Both she and Eclipse saluted their summoner.

The Cousin shut the door, and the room remained silent for several long moments. Then the witch spoke. "Silverfire." - Mirage instantly tried to analyze that. Had she not known what school was hired? If so, the cut of their uniforms would have told her that. But the voice, almost devoid of inflection, was unclear; it could be that she had known, and was making some comment on the choice. Mirage could not tell.

"Have you been told anything?" the witch asked.

Her voice sent chills down Mirage's spine. Melodious and smooth, like any witch; they depended on singing to control their magic, and so they trained their daughters' voices from the time they could speak.

"No, Katsu," Eclipse responded, defaulting to the generic form of address for a witch of unknown affiliation. "The commission merely said that Tari-nakana, the Fire Heart Key, had been assassinated, and that two Hunters were to be assigned to investigate the situation. It instructed us to come here and find you, and bound us not to speak of it to anyone else until now. That was all."

The witch stood. She was taller than Mirage by a good bit, of a height with Eclipse. "Tari-nakana was returning to Starfall when she fell from her horse and broke her neck. A simple tragedy, or so it would seem. But the snake that startled her mount is rarely active during the day, and avoids open spaces such as roads. When the horse's saddle blanket was removed after it was put down for two broken legs, its back was inflameda"not seriously, but enough to make it more skittish than usual. And the girth strap was quite worna"again, not enough to look suspicious, but more than anyone recalls it being."

Mirage felt a flicker of professional appreciation. So that was how it was done. Clever, and subtle. No one clue so glaring that anyone would point a finger at foul play, and no mischief strong enough to be caught before it could come to harm.

"These three anomalies caused us to investigate," the witch continued. "There was no evidence of anyone planting the snake, or tampering with the saddle girth, but the blanket had been touched with a very mild powder that irritated the horse's skin. Given that, we suspect that the other two were also not chance."

"What's our assignment?" Mirage asked.

"Hunt," the witch said bluntly. "Hunt the assassin and capture or eliminate her; either is acceptable. But also Hunt the one behind the assassin, the one who ordered the killing done. That, more than the first, is of paramount importance. But exercise caution; we do not wish to alert the employer. Inform us of your discoveries before any action is taken against that one."

Eclipse nodded. "Who will be our contact?"

"Myself. Do you accept the commission?"

"We do," Mirage said, knowing she spoke for both of them. Her fingers tingled with anticipation of the Hunt. It was a feeling she had missed, these past months.

The witch ought to have taken their oaths then. But she didn't, not right away, and a chill prickled at Mirage's neck. Why was she hesitating?

"I must warn you," the witch said. "I will require a blood-oath. Do you still accept the commission?"

Mirage froze in shock. Many Hunters went their whole lives without ever taking on a blood-oathed commission. It was glory and death, all in one. Only the most delicate of situations merited blood-oaths, because they required the services of a witch to bind the Hunter to the task. If the Hunter completed the commission, he lived, gained great fame, and could ask three boons from his employera"whenever he wanted, no restrictions.

If he failed, he died.

If anything would require it, this would, Mirage thought But am I ready for it?

Glory, fame, and three favors from some very powerful people.

Or death.

She had wanted a challenge.

Mirage looked over at Eclipse, and found him doing the same. She was not at all certain what his choice would be until their eyes met. An instant only; that was all it took for them to know their answer.

"We accept," Eclipse said.

The witch stood and beckoned them forward. She pulled a small table from her side to in front of her, and Mirage saw that it held a small dagger, a shallow silver bowl, and a faceted crystal. Witches' tools.

"Your weapon hands, please," the witch said.

Mirage's heart was beating rapidly with apprehension. This could make her name for all time, put her into legend with other great Hunters of the past. But she could not forget the danger, the threat of death. If they failed, neither of them would live to take another assignment.

But if we succeed, the reward is worth it. And I'm arrogant enough to believe we will.

The witch interlocked their right hands so they were gripping each other over the bowl. Their gloves had been tucked into their belts.

