Page 116 of The Study of Fire
“That sentiment will make you a most excellent one.”
“Any suggestions on how to be more vigilant?”
“Organize a committee to check in with your magicians that are out in the world from time to time. If they know you’re interested in what they’re doing, they might not get into trouble. Also, if they’re lonely or afraid, you can help them. It’s what I do with my agents in the field.”
“We’ll take it under advisement.”
* * *
When Valek arrived at the great hall, most of the councilors gasped in dismay. Irys and Bain hadn’t yet arrived, but Councilor Stormdance jumped to his defense.
“He saved your children, Councilor Greenblade’s husband, and my wife,” Leuel said. “He saved Sitia from the Daviian Warpers.”
“I helped,” Valek said into the silence. “Yelena used her Soulfinder magic—that same magic that you’re all terrified of—to save usall. Sitian and Ixian. If she hadn’t, we’dallbe dead.”
Irys and Bain arrived soon after, and the council session began. They explained to the rest of the council about Roze’s ill deeds, her plans, the Fire Warper, and Yelena’s heroic sacrifice. Valek filled in a few of the gaps. They would need to search Roze’s office and figure out just how she’d been able to fund her new clan. Bain presented the list of tasks the master magicians had compiled and started to delegate.
Councilor Krystal shot Valek a nasty glare. “Is this how it’s going to be? You order us around like we’re your advisers?”
“No, child,” Bain said. “We are assigning tasks. If you do not like the task you’ve been given, please swap with another. We all have to do our part to recover from this tragedy.”
Bain tended to call everyone child, but in this case, it was the perfect word for a belligerent councilor.
During the very long meeting, Valek made suggestions about their security procedures that, if they enacted, would make it harder for him to sneak in. However, he didn’t tell them about the rafters. Magic hid the ropes, so it was pretty secure overall. Chatty guards, though, needed to be a thing of the past.
* * *
The next few days fell into a routine, with council sessions dominating most of Valek’s time. He sent a healed Gabor to Ixia with a message for the Commander. Ari and Janco had decided to stay in Sitia until Yelena returned. They would join the hunt for Daviians, once Cahil was ready to go. The Wannabe King had found a great deal of useful information in Roze’s tower about the Daviians and was using it to map out a plan of attack.
Amid all the planning, organizing, and activity, Valek’s heart burned. No one had been able to contact Yelena in the fire world. The pain was constant. He imagined his heart resembled a blackened hunk of wood with an orange ember pulsing deep inside. At times, the ember was a faint simmer. But it would unexpectedly blaze red hot and furious. During those episodes, Valek had to find a quiet corner and lean on the wall as sweat formed on his brow and his legs threatened to collapse.
Gabor returned to Sitia with an official response from the Commander. He offered to send Ambassador Signe to aid the Sitian Council. Valek was surprised by the Commander’s gesture of goodwill. Especially since Signe was the Commander’s alter ego. Of course, the council debated the offer for a week. While frustrating, it was good to see the council had bounced back from the horrors of the Daviians. In the end, they decided to accept the Commander’s offer and sent an official invitation to Ambassador Signe.
For Valek, time no longer flowed smoothly. It jerked and paused and zipped. Whenever the council or the master magicians would suggest it was time to extinguish the bonfire, or stop trying to reach Yelena, Valek would remind them all of her heroics. Each time, though, it took longer to convince them.
Two weeks after the massacre at the Keep, Councilor Harun Sandseed approached Valek. “You are invited to the burial ceremony for Moon Man.”
CHAPTER17
“I’ll be there,” Valek said, as the fire in his heart pulsed with heat. “When and where?”
“We plan to leave in two days for the plains. Moon Man’s body has been preserved by magic; we did not wish to bury him until our home had been cleansed. My people have messaged me that all is prepared for the ceremony.”
Valek mounted Onyx two days later. He steered his horse to join the growing line of mourners. The entire Sitian Council and their spouses sat on their horses. Ari, Janco, Leif, Marrok, and Cahil were in attendance. Yelena would have wanted to be with them. Perhaps that was why the burn in his chest had spread throughout his body and settled deep in his bones.
Moon Man’s body was wrapped in a linen sheet and secured to Kiki’s saddle. No one else rode her. She led the procession to the south gate of the Citadel, and then headed southeast.
The morning sun swept the cold air away and returned the colors to the landscape. A bright blue sky arced overhead with not a cloud in sight. Valek wondered if the perfect weather was compliments of the Stormdance Clan.
When they crossed into the Avibian Plains in the afternoon, Valek thought the Sandseed horses would use their gust-of-wind gait and leave the rest to catch up. However, they stayed together. And the protective magic did not attack.
That night, they made camp. It was a quiet group. Even Janco was subdued. Only a few people in attendance really knew Moon Man, but they were all there to honor his sacrifice for Sitia.
The somber mood lasted until Harun settled by the fire and said, “Let me tell you about a man named Moon.”
He regaled the rapt audience with Moon Man’s exploits. From a precocious child to a rebellious teenager, and to the strong warrior and skilled Story Weaver he’d become. Laughter filled the air.
* * *
