As I pulled in power, Irys threw a pillow at me. The pillow struck me in the stomach. "Hey!"

"You were supposed to deflect it with your magic. Try again."

By the end of the session, I was glad Irys had chosen a pillow. Otherwise, I would have been covered with bruises.

"I think you just need to practice your control," Irys said, refusing to give up. "Get some rest. You'll do better tomorrow."

Before leaving, I asked something that had been on my mind for several days. "Irys, can I see more of the Citadel? And I need to exchange my Ixian coins for Sitian so I can buy some items and clothes. Is there a marketplace?"

"Yes, but it's only open one day a week during the hot season." She paused for a moment, considering. "I'll give you market days off. No lessons. You can explore the Citadel or do whatever you want. It'll be open in two days. In the meantime, I'll exchange your money."

Irys couldn't pass up the opportunity to lecture me on spending money wisely. "Your expenses are covered while you're in the Keep. But once you graduate, you'll be on your own. You'll earn wages as a magician, of course," Irys said. "But don't give your money away." She smiled to ease the reprimand. "We don't like to encourage the beggars."

The image of the dirty little boy rose in my mind. "Why don't they have any money?" I asked.

"Some are lazy, preferring to beg instead of work. Others are unable to work because of physical or mental problems. The healers can only do so much. And some gamble or spend their money faster than they can earn it."

"But what about the children?"

"Runaways, orphans or the offspring of the homeless. The hot season is the worst time for them. Once school starts and the Citadel is populated again, there are places they can go for food and shelter." Irys touched my shoulder. "Don't worry about them, Yelena."

I mulled over Irys's comments on my way back to my rooms.

That evening, while teaching me to saddle and bridle Kiki in her barn stall, Cahil asked, "What's gotten into you? You've been snapping at me all night."

Lavender Lady upset, Kiki agreed.

I sucked in a deep breath, preparing to apologize, but an unbidden torrent of words poured from my mouth instead. "You want Ixia so you can be king. So you can collect taxes, sit on a throne and wear a crown of jewels while the people suffer like they did under your uncle. So your henchmen like Goel can kill innocent children when their parents can't pay the taxes for your fine silk clothes, or so they can kill the parents, leaving their offspring homeless and beggars." My outburst ended as fast as it had begun.

Cahil gaped in shock, but recovered fast. "That's not what I want," he said. "I want to help the people of Ixia. So they have the freedom to wear whatever clothes they want instead of being forced to wear uniforms. So they can marry whomever they want without securing a permit from their district's General. Live wherever they want, even if it's in Sitia. I want the crown so I can free Ixia of the military dictatorship."

His reasons sounded superficial. Would the people be any freer with him as their ruler? I didn't believe his answer was the real reason. "What makes you think the Ixian people want you to free them? No government is perfect. Did it ever occur to you that the Ixians might be content under the Commander's rule?" I asked.

"Were you content with your life in the north?" Cahil asked. An intensity held his body rigid while he waited for my response.

"I had unusual circumstances."

"Such as?"

"None of your business."

"Let me guess," Cahil said with a superior tone.

I clutched my arms to keep from punching him.

"A kidnapped southerner with magical abilities? That is unusual. But do you think you were the first person that Fourth Magician had to rescue? Northerners are born with magical powers, too. My uncle was a Master Magician. And you know what the Commander does to anyone found with power."

Valek's words echoed in my mind. Anyone found in the Territory of Ixia with magical power was killed. Magicians might be hunted in Ixia, but the rest of the citizens had everything they needed.

"We're not that different, Yelena. You were born in Sitia and raised in Ixia, and I'm an Ixian raised in Sitia. You have returned home. I'm only trying to find mine."

I opened my mouth to reply, but snapped it shut when Irys spoke in my mind. Yelena, come to the infirmary right away.

Are you all right? I asked.

I'm fine. Just come.

Where's the infirmary?

Have Cahil show you. Then her magical energies withdrew.

I told Cahil what Irys required. Without hesitation, he removed Kiki's saddle and bridle. We hung them in the tack room before we headed for the center of the Keep. I had to jog to keep up with him.

"Did she say what this was about?" he asked over his shoulder.

"No."

We entered a one-story building. The marble walls were a soothing pale blue, resembling ice. A young man in a white uniform moved about the lobby, lighting lanterns. The sun's rays had begun to disappear for the day.

"Where's Irys?" I asked the young man.

He looked puzzled.

Cahil said, "Fourth Magician."

"She's with Healer Hayes," he said, and when we failed to move, the man pointed to a long corridor. "Down the hall. Fifth door on the left."

"Few call her Irys," Cahil explained as we hurried down the empty hallway.

We stopped at the fifth one. The door was closed.

"Come in," Irys called before I could knock.

I opened the door. Irys stood next to a man dressed in white. Healer Hayes perhaps. A figure lay under a sheet spread over a bed in the center of the room. Bandages shrouded the face.

Leif hunched in a chair in the corner of the room, looking horrified. When he spotted me, he asked, "What's she doing here?"

"I asked her to come. She may be able to help," Irys said.

"What's going on?" I asked Irys.

"Tula was found in Booruby near death. Her mind has fled, and we can't reach her," Irys explained. "We need to find out who did this to her."

"I can't feel her," Leif said. "The other Master Magicians can't reach her. She's gone, Fourth Magician. You're just wasting time."