She slid the dagger carefully between their wrists, flat against the skin, and held the crystal in her left hand. Then, without warning, the witch flipped the dagger to its edges and drew it downward, opening up a shallow cut on the inside of each Hunter's wrist. Their blood dripped together into the silver bowl, forming a dark pool on the reflectiva surface.

The crystal the witch held began to hum as she held it above their hands. "You are charged with the task of serving justice to the assassin of Tari-nakana, Key of the Path of the Heart of the Ray of Fire, and of discovering the instigator of the murder. Should you fail, you will die. Should you succeed, we who have hired you bind ourselves to grant three boons to you, whenever you might require them. Do you accept?"

Mirage and Eclipse recited their responses in unison. "I swear, on my oath and my name as a Hunter, that I will devote my utmost efforts to the task, or accept the retribution of the Divine Warrior who holds my oath."

Right hand on the bowl, left hand holding the crystal, the witch sang a series of sharp notes in the language of magic. Mirage's stomach lurched as their commingled blood suddenly rushed upward, back through the gap between their wrists, to strike the crystal, where it was absorbed. The witch set the newly dyed ruby back onto the table and clasped their bleeding wrists in her own hands.

"Your oath is accepted. You are free to Hunt."

A sudden surge of pain made Mirage grip Eclipse's hand in resistance. And then it was gone, as quickly as it had come, and the witch was moving the table away.

Mirage released Eclipse's hand and examined her wrist. Even in the dim light, she could see the thin scar. It glittered peculiarly, with a greenish shade that seemed to be a reminder of the strangely colored magical fire that had sealed it shut. The scar would mark her for life, a sign that she had undertaken a blood-oathed commissiona"and, if all went well, survived.

They didn't leave the house immediately. Bom Mirage and Eclipse had a number of questions they needed to ask; if they were to investigate the assassination, they would need as much information as possible. The witch answered readily enough, but Mirage still felt something off-kilter.

Is she keeping something from us? But why would she? Mirage considered the question even as she listened to Eclipse ask something else. Is she afraid of being incriminated in something? In the murder? I doubt the guilty party's hiring us to investigate. She frowned beneath her mask. It's something to keep an eye out for. I don't like mysteries, not when my life is on the line.

They departed before dawn, carrying the first part of their payment and an enchanted sheet of rice paper that could be used to ask the witch further questions, should the need arise. Mirage was certain it would. She didn't like the paper, though; it would send the words written on it to a matching sheet the witch had, certainly, but communicating through writing would make it a great deal harder to tell if the witch was equivocating or avoiding a subject.

Neither Hunter spoke until they were in their room again and had checked their surroundings for eavesdroppers. There were none; Mirage hadn't expected any, but it always paid to be careful. She just wished she had some way to prevent magical prying.

"What do you think?" Eclipse asked as he removed his mask and put it on the table.

Mirage had also taken hers off, and she turned it over in her hands as she replied. "It's the work of a Hunter."

He nodded. "My thoughts exactly. We're the only people who get that kind of training, to think it through carefully, and hide our tracks."

"So which school? Could be severala"Silverfire, for one. Although we don't tend to do assassin work as often. Thornblood would be more likely. Or Stoneshadow, or Wolfstar."

"I'd favor those latter two. It strikes me as the kind of job you'd hire a specialist for; we're more jack-of-all-trades, and so's Thornblood. So it boils down to a question of freelance or bonded. Is this some Lord's permanent assassin, or a mercenary?"

"I've got the same gut feelinga"that it's an assassination specialista"but we can't get locked into that," Mirage cautioned.

"Agreed." Eclipse sat down, then leaned the chair onto its back two legs as he thought. "The greyweed on the saddle blanket had to have come from out east, probably Insebrara"do you think that's where the employer is?"

