“Tell us what you learned from Irys.”

Leif smoothed the paper flat. “Ben Moon is the most powerful of the group. He can produce a null shield, light fires, move small objects and influence others with his magic.

“Tyen Cowan can only move objects. Unlike Ben, he’s not limited in the size and weight of the object. Tyen has been known to move boulders.” Leif tapped the file with his index finger. “He’s the one who slammed all those correctional officers into the stone walls, knocking them unconscious.

“Cilly and Loris Cloud Mist are siblings born a year apart. They have the strongest mental communication skills of the group. They’re the ones who used their magic to force the correctional officers at Wirral to unlock the doors and guide them to Ben’s cell.

“Rika Bloodgood’s specialty is illusions. Strong illusions that can even fool other magicians. She also has the power to create what’s known as mirror illusions that mimic the surrounding area and will remain intact even if you view it through a null shield.”

“Will her illusions fool Valek, as well?” I asked.

“Yes, and Opal, too. During the escape, the Wirral officers not in the area of the attacks saw and heard nothing out of the ordinary until it was too late.”

“Quite the crew,” Hale said into the silence.

I considered the array of talents at Ben’s disposal. “Devlen said they lost the gang in Red Oak. With Rika’s ability to cast convincing illusions, perhaps they hid behind an illusion. They could still be there.”

“Possible, but doubtful,” Leif said. “The town’s too small. Someone would have said something by now.”

True.

“But they could have left clues or a trail to where they went,” Hale said. “They’d be pretty confident at that point that they’d given the authorities the slip.”

“Good point,” Leif said, although he didn’t appear happy about it.

I straightened the papers and tucked them back into the folder. “Leif and I will take this along with our information to Devlen. He can bring it all to Fulgor’s security forces.” I stood. “Hale, we’ll be back later. We’ll leave for the plains in the morning.” Hale nodded and we left the inn. The sun had set while we’d been reading through the file. Leif insisted we stop at the Pig Pen to purchase a container of beef stew to take with us.

“We can’t arrive empty-handed,” Leif had said.

The savory smell of hot meat and spices teased me the rest of the way to the factory. My stomach growled in anticipation. But as we neared the entrance, Leif slowed.

“Something wrong?” I asked.

“I caught a whiff...” He sniffed the air as if trying to catch a scent. Leif handed me the bag of food. “Go on inside. I’ll just do a loop around.”

Unease replaced hunger. “We should have brought Hale.”

Leif pished. “Nonsense. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

Devlen answered the door and frowned. “You should not be alone.”

I explained about Leif’s loop.

He gestured me inside. “Go upstairs. I will wait for Leif.”

In the apartment upstairs, Opal helped Reema with her homework, explaining fractions. But as soon as Reema spotted me, she abandoned her lesson, grabbed the bag and proceeded to unpack the food. By the time she’d ladled out five bowls, Leif and Devlen had joined us.

My appetite returned with a wave of relief.

“Told you it was nothing,” Leif said.

“Really?” I cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Okay, it was a family of cats in the side alley.” Leif gave Devlen an odd look. “Seems they are...friends and wished to enter the factory.”

Opal laughed. “We’re having a problem with rodents in the factory and those cats are happy to take care of them for us.”

“And in exchange?” Leif asked.

“Food and a warm place to sleep the night,” Devlen said. “That big black tomcat has earned his keep many times over. He has taken down rats that are almost as big as him. We named him Valek, the rat assassin.”

I laughed. How fitting. “I’ll save him a piece of beef, then.”

Reema served the stew and quiet descended as we devoured the food. Between bites, Reema talked about school. “Today the class learned about percentages, but I already knew all about them, except I don’t call it by that fancy name. It’s a cut. No matter what you scored on the street, you always had to give a cut to the bullies or to the so-called landlords or to the officers to look the other way.” She scoffed. “I’m not learning anything.”

“You learned the word percentage,” Opal said.

Reema didn’t bother to reply. “And the other kids are so...so soft! Crybabies and whiners.” She pitched her voice higher. “Teacher, I spilled my milk. Teacher, she pushed me. Teacher, I’m a blubbering baby.”

Suppressing a laugh, I kept my expression neutral. Reema had grown up on the streets and survived by dodging the cruelties of that life and, in her mind, that was all she needed to know.

“Reema, that is enough,” Devlen said. “School is important.”

“For what? When is the history of Sitia ever going to be important?”

“I can answer that,” I said. “I thought the same thing when I first started my studies at the Keep. Master Bloodgood gave me so many history books to read, I thought I’d be crushed under them. And while reading them, I wished they had crushed me so I didn’t have to read anymore.”