“Company’s coming,” Reed called from his post by the front window.

Owen cursed. “Who?”

“Ixian soldiers.”

More curses. “How many?”

“A dozen.”

“Colors?”

“They’re wearing green and black.”

MD—5 uniforms. Not as concerning as the Commander’s soldiers. Owen pulled me to my feet. I wiped dirt from my shirt and pants. We all wore the purple and black uniforms of MD—3.

Posing as miners returning to MD—3 from a delivery, we had the paperwork to prove our story.

However, I hoped the forms we carried hadn’t been changed recently. Standard forms were altered on a regular basis to avoid forgeries. If they didn’t match the current form, we would be arrested.

The soldiers entered the shelter and took up defensive positions around us. It was time to find out if our paperwork would pass inspection.

Part 6

The Lieutenant scanned our uniforms and our faces. I kept my expression neutral even though disappointment settled in my chest. Logically, I knew Valek had been caught by Owen’s collaborator, Selene. The same woman who also held my brother, Leif. Yet I had been hoping he had time to send me a few Ixian reinforcements. But I didn’t recognize any of the seven soldiers surrounding us or the Lieutenant who checked our papers with care. Perhaps a few of the five men the Lieutenant had left outside the travel shelter would turn out to be allies. Small chance, but I’d take any bit of optimism I could.

We were in MD-5, and our group wore the purple and black uniforms of MD-3. The papers that might or might not pass inspection said we were miners returning to our home after a delivery. I had warned Owen and his five men to keep quiet. Their accents might give them away. And I had asked Owen not to use magic because some Ixians could detect its presence.

I wondered what Owen would do if they tried to arrest us. We were outnumbered and his magic seemed limited to null shields and mental communication. Would a fight result in the end of his quest to steal the Ice Moon? Would it also be the end of Leif and Valek? Impotent fury simmered in my blood. Owen would pay for threatening those I love.

Even though he looked young, the blond haired Lieutenant’s blue eyes held a sharpness that indicated he might be hard to fool. He looked at Owen as he asked what goods we had delivered.

“Diamonds for General Ute,” I said.

His gaze focused on me. “Really? I hadn’t heard about it.”

“Of course not. We don’t like to announce we’re walking around with expensive diamonds.”

“Is that why your companions are armed?”

“Yes, sir.” I learned from Valek to just answer the question that is asked and not to expand.

“Why did the General need them?” he asked.

“I don’t know, sir. I just follow orders.”

“I see. Where do you work?”

“Mine 3-19, sir,” I said.

Once again the Lieutenant studied us. He gestured to my side. “What happened to you?”

I glanced down. My shirt was ripped and a large bruise could be seen through the hole. “I fell.”

As the Lieutenant peered at me with suspicion, Owen stiffened. The Lieutenant’s expression smoothed and it blanked out for a moment before returning to normal.

“You’re papers are in order, you may go,” the Lieutenant said.

Despite my warning, Owen had used his magic to influence the man. The risk paid off. We gathered our things and left the shelter, heading north. Once we were well out of sight of the Ixian soldiers, I sent a thin tendril of magic back to the Lieutenant. Scanning his surface thoughts, I sensed his befuddlement clearing. And before he could dismiss the strange incident, I planted a seed of doubt.

#

We reached the border between MD-5 and MD-4 on the twelfth day of our trip and four days after the encounter with the Lieutenant. The cold air blowing from the west sent shivers down my spine despite my heavy cloak. Or my unease could be due to the daily images Owen showed me of Leif and Valek still incarcerated in Sitia.

With nothing else but worry to occupy my mind, I replayed over and over the first time Owen had shown me Valek. He had signaled a message to me then, but hadn’t since. He warned of Owen lying to me, which wasn’t earth-shattering news. So what had he meant? I cursed myself daily for not memorizing all of Valek’s hand signals. Two motions eluded me. They had to be critical.

The MD-4 border patrol stopped us at mid-day. They scanned our party and papers with bored expressions. I searched their faces, looking for a recognizable feature or a hint of intelligence and was disappointed.

That night as the wind wailed through the many cracks in the travel shelter and we all huddled close to the campfire, I asked Owen about the Ice Moon.

I chose my words with care. “How did you know the Commander…stole it? Not many do.”

“My great-great-grandfather created it,” Owen said. “Perhaps you’ve heard about Master Magician Ellis Moon?”

“Bain Bloodgood was my history teacher at the Keep.”

A rare smile flashed on his face. “Bain is a stickler for history, but I’m sure he didn’t tell you the truth about the Ice Moon.”

“He said it was a desperate measure when Master Magician Sefton Cowan had gathered the power blanket. A measure that was never used.”

“True. But did he tell you why they never used it?”

“They didn’t need to. The other six Masters found Sefton’s hiding place and attacked along with every magician in Sitia not working for Sefton.”