"Maybe. Would Lord Ralni have any reason to assassinate her? Not that it necessarily was him, of course. But Lords are some of the only people with the money or influence to buy the death of someone that important; I mean, she headed an entire Path in her Ray. And besides, Fire witches are the political ones." Mirage paced the small room, mask still dangling from her fingers. There was a faint thought teasing at the back of her head. When she nailed it down, she stopped pacing. "He's patient, whoever he is. He couldn't be at all certain Tari-nakana would die in that accidenta"our contact said she was a good rider. She might have controlled her horse when it shied, or gotten clear as it fell. So he valued subtlety over immediate results."

"But he was almost certainly hired for the job, not the attempt."

"Which means he had a backup plan."

"Her home, you think?"

"It's where I'd go next, were I in his place. She was on her way back to Starfall. I just hope they haven't touched anything yet, or that our assassin friend hasn't gone and cleaned the place up. If we see another of his traps, we might have a better chance of identifying his school."

Eclipse nodded and dropped the chair back onto four legs. "Which brings up a question: How do you want to work this? Should we figure out who the assassin was, and track the chain back that way, or should we be trying to find out who would've wanted to kill her?"

Mirage leaned against a wall and considered. Eclipse waited patiently for her answer, not pushing; they were already falling into a smooth working partnership. "We could split up, with one of us chasing each. Two Hunters would be useful that way. But we don't have to decide now."

"Right. Either way, the next logical destination is Tarinakana's house in Starfall, since that's where her office was."

Less than an hour, and already Mirage had a question for their witch contact. "Could you write and ask if the house has been touched?" She grinned. "I'd do it, buta"

"You sing like an asthmatic horse. I'd rather not hear you try."

Mirage mock-snarled at him and went to put her mask away as Eclipse wrote out their question in his elegant handwriting. Then he activated the sheet, singing under his breath the first line of the ballad "The Hawk of Fire." A sign that their contact was from the Fire Ray, or just a nod to Tarinakana's affiliation?

The words faded off the sheet, but the response did not come immediately. Rather than wait idly, they both changed back into mundane clothing. By the time their uniforms were packed into their saddlebags, a line written in a spiky, backhanded script had appeared in place of Eclipse's question.

"As far as she knows, the house is untouched," he said, reading from the sheet.

Two copper disks dropped out of nowhere onto the table.

Mirage swore mildly in startlement as she picked them up. "She'd better not do that on a regular basis." The disks were identical; on one side they showed the triskele circle of the witches, and on the other, a two-part glyph. "Name symbols, do you think?"

Another line had appeared on the paper. Eclipse read it aloud. " 'The tokens should get you past the wards on Tarinakana's house.'" He took one and examined it closely, then compared it to Mirage's. "Maybe. Tarinakana's name, with something else?"

"Don't lose it. I'd hate to have to pick you up in pieces."

"That would be messy. Don't worry, I'll be careful." He glanced out the window to check the sky. "Not quite dawn. I say we sleep for a few hours, then get on the road."

"Agreed?" Mirage said. "It's a long way to Starfall."

CHAPTER THREE.

Future [Miryo]

The mountains reached high into the night sky, but the stars glimmered higher still. Miryo lay on her back against the slanted roof of the students' hall and studied them, trying to lose herself in peaceful stargazing. Her thoughts, however, would not leave her alone.

Her eyes scanned restlessly, picking out one constellation after another, identifying each, reviewing their cycles in the sky. It didn't help to look elsewhere. Turning her attention downward only showed her the nearby buildings of Starfall's major settlement: the students' hall beneath her; the architectural logjam of the ancient main building; the New House, where she would hopefully be living before much longer. All reminders of what was coming. There was no surcease to be found in looking downward.

All the same, though, it was better out here than in her room. Were she there, her bookshelves and desk would beckon her with reminders of all the things she still had to study, all the things she still didn't know. Out here, where the night breeze could refresh her, she could at least try to empty her mind, to find peace and forgetfulness.

She could try to ignore what was coming.

The wind blew more strongly, making her shiver.

Miryo tucked back strands of hair that had been teased loose from their braid and then wrapped her arms around her body. She should have brought a cloak, or at least worn warmer clothing. It might be the middle of summer, but here on the slopes of the mountains, the breeze could still be chill.

