my back.

Having my hands in front allowed me to explore. I patted my right thigh, checking

for my switchblade. No luck. Even the holder had been removed. I stared at the

knots on the leather straps binding my hands and pulled at them with my teeth. I

untied a few before the wagon stopped, but I decided to keep working, risking

discovery.

“We’ll camp here,” Cahil said. “When you’re done setting up, let the girls out.

They should be lucid by now and you can get them ready for the Kirakawa

tomorrow.”

“What about the Soulfinder?” one of the Vermin asked.

“Drakke will give her another dose tonight. Too much Curare could stop her

heart,” Cahil replied.

I listened to the sounds of the men in the camp as I continued to gnaw and pull at

my bindings. The smell of roasting meat stole into my crate. My stomach grumbled

with alarming loudness. After a while, two crates were opened and two scared

voices asked questions. By the brief flash of a red jumper through the slits in my

box, I guessed the girls were the students from Ixia. Liv and Kieran. My heart went

out to them.

Again I wondered how the Vermin and Cahil had managed to smuggle us all out

of Ixia. Perhaps the Vermin had posed as traders taking a wagonload of goods

across the border.

I caught glimpses of the camp. A tent had been erected and I counted four

guards and three Vermin. Some of the guards I recognized as Cahil’s men, while two

looked unfamiliar. All were armed with swords or scimitars. I searched for some

sign of my backpack. The limited view hindered me, although I guessed my pack

would be found with Cahil.

The daylight faded, and I renewed my efforts on the leather strips around my