Page 99 of The Study of Magic
“It’s an antidote of sorts for Curare.”
He paused, letting her words sink in. “Of sorts?”
“It reverses the effects of Curare’s paralysis, but it makes a person vulnerable to magical influence, which could be just as bad.”
“How do you know all this?”
She pulled in a deep breath. “My father was the one who discovered that the sap from the curare vine can be used to dull pain. He sent some to the Sandseed Clan, but it was stolen by the Daviian Vermin and concentrated to cause paralysis.”
Valek sorted through the new information in those sentences. Yelena had found her family, and as much as he wanted to hear all about them, that could wait. “I thought the Daviian Plateau doesn’t have a clan.”
“Not legally. A bunch of Sandseeds broke off to form their own clan in the plateau. The Sandseeds refer to them as vermin. Ferde is one of those vermin.”
“That explains the Curare. What about the Criollo?”
“My father also figured out it counteracts the paralysis. Esau is good with the plants growing in the Illiais jungle, discovering medicines and other useful ingredients.”
“Why do the magicians even have Criollo?” The desire to tell her all about the recent trouble Criollo had caused in Ixia pushed up his throat. Unfortunately, they didn’t have time for that conversation.
“In low doses, it helps new magicians who are learning how to communicate mind to mind. As with everything?—"
“It can also be abused.”
“Exactly. Hopefully, I won’t have to use it.” Yelena twisted her long black hair into a bun and used her lock picks to hold it in place. Then, she accessed the hole he’d created in the pants’ pocket to strap her switchblade onto her thigh.
“Our plan is rather simple, but let’s go over it again,” Valek said.
They reviewed the sequence of actions for the night. The exchange with Ferde would be at a geological feature called Blood Rock in the Avibian Plains. Located southeast of the Citadel, the plains stretched over a large portion of Sitia and were home to the Sandseed Clan. They were a nomadic people who protected their homeland with a powerful magic that confused anyone who dared enter the plains without their permission. Thankfully, Yelena was considered a cousin of the clan and would be unaffected by the magic.
“I’m planning on taking Kiki with me,” Yelena said.
He stared at her. Did she want the magicians to know she was leaving? “Sneaking through both the Keep’s and Citadel’s gates without a large animal is hard enough, love,” Valek said.
“I’ll manage. Trust me.”
He trusted her with his heart. In comparison, this was an easy thing to do.
“I’ll take Kiki out to the plains and give you time to get through the Citadel’s gate before heading toward the meeting site,” she said. “Once Opal is out of harm’s way and Ferde is visible, that’s the sign to move in.”
Valek nodded. “Count on it.”
* * *
With only four hours until the rendezvous, Valek hurried back to the Council Hall, where Ari and Janco waited for him. He reviewed the plan with them, then grabbed his pack and headed out, trusting they would do their part.
Valek found a spot within sight of the Citadel’s south gate. Four guards manned the archway. The oversized marble doors were never closed. Occasionally, barriers were erected to slow traffic through the gate. He guessed they’d close and lock them if the Citadel was ever under siege.
Yelena and Kiki approached the gate. The lack of the noisyclip clopof hooves on cobblestones meant Kiki wasn’t wearing shoes. Smart. Suddenly fascinated with other things, all four guards turned their backs to Yelena and Kiki and didn’t notice the horse and rider slip through. Another demonstration of her powerful magic. Amazing. He wondered if she had master level abilities. While he’d be happy for her, he knew if that turned out to be the case, she’d end up becoming a member of the council and would be too busy to spend time with Sitia’s number one enemy.
Waiting a few minutes, Valek searched the shadows behind him for any signs of Ari and Janco, but they were well hidden. They were to wait until Valek exited the Citadel before following him at a discrete distance. Since he was dressed as a Sitian citizen, he planned to walk through the gate as if on his way home after a day working in one of the factories. He donned his pack and sauntered toward the gate, hunching his shoulders a bit as if tired.
The guards barely looked at him. Only one man made eye contact. Nodding, the guard said, “Good night.”
The words rang out. Much too loud for the distance between them. Valek thanked him and kept moving. As he cleared the gate, shadows rushed him.
CHAPTER15
The ambush had been waiting on the opposite side of the gate. They had lurked in the shadows of the Citadel’s walls and out of sight. Valek could appreciate the cleverness as he yanked his cloud-kissed dagger from its sheath and fought them off. But more and more ambushers appeared. Wary of his blade, they kept their distance for a while. No one drew a weapon, but they kept multiplying. Magic? No. The air wasn’t sticky.
