“That’s the best welcome I’ve had all day.”

I could only imagine what he had been up to. His ability to get into any building undetected made him the most feared man in Sitia. And his immunity to magic terrified the Master Magicians. He was Commander Ambrose’s best weapon against them.

“Do I want to know why you’re here?” I asked.

“No.”

I sighed. “Should I know why you’re here?”

“Yes. But not now.” He leaned over and his lips met mine, and it no longer mattered why.

The late-afternoon sun woke me and reminded me about my meeting with Gede. I nudged Valek awake. We huddled under the blankets against the icy air.

Valek moved to get up. “I’ll make a fire—”

“No!” I grabbed his arm, stopping him.

He peered at me with concern. I marveled at the rich sapphire color of his eyes and how they contrasted with his pale skin.

“You’ll need to reapply your skin-darkening makeup,” I said, brushing a black strand of hair away from his face.

He held my hand. “Nice try, but you are going to tell me why you don’t want a fire.”

“Only if you tell me why you’re here.” I countered.

“Agreed.”

I filled him in on the series of events with Cahil, Ferde and the Fire Warper.

“It’s ridiculous to think the Commander is working with these Vermin.” Valek looked thoughtful. “So the Wannabe King has chosen to ignore the truth about his birth. You got to admit his ability to dupe the entire Council is impressive.”

“Not the entire Council. Irys doesn’t believe Cahil and I’m sure there are others.” I waved my hand in a shooing motion. “Doesn’t matter. It’s not my concern. I’ve been told to be a good little student and mind my own business.”

Valek snorted. “Like you would listen to them.”

“I agreed.”

He laughed long and hard. “You. Not. Get involved.” Valek paused to catch his breath. “You’ve been in the midst of trouble ever since you became the Commander’s food taster, love. You would never walk away.”

I waited until he wiped the tears from his cheeks. “This is different. Then I didn’t have a choice.”

“Oh? And you have a choice now?”

“Yes. I’ll let the Council deal with these Vermin and I’ll stay out of trouble.”

“But you know they can’t counter them.”

“They don’t want my help.”

Valek sobered and a hard edge glinted in his gaze. “What happens when the Vermin win?”

“I’ll stay with you in Ixia.”

“What about your parents? Leif? Moon Man? Irys? Do they come with you? And what happens when these Warpers with their incredible blood magic decide to follow you to Ixia? What choice will you have then?” He studied my face. “You can’t let your fear of the Fire Warper stop you from—”

Annoyed, I snapped. “The Council has stopped me. They’re the ones who are against me.” Besides, I didn’t want to think about my family—they were all grown people able to look after themselves. Then why did guilt tug at my heart and doubt squeeze my chest?

“You just said there’re a few Councilors on your side. Once the Council hears Marrok’s evidence tonight, they’ll believe you about the Wannabe King.”

“How did you know about Marrok?” Irys had just told me this morning. I had insisted on attending Marrok’s questioning, but she said the session was closed, for Councilors only.

Amusement returned to Valek’s face. “Servants. Their information network is far superior to a corps of trained spies.” In an offhand way, he added, “I’ll tell you about the session later tonight.”

“You rat! It’s a closed meeting. Only you would try to pull it off.”

“You know me, love.”

“I know. You crave a challenge and you’re cocky.”

He grinned. “I wouldn’t call it cocky. A certain amount of self-confidence is needed, especially for my line of work.” He turned serious. “And for yours.”

I ignored the implication. “Speaking of work, we made a deal. Why are you here?”

He stretched his arms over his head and yawned, pretending to consider my question.

“Valek,” I warned, poking him in the ribs. “Tell me.”

“The Commander sent me.”

“Why?”

“To assassinate the Sitian Council.”

17

I GAPED AT VALEK. Assassinating the Council would help the Vermin and support Cahil’s claims. “You’re not—”

“No. It’s the wrong thing to do right now. The Commander based his decision on the state of Sitian affairs before these Vermin showed up. He allowed me a degree of flexibility on this mission. We need to find out what’s going on. The Council meeting tonight might reveal crucial information.”

“We?”

“Yes. We.”

I sighed. I was disobeying direct orders from the Master Magicians and the Council again, getting involved with Sitian affairs. Would I ever agree with their decisions or was I deep down an Ixian just pretending to be impartial? Perhaps my session with Gede would be useful. I needed guidance as well as information.

Valek and I agreed to meet back in my room later tonight. He left.

Apprehension swirled around me like a thick fog as I dressed and walked to the Citadel’s guest quarters. The small clouds in the sky darkened as the light faded. The streets hummed with people finishing up their tasks for the day. Lamplighters began lighting the vast network of street lanterns. The main thoroughfares would be lit, but the back alleys would remain dark.