Free Veilspeaker (Pharim War Book 2) by Gama Ray Martinez Page B

Master at the Academy. There’s no way Lina could fool her.”
    An idea struck Jez. “Could she fool you?”
    “What?”
    “Could she fool you? You said you thought someone was
there. Could she have been in the room when we were there, hidden by some
illusion.”
    “It’s possible,” Sharim said slowly.
    “What if she made the illusion of the circle?”
    Sharim looked up at him. “You mean it might not have
really been there?”
    Jez shrugged. “Villia was right. If it was there, I
should’ve been able to smell it, but we both saw it.”
    Sharim bit his lower lip and considered that for a
second. His eyes wandered to the ceiling, no doubt envisioning Villia’s stars
instead of the plain brown stone.
    “It makes sense,” he said finally. “Why would she do
it though?”
    Jez stood up, certain he was on to something. “So I
would do exactly what I did. She knew Villia wouldn’t find a circle because
there was nothing to find. By making it so the king won’t listen to me, she’s
made sure he won’t believe me if I accuse her.”
    “Accuse her of what?”
    “Of trying to summon a demon lord.”
    Sharim stared at him for a second. “Don’t you think
you’re jumping to conclusions?”
    Jez shook his head. “You don’t understand. Even if it
was just an illusion, those were real runes. She has to have seen them
somewhere and studied them at least well enough to duplicate them.” He started
walking toward the door. He pulled it open and turned around. “Come on. What
are you waiting for?”
    “Where are we going?”
    “We’re going to search Lina’s room for proof.”
    Sharim blinked. “How do you suggest we get in? I don’t
think we’re going to talk our way through the guards this time.”
    Jez ran his fingers along the wall and closed his
eyes. He sent his power flowing through the stone until it became like putty to
his mind. He concentrated and the wall rippled, forming a hole no larger than
Jez’s fist. Sharim gasped and Jez opened his eyes.
    “The room next to hers won’t be so well guarded.”

CHAPTER 21
    As it turned out, the room next to
Lina’s quarters was well guarded. It belonged to one of her personal attendants
and had direct access to her chamber. The room above, however, was an empty
storage chamber filled with boxes and covered in dust. Jez pried one open,
kicking up a cloud of dust that set him coughing for several seconds. Inside
the crate, he found a faded tapestry with the ends frayed. He put the cover
back on and returned his attention to the floor. He knelt and ran his fingers
across it, leaving a trail in the dust. He closed his eyes and concentrated.
    He sensed the ward just before it slapped him in the
face.
    The next thing Jez knew, he was on the ground three
feet away from where he’d been. A low chime rang in the air, but it faded after
a second. Sharim rushed to his side.
    “What happened?”
    Jez shook his head. “I should’ve realized this way
wouldn’t be unprotected. That chime was supposed to be an alarm, but it looks
like no one’s bothered to maintain it.”
    “Does that mean you can’t get through?”
    “Give me a second.”
    Once again, Jez extended his senses into the stone,
but this time, he did so slowly. He found himself clucking his tongue. The ward
was terrible. Thick cords of power ran through the stone, ready to lash out at
any energy that tried to cross. They were strong, but strong like diamonds were
strong. One hit delivered in the proper manner could shatter them. He could
probably do it. It wouldn’t even be that difficult. He considered it for a
second before rejecting the idea. The ward itself may have fallen into
disrepair, but if he were to break it entirely, his efforts might well be
noticed. He would do no one any good if he ended up in a cell next to Osmund.
    Gingerly, he touched one of the chords of power
without trying to move past it. It quivered, but didn’t attack. Slowly, he
wrapped his consciousness around it and