“Expected?” Annora asked. “I take it events did not transpire as hoped.”
“They did not.” Captain Huxley’s voice stayed steady, no note of apology or hint of weakness creeping in. “But they couldn’t have foreseen it, as I said.”
An elements mage of medium strength stepped forward from the growing crowd, directing his comments toward the head of his affinity.
“I’ve certainly never seen a plants mage do the like.”
Another stepped forward to join him. “Or an elements mage, if we’re honest.”
Drake frowned, his brows drawing closer and closer together.
“Would it be too much to ask that you illuminate the rest of us as to exactly what happened?” Annora asked in a commanding tone. “I would like to know the fate of the man who attempted to assassinate me the moment I arrived in Tarona.”
I flinched slightly, but only Zeke beside me seemed to notice, and he stayed silent. The two mages did likewise, both of them looking to Captain Huxley, relief on their faces when he resumed the story on their behalf.
“By all accounts, upon reaching the river, the intruder stepped into a small vessel he must have concealed there previously. As soon as he did so, it was whisked away—upriver—at impossible speeds. By the time any of them even realized what was happening, he was long gone.”
“The boat moved upriver at high speed?” Augusta looked between the two elements mages with lowered brows.
When they both nodded, she looked to Drake. “He can’t have reversed the flow of the river. Even if he had been an elements mage, such a feat would require too much strength. Even you could not accomplish it. But a tight stream of air, perhaps? An elements mage might do the job in such a way, but I thought he had a plants affinity?”
Drake frowned. “Only a plants mage could have opened the earth the way he did. So a jet of air like you describe is out of the question. Although air is one of our specialties, I don’t think anyone in my affinity could call a flow of sufficient strength so quickly—or hold it with such sustained force. The Viridian flows strongly at this time of year.”
“While he couldn’t have changed the flow of the entire river, what about a narrow stretch of water, just on the surface?” one of the elements mages suggested, clearly caught up in the academic question. “That would require far less strength.”
Drake frowned, his eyes narrowing as he looked between Annora and Augusta. “It is a question my affinity will consider further. Clearly this man was a plants mage cross elements, so it is possible there is some twist to his ability we have not yet encountered.” His gaze flicked to Captain Huxley. “There is always an element of unpredictability when someone comes under an influence other than their own affinity.”
Although his tone and look suggested the captain was somehow to blame for not foreseeing and planning for the unexpected, Huxley’s manner remained implacable.
Annora broke the tension, inclining her head in agreement with Drake’s words. “I, myself, have found great value from having my plants seed activated by a healing mage. I find being plants cross healing gives me a range of flexibility I would not otherwise have achieved. But it seems in this case such flexibility was used against us. We must be more wary in the future.”
Drake rumbled his agreement, while Augusta’s brows drew tightly together. The two of them exchanged a look as Captain Huxley stepped forward with a respectful bow toward Annora.
“May I suggest we move toward the palace?” he said. “I’m sure King Marius will be eager to welcome you to his kingdom. And we cannot delay informing him of this attack—along with the remaining Triumvirate member, of course. Extra defenses will naturally be…” His voice trailed away as he moved out of earshot, the nomads and the two masters accompanying him.
I sent my extra sense ahead of them, identifying Colton—the Master of Healing and third member of the Triumvirate, alongside Drake and Augusta—in the palace with both the king and Evermund. They had likely gathered to welcome the unexpectedly early contingent of nomads, not yet aware of the attack.
As the three most powerful mages in the kingdom, the Triumvirate not only led the Mages’ Guild but also represented all the guilds. The king did not have authority to govern without their input, and Evermund—the Royal Mage—stood as liaison between them. All of them would be expected to greet a visitor with as much status as Annora.
Some of the mages followed behind them, while the rest of the crowd slowly spread across the courtyard. Zeke, however, stayed put, watching me with searching eyes.
“You look worried. Do you think he’ll be back? He can hardly sneak up on you, of all people. In fact, if you hadn’t been here, he might have succeeded in his aim.”
“And what was his aim?” I asked in a small voice, distracted for a moment from my concerned thoughts.
Zeke glanced around us, lowering his voice. “You don’t think he was here to assassinate my mother? He certainly went straight for her. The raiders can’t like the idea of a new alliance between the nomads and the Tartorans. They’re sheltering in the fallen kingdom, and Calista has more borders with the nomads than Tartora. An alliance would help King Marius in his determination to see an end to the raiders.”
I grimaced, trying not to sound nervous. “I hope that’s what everyone else saw.”
Zeke frowned. “What do you mean?”
“He was looking straight at me, Zeke,” I whispered. “I think he was coming for me, not your mother. If she was his target, he could have struck before she was surrounded by a guild full of mages. He slipped into the palace alongside her delegation, remember?”
Zeke’s eyes widened. “Do you think he only made a move because you detected him? Perhaps he hoped to catch you when you were alone and abduct you like they did to Airlie.”
A surge of warmth toward Zeke gripped me. He must be one of the only inhabitants of the Guild who would reference Airlie’s abduction as fact. Although they didn’t say so outright—at least not to me or to Evermund—most of the mages believed she had absconded by choice. After one of the guards reported seeing a girl in a blue gown leaving the palace grounds part way through the festivities in company with a handsome young man, everyone decided Airlie had been sick of the demands put upon her due to her incredible strength and had chosen an easier life.
“He was hiding,” I whispered, voicing my real concern.
“In the servants’ livery, you mean?” Zeke ran a hand along his jaw. “I wonder how he sourced it? I suppose it can be done in the city easily enough.”
I shook my head. “No, he was hiding from me.”
“From you?” Zeke stared at me.
“Remember what I said by the fountain? All his movements were designed to keep him hidden from a power mage. He could have walked through the palace gates at any time, but he waited for the arrival of the nomads because it gave him a chance to enter alongside other unknown mages of significant strength. If he had come in alone, I would have sensed him immediately. But alongside the delegation, I almost missed him. I would have missed him if you hadn’t made me double check.”
I took a deep breath. “They definitely know about my ability, Zeke. That’s why they’re coming for me.” I gulped. “And they’re not going to stop, are they? How many other powerful mages can they possibly have?”