Page 126 of The Study of Poisons
“Can you try again?”
“Of course. But he might not want to return.”
“No. Ixia is too important to him.”
“It’s also a ton of work. Add in the stress of being on guard all the time, dodging assassination attempts and outwitting the various schemers, his white place might be peaceful in comparison.”
“I still can’t accept that.”
“Regardless of why he’s there, you need to prepare just in case he doesn’t come back.”
Valek wished he could kill Mogkan again. “Why did Mogkan leave Sitia?”And become our problem.
“He always wanted more power. His magic was limited, which caused him much frustration. Mogkan experimented with diamonds to enhance his abilities, but they’re expensive and you need a ton. He then discovered magicians could share power as long as both parties are willing. One can boost another’s power for a short period of time. You can’t steal magic from another magician—they would stop you. However, you can easily steal magic from a very young magician who doesn’t have control yet, which is why Mogkan targeted children.” Irys’s scowl was impressively fierce. “He operated a kidnapping ring in Sitia, taking children from families who had strong magic in their bloodlines. It’s a gamble as not all children of magicians will develop the ability to use magic when they reach puberty.”
Outraged for all those families, Valek asked, “And you didn’t notice when these children went missing?”
“He spaced it out over enough years and different clans that we didn’t put it together until much later. By then, he had disappeared. Considering the Commander’s views of magicians, no one suspected he was hiding in Ixia.” She sighed. “He certainly was patient. This scheme of his has been a work in progress for the last fifteen years.”
And Yelena had been caught up in it, but she’d resisted the mind scrubbing. “What would have happened to Yelena if she hadn’t killed Reyad?”
Irys’s fingers twitched as if she’d like to strangle someone. “When their physical torture sessions didn’t work to wipe her mind, they claimed she was a failure.”
“Did Yelena tell you this?” It had taken Valek three seasons to gain her trust.
“No. When I gave Yelena the magical power to stop Mogkan, I rifled through his memories before he died.” She shuddered. “His methods were truly horrendous. Her rape was a form of mental torture to beat down her resistance. To convince her she was useless, and to make her want to retreat. It was a last-ditch effort to grab her power. If that didn’t work, they would have had to kill her, because her uncontrolled magic would have eventually alerted the master magicians in Sitia. And, well…” She spread her arms. “Here I am, snooping around and causing trouble for Mogkan.”
“And saving our lives. Thank you.”
“I’m very happy you killed Mogkan. Let’s call it even.”
“On that note, what did you want to talk to me about?” Valek asked.
“Mmmm, maybe I was too hasty in calling it even.” She smiled. “I wanted to ask you about the remaining children. I’d like permission to take them back to Sitia and find their families.”
“That’s an easy yes.”
“Including Yelena.” She held up her hand. “She’s at a dangerous point right now. She has control of her magic so she’s not going to flame out, but she’s still at risk for predators like Mogkan. She needs to come to Sitia and learn about her magic at the Magician’s Keep.”
Deep down he’d known she had to leave, but hearing it aloud sent a spike of pain right through him. “I won’t stop her.”
“I know, but she’ll want you to come with her.”
“How do you know that?” he demanded.
“I’ve formed a student-mentor bond with Yelena. I can’t eavesdrop on her private thoughts because she has learned to shield them, so I only know what she’s willing to share. Which is that she cares for you very much and it’s a mutual feeling. If you’re in Sitia with her, you’ll not only put her in danger, but you could distract her from what she needs to learn.”
In other words, don’t even think about coming to Sitia to visit her. Frowning, he asked, “How long?” He hadn’t bothered to keep the rough growl from his voice.
“A year at most.”
Although it hit him like a slap, he knew he could wait another year. After all, he’d been waiting for her for the last thirty-three years. And she was worth every second.
* * *
It had beenfour days since Valek killed Mogkan and stopped his magic. They had halted production at the Criollo factory and destroyed all the Criollo they could find. Yet the Commander still hadn’t woken.
Valek sat at Brazell’s desk, trying to sort through the mess. The generals were due to arrive in a few days and would need a report. Adviser Kirwin offered to provide records of the money spent on Brazell and Mogkan’s scheme.
