“Rendellin disappeared two years ago,” Aphen was telling her as they neared the chamber doors, responding to her question about who still served the order. She saw Garroneck standing watch, face expressionless, only his eyes revealing a hint of surprise. “We looked,” Aphen finished, “but we never found out what happened to him.”

Bad things happened, Khyber thought. So, another gone. Now there were only five besides herself. The order was still too small and too weak. She needed to find a way to strengthen it.

She greeted Garroneck with a smile and a touch on his broad shoulder as he opened the door for her. Inside, the others were gathered about the table talking. They turned to look and went instantly silent before coming to their feet.

“She shouldn’t have woken you, Mistress,” Pleysia said at once.

“I woke without help.” Khyber motioned for them to sit. “We have business to discuss, and we should do it now.”

For the next hour, she listened to a reading of Aleia Omarosian’s diary followed by a heated discussion about its validity and intent. She let the others argue until she felt everything new or interesting had been said, and then brought the discussion to a halt.

“What are your thoughts, Mistress?” Carrick asked her.

“My thoughts?” She smiled. “In the main, I don’t think you want to know. As for the diary, it is possible we have discovered what happened to the missing Elfstones. More important, there is at least a remote chance we might be able to track them down. Aphen was right in bringing the diary to Paranor, and I am proud that she took the risk. If she had been caught, there is every chance we would not have seen her again. I am also proud of her for defending herself and protecting the diary twice when she was attacked.”

Aphenglow blushed deeply. “Thank you, Mistress.”

“I regret that you were forced to kill a man. But it is clear evidence of the determination of those involved. I would not expect that these attacks were undertaken solely for the purpose of harming you, although we cannot dismiss the possibility out of hand. But I think it more likely it was the diary they were after—that even without knowing exactly what you had found, they suspected it had value. Did you sense that you were being watched at any time during your research, Aphen?”

The young woman shook her head. “My guard was up; my wards were always in place. I made certain to secure the rooms in which I worked, and I checked my preparations each day. I was always alone save when either my sister or my uncle came to see how I was, which was infrequently. I did not sense another’s presence the entire time I was working. I could not have been spied upon without knowing it.”

“You were there for almost a year. Someone might have found a way.”