Page 55 of The Study of Fire
Valek sagged with relief. Yelena hadn’t been killed in the massacre.
“What happened in Booruby?”
“They arrested us, and Yelena destroyed Ferde’s mind. No way to find out who the leaders are or where the Daviians are hiding now.”
“Destroyed his mind? Are you sure?” Irys asked.
“Oh yes.”
“How?”
“I’m guessing with her Soulfinder powers. He now has the mental ability of a two year old.”
Roze looked smug, but Irys frowned at Cahil. Yelena must have had a good reason to do it. In Valek’s opinion, the man deserved to die, this worked just as well.
“Cahil, you may return to the waiting room,” Roze said. “I call Ferde Daviian to appear before the council.”
Ferde was surrounded by guards, but it was obvious he was no longer a threat. Unable to comprehend or answer any questions, he was sent back to the cells.
Roze then called Leif Zaltana to appear.
When Leif arrived, he looked exhausted. Yelena’s brother had the same green eyes as his sister, but that was where their similarities ended. While her face was oval, his was square. He had brown hair and a muscularly stocky build, which was the opposite of her black hair and lithe grace.
“Leif, report,” Roze ordered.
Leif gave a tired laugh. “How much time do you have?” He gazed at the council and sighed. “I hope you’re comfortable.”
“Leif,” Roze warned.
“Fifteen days ago, Yelena received a message from Moon Man, implying the Sandseed Clan had found Ferde. We traveled to the Avibian Plains to meet up with him.”
“Why did you take Marrok with you?” Roze asked.
“He said he could convince Cahil to surrender, could talk some sense into the idiot. Yelena read Marrok’s intentions and confirmed he was telling the truth. Plus, he’s a good tracker and we might have had need of his skills. Turned out we were right.”
“What happened after you reached the plains?”
“The Sandseeds had found a vermin camp in the plateau and planned on attacking it. Moon Man thought Cahil and Ferde might be hiding with them. We joined the warriors for the ambush, except it was an illusion. Instead of a bustling, crowded settlement, it was empty. Well, except for the warper who created the illusion. He killed himself before we could interrogate him.”
“Didn’t they trick you the same way before?” Roze asked with an exasperated tone.
Valek remembered when he had joined Leif, Yelena, Moon Man, and his warriors. They didn’t exterminate the Daviians as planned, but Valek had killed Alea, which he considered a win.
“Not quite. Last time the illusion showed only a few people in a camp when, in reality, there was a large force waiting for us. This time was the opposite. However, there were signs that the area had been occupied by dozens of people. With Marrok’s help, we tracked them to a trench they had dug. Apparently, they knew they were being watched by the Sandseeds and used the trench to relocate to the northeast without being seen. We also discovered that a much smaller group went west. Worried about the clan members they had left behind, the Sandseed warriors headed home, while I went west with Yelena, Marrok, Moon Man, and Tauno.”
The councilors exchanged glances at this news, but no one told Leif that the warriors had been ambushed and killed when they returned home. Valek wondered if they didn’t wish to distract Leif.
“Who is Tauno?” Bain asked.
“A Sandseed tracker of some renown,” Harun Sandseed said. “He’s one of our best.”
“He’s also the one who found the vermin camp,” Leif said. “The five of us located a cave west of the encampment. I used my magic to determine that some vermin and Cahil used that cave. We entered and eventually reached the Illiais Jungle.”
Councilor Bavol Zaltana jumped to his feet in panic. “Our clan?”
“They’re fine. Mostly.”
“What does that mean?”
