Shadow Study. Maria V. Snyder

to the Citadel. Yesterday, he’d taken Kiki to the spot where the assassin had waited. She’d sniffed the area and had the man’s scent. Combined with Yelena’s magic and her skills with her switchblade and bo staff, they made an impressive fighting team. Plus Yelena had assured him she’d recovered from the injury.

      Of course, there was the possibility that since the assassin knew how to construct a null shield, he might also know Valek’s biggest weakness, which would render him unable to protect Yelena. Valek could never forget that disadvantage. It was like a knife slowly piercing his heart in tiny increments. Each day it dug a little deeper.

      Once his greatest weapon against magic, his immunity was now a drawback. If a magician surrounded Valek with a null shield, Valek would be trapped inside just like being caught in a bubble made of invisible steel. Weapons could cross the barrier, but he couldn’t. Well, neither he nor Opal, who was also immune to magic. Her adventures last year had uncovered this particularly nasty weakness and, while the magical community promised to keep it quiet, Valek had learned the best way to distribute information was to classify it as secret.

      Valek guided Onyx north toward the Ixian border. At this pace, they’d reach the checkpoint in three hours. Their cottage had been in an ideal location. Too bad they would have to move again. He contemplated retirement—not for the first nor the last time. And for a moment, he dreamed of a time when he and Yelena could disappear and never have to worry about assassins, intrigue and espionage again.

      Except she couldn’t retire from guiding lost souls. Perhaps she could wear a disguise. He imagined them dressed as an old married couple traveling from town to town. For half the year, they’d visit the local sights, try new foods and find souls. The other half would be spent together in a cottage, gardening, carving and going out for daily rides. It was a pleasant daydream.

      A mile from the border, Valek stopped Onyx. He changed into his Ixian uniform—black pants, boots and shirt. Two red diamonds had been stitched onto his collar, marking him as an adviser to the Commander. He turned his cloak inside out, revealing the black material with two red diamonds instead of the gray camouflage. In Ixia, he had to wear his uniform with the Commander’s colors of black and red. While in Sitia, he had to blend in.

      Back on Onyx, he headed to the main checkpoint, hoping the soldiers would recognize him. It’d save time. Valek considered sneaking into Ixia, but the Commander’s message said the situation was urgent.

      The official border crossing between Sitia and Ixia was a cleared, one-hundred-foot ribbon of ground that stretched from the Sunset Ocean in the west to the Soul Mountains in the east. The border followed the contours of the Snake Forest, which also spanned the area between the ocean and mountains. At one point, Valek had asked the Commander to clear the entire forest. Even with the hundred feet of open ground, smugglers and refugees still managed to slip across the border. But now he found the forest convenient for his network of spies. Not that he’d admit that to Yelena.

      The six border guards snapped to attention when he approached. A good sign.

      “Welcome back, sir.” The captain saluted.

      Nice. “Thank you. Any news, Captain?”

      “It’s been quiet, sir. A caravan crossed earlier this morning, but they were on our approved list. A Sitian delegation is due to come through here in a couple days, but we haven’t gotten the manifest for the visitors yet.”

      Interesting how the man mentioned the delegation as if routine. It was only eight years ago that the border had been sealed tight. No one in or out.

      “Do you know why the Sitians are visiting?” Valek asked, wondering if the delegation was the reason the Commander had ordered him back a few days early.

      “No, sir.”

      Ah. He’d have to wait. “Anything else?”

      The captain smiled. “Adviser Janco informed us that a Sitian spy would attempt to cross this checkpoint today. He claimed this spy would be disguised as you and ordered us to attack first and ask questions later.”

      Valek suppressed his ire—he needed to have a little chat with Janco. “And why didn’t you follow Adviser Janco’s orders?”

      “I was in basic training with the...er...Adviser, sir.”

      “My condolences, Captain.”

      The captain’s soldiers all grinned at his deep laugh. “His pranks were endless, but he taught me more than our instructor.”

      Interesting and not that surprising. “You showed excellent judgment today. While being attacked by six skilled opponents would have been good practice for me, I preferred the friendly welcome.”

      They parted, letting Onyx through.

      “Sir?” the captain called.

      Valek turned.

      “Papers, please.”

      Ah. Now the soldiers surrounded the horse. Smart move. Valek pulled a folded sheet from one of his cloak’s inner pockets and handed it to the captain. “The Commander’s orders.”

      Valek waited as the man scanned the fake document.

      The pleasant expression dropped from the captain’s face. His right hand slid to grasp his sword’s hilt. Following his cue, his men tensed and grabbed the hilts of their weapons.

      “This is a forgery,” the captain said.

      Valek noted he didn’t say sir. “Just testing you, Captain.”

      “Dismount now.”

      Valek tsked. “What happened to your manners, Captain?”

      The captain drew his sword in answer.

      Good. The man followed proper protocol. If Valek didn’t dismount soon, they’d rush him, yank him from the saddle and unarm him. How far should he push it? Not far. The Commander was waiting for him, after all.

      Pulling the real orders from his sleeve, Valek held up his hands. The captain gestured to one of the guards who approached slowly, then snatched the parchment from Valek with one quick motion. The guard delivered it to the captain. So far, so good.

      Peering at the letter, the captain relaxed. “This one is real. It was a test.”

      “And you passed. What is your name, Captain?”

      “Broghan, sir.”

      “I’ll make sure to mention this to your commanding officer, Captain Broghan.”

      “Thank you, sir.”

      Pleased with the border guard’s actions, Valek urged Onyx north. They would reach the Commander’s castle by late afternoon. Dirty, hard-packed snow covered the well-used trail. The surrounding forest showed no signs of green—all bare branches and bleak even with the sunlight streaming to the ground. Buds already coated the Sitian trees, and the southern half of the Avibian Plains would be lush with plant life and warm breezes by now.

      Not that he missed the south—not at all. Just one specific southerner. Valek scanned the surrounding area seeking signs of an ambush. Memories swirled of the times he’d used the cover of the forest to hide his actions. Valek glanced up. Yelena had also exploited the Snake Forest’s tree canopy to escape the Commander’s men during a training exercise. It had been the day he learned she was far smarter than he’d thought. And more dangerous, too.

      If only the Commander allowed magicians to live in Ixia, then she’d be working with him instead of being the Liaison. Valek had argued about the benefits of having a magician on staff with the Commander for years, but he remained stubborn. Perhaps Ambrose had changed his mind about magic after Kade’s demonstration. Valek had heard the Stormdancer had traveled north during this past cold season to harvest the energy from one of the blizzards that blew down from the northern ice pack. Kade’s magic had transformed the killer storm into a regular old snowstorm. The Commander let Kade stay for the rest of the season, but Valek hadn’t heard if Kade