Page 55 of The Study of Magic
“Some magicians can fling objects.”
“But won’t they be too obvious?”
“It doesn’t matter. Alea already knows we know she’s here.”
“I’ll remind our corps members of their training. And give the Commander’s guards a refresher.”
“Find me if anything unusual or strange happens.” He told her where he would be sleeping until this was over.
“Is the Commander spooked?”
“No. I’d say rattled. Which is to be expected. He’s always in control. For someone to take that away from him must have been…” Valek couldn’t think of an appropriate word.
“Horrible,” Kenda provided. “And he’s probably going to be difficult to deal with as he recovers. There’ll be mood swings, irritability, paranoia, and emotional withdraw.”
Valek was impressed. “Do you have experience with this?”
“Some of our agents have the same issues after they return from an unsuccessful mission. And a few have it even when the mission is successful. Even though they’re home, they can’t shut that hyper-vigilance off. I’ve been learning to recognize the symptoms, so I don’t assign a struggling agent a new mission too soon.”
And this was another reason why he’d promoted Kenda. Valek just didn’t have the emotional depth to address all his agents’ needs. He could provide them with training, weapons, money, advice, but couldn’t do more. Hell, he couldn’t even manage his own emotions. “Does it take them long to recover?”
“Depends on the person. Some need a few days, others a few weeks or months. We’ve had a few retire early or transfer out of the corps due to it. I think the worst is when one of our agents dies. There’s a ripple effect throughout the corps that extends beyond that person’s friends and family.”
And they had recently lost Sven, who everyone liked. “How’s Sven’s son, Adrik, doing with the training?”
“He has good and bad days. Same with Trevar. Sven might not have been Trevar’s father, but the two of them bonded pretty quick. And Trevar’s a right pain in the ass.”
“Oh?”
“He’s too smart for his own good. He learns new skills quickly but doesn’t have the patience for repetition. And the trainer told me he disappeared today.” She squinted at Valek. “Maybe you should talk to him.”
“To scare him straight?”
“Something like that.”
Valek laughed, thinking how Trevar hadn’t been one bit intimidated when he had summoned him to his office. “Won’t work. Once Trevar returns, start ambushing him. He’ll learn real quick that he’s not as ready as he thought.”
“Ooohhh. I like.” She sobered. “If he shows up.”
“He will.”
Kenda gave him a sharp look but didn’t ask why he sounded so confident. “Where will you be before you join the Commander this evening?”
“I’ll be around.”
“That’s vague.”
“That’s the point.”
“Ah.”
* * *
Valek walked slowly around the castle. He kept his senses open, hoping to encounter magic in use. Sometimes it was a light touch, like walking through a cobweb. Other times, it pressed on his skin like a wet towel, and moving through it required effort. If it was really strong, it could knock him off his feet, but that was rare. The King had almost killed Valek because he had thrown all his power at him when they had fought.
After he roamed through the entire castle without success, Valek headed to the Commander’s suite. It was right across the corridor from Valek’s, and the only way into that corridor was through a locked door normally guarded by two well-trained soldiers.
He rounded the corner. The four guards before the door turned and aimed their loaded crossbows at his chest. Valek stopped. He recognized all of them. However, their hard expressions didn’t soften. He’d been searching for Alea’s magic all night. Had he just found it?
