“Not right now,” I said between clenched teeth.
“Oh...kay.” His gaze grew distant. “Yes, First Magician is in his office.” Then he met my gaze. “He’s with a student right now and says to come by in the early afternoon.”
I had no intention of waiting and no desire to tell Jon. Instead, I thanked him. Mally moved aside, but didn’t raise the gate. Kiki jumped the heavy wooden barrier in one easy stride, showing off just like she always did.
The Keep’s administration building sat directly across from the entrance. A few blocks of peach marble marked the yellow structure and a set of grand marble stairs led up to the first-floor lobby.
Kiki stopped at the base of the steps.
I dismounted and patted her sweaty neck. “I’ll catch up with you at the stables and give you a proper grooming.”
She butted my palm with her soft nose, then trotted toward the stables located in the northwest corner of the Keep right next to Irys’s tower. The Magician’s Keep had four towers stationed in each corner. They rose high into the air. Each Master Magician lived in a tower. Right now, only two were occupied. Second Magician Zitora Cowan had resigned her position to hunt for her missing sister and no other magician had the power to be a master. So far. There was always hope that one of the new students at the Keep would mature into master-level powers.
I raced up the steps and into the administration building. And just like its name implied, the structure housed the administrative staff who handled the day-to-day accounts and bills and the details involved in running a school for future magicians. The Masters all had offices inside and the infirmary was located on the ground floor.
Ignoring the staff in the hallways, I headed straight toward Bain’s office. I opened the door without knocking. Not surprised to see me—no one could sneak up on a Master Magician—Bain frowned at my rude intrusion. But one look at my expression and he ushered his student from the room.
Once the girl left he turned to me. He tapped his temple with a wrinkled finger. “Why didn’t you answer me?”
“I can’t. It’s gone. My magic is all gone!” Panic spun in my chest. Tears threatened.
His face creased with concern. He stepped closer and spread his hands. “May I?”
“Yes.”
Bain grasped my shoulders and closed his eyes. I braced for... What? I’d no idea. However, nothing happened.
His eyes popped open in surprise. “You are correct.”
Bain’s confirmation hit me like an avalanche of rocks tumbling down a mountain. Unable to keep it together any longer, my body trembled as tears gushed with each sob. First Magician guided me to an armchair, pressed a handkerchief into my hands and muttered soothing words until my bout of self-pity ran its course.
Ringing for tea, he sat in the armchair next to mine and waited for his assistant to arrive. Deep in thought, he smoothed his white hair. Or rather, he tried. The curls resisted and sprang back into their positions, sticking up at odd angles.
I wiped my eyes with his handkerchief and scanned his messy office. Contraptions in various stages of completion or dissection littered the floor, shelves bowed with piles of books, rolls of parchment covered his desk and numerous shades of ink stained...just about everything, including Bain’s deep blue robe. The scent of jasmine mixed with a tangy aroma filled the room. I wondered if the large arrays of candles scattered throughout were the source of the smell.
When Bain’s assistant arrived, he brought tea and Second Magician Irys Jewelrose, my mentor and friend. Bain must have mentally communicated to her about my arrival. I stood, but she kept her distance as the man poured three cups of tea and set the steaming pot down amid the clutter on the table.
“Do you require anything else, sir?”
“No, thank you.”
He left and Irys rushed over to embrace me. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure this out.”
Tears welled, but I calmed as I breathed in her comforting apple-berry scent; more crying wouldn’t solve anything. I squeezed her back and moved away. Her emerald-green eyes held concern and a promise.
Bain gestured for us to sit. Two more armchairs faced the ones Bain and I occupied. Irys handed out the cups before settling in. I clasped mine in both hands, letting the warmth seep into my fingers.
Bain gazed at me over the rim of his cup. “Tell us.”
Starting with the attack, I told them everything that had happened. They sat in silence, absorbing the information. Then the questions started. I answered them as best as I could.
“Do you know of a poison that robs a magician of her power?” I asked them.
“No,” Irys said.
After a few moments, Bain said, “I do not know of a substance that has that ability. If it exists, it would be a formidable weapon against magicians.”
“What do you mean if? Do you think I’m making this up?” I put my cup down. It clattered on the saucer.
“No, child. I’m merely considering other possibilities besides poison. Perhaps there is another reason for your condition.”
“Oh. Like a null shield?”
“Correct. Except it is not a shield.”
“How do you know?”
“I can sense your surface thoughts and my magic helped soothe you. Which also means you are not immune to magic.”
I sucked in a breath. Bad enough to be without magic, but to be at its mercy... This was just getting worse and worse.
