Valek spent the next ten minutes stretching to return flexibility to his stiff muscles. His stomach rumbled with hunger, and he tried to ignore the pangs. Instead, he focused on the task at hand-escaping.

The cell's lock popped without trouble. Easing open the door, he glanced down the prison's hallway. Empty. For now. One of the disadvantages of being brought in unconscious, Valek didn't know the layout of the building. However, most prisons had the same basic design-cells underground and a guard room between them and freedom.

Valek turned left and moved without sound. A few cells were occupied; soft snores floated on the damp air. The hallway ended at a staircase. Lantern light flickered through iron bars that blocked the top of the steps. A thick metal plate covered the locking mechanism, leaving only a slender hole for the bolt's key. He heard murmured voices and chuckles. The guard room.

Valek listened for a while. He counted six separate guards. Climbing the rough stone staircase, he calculated how quickly the guards would notice him working on the lock. With luck, Ziva would divert their attention long enough for him to open the door. He peered through the bars. Five heavily armed men occupied the room, which appeared to be the office, as well.

Ziva remained in disguise. She met Valek's gaze and nodded. Walking over to the window, she glanced out. Magic pulsed in the air. She grunted with effort. After a few moments, she cried out in alarm, "The gallows are on fire."

The men rushed to the window, and Valek opened the lock during the commotion. He waited. Orders shouted, three men raced from the office, leaving two men and Ziva behind. She slumped under the window. The sticky feel of magic vanished as the illusion disguising the magician disappeared.

"Justus, what's the matter?" One of the guards hurried over to her. Valek eased through the door.

"What the-"

Using the guard's shock over discovering Ziva wearing Justus's uniform, Valek rammed into the man and pulled the guard's club from his weapon belt as he fell. A temple strike later and the guard ceased to move. Valek turned in time to engage the remaining guard.

Club against sword would be horrible odds if the guard had any refined skills. Fortunately for Valek, only two quick moves were required to render the man unconscious.

Without thought, Valek scooped Ziva from the floor and rested her slight weight over his left shoulder. He grabbed a sword, then dashed outside.

Bright orange lit the night sky as fire consumed the gallows. Crazed activity surrounded the blaze as the townspeople tried to organize a bucket brigade. Valek smiled at the scene before slipping unnoticed into the shadows.

Once the sky began to lighten, he stopped to rest. He had traveled west through the forest, paralleling the road to Fulgor.

Ziva stirred when he laid her on the ground. Long brown strands of hair had escaped from her tight bun. She pushed them aside and squinted at their surroundings. Her pale blue eyes widened as she made a realization.

"Not the rendezvous location you've hoped for?" he asked.

"Why didn't you leave me there? If I was arrested, you..." She swallowed.

"Wouldn't have to keep my promise?"

She nodded.

"A tactical decision. I'd already managed to get into enough trouble without having a backup plan. I hoped perhaps you could help me again."

"How?"

"Your knowledge of Sitia for one. And your magical abilities."

"Limited," she said. "I thought I could light a fire and keep my disguise, but the effort exhausted me. You might want another partner."

When Valek didn't reply, she continued, "So I help you in exchange for my rescue? And your promise?"

"Still valid. Although I am curious what I have promised to do." He waited while she fidgeted with the buttons on her uniform.

"A very powerful magician has taken my child, and I want you to get her for me." His surprise must have showed because she rushed to explain. "He is...was my husband. His love and affection for me ceased and transferred to her the moment she was born. After that day, he viewed me solely as a breeding mare, coming at night, demanding..." She drew in a steadying breath. "Eventually I ran away."

"The authorities?" Valek asked.

"I had no legal recourse. He accused me of abandoning the family, being a bad mother. No one believed me."

"You want me to kill him?"

"No! I just want my child."

"But he'll come after you. You said he was powerful."

"I'll figure it out. I just can't pierce the magical protection he has surrounding her, but you can."

Valek mulled over the situation. The rescue of her daughter would be relatively easy and would honor his promise, but he doubted she would know how to disappear properly so her husband couldn't find her. It would be a challenge. One that he would enjoy.

Ziva had been watching his face. "You'll help me, right?"

"Of course. Let's go."

"Where?"

"To Fulgor. I have an assassin to stop." He pulled her upright and they followed the main road to Fulgor.

They arrived in town near dusk. Once he had ascertained Tam hadn't caught up to Yelena, Valek rented a room at Staffa's Star Inn and ordered a large meal. After eating, Ziva went in search of information on Yelena's group while Valek contacted his spies. He had assigned three members of his corps to every major city of Sitia and had six members living inside the Citadel. The spies kept an eye on the cities and reported any interesting news to Valek.

One of the Fulgor spies had seen Tam near dawn.

"I recognized him from the old days," Lysa said. "Thought he might cause trouble and tailed him to see what his plans were. He bought a horse and had asked the stable owner for directions to Delip. Then he left town."

"Where's Delip?" Valek asked.

"In the foothills of the Emerald Mountains. A small Cloudmist Clan village."

"How do you get there?"

"The best way is to follow the border of the Avibian Plains east until you reach the mountains, then head south. It's faster to cut through the Avibian Plains, but no one goes that way."

"Why not?"

"Sandseeds. They live on the plains and don't like strangers. Their protective magic attacks are unwelcome to travelers, confusing their sense of direction until they die of thirst."

Lysa gave Valek a map, and he thanked her. He met up with Ziva at the inn.

"Fourth Magician and Yelena are headed for Delip," she said. "They left around midmorning. Seems one of the girls may have family there."

