The village was indeed the same one Lon had visited with Jen and her squad two months ago. It appeared most of the damage from the fires had been repaired, though a handful of buildings still showed charred spots. At least the burning stink from last time was absent.

They landed around noon, after a four-hour flight, in the town square. The town hall had new doors to replace the burned ones and Imogen strode right toward them. Lon and Eli fell in a few steps behind just to be safe. Lon wanted to offer to take the lead with the mayor since the man would probably be well disposed toward him after he’d helped kill the monsters that raided his village. He couldn’t quite work up the courage to say anything.

Imogen pulled the new doors open with invisible threads of soul force and entered without breaking stride. Lon knew full well that Imogen specialized in interrogation, but he hoped she’d take a more gentle tack with the mayor. They were looking for the man’s help. It wasn’t like they suspected him of a crime. After all, what were the odds of a small-town mayor being involved in the disappearance of a kingdom sorcerer?

They walked down the hall toward the meeting room. All the damaged paintings had been replaced and the hole in the roof repaired. If Lon hadn’t been there himself he never would have guessed anything happened. It never ceased to amaze him how fast people could recover from even the most traumatic events. He hoped the capital recovered as quickly.

The meeting room doors were open and a small gathering filled the chamber. About a dozen people sat on the benches while another pair stood before a stout man in somber black robes seated on a raised chair at the front of the hall. A pair of men with clubs at their waists raised their hands to stop Imogen as she started across the room.

She didn’t even speak. One glare from her icy gaze and the guards shrank back. Imogen didn’t need sorcery. Her presence alone would intimidate any normal person. You just didn’t expect a woman that looked like her to have such a fierce air about her. The man in the robe noticed the commotion and stood up.

“What’s going on back there?” he asked.

Imogen conjured a golden shield in the air above her hand. “We need a word with the mayor on a matter of some urgency.”

Stolen novel; please report.

The citizens all edged away from them. Lon doubted they were even aware they did it.

The man in the robe stepped down from his raised chair. “I’m the mayor and of course I’d be delighted to speak with you. We’ll postpone grievance day until tomorrow, thank you everyone. My chambers are this way. Please follow me.”

The mayor led them through a door to the left of his chair and into a comfortable if mundane office. He shrugged off his robe and hung it on a hook beside a large, almost empty table. When he’d sat in the soft leather chair behind the desk he motioned for them to sit in the two smaller chairs in front.

He offered an uneven smile. “I’m sorry I don’t have enough seats for everyone. I seldom have more than two people here at the same time.”

“It’s fine, sir.” Eli bowed and leaned against the wall beside the door.

Lon smiled. What his apprentice lacked in power he made up for in manners.

“An inquisitor passed through here several weeks ago.” Imogen began without preamble. “Do you remember her?”

“Maria, certainly, she’s visited us on several occasions. We’re one of a number of villages on her regular patrol route. She wanted to see how the repairs were progressing. There was also a little girl with a fever she healed. All very routine, if you’re a sorcerer, I suppose. Is everything all right?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Lon said.

“Did she mention anything unusual happening?” Imogen asked. “Warn you to be careful, that sort of thing?”

The mayor held his hands out to the sides in a helpless gesture. “No, nothing like that. As I said, her visit couldn’t have been any more ordinary. She arrived in the late afternoon, stayed one night at the inn, and left around noon the following day for the next village on her route.”

“Which village and which way did she fly?” Imogen asked.

“The village is called Loud Water, apparently they have some geysers to the north that make quite a racket when they blow.” The mayor’s chuckle came to a strangled end at Imogen’s impatient glare. He cleared his throat and adjusted the collar of his tunic. “Anyway that’s where she went, only Maria didn’t fly. She likes to travel the roads so she can check for bandits or washouts or whatever else might be wrong. She took the western trade route. Assuming a normal pace the trip takes three days in good weather.”

They all stood.

“Your assistance is appreciated,” Imogen said.

Lon and the mayor shook hands before the three sorcerers left the town hall. Imogen’s polite if curt thank you surprised Lon. He’d expected her to simply get up and leave without a word to the poor man. Maybe she had better manners than he first believed.

“Shall we leave now or wait for morning?” Lon asked.

“Now. We’ve still got a good five hours of daylight.” Imogen conjured a horse and climbed up on its back. “Somewhere between here and Loud Water something happened to Maria. Whatever it was I don’t want to waste time figuring it out.”