Wizards of Fyre (Island of Fyre Book 3) by Janet Lane-Walters Read Free Book Online Page A

demand an explanation.”
    While he waited, he examined the road for the arrival of the chief wizard. How had Lorana vanished? She couldn’t manage an escape on her own. She was only a woman.
    Moments before Mecador and the others arrived, three wizards of the first rank and all but two of the second reached the gates. Cregan held a wand ready to use. “I’ve been informed Lorana is missing.” He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.
    Mecador reached his side. “What do you mean she has vanished?”
    The fattest of the council members who had stayed behind faced the chief wizard. “We do not know how she escaped.”
    Mecador pointed to the guards. “You four take the slaves to the cells. Order Hag Mother to tend and mark them.”
    As soon as the line of men entered the citadel, Mecador drew two guards aside. “Go to the harbor. Search the area for signs of her presence.”
    Cregan’s forehead wrinkled. “Why?”
    “She might try to escape on one of the ships when they arrive for trading.”
    Cregan bit his lip and held back words that would anger his father. He thought Lorana was wiser than to make a fool’s choice. The traders were far kin of the wizards.
    “Council members, to our chamber.” Mecador gestured to Cregan and Arton. “You will add your power to the search and learn how to use your wands to find a person.”
    Cregan grinned. Searches were a technique he wanted to learn. He followed the council members into the meeting room.
    The twelve members gathered at the table. Cregan and Arton stood at the foot. “Wands alight,” Mecador ordered. “Candidates, add your power.”
    The light from the white fyrestones remained steady. Did Arton’s move or had that been an illusion? The white light from the blended wands made a connection between them. With a sudden flare the lights died.
    “We will find her,” Mecador roared. “No reward has ever escaped.”
    Four guards appeared in the doorway. Two were men sent to search for Lorana and two were those who watched the shore for traders.
    “Two trader ships near the shore. A small boat arrived at the dock. The ships will remain but for two days.”
    Mecador lowered his wand. “The search for Lorana must wait. We will prepare for trading.”
    Though this choice didn’t please Cregan, his father’s decision was right. The supplies purchased would see them through the winter.
     
    * * *
    Arton felt his wand waver and tilt to the east. As he tried to figure what the movement meant, the light in the stone died. So did the stones of the other wizards. He waited for Mecador’s rage to subside.
    The guards arrived and shouted the news of the trader’s arrival.
    “The search for Lorana must wait,” Mecador said. “We must prepare for trading.”
    The announcement shocked Arton, but he knew the chief wizard had made the right decision. Without the goods received the people of the citadel might starve come winter.
    Arton left the council room and hurried to the basement pens, where Hag Mother attended to the bout losers. His prisoners had been washed and their tanned skin oiled to enhance their muscular bodies. All wore breechcloths and each bore a tattoo of a wand on his chest. Arton arranged them in a row and checked their sandals to make sure of a proper fit. He wanted no injuries to bring down their value.
    He climbed the stairs from the gloomy basement. He encountered one of the guards who had remained. “I have some questions about Lorana.”
    “Can’t tell you more than I told the wizards when questioned under the wand. They spoke to all here and no one knew a thing.”
    “I understand, but your answers might help when the search resumes. Mecador won’t let this go. When did she leave?”
    “Maybe two days ago. Hag Mother was livid. The entire citadel was searched. Then the questioning began.”
    Arton frowned. “Was a search of the grounds made?”
    “Twice.”
    “How did she leave the citadel?”
    “Remains a mystery. The gate was