When the guard opened the door to the cell, Ellerie realized she’d been scratching her brow again. She forced herself to stop.

“We’re ready for you now,” the guard said, waving her through. He’d taken the redheaded girl away thirty minutes earlier, and Ellerie hadn’t seen her since.

“Is Boktar all right?” she asked as she followed him out of the room and down a corridor, past other guards who watched her curiously.

“Who?”

“My friend! He was shot!”

“I don’t know, miss. I heard some people were hurt.” He led her into a small office where a graying man sat behind a table. A younger woman stood silently in the corner, watching her silently.

As the first guard left, closing the door behind him, Ellerie sat in the chair that had been left on her side of the table.

“I am Marius, Guard Captain of the southern district of Circle Bay,” the man said. “The district where you and your friends just killed four men. I have some questions for you. This is Vana.” He tilted his head toward the standing woman. “She’ll be…observing.”

“I’m not saying anything until you tell me how Boktar is.”

“The dwarf will live. We got a healer here in time. Your friend’s voice carries—I’m surprised you didn’t hear him shouting at the fat man.”

“Fat man?”

“Some fellow whose parents were cruel enough to name him Bobo.”

Ellerie sat up straight. “Brown hair, brown robe, and a beard?”

“The robe was gray, but otherwise, yes.”

“You didn’t let him go, did you? He’s a thief!”

“That’s what your dwarven friend claimed, but since he had a hard time explaining exactly what was stolen, I didn’t have a choice. It’s my turn to ask questions. What’s your name?”

“Ellerie,” she said, slumping down in disappointment. After all this time, she’d finally come close to getting her hands on the con man only to lose him again.

“Silver elves have family names, do they not?”

“Some nilvasta do, some don’t. I don’t.”

He looked at her skeptically, but pressed on. “Tell me what happened earlier. Why did you and your friends kill those men?”

“They attacked us! They shot Boktar with a crossbow! They tried to shoot me, too, but my…” She trailed off.

“Vana tells me that based on what the witnesses said, it was likely some sort of shield spell, yes? That’s why she’s here, you know. She’s an expert at making sure wizards in our custody remain in our custody.”

The silent woman allowed a ghost of a smile to cross her face.

Ellerie glowered at them both. “Yes, a shield spell. Otherwise, I’d be dead now. And those others aren’t my friends. I’d never seen them before in my life.”

“Then why did they come to your aid?”

“I don’t know. Earlier, in the cell, the girl said she didn’t know, either. The man she was with decided to help us, so she did, too.”

“The man, yes. I hope we won’t have any complications, having arrested a member of the Larsonian peerage. At least he was helpful in identifying you as a wizard. He was the only one able to provide a decent description of your magic. The girl was more cagey—I don’t think she liked me very much—and the rest of the witnesses just saw flashes of light.”

Ellerie shrugged. “I am a wizard. My shield spell only blocks arrows and bolts, or things of that nature. That proves they shot at me. And what were two men doing with loaded crossbows in the middle of the city?”

He acknowledged her point with a nod. “Why did they attack you?”

“Did any of them have Terevassian coins?”

“Just the elf. Why? Do you think he paid the others? Why would he be after you?”

“I don’t know. It was just a thought.”

There was a knock at the door and the guard from earlier poked his head in. “Sir, there’s someone here insisting that he be allowed to speak with you.”

“When I’m done here,” Marius said.

“He says he needs to talk to you now. You and her.” The guard pointed to Ellerie.

Marius frowned. “Send him in.”

Ellerie’s mother’s spy glided into the room. The black dye was gone, and his silver hair was tied back behind his head in intricate braids, leaving his pointed ears uncovered. Instead of his usual nondescript clothing, he wore the flowing robes of a Terevassian noble house.

“Ambassador Melithar, at your service,” the spy said to Marius with a bow.

Marius stood. “Ambassador, I am Guard Captain Marius. How can I help you?”

