“Bilairy’s Balls,” Klia groaned, then doggedly accepted a few more sips. After a few moments of lying absolutely still with her eyes closed, the awful feeling in her stomach began to subside, though her head hurt so bad she was seeing flashing lights behind her eyes. “How did they get past the guards?”

“And me?” Myrhini sighed. “They killed the guards, then opened the seam at the back of your room with some kind of acid.

“No sound. Who was on guard?”

“Two of Danos’s people: Saura and Melkian. I have Captain Beka and her Urghazi on guard around your tent now. Klia, I’m so sorry—”

Klia waved aside the apology. “Not your fault. The killers knew what they were doing. What do we know about them?”

“Just that they were soldiers, and must have been specially tasked with your assassination once they escaped from the battle yesterday. They wouldn’t have been carrying poison and acid by chance. Who was giving the orders is a mystery. The survivors of the battle must have regrouped and chosen a leader. I doubt there are enough of them to stage a major attack, but I have the perimeter under full guard.”

“Well done. I suppose I’d better get a report off to Phoria. You’ll have to write it for me, though. I can’t see straight yet.”

Myrhini brought Aden’s cup to her lips again. “Drink.”

Klia drank and the pain and nausea retreated a bit more, enough for her to send Myrhini to her clothes chest for the leather bag containing the small painted wands Thero had supplied her with before she’d left Rhíminee in the spring.

“I’ll leave you to it, then,” her friend said, and went out to the map room to compose the report.

Klia pressed the wand to her lips, then broke it, releasing the message sphere spell infused into it. A blue point of light hovered over one broken end. “Thero, I must speak with you,” she said softly, then touched the sphere and sent it speeding off to the south. It was the nature of the simple but powerful spell to find the recipient, wherever he or she happened to be.

A tingle of magic woke Thero. A message sphere was floating over his face; there was only one person he’d given any message sticks to recently. Heart tripping a beat, he touched it and heard Klia’s whispered message.