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I pushed aside the thought of Mzatal digging through my head before it could weird htened lyph in the center of the floor I frowned There’d been a pair in the center of Rhyzkahl’s ritual One had been Rhyzkahl’s h I couldn’t place it

I nodded toward the glyph "Is that your niting it to a soft blue glow "Yes, with a few variations for this specific ritual" He traced around a section with his finger "Here is the core of it"

"So any ritual you do has your mark in it?"

He looked up at me and nodded "Yes, the qaztahl’s mark is the hub of any ritual in the de with another I didn’t realize it then, but it had to have been a qaztahl’s ht?"

"Yes, Jesral’s mark was there," he said He stood slowly, eyes on mine "What troubles you?"

"It looked so fa to place it "I didn’t have tih, y’know? But I’ve seen it before On Earth" I struggled to re me to use nificant"

I called the pygah and breathed, but the connection still eludedI needed to remember "Can you, um, help?"

He s I’d so strenuously resisted before "Yes A si more"

A second later, I knew I could hear the water drip in the shower, smell the soap, feel the humidity of steam "Tattoo," I said "On one of Katashi’s senior students Tsuneo" A ser thanwith Katashi for five or six years I didn’t know much more about him Katashi didn’t have more than a few students with him at any time, and his more senior students tended to live and practice elsewhere, only cos "It was down by his hip where no one would normally see it," I continued, "but I walked in on him in the bathroom It was small, but I knoas the sa as he ground his teeth

"Why would one of Katashi’s students have a tat of Jesral’sany of the answers I came up with

Mzatal remained silent for another moment, and when he spoke, power boiled behind the words "Only if Jesral has influence in Katashi’s enclave"

Everything about that was disturbing Jesral with a foothold in Mzatal’s Earth presence held ih to label it a Really Bad Thing "I guess it’s too ht it would rip and strode toward the doors We passed through the antechamber, crossed the corridor and exited onto the balcony

He breathed deeply and closed his eyes as he released ah "A chance that he came upon it by accident? Yes," he said, then he shook his head "Likely? No"

I leaned on the rail and rubbed at h "So when do you start trainingto need it, and soon"

He stood besideI can teach you, all that you can absorb," he said, voice still bri clothing suitable for working out"

I straightened and regarded his profile The set of his jaw betrayed his deep tur my hand briefly on his shoulder before I turned and departed

Chapter 27

Workout clothing? An ilius--Tata, I think--coiled out of h the main room and into the bedroo that looked very much like a sports bra, socks and shorts Apparently the zrila had been busy sewing like, well, de on, then spent several frustratingthem in the insane location known as the-botto Crazy faas!

I raked my hair back into a ponytail as I headed out and reached the coluh me I looked up It rose three stories or so, about ten feet in diaradually to a flat top that was half that Though of the salih coated with a thin layer of potency As good a place to meet as any I supposed What the heck did the lord have planned for ? Exercise? The Arcane? I sucked equally at both

A fewpath from the palace I allowed myself an appreciative smile at his appearance Barefooted and bare-chested, he wore loose pants of deep blue low on his hips, and a sleeveless and flowing knee-length open tunic in a fabric that shireen His braid hung over his right shoulder, though calling it simply a braid did little justice to the intricate weave It had to be at least a dozen strands, wound through with cords of silver, gold, and bronze He looked dale" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>