"What happened?" Cahil asked.

"Beaten, tortured, raped," the healer said. "You name something horrible, and it's probably been done to her."

"And she was fortunate," Irys said.

"How can you call that fortunate?" Cahil demanded. His outrage evident in the sudden tautness of his shoulders, the strident tone in his voice.

"She escaped with her life," Irys replied. "None of the others were so lucky."

"How many?" I asked, not really wanting to know, but unable to stop the words.

"She is the eleventh victim. The others were all found dead, brutalized in the same manner." A look of disgust etched Irys's face.

"How can I help?" I asked.

"Mental healing is my strongest power, yet you reached the Commander and brought him back when I couldn't," she said.

"What?" Cahil cried. "You helped the Commander?"

His outrage focused on me. I ignored him.

"But I knew the Commander. I had an idea of where to look," I said to Irys. "I'm not sure I can help you."

"Try anyway. The bodies have been discovered in different towns throughout Sitia. We haven't been able to find a reason for the killings and we have no suspects. We need to catch this monster." Irys pulled at her hair. "Unfortunately, this is the kind of situation you will be asked to deal with when you become a magician. Consider this a learning experience."

I moved closer to the bed. "May I hold her hand?" I asked the healer.

He nodded and pulled the sheet back, revealing the girl's torso. Between the blood-soaked bandages, her skin looked like raw meat. Cahil cursed. I glanced at Leif; his face remained turned to the wall.

Splinted with pieces of wood, each of the girl's fingers must have been broken. I gently took her hand, rubbing my fingertips along her palm. Pulling a thread of power, I closed my eyes and projected my energy to her.

Her mind felt abandoned. The sense that she had fled and would never come back filled the emptiness. Gray intangible ghosts floated in her mind. Upon closer examination, each specter represented Tula's memory of a specific horror. The ghosts' faces twisted with pain, terror and fear. Raw emotions began to sink into my skin. I pushed the ghosts away, concentrating on finding the real Tula who was most likely hiding some place where her horrors couldn't reach her.

I felt a sensation along my arms as if long grass tickled my skin. The clean earthy scent of a dew-covered meadow lingered in the air, but I couldn't follow the source. I searched until my energy became depleted and I could no longer hold the connection.

At last, I opened my eyes. I sat on the floor with the girl's hand still clutched in mine. "Sorry. I can't find her," I said.

"I told you it was a waste of time," Leif said. He rose from his corner. "What did you expect from a northerner?"

"You can expect me not to give up as easily as you have," I called before he stalked out of the room.

I frowned at his retreating form. There had to be another way to wake Tula.

The healer took the girl's hand from mine and tucked it back under the sheet. I remained on the floor as he and Irys discussed the girl's condition. Her body would heal, they thought, but she would probably never regain her senses. It sounded as though she would be mindless like the children Reyad and Mogkan had created in Ixia when they had siphoned their magical power, leaving behind nothing but empty soulless bodies. I shivered at the memory of how the two evil men had tried to break me.

I brought my mind back to Tula's problems. How had I found the Commander? He had retreated to the place of his greatest accomplishment. The place where he felt the happiest and in the most control.

"Irys," I interrupted. "Tell me everything you know about Tula."

She considered for a moment. I could see questions perched on her lips.

Trust me, I sent to her.

"It's not much. Her family operates a profitable glass factory right outside Booruby," Irys said. "This is their busy season, so they keep the kilns going all the time. Tula was to keep the fire hot during the night. The next morning when her father came out to work, the coals were cold and Tula was gone. They searched for many days. She was finally found twelve days later in a farmer's field barely alive. Our healer in Booruby tended her physical wounds. But her mind was unreachable, so they rushed her here to me." Irys's disappointment shone on her face.

"Does Tula have any siblings?" I asked.

"Several. Why?"

I thought hard. "Any close to her age?"

"I think a younger sister."

"How much younger?"

"Not much. A year and a half maybe." Irys guessed.

"Can you bring her sister here?"

"Why?"

"With her sister's help, I might be able to bring Tula back."

"I'll send a message." Irys turned to the healer. "Hayes, let me know if Tula's condition changes."

Hayes nodded and Irys marched out the door.

Cahil and I followed. He said nothing as we left the infirmary and stepped into the twilight. With the sun almost gone, the air cooled and a faint breeze touched my face. I sucked in the freshness, trying to dilute the bitter smell of the girl's horror.

"Pretty bold," Cahil said, glancing at me. "To think you can reach her when a Master Magician could not." Cahil strode away.

"Pretty stupid," I called after his retreating form. "To give up before all possible solutions have been tried."

Cahil continued to walk without acknowledging my comments. Fine. He had given me another reason to prove him wrong.

12.

DREAMS OF TULA'S HIDEOUS ordeal swirled in my mind that night. Over and over, I fought her demons until, at last, they transformed into my own demon's mocking face. Vivid memories of my own torture and rape at Reyad's hands haunted my sleep. I awoke screaming. My heart hammered against my chest. My nightshirt was drenched with sweat.

I wiped my face, focusing on reality. There had to be a way to help Tula. Wide-awake, I dressed and went to the infirmary.

In Tula's room, Healer Hayes slumped half-asleep in a chair. He straightened when I stepped closer to the bed.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"No. I wanted to..." I cast about for the right explanation. "Spend some time with her."