But if she didn't want to return to her room, there were still places she could go that would be more sheltered. Miryo rose carefully, mindful of the long plunge that awaited her should she fall off the roof of the students' hall. Despite the cool air, she removed her slippers and stuck them into a pocket; she preferred cold toes to the loss of traction on the slate roof.

She made her way up the slope to the ridge line where, balancing against the wind, she paused to look upward, at the structure she'd had her back to before. Star Hall itself, the ritual heart of this place, looming over everything else with its windows like watching eyes. Miryo shivered and moved hurriedly into the lee of a higher gable. A cautious slide down the opposite side took her to the base of another rise; the students' hall, though not as mismatched in its structure as the main building, boasted a crazy landscape of intersecting roofs that afforded all sorts of fun climbing and hidden nooks. "Watch out!"

The hissed warning nearly made her lose her grip on the roof's crest. She caught herself in time and slid carefully into the cup formed by the intersection of several slopes. Some enterprising student long ago had put a wooden platform down there, making a comfortable hidden spot that was a favorite refuge of those students who found it.

"You almost made me break my neck," Miryo said to the other shadowy figure in the pit.

"If I hadn't said anything, you would have fallen on me," Eikyo pointed out. "I figured it was worth the risk."

Miryo shrugged. "You would have survived."

"With bruises. Pardon me if I didn't look forward to that." Eikyo sighed and leaned back, mirth rapidly forgotten. "Have you finished your essay for Yuri-mai?"

"I've hardly started," Miryo admitted. "I've beena"

"Brooding," Eikyo finished for her.

Involuntarily Miryo glanced upward again at the watchful bulk of Star Hall.

"Don't think about it," Eikyo said as soon as Miryo's eyes moved. "Worrying isn't going to help you any."

"Like you never think about it yourself."

"Of course I do. But not as often as you do; I've seen you obsessing."

"I think I'm justified," Miryo said sharply. "It is, after all, my fate we're talking about."

"And mine," her friend replied, unperturbed. "In another couple of months. We're all facing the same thing, Miryo. But plenty of women before us have done fine."

Miryo shivered and wrapped her arms around her legs. "And plenty have failed. You didn't see what was left of Hinusoka, aftera" She closed her eyes, but it didn't block the memory of the appallingly small bundle the Cousins had carried out of Star Hall. And the way it had dripped___"I just don't feel prepared. Study is fine and well, but in the end, they hand you power and you have to control it. Or else it controls you. And there's no way to practice for that, because only when the time comes will you have power to handle."

"You'll be fine," Eikyo repeated. "Gannu made it, after all; if she can survive the test, you'll have no problem." Despite her words, her body had tensed, and Miryo looked at her in curiosity. "All right," Eikyo admitted. "I worry, too. But not about dying. Is that strange?"

Miryo knew what she was referring to. Eikyo had a superstition about saying it directly, ever since the teachers told them what happened to students who failed the final test. Not everyone died. Eikyo thought the alternative was worse; Miryo didn't much want to think about either one.

"Worry about something more mundane," she suggested, to distract her friend. And herself. "Like failing the questioning from the Keys, and being publicly humiliated because they decide you're not even ready for the test. Stuck here as an old woman, with all the younger students laughing at youa""

"Oh, that's helpful," Eikyo said, but some of the tension went out of her shoulders.

Miryo grinned at her. "Come on. If one of us is going to worry about the questioning, it should be me. Your memory has mine beat. Think past the test; think about the future. Are you sure you want to be Earth Heart?"

"Yes," Eikyo said firmly, brightening. Her preference had always been for the company of plants and animals, rather than people; being in crowds made her uneasy. "What about you? Have you made any decisions yet?"

Now it was Miryo's turn to sigh. "No. At the rate I'm going, I'll be one of those witches they have to push into deciding. You may hate the idea of having to wait a year before you're allowed to officially choose, but I'm glad."