“I understand that one of our agents was taken into custody while trying to track down these vile criminals,” the spy said, with a meaningful glance toward Ellerie.

“Vile criminals?”

“A conspiracy against Her Exalted Majesty. The queen sent an agent to search for a group that’s trying to poison the relationship between Circle Bay and Terevas. Though it appears they found her first.”

Ellerie glared at him. His lie made her look incompetent.

“Do you have any proof?” Marius asked. “She’s said nothing about this.”

The spy looked abashed. “I’m afraid keeping silent was on my order. I apologize. As for proof, I have the writ from the queen herself.” He produced a rolled up scroll, marked with the di’Valla insignia on the wax seal.

Marius broke the seal and unrolled the scroll.

As he read it, the spy continued speaking. “Terevas highly values its relationship with your great city. As I’m sure you know, Circle Bay is one of our closest trading partners. When Her Majesty discovered the plot, she immediately sent someone to deal with it. We would have never taken direct action within your city, of course—we don’t have that authority—but self defense must be permitted. You are welcome to check with the Terevassian embassy, or send a note by pigeon to Terevas itself.”

The Guard Captain still looked suspicious. “I’ll go to the embassy myself. If they confirm the story, she’ll be free to go, but only because she acted in self defense. I have little tolerance for foreigners committing violence in our streets, writ or not.”

He left the room and Vana followed him, leaving Ellerie alone with the spy.

“He was going to let me go anyway,” she complained. “You didn’t need to barge in.”

“You hope he was going to let you go. You don’t have any guarantee about that. I had to act quickly, and I wasn’t sure of your status at the time, so I worked with what I had.”

“Where did you get the writ?”

“I’ve been forging your mother’s signature and seal for three hundred years. She usually forgives me, and she’ll back up my story if the Guard Captain sends a pigeon. Ambassador Caravas is aware that I’m claiming the embassy’s authority, though he was quite surprised to find out you were in the city.”

Ellerie sighed. The spy had tried to help, so she had to acknowledge that. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me,” the spy said. “I was telling the truth earlier. When your letters arrived warning about the assassins, your mother took action. Your sister disposed of the team that came after her, and you are now assigned to tracking down the persons responsible.”

“Assassins came after Vilisa?”

“You’re the one who insisted she can take care of herself. And she did—rather messily, I must say.”

“What do you mean, I’m assigned to tracking them down?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. Your mother has accepted your abdication, but only partially. She’s named your sister as heir, but you’re next in line. If you want to avoid the throne, you’ll need to expose the conspirators before they manage to kill Vilisa.”

“What makes you think they’ll try again, if she killed the first group?”

“The High Councilors are experts at taking the long view of things. The next attempt will be more subtle.”

“Then shouldn’t you be in Terevas, making sure that doesn’t happen?”

“Your mother may be ill, but never think for a moment that she’s weak or defenseless. She has other agents better suited for working in the palace. I’ve been given the same orders as you. We’re to track down any leads we can find about the assassins that came after you—though we weren’t aware there’d be a second attempt at the time the orders were issued. Hopefully our investigation will provide leads for the queen’s other agents to work with.”

“I’m not going home!”

“Which is why I’m the one who came. Most of my work happens outside Terevas—even here in Circle Bay. Did you notice anything helpful about the men who came after you?”

“Four humans, one nilvasta. They shot at us without warning. I killed the nilvasta first, hoping the others would stop, but it didn’t help. The Guard Captain said the elf was the only one with Terevassian coins, but that doesn’t really mean anything. He could have paid with human coin just as easily. Or maybe they were just footpads trying to rob us.”

The spy nodded. “That’s a start, at least. I got a look at the nilvasta. He seems familiar, but I can’t put a name to the face.”

“So, what do we do now?”

“We ask around, find out if he’s a local or if he’s new here, and whether he hired the humans. One of them is still alive. He’s in jail, headed for prison, but we might be able to talk to him. And if we don’t find anything useful, then we wait for the next attack.”

“That’s not much of a plan.”

He shrugged. “I’ll consider other ideas if you have any. In the meantime, if you are attacked again, at least try to take a prisoner next time. You’re almost as bad as your sister.”

“What happened with Vilisa?” Ellerie asked, concerned.

“Let’s just say her spells are somewhat less…precise than yours.” He shuddered.

“If you intend to come with me, will you at least tell me your name?” she asked.

“Melithar will do for now.”

#

Treya waited with Corec, leaning up against a wall on the opposite side of the street while they watched people enter and leave the guard post. The night was dark, but lanterns shone brightly on either side of the door.

“Are you sure they’re going to be released?” she asked.

“They should be,” Corec said. “They didn’t do anything wrong, as far as I know.”

“Maybe I should go back in. The dwarf might not be able to walk.”

Just then, though, the door opened and Boktar came out, supported by a young elven woman. He was holding a hand across his stomach. An elven man accompanied them, dressed in elaborate robes. The three stopped in front of the building to talk amongst themselves.

“Who’s that?” Corec asked quietly, not moving from his spot.

“I don’t know, but I saw him go in earlier, while you were walking Katrin back to the inn.”

The elven woman glanced their way, but didn’t react when she saw Corec. Treya wasn’t sure if she was ignoring him or if it was too dark on their side of the street to recognize him.

“I don’t want to talk about the binding spell in front of too many people,” he said. “You’re still going to try to heal the dwarf again, right?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s just do that, and we’ll try to find out where the girl is staying so I can talk to her privately later.”

They stepped forward, and Corec said, “Hello again.”

The three didn’t seem surprised by their appearance, though the girl frowned at him.

The dwarf smiled. “This is Treya, the woman who healed me,” he said, introducing her to his companions.

“Did they ever find you another healer?” she asked. “I’m ready to try again, if you’d like.”

“They seemed to think the job was done. I’d appreciate your help, so I don’t have to find a temple. How much do you charge?”

“I’ve never charged anyone for healing. I don’t work for a temple, but if you want a real healer, the Temple of Irisis is just a block away. I passed it on the way here.”

“You’re here now. If you’re still willing…”

She summoned the healing glow back to her hands as she reached out to him. When she was done, she stepped back again. “Is that any better?”

He took in a deep breath, wincing slightly. “Yes, much better. It’s still sore, but I think I can walk on my own now. Thank you.”

She nodded. “You’re welcome. And this is my…friend, Corec. He was the one who helped you earlier.”

“I thought you might be,” the dwarf said, shaking Corec’s hand. “Thank you for helping Ellerie when I couldn’t. Why did you help, anyway?”

Boktar seemed friendly, but the girl was still frowning at them as the other elf looked on expressionlessly.

Corec shrugged. “It looked like you needed it. Who were those men?”

“We don’t know,” Ellerie said.

“Probably just thieves,” the elven man put in, “but thank you for your aid. Ellerie, seeing as we’re done here, I’ll leave you for now. I know where your lodgings are, but if you need me, send word to Caravas. You may wish to consider staying with him yourself.” He gave Corec a respectful nod, then strode away without another word.

Once he was out of earshot, the girl turned to Corec and spat out, “Why are you here, you bastard?”

“Elle!” Boktar said in surprise.

“He cast some sort of spell on me!”

“I told you, it wasn’t on purpose,” Corec said. “I’ll do everything I can to undo it. That’s why I’m here—to talk about that, and, I guess, some other things.”

“Treya’s the one who knows Bobo,” Boktar said to the elf.

“Where can we find him?” she demanded.

“Before we answer that,” Corec said, “will you tell me why you’re looking for him? Treya said he stole something?”

“We worked together for months, and then he stole everything we’d been working on!”

“Stole what, exactly?”

The elf looked frustrated. “The translations!”

“You hired him to translate something?”

“Yes! An old book. Then he disappeared and took it all, just as he was close to finishing!”

“He took your book?”

“Not the book, the translations.”

“I haven’t noticed him with anything like that, but if he returns what he took, will you let this go? Treya said your friend was rather angry at him, but I can’t let you hurt him.”

“No! That’s not enough! It took two years to have the translations redone! I don’t need another copy—”

She went quiet when Boktar laid a hand on her arm.

“His version might be different,” he said to her, then faced Corec. “The translations, anything he knows about them that he didn’t tell us, every coin Ellerie paid him for the work, and your word that he’ll stop looking.”

“Boktar, that’s not enough!” Ellerie protested.

“It’s what we’re entitled to if we were to go before a magistrate, and if our new friends can see it done, then we can avoid dealing with the city guard again.”

She scowled.

“Looking for what?” Corec asked.

“Some old ruins,” Boktar said, when Ellerie didn’t reply. “The book—the translation of the book—gives us an idea of where to find them.”

Corec furrowed his brow. “Why would he steal the location of some ruins? What’s the point?”

“He’s the thief,” Ellerie said. “Ask him.”

“I can’t give my word about whether someone else will do something or not, but I’ll see what I can do about the rest of it.”

#

The next day, Corec stood between Bobo and Ellerie in a private room at Ellerie’s inn, hoping the conversation wouldn’t come to blows. The white beam of light that had burned a hole in a man’s chest had been a sobering realization of what a wizard could do, even more so than Lodarin’s skeletons.

“What do you mean, you lost them?” the elven woman exclaimed.

“I had to leave the hills in a hurry,” Bobo said. “I left most of my things behind.” The man hadn’t wanted to come at all, and had only relented when Corec insisted he’d protect him.

“Why? Did you steal from the hillfolk, too?”

“No! I was trying to help them! But what I suggested didn’t work, so they decided I was a false priest.”

“Since when are you a priest?”

“Among the hillfolk, just being able to read practically makes you a priest, and knowing about herbs and salves made it official. They follow the old gods, and the old gods don’t seem to care who claims the title. It let me move around freely, and it made people listen when I tried to help them. They wouldn’t accept a healing salve from a random stranger, but they would from a wandering priest of the Fox.”

“Fox,” Corec said absently, “not the Fox.”

Bobo waved his hand. “The hillfolk call him the Fox, even if nobody else does.”

“So you don’t have the translations,” Boktar said, wincing as he shifted in his chair. “Do you remember anything from them?”

Bobo tapped the side of his head. “I remember all the important parts. Corec and Treya have insisted I write it all down for you, so I will. Though I’d like to check a few things to make sure I have them right, if I could look at the book again. I’m also willing to read over your new translations, to make sure they’re accurate.”

“You want me to show you the book again?” Ellerie asked in disbelief. “After what you did?”

“I want to find Tir Yadar as much as you do. We should work together, like we were planning to.”

“Work together? Why? Because you failed to find it on your own? Why were you in the hills, anyway?”

“They’re some of the oldest human settlements. Maybe the oldest, according to Dimartes.”

“Dimartes isn’t a reliable source,” she countered. “Elven histories say the hills were settled after Tyrsall was founded, though they don’t provide a year for either.”

Bobo stared at her. “I’ve never heard that.”

“As I recall, you don’t read Elven. The nilvasta scholar Yishara suggests humans have lost more of their history than elves have, since it’s been ten times as many generations. Besides, who says the Ancients were human?”

“I’m learning Elven, and I’ve read a translation of Yishara’s theories, but I’ve never seen any books on elven history.”

Corec glanced at Katrin and Shavala, who were sitting quietly to the side, but they just shrugged. Only Treya and Boktar seemed to be following along. Corec had learned some history when he was younger, but it had been limited to the history of Larso. The rest of his early schooling had focused more on crop production.

Ellerie shrugged. “The library in Matagor doesn’t have much in the way of elven works. I take it you didn’t find anything in the hills?”

“No, not unless it’s buried. There’s very little stone construction at all, none of it larger than a cottage. I saw a few wooden forts, but nothing older than two hundred years. The hillfolk don’t build things to last.”

“We don’t know that the Ancients did, either. There are other Ancient stone ruins, but we don’t know anything about how Tir Yadar was built.”

“If they used wood, there’s likely nothing left by now,” Boktar said.

“No,” Bobo said, “the book was explicit. The stone walls of Tir Yadar. Even if everything else was wood, the walls of a city would have been large enough to leave remains, even if cities were smaller then. And I’d rather use the term first peoples. It’s been around longer than Ancients.”

“I don’t remember our translation saying anything about stone walls,” Ellerie said. “I think that line says stones of Tir Yadar.”

“Then your translation is wrong—” Bobo started, but Corec interrupted him.

“Wait,” he said. “You’ve mentioned the first peoples before. Does this have something to do with our runes?”

“The runes?” Ellerie asked. “You mean the binding sigils? What do you know about them?”

Corec and Bobo started talking at the same time. Bobo motioned for Corec to go first.

“I told you we talked to three different wizards. They seem to think a regular binding spell can be banished easily, but none of them were able to banish ours. Bobo was trying to help us, and found a reference to the first peoples and something else…the Chosar?”

“It’s just a coincidence,” Bobo said. “The Chosar invented binding spells, or something similar, and they also have something to do with the first peoples—most likely, they were one of the early tribes—but the two things aren’t related.”

Ellerie nodded. “The first peoples were the ones who learned to use magic—elder magic first, then the others. It’s not a surprise that they created the first binding spells.” She faced Bobo. “Are you sure it says stone walls? If our translation is wrong…”

“I can look at it for you, but why did you translate that part? It wasn’t important.”

“We translated the whole thing.”

Bobo blinked. “Why? Most of it was worthless. That must have been a huge waste of time.”

She glared at him. “I know that now!”

“Oh. I see. Umm, well, I’ll pay back what you paid me, at least, if Corec can lend me a bit more coin. That’s more than I’ve got right now.”

Corec nodded. He still had some money left, and anything that made Ellerie less angry seemed like a good idea.

“Why did you take the translations if she paid you for them?” Katrin asked Bobo. “Why would you care about finding some old stone walls?”

“He was trying to get to the treasure first,” Boktar said, scowling.

“Treasure?”

Ellerie sighed. “If there is any treasure. We all agreed there’s probably nothing left, if there was even anything to begin with, so why is it always the treasure that we talk about?”

Bobo said, “Even if there’s no real treasure, any other artifacts we find could still be worth something. Two years ago, I had buyers lined up for any authentic pottery or metalwork. Those things might still exist even if any wood has rotted.”

“We find?” Ellerie said. “And I can’t believe you had buyers ready! You were supposed to be working for me!”

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry you got caught, you mean.”

He shrugged. “That, too, but I spent ten years trying to find any of the great cities. I searched the libraries in Matagor and Larso, and I even visited Terevas. And then you showed up with that book! What was I supposed to do?”

“You could have told me the truth, to start with! You haven’t given me any reason to work with you again. Pay me back what I paid you, check our translations for accuracy, and then we’ll go our separate ways. And if you don’t want us to drag you to a magistrate, you need to promise to stop looking for Tir Yadar.”

“We’d have better luck if we work together,” Bobo insisted.

Before Ellerie could respond, Treya said, “If these Ancients who invented binding spells were the same ones who built the ruins you’re looking for, could there be anything left that might tell us how to get rid of the runes?”

“That’s unlikely,” Ellerie said. “Most books would be long gone to dust. Though I suppose spell books are sometimes enchanted to last longer.”

“If they wrote on vellum or parchment, and stored it safely, those might still exist, too,” Bobo said. “It depends how long it’s been since Tir Yadar fell, and I’ve never found any records that provide a reliable date.”

“Wouldn’t spell books be the best place to look for a solution?” Treya asked.

Ellerie stared at her for a long moment but didn’t speak.

Corec said, “One of the reasons we came to Circle Bay was to find another wizard to help us undo the binding spells. If you can think of any way to help us, it would help you, too. I’m truly sorry about the spell. I never meant for it to happen.”

“If we were in Terevas…” Ellerie started, then stopped and turned to the side, her lips in a thin line. Boktar stood up and whispered in her ear.

She spun back to face Corec. “Fine. The priestess is right. The first peoples were the ones who created the wizard language, or at least discovered it. They might have had some way to undo your damned spell if I can’t banish it myself. I’ll look for anything that might be helpful in Tir Yadar…if I ever find the place. That doesn’t mean you need to come with us.”

“I never said we should,” Corec said. “If Bobo wants to go, that’s his decision, if you want him. I’m headed back north. Katrin and I are going to accompany Shavala to Lanport and the Storm Heights, and then wherever she wants to travel next.”

“Bishop Lastal said we should stay together,” Treya said. “Shouldn’t she come with us?”

“I didn’t even know you’d decided to come,” Corec admitted.

She shrugged. “I’m still thinking about it.”

“You’re going to the Storm Heights?” Boktar asked.

“I’m on my travels,” Shavala said. “My teacher said I should see them before I return.” It was the first time she’d spoken since they’d arrived. She and Ellerie had eyed each other, but neither had approached the other.

“Don’t get any ideas, Boktar!” Ellerie said, transferring her glare to her friend.

“Why not, Elle? If they hadn’t helped us, we’d be dead.”

She was silent for a moment. “All right, but only because it’ll be easier for me to learn how to undo the spell if they’re nearby.”

Boktar nodded, and turned to Corec. “We’re visiting the Coastal Range first, and if we don’t find what we’re looking for there, we were planning to head to the Storm Heights next.”

“Why are you looking for mountain ranges?” Bobo asked.

“Because I didn’t tell you everything,” Ellerie replied. “And I don’t intend to start now.”

“You know more about the location, don’t you? The directions in the book weren’t really directions…the author expected the reader to already know where Tir Yadar was. He was just describing his journey from a spot that he thought everyone already knew about. You think the journey starts in the mountains! It didn’t mention any mountains though, other than those hints about hills within the city itself.”

“I didn’t say the point of origin is in the mountains,” Ellerie said. “But we need to find the right mountains to locate it. And I’m not going to tell you anything else, so stop asking.”

“It’ll be going into winter by the time you get up north,” Corec said.

“We know,” Boktar said, “but the Coastal Range is so close, it doesn’t make sense to leave without taking a look.”

“I’ve never spoken with one of the cousins before,” Shavala said, glancing at Ellerie. “I wouldn’t mind traveling together. I wish to learn more about Terevas before I go there.”

Corec said, “Is everyone suggesting what I think you’re suggesting? That we travel north together?”

“It makes sense,” Boktar said. “Elle wants to get rid of this spell thing the two of you keep going on about, we’re all headed to the Storm Heights anyway, and I want to keep an eye on him.” He pointed to Bobo.

Corec glanced at Katrin, who gave him a slight nod.

“Our horses are in Tyrsall,” he said. “We came here by ship, and we were planning to return the same way.”

Boktar shrugged. “Buy new horses, and sell them when we get to Tyrsall.”

“Well,” Corec said, “I wouldn’t mind avoiding another ship.” He faced Shavala. “Katrin and I already agreed to go with you, at least for a while, so if this is what you want to do, we’ll come.”

“It is.”

“If there’s a chance we can get rid of the runes, I’m coming too,” Treya said.

“I’m hoping that I can learn to control them and get rid of them,” Corec said. He looked at Ellerie. “And if not, maybe you can figure out how to banish them.”

She nodded. “I will find a way to undo what you did.” The words seemed to carry a hidden threat. “We can’t leave right away, though. I have some things I need to take care of here in Circle Bay.”

“I’m not ready to leave yet, either,” Katrin said. “I need another day or two, at least.”

“That’ll give us time to buy horses and supplies,” Boktar said.