Interesting. Tam had left ahead of the group. He told Ziva about Tam's actions. She thought for a moment and said, "Yelena will be nicely protected on the road to Delip. It's not well traveled and no towns are along the way. Fourth Magician will know if a stranger is within a mile of them."

So Tam planned to ambush them in Delip. On horseback he would arrive in plenty of time to prepare.

Unless Valek used the shortcut through the plains and set his own ambush for Tam. Or he could catch up to Yelena and warn her.

Chapter Five.

"How much time will we save if we cut through the Avibian Plans on horseback?" Valek asked Ziva.

"None. The Sandseed Clan's magic will..." The skin between her eyebrows creased as she thought. "It won't affect you, but it will confuse me. Unless your immunity to magic extends to someone with you?"

"It doesn't, but I can tie your reins to my saddle to keep you close. Will that work?"

"I guess. As long as we don't run into Sandseeds."

Ziva estimated they would save a full day by traveling through the plains to the town of Delip. After securing horses and saddles from Valek's Fulgor spies, they left the city.

At the border of the plains, they stopped to attach her reins to his horse. The plain's long grass and rolling terrain stretched before them.

"Head directly southeast. In a day you'll see the Emerald Mountains, and if you continue southeast for another, it will bring us right to Delip," Ziva said.

When they crossed the border, Valek felt the sticky strands of the Sandseeds' protective magic trying to find a weak spot. Moving through the magical barrier required effort.

Ziva's emotions cycled from confusion to panic to paranoia. She kept insisting they were going the wrong way. When she tried to dismount in midstride, Valek halted the horses and tied her down to her saddle. By the time evening descend, he wished he had left her behind. Not able to trust her to stay with him, he pricked her with one of his darts after they ate dinner. The sleeping juice worked fast and he faced a quiet night.

Unfortunately, it was too quiet. Valek had been dozing next to their campfire when the insects ceased humming. The heavy pressure of magic lifted.

He listened for a moment. The soft slide of legs brushing along grass stalks sounded to his left. The muted crunch of bare feet on sand came from his right.

When a bowstring creaked, Valek rolled. An arrow slammed into the ground where he had just been. Once he was away from the firelight, Valek stopped. He pulled his knife and crouched low in the grass, scanning the plains.

Three dark figures approached him; the weak moonlight glinted from their scimitars. Two others stood to his right near the campfire. Another creak sounded behind him. Valek spun in time to see a person loose an arrow. He dodged, but it nicked his shoulder. He glanced left. Two more men; eight in all. No time to play nice.

Valek yanked a dart from his belt and flicked it at the figure with the bow and arrow. He didn't wait for the potion to work before rushing the injured man. Knocking him flat, Valek kept going. He needed to be clear of the circle of attackers to counter so many opponents.

Stopping abruptly, he swung around and threw another dart at the closest man before pulling his sword. As the man collapsed, two of his companions reached Valek, swinging their scimitars at his head. He fought them until they dropped to the ground in exhaustion.

The remaining four figures waited out of range. Confused, Valek peered at them. Why hadn't they joined in the fight?

"Excellent," a man's deep voice said. "You fought despite the odds."

"Which could have been worse," Valek said, gesturing to the four.

"That would have been unfair."

"And attacking me in the middle of the night wasn't?"

"No. You are trespassing on our lands." He stepped closer. A foot taller than Valek, his onyx-colored skin was bare. Glancing at Ziva's prone form, he frowned and magic pulsed in the air. Ziva stirred.

"We thought we would have to fight both of you." Powerful muscles sculpted the Sandseed's body. "Why are you here, Ghost Warrior?"

"Ghost?"

"Magic does not see you, therefore you cause a dead space in our protective web. Tell me why we should not exterminate you?"

"Because he is on a Jaydai Quest," Ziva said, coming to and sitting up.

"He is not Sandseed," their leader said. "It does not apply to him."

"The quest is for a Sandseed cousin," she said.

"Is he worthy of the honor?" The big man closed his eyes. A bubble of magic exploded from him.

Knives rained from the air, all headed toward Valek. With a combination of instinct, skill and luck, he dodged, ducked and deflected the blades. His arms stung with multiple cuts, but he suffered no major injuries.

The Sandseed smiled. "A true warrior. Go with our goodwill and save our Zaltana cousin."

The visitors left without sound. Valek waited for the return of the protective magic, but the air remained clear.

"Do I want to know what a Jaydai Quest is?" Valek asked Ziva.

"No. It's better you don't."

"Interesting people."

"You have no idea."

They encountered no more trouble as they finished their journey to Delip. The immense snowcapped Emerald Mountains formed a gorgeous backdrop to the tiny town. A quick survey revealed Tam hadn't arrived yet. They rushed to set their plan in motion.

His disguise in place, locals paid off and Ziva on look out, Valek mucked out the stables with no qualms. All was ready.

When Ziva slipped through the side door and hid, he continued to fill the wheelbarrow with soiled straw. The drumming of hooves grew louder and stopped. A creak of leather and a jingle of metal indicated the rider dismounted. Valek scooped another shovelful.

"Boy, come get this saddle," Tam ordered. Annoyance laced his voice.

Valek turned. His disguise was adequate, but wouldn't hold under close scrutiny.

"Sorry, sir. Busy day." He rushed to loosen the straps.

Ignoring him, Tam scanned the almost-filled stables. "Got some visitors, I see.

Anything new?" His tone was casual, but Valek could sense the tension.

"Yes, sir. You missed the commotion."

Tam's gaze snapped to him. "Really?"

"Yes, sir. The infamous Valek was spotted nearby last night. Caused a panic."