Page 63 of The Study of Magic
In this case, Dema led both Ute and Kirwin to the castle. Kirwin could be trusted, and Valek suspected the Commander thought Ute would need his advice and companionship. While the Commander normally wouldn’t show any favoritism, this exception was a warning to his generals.
Just the fact that none of the generals brought their spouses indicated they meant business and planned to team up to push for Ute’s demotion. And for Valek’s execution.
* * *
Valek had a busy night planned. As soon as Ambrose fell asleep, he went to his apartment, changed into his sneak suit, and climbed out of his window. A strong wind blew from the west, bringing the moist scent of rain. He climbed a series of walls, crossed roofs, and descended three stories to Ari and Janco’s suite. He unlocked the shutters and pulled them wide before stepping inside the common room.
He waited, but neither man came out to investigate. Knowing better than to enter the room of a well-trained soldier in the middle of the night, Valek knocked into a chair, causing it to scrape the floor.
Two seconds later, Ari and Janco rushed from their bedrooms. Each held a knife. Once they spotted him, they charged. To them, he must resemble a man-shaped shadow.
“I’m in need of your assistance,” he said before they could skewer him.
They both stopped but kept their weapons pointed at him.
“How do we know it’s you?” Janco demanded.
“Ask me something no one knows but me.”
“Ha! A magician can just read?—”
“No, they can’t. He’s immune, remember?” Ari said.
“No, I don’t remember. It’s—what time is it? Why couldn’t you just send a message at a decent time, like noon?”
“Who gave Janco his scar?” Ari asked.
“A man named Anders,” Valek said.
They both relaxed and lowered their weapons.
“What do you need us to do?” Ari asked.
“Get dressed and wait for me outside the west entrance of the southeast barracks.”
“Covert?” Janco asked, gesturing to the open window.
“Go through the castle. Just stay out of sight. Once you get there, don’t think about staying out of sight. You’re close enough to the south gate, pretend in your mind that you’re working security at the gate.”
“You’re basically giving me permission to nap,” Janco said. “’Cause that’s what I’d be doing if I worked the night shift at the gate.”
“Ignore him. We’ll be there,” Ari said.
Valek climbed out the window and Ari closed the shutters behind him. He descended to the ground and kept to the shadows as he crept toward the barracks. It was quiet and dark, but not pitch black. Lanterns burned in the stairwells. The shift change wouldn’t take place for another two hours, but it wasn’t unusual for people to walk through at different times. After all, nature called at all hours of the night.
All the visiting soldiers and advisers were housed in the south wing. Valek had considered that all the magicians might be together in one apartment, but that wouldn’t be smart. They could mentally communicate so why risk being spotted all together?
Valek started with General Hazal’s advisers. With only two of them, it should be the easiest. The apartments all had two bedrooms with two beds, a large common room with a couch, a couple arm chairs, tables, and a desk. Once inside, Valek considered the bedroom doors. Which one? He chose the one on the left and, as soon as he approached it, sensed magic and halted.
There was an invisible magical barrier around the door.
Pierce the bubble and wake the magician.
Valek paused. If the magician alerted the others, all his carefully laid plans would be ruined. What type of protection did the barrier provide? Did it alert the magician that someone lurked outside, or did it only activate if someone touched the door? Was it just attached to the door or was it seeking intruders. If it was the latter, he could go inside without alerting the magician. He could feel the magic, but he never knew its intention—a source of considerable frustration.
It was too risky to use the door, so Valek climbed outside, hoping the man didn’t place a similar barrier outside his window. Most people didn’t worry about intruders coming through their window when they were on the fourth floor, including his quarry.
Easing open the shutters, he stepped into the room. The magician appeared to be asleep. Valek stood in the darkest corner of the room, loaded a dart into his blowpipe, aimed for his neck, and blew. The dart hit the target.
