"Where is Satine now?" Faegan asked.
"I don't know."
"You have seen her?" Abbey asked.
"Yes. She visits roughly every three moons, to purchase fresh goods from Reznik."
"Please describe her," Abbey asked.
"Satine wears black leather clothing and a gray cloak. Her dark hair is long and braided. One of her arms is tattooed with a serpent, the other with a sword. She carries four daggers and a short bow. It is said that she has additional weapons at her disposal, but I don't know what those might be."
Faegan lifted his eyebrows. "How is it that you know about her tattoos?"
"Last year, one hot afternoon during the Season of the Sun, she rode into Valrenkium with her cloak removed. Her shirt was sleeveless."
"What goods does she purchase from Reznik?" Adrian asked, leaning forward and resting her forearms on the table.
"I do not know," Uther answered. "That is kept strictly between Reznik and her."
"Who is her next target?" Faegan asked.
"I do not know."
"Tell me about the Valrenkians," Faegan said. "Is it true that you practice the Vagaries?"
"Yes."
"The Minion warriors said that human body parts were in evidence in Valrenkium, and that people were being systematically tortured and killed," the wizard said. "Is this true?"
Uther managed a slight smile. "Yes," he answered. "We sometimes kidnap people for our needs. Some of us also unearth corpses from graves. We sell our endowed wares to the highest bidder. Those of us who practice this subdiscipline are also known as Corporeals."
Angrily, Faegan thought of Geldon lying dead on the table, and the manner in which he had been killed. "Does Reznik use dead bodies in his work?" he asked.
"Yes," Uther said. "He sometimes employs the bodies of suicides. He pays more for those-especially if the corpse's blood was endowed. A grave robber secures them for him."
Sighing deeply, Faegan nodded. It was becoming clear that his analysis of Geldon's death had been correct.
Faegan was quickly developing a better understanding of the assassin. She was a cold, ruthless professional who would stop at nothing to complete her job. Clearly, she was rarely equaled for cunning and inventiveness, and despite what they had learned, finding her would remain next to impossible. He wondered who her benefactor was.
Looking at the captive, Lionel the Little slowly removed his spectacles and wiped his face with one hand. After repositioning his spectacles, he cleared his throat.
"Are there women and children in Valrenkium, are there?" he asked harshly, in his peculiar way of speaking.
"Yes."
"Are all of the adults willing practitioners of your dark arts?" Lionel asked.
"Of course," Uther answered. "Why else would they be there?"
"What about the children?"
"Until they are old enough to learn our secrets, the children are innocents. They begin apprenticing at the age of seventeen."
"Tell us more about the people you abduct," Lionel said. "What do you do with them, what do you do?"
"We use their body parts to produce our wares. We do not always kill the women that we take. Sometimes we hold the more attractive ones for…other purposes." Uther smiled again.
"During the Sorceresses' War, it was rumored that the occasional gnome woman was also taken," he added. "It is said that they were particularly prized. Some of them even came to like it."
Surprising everyone, Lionel tore from his chair and launched himself at the Valrenkian. With a crash, they both went down to the floor. Screaming, Lionel began pummeling Uther's face.
Knowing how difficult it would be for Faegan to stop the gnome while also keeping his hold on Uther's mind, Adrian lifted one hand. An azure bolt shot from her fingers, striking Lionel squarely in the back. Using the bolt to take hold of him, she smoothly levitated him back toward the table.
His face beet red, the squirming gnome was returned to his seat. With another bolt, Adrian carefully righted Uther's chair. The Valrenkian's nose was bleeding, and two of his teeth were on the floor. She had to admit that she wasn't sorry.
Faegan looked harshly at the gnome. "Must I place a warp about you, as well?" he asked angrily.
Folding his arms over his chest, Lionel glowered at Uther. "I'm sorry, Master, yes, I am," he said. "But you know better than most about the injustices that have been inflicted upon us gnomes over the centuries, yes, you do."
Unafraid, Lionel looked into the wizard's eyes. "When we are done here, all I ask is a few moments alone with this animal."
As much as Faegan would have liked to, he couldn't permit such a thing. He knew that Lionel understood that, too. He placed one hand on Lionel's shoulder.
"Tell me," he asked softly. "Do you wish to become like him?"
Lionel remained silent. Faegan resumed his questioning of Uther.
"Other than the bluffs that surround Valrenkium, what defenses do you have there?" he asked.
"Endowed archers stand atop the walls," Uther answered. "The only way in or out is through a maze of sandstone tunnels. The entrance must first be revealed by one of us. To safely navigate the tunnels, you must know the way. Inside, one wrong turn and you're dead."
"What else?"
"Creatures," Uther said softly.
"What kind of creatures?" Abbey asked.
Uther shook his head. "You may force my mind all you wish to, but I cannot answer that. Only Reznik knows. He alone controls them. Some say that these beasts were first conjured by the Coven. Legend says that the creatures are immortal."
Deciding to end the interrogation for the time being, Faegan raised one arm. The Valrenkian's eyes snapped wide open once more.
"You will remember nothing of what happened here," Faegan said. "In addition, you will not remember being taken from your home. Should you attempt to use any of your gifts of the craft, you will find yourself powerless to do so. Do you understand?"
Uther stared blankly out at nothing. "I understand," he whispered.
The wizard snapped his fingers. Uther slipped back into unconsciousness, his head slumping forward onto his chest. His breathing became deep and rhythmic. Blood dripped lazily from his wounded mouth.
Faegan glanced over at his friends. They looked stunned.
"I didn't know you could do that," Abbey said.
Faegan gave her a short smile. "You still have much to learn," he said. "This kind of thing is relatively simple to accomplish when the subject is a partial adept. But trying to make it work on a full-fledged wizard or sorceress is another thing altogether."
"What shall we do?" Adrian asked. "While we sit here, innocent people are being tortured. Even worse, the Vagaries are being practiced."
Faegan laced his fingers together.
"There is only one thing to do," he said quietly. Pausing for a moment, he glanced at their captive.
"I am taking the Minions back to Valrenkium," he said. His expression hardened.
"And this time," he added softly, "their mission will be quite different."
CHAPTER XLIV
Flying some distance away from Traax, Duvessa could see his dark form highlighted by the setting sun.
Duvessa and Traax each led a sizable phalanx of warriors. The wizard's litter followed a short distance behind, borne through the air by twelve stout warriors. Ox flew in the lead, guiding them toward their destination.
Though Duvessa's female fighters had not yet passed their rites of ascension, Faegan had asked for volunteers from her group to participate in this urgent mission. He had told them that now, in actual combat, they would earn their red feathers. Duvessa was proud of her women: There had been no shortage of volunteers.
Ox raised one hand, and the entire war party slowed to hover in the air. When Faegan's litter caught up, Ox pointed toward the southwest. "Valrenkium be just beyond border to Hartwick Wood," he said.
Faegan nodded. "Well done," he said. He looked at Traax and Duvessa.
"Remember your orders," he said sternly. "I want everyone to land swiftly, ready to fight. This Reznik must surely have assumed that we would return in strength, and he has had ample time to make plans of his own. There is no telling what awaits us down there." He paused for a moment. "May the Afterlife look over us all."