“Perhaps your magic was siphoned,” Irys suggested. “Opal no longer has the ability, but there’s a chance another magician has learned the skill. There was a gap in time between the arrow strike and your bout of...fever—for lack of a better word.”
If that was the cause, my magic was gone forever. Unless there was a vial of my blood around, which I doubted. So far, no one could duplicate Opal’s glass magic, but Quinn Bloodrose’s magic was also linked to glass.
“What about Quinn?” I asked.
Irys considered. “He’s attending classes here. I don’t think he’s left the Keep. However, we can talk to him. And I can contact Pazia Cloud Mist to see if she has any ideas. Her magic was accidentally siphoned and since then she’s been working with glass, making those super messengers.”
A queasy unease roiled. “I don’t want word to spread about me. I’ve too many enemies.”
“I’ll be discreet and won’t mention you,” Irys said. “I’ll check the logbook at the gate. If Quinn left the Keep, there will be a record of it.”
The vise around my chest eased a little.
“And I will scour all my books for information,” Bain promised. “I am sure Dax will be happy to translate the languages I am unfamiliar with.”
I smiled at Bain’s word choice. My friend Dax would be happy to complain and whine nonstop about the task, but he was trustworthy.
“What can I do?” I asked.
“I suggest you visit Healer Hayes,” Irys said. “There’s a chance you’re sick or he might have some information about what is causing your...condition.”
All good ideas. I leaned back, sinking into the cushions as exhaustion swept through me.
“Does Valek know?” Irys asked.
“No. He left before my symptoms started. I don’t want to alarm him. I’ll message him when I know more.”
“We must search for the assassin, as well,” Bain said. “I’ll contact the security chief. He—”
“No,” I interrupted.
“Then who do you suggest?”
I considered. No doubt Valek’s spies would be hunting for my attacker, but they didn’t have magic or intimate knowledge of Sitia’s back alleys. Two people came to mind—one had magic while the other had the knowledge.
“Leif and Fisk. I trust them both.”
“Would they be willing to work together?” Bain asked.
“They have before. Remember the gang of scam artists that plagued the Citadel a few years ago?”
“Ah, yes. A nice bit of detecting.” Bain tapped his fingers on the edge of his teacup. “However, this assassin may not be from the Citadel or have ties here.”
“Fisk has been branching out to other cities.” I smiled, remembering the dirty street rat who had begged me for money. I’d emptied my pouch into his small hands, but when he approached me a second time, I’d hired him to help me navigate the overwhelming market.
Eventually he founded the Helper’s Guild and recruited other beggar children to help shoppers find good prices, quality merchandise and to deliver packages, all for a small price. His network of guild members also had the unique ability to gather information on the criminal element.
“I didn’t know he’s expanding,” Irys said. “That little scamp. I shouldn’t be surprised.” She sipped her tea. “Well, he’s not so little anymore. It’s a good idea to ask them.”
If they had time. “Is Leif out on assignment?”
“Not right now,” Bain said with a significant look.
Meaning the Sitian Council might have a job for my brother soon, which led to another question. “Should I inform the Council of my condition?”
Bain ran a gnarled hand down his sleeve. Since becoming the First Magician, he’d aged more than just the natural passage of time. His duties included overseeing the Keep and being a member of the Sitian Council—same as Irys. She, too, had aged. Gray streaked her black hair and a few more wrinkles etched her face.
“Not about your lost magic,” Irys said. “Not until we know more. However, we should tell them about the attack. They might have intel from their clans.”
Each of Sitia’s eleven clans had one representative on the Council, and, along with the two Masters, the Council governed Sitia.
Bain straightened in his chair. “I believe we have a plan of attack. I will liaise with the Council and do extensive research. Irys will check the gate logs and talk to Quinn and Pazia. Yelena will visit Healer Hayes and talk to Fisk and her brother, Leif. Did I miss anything?”
“No.” For the first time since the morning I’d woken without my magic, my chest didn’t hurt. Too bad it didn’t last.
“Yes,” Irys said. She leaned forward. “Yelena, you need to keep a very low profile. If you interact with the Keep’s students, they’ll figure it out eventually and then it will be impossible to keep your condition a secret. Plus you’re vulnerable. Whoever did this to you knows magic can influence you. What if they use you to get close to one of the Councilors or the Commander and Valek? Or turn you into an assassin? I’d suggest you ask Leif to weave a null shield into your cloak and, once you’ve talked to Fisk, you need to go into hiding. That’s the safest thing you can do right now.”
Run and hide? That was so not my style.