Our journey to the rendezvous location lasted three days. During that time, Marrok had spotted signs of a large army that had crossed from the Avibian Plains and turned north toward the Citadel. At night, the glow of many fires lit the distant sky and wood smoke tainted the air.

We had agreed to meet Moon Man and the others in Owl's Hill, a small town within the Featherstone lands. According to Leif, the Cloverleaf Inn's owner could be trusted not to report us. "He owes me one," had been Leif's explanation.

Owl's Hill was located on a small rise about three miles northeast of the Citadel. The four towers of the Magician's Keep were visible from the road into town. A bright orange radiance shone from within the Keep's walls. The Fire Warper's home fire?

Still disguised as Krystal Clan traders, Marrok and I entered the town. Situated near the main crossroads, the Cloverleaf Inn's common room bustled with activity, but the stable was only half full. The stable lad suggested we arrive early for dinner as the inn was a popular stop for caravans.

"One less night of road rations," the boy said as he helped me rub down Kiki. "And the merchants prefer camping near here instead of overnighting in the Citadel."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"The rumors have been wild, so I don't know what to believe. But the merchants who do come back say everyone is afraid of these new Daviians and they say the Daviians have convinced the Council to prepare for a war."

"With Ixia?"

"Don't know. They've drafted every able-bodied person. Benn said the Daviians are in league with Ixia, and once a person's drafted they hypnotize him. They plan to use them in the army to turn Sitia into another Ixian Military District. MD-9!"

The boy regaled me with even wilder speculation. I knew the Commander wasn't in league with the Daviians, but the possibility of using the Sitian army against Sitia sounded like a Vermin tactic.

When we finished with the horses, I entered the inn. Marrok had already paid for two rooms for the night.

"We're running out of money," he said.

"Are the others here?" I asked.

"Ari and Janco are in the dining room. Leif and Moon Man haven't arrived yet."

That worried me. It had been thirteen days since we had left to rescue the hostages. Plenty of time for them to discover anything about the Keep's emergency tunnel.

In the back corner of the inn's common room, Ari and Janco held court. Drinking from tankards of ale, they were surrounded by a group of merchants. Serious expressions gripped all their faces and they peered at us with suspicion.

Marrok and I picked a table on the far side of the room. Eventually, the knot of people disbanded and Ari and Janco joined us. Ari had dyed his hair black and both of them had darkened their skin.

"Janco, do I see freckles?" I asked, failing to suppress a snicker.

"Don't laugh. It's this southern sun. It's the middle of the cold season and it's sunny! Bah." He looked at me. "Although, I'd rather have freckles than be bald!"

I put my hand to my hair. "It's growing."

"Enough," Ari said, and the mood around our table immediately dampened. "Were you successful?"

The question stabbed into me as if his words were flaming daggers. I struggled to collect my thoughts; to shoo my emotions away from the black, burning grief that refused to die down. Marrok saw my inability to answer and he told them about Tauno, the rescue and about Valek. To see my pain and shock reflected in my friends' eyes became unbearable. I excused myself and went outside.

Taking deep breaths of the cool night air, I wandered through the town. A few people walked along the dirt streets, carrying lanterns. I felt a tug on my cape as my bat landed on my arm. He stared at me with a sense of purpose in his eyes then flew off to the left. He returned, swooping around my head and again flew to the left. Getting the hint, I followed him until we reached a dilapidated building.

The bat settled on the roof as if waiting. I pulled the warped door open with trepidation, but the interior held a collection of discarded barrels and broken wagon wheels. When I turned to leave, I stepped on a wooden ball. A child's toy. I picked it up and examined it. My bat wanted me to find or see something in here.

I squashed my growing frustration and concentrated on using my other senses. Closing my eyes, I inhaled. The musty smell of decay dominated, but I detected a faint whiff of lemons. I followed the clean and pure scent-not easy as I tripped and banged my shins on the clutter-until I stood in the back corner. There a tingle danced on my skin, raising the hair on my arms. Instinctively I whispered, "Reveal yourself," and opened my eyes.

Gray light bloomed before me and transformed into a young boy. He sat on one of the barrels.

A ghost. A lost soul.

"Where is my mother?" he asked with a thin, tentative voice. "She was sick, too. She went away and never came back even when I cried for her."

I moved closer to the boy. The light from him illuminated the room. The rusted remains of a bed frame and other items indicated the area had been used as the child's bedroom long ago.

My bat fluttered in and circled above the boy's head. I waved it away and muttered, "Yes, yes, I know. I get it."

With a squeal sounding like an exasperated finally, he flew out.

I asked the child questions about his mother and family. Just as I suspected, they had lived and died here many years ago.

"I know where they are," I said. "I can take you to them."

The boy smiled. When I held out my hand, he grabbed it. I gathered him to me, inhaling his soul before sending it to the sky.

The true job of a Soulfinder.

Not to save souls and return them to their bodies, but to guide them to where they belonged. My true purposed flared to life finally. Stono and Gelsi should have both been released to the sky. Their personalities changed because they were unhappy at being denied peace.

Death was not the end. And I knew Valek waited for me, but he wouldn't want to see me until I finished finding all the lost and misplaced souls and sent them to their proper destinations.

There hadn't been a Soulfinder in over a hundred and twenty-five years. Why wasn't Sitia filled with lost souls? Perhaps they were rare.

Renewed determination to find a way to defeat the Fire Warper spread throughout my body. I left the building and stopped. Five souls hovered in different locations along the street. The leathery flap of wings announced my bat's arrival. He settled on my shoulder.

"Did you call them?" I asked the bat. "Or did I?" I guess I should have been more specific when I called to the boy. Either that, or now I'd learned a trick I couldn't shut off.

I gathered and released souls as I headed back to the Cloverleaf Inn. Most went to the sky. One dripped with hate and when he sank into the ground, I worried I might have increased the Fire Warper's powers.

Before I could enter the inn, the clatter of hooves sounded behind me. I spun in time to see Leif stop Rusalka. His panic reached me before his words.

"Moon Man," he gasped. "Moon Man's been captured!"

31.

BACK IN THE INN'S common room, the five of us sorted through all the details we had. Moon Man had been captured that afternoon.

"We found no references to the tunnel in the Council Hall's library," Leif said. "We were meeting with an old magician who was hiding from the Vermin. Another had told us he had information on the construction of the Keep, but when we talked to the magician he only had vague details. He knew how to create a null shield and he taught me how to make one. I shouldn't have tried it. The magic called the Warpers and we were attacked as we left his house."

"How did you get away?" Janco asked.

Leif threw his hands up. "One minute we're surrounded by Vermins, the next a group of brawling merchants and screaming children practically rolled over everyone. It was mass confusion. A man grabbed my hand and pulled me out. I hid until dark. One of the children from the Helping Guild told me Moon Man hadn't escaped."

"The Vermin will know we're here," Ari said. "We need to leave now. There's a caravan camping about two miles north of here. We can stay with them."

"Which way is the caravan going?" I asked Ari.

"They have a delivery in the Citadel tomorrow, and then they're going south to the Greenblade lands. Why?"

"Oh no!" Leif said. "She's got that look in her eyes. What are you scheming, little sister?"

"We have to get inside the Keep."

"Impossible. There's a bubble of protective magic around it. We couldn't find the entrance to the tunnel. A few Warpers have gained master-level power. You're powerful, but nowhere near their level. You'll be caught in an instant." Leif crossed his arms as if his statement ended the discussion.

"That's a great idea," I said.

"What?

I ignored Leif's confusion. "Ari, how ready are the people in the Citadel to revolt?"

"They're organized, have some weapons and a few magicians. What I would really like to do is run a few training sessions, but that's not going to happen. They're as ready as they're going to get."

"Would the caravan be willing to lend us one of their wagons?" I asked.

"Something could be arranged."

Comprehension dawned in Janco's face. "If we get you inside, can we keep the five golds?"

"Only if you get us back out again," I said.

"I don't like the odds," Janco said. He brightened. "Gotta love the underdog, though."

"There are no odds. It's suicide," Leif said.

"Look at it this way, Leif. It'll put an end to our arguing," I said.

"How?"

"We die, you're right. You don't die, I'm right."

"I feel so much better now."

Janco tsked. "Sarcasm is detrimental to the team spirit."

Ari frowned at me. "Don't you mean, we don't die, Yelena?"

I didn't answer. Valek waited on the other side. My reward.

We packed our supplies and headed out. The merchants of the caravan agreed to include us in their group and we spent most of the night preparing our wagon. When we finished with the cart's alterations, we stood around it, discussing the plan for the next day.

"Marrok, you'll ride Garnet. Janco can take Kiki, and Ari, you'll drive the wagon. No matter what happens, Ari, make sure we get to the Keep's gate," I ordered.

"Yes, sir."

"What about me and you?" Leif asked.

I grimaced. "We're the cargo." The last thing I wanted to do was get inside one of those crates again, but there was no other way. "Ari is going to use me to get us inside. He'll demand his five golds for bringing me to the Vermin."

"I never thought I'd miss my days as necklace snake bait," Leif said.

"What happens once we're inside?" Ari asked.

"That will be the signal for the Citadel's citizens to riot, which should keep a bunch of the Vermin and Warpers busy."

"But what about all those powerful Warpers?" Leif asked.

"Can you make a null shield?"

He hesitated. "Yes."

"When the riot starts, all the magicians will come to the Keep's gate and help you build and maintain a null shield," I said.

"But it won't last long."

"I just need a little time."

"Time for what?"

"To get to the Fire Warper."

Leif stared at me. "You can fight him?"

"No."

"Tell me again why this isn't a suicide mission."

"I think I can stop him and keep him in the fire world. And in doing so, I think I might be able to pull some of the Warpers' powers from them. If Bain and Irys are still alive, and if you round up as many magicians as you can, then you should be able to counter the Warpers."

"That's a lot of 'ifs' and 'thinks,'" Janco said.

"And there's no 'when,'" Ari said.

"When?" Leif asked.

"When she returns. There's a when, isn't there, Yelena?" Ari asked.

"The only way to keep him in the fire world is if I stay, too." The words tasted like ash in my mouth. Thinking about an event was completely different than stating it aloud. Once said, it was final. But Valek would be there and I would find him. No "if," "think" or "when" about it.

"There has to be another way," Leif said. "You always manage to produce ingenious plots."