Return to Ravnica (The Secretist) by Doug Beyer

Author:Doug Beyer [Beyer, Doug]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9780786964550
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast Publishing
Published: 2012-11-27T00:00:00+00:00

Jace only got to the stairway before he ran into the Azorius officers coming up from the bottom floor of the inn.

“Sir, are you Jace Beleren, the man who lives at the building across the street?” asked the officer, a tall woman in shining plate armor. The signet on her cape was a runic circle inside an equilateral triangle, the sign of the Azorius guild. Behind her, two knights blocked the stairwell, their hands on their scabbards.

“There’s been a kidnapping,” said Jace. “A gang of Rakdos cultists has abducted my friend from this hotel.”

“The innkeeper informed us of that incident, and a claim has been filed with the minister of investigation,” said the officer. “You are Jace Beleren?”

“My building is burning, yes, and I don’t know why. I’ve … I’ve been attacked, I think. I can try to answer your questions about that place later. Right now I need your help finding my friend.”

Jace’s head throbbed, and a trickle of blood ran down his forehead and reached his brow.

“I am not authorized to investigate that at this time, sir. An officer will be assigned, in accordance with all applicable laws and statutes. Could you come with us?”

Jace wondered how the officers had found him, how they knew his name, and how long it had been since the building caught fire. Usually it took weeks for the Azorius to steer the proper forms through their baffling system of permits and regulations. Yet here they were, intent on questioning him. He squeezed his fists, wishing he could remember what events brought him here.

“If you’re not going to find her, then I will,” said Jace.

Jace lashed out with magic that would incapacitate the Azorius officers, but they only frowned their stern frowns at him. His spell had failed. One of them must be a lawmage, and they must have dampened spells in the area already—exactly what he would have done if he thought a mind mage would be here.

“Suspect Jace Beleren,” said the Azorius officer, bringing her hands together to form a tight spiral of glowