The Unmage (43 page)

The next few hours were a blur. Timo remembered Wuls hopping into their boat and taking over the rowing duties from Mole, who wearily moved aside. In no time they were ashore, his feet firmly on the unmagical soil of Old Rillidi. Kara swept him into a hug before handing him off to a young woman named Pilo, who showed him to a room in the huge manor house. Pilo said that Kara was looking after the two children they’d brought and would see him later, once he was rested and clean.

So he took advantage of the steaming tub of water that arrived and the soft bed that had been turned down. Sometime later he woke. The tub had been removed, and his sister sat at his bedside. She smiled solemnly.

“I wish it were under happier circumstances but I am glad that you’re finally here.”

“As am I,” Timo replied. “Are the children all right?”

“They’re recovering.” Kara said. “Giona spent quite a lot of time with them. He had to—how did he call it? Infuse them with life, they were so depleted.” She frowned. “He said they’d been emptied.”

“By Inigo,” Timo said. “He was . . . using them to feed his power.”

“So Mole said.” She paused. “He also said you killed him.”

“Yes. He was trying to kill me,” Timo said. “Inigo didn’t even see anything wrong with using those children, draining them—it was his right as Mage Guild Primus to use any lesser Guildsman in any way that he wanted, he said.”

“I’m glad he’s dead,” she said softly. “And that Mage Guild Island is gone.”

Kara sat quietly for a few moments before she spoke again.

“Thousands of Guildsmen left when the bells rang,” she said. “Many are here on Old Rillidi. Warrior Guild has been helping us set up camps and find food and water.”

“Good.”

“Barra Eska has already started to look, but I must ask you to help her when you’re able. We need to know if any full Mages, especially any council members, are hiding amongst them.”

“Will you kill them?”

“Not if they abide by our rules,” Kara said.

“They might,” Timo nodded. “Now that they’re away from Mage Guild Island.” He looked up at her. “I wish Santos was alive. I really think that living with so much magic made things worse—made bad people worse.”

“I wish Santos was alive as well.” Kara’s smile was sad. “But what you just said will fascinate Giona. Oh! I almost forgot. He’s blood to you much as I am. Do you want me to fetch him?”

“No,” Timo said. “He’s been busy healing the children. I’ll meet him another time.”

“So you shall,” Kara said.

Timo’s eyes drifted closed, and he barely heard when his sister left the room.

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Thanks to my editor Margaret Curelas and everyone at Tyche Books for their hard work and for taking a chance on me. And special thanks to Ryah Deines for not holding poorly placed sticky notes against me.

Jane Glatt loves that along with creating original worlds, writing fantasy allows her to indulge her curiosity about an eclectic group of subjects. So far she’s researched synesthesia, medieval guilds, tidal rivers, cities atop bridges, pirates and privateers, plants used for healing and the history of spying. For that last one she blames a visit to the International Spy Museum (yes it’s a real place), in Washington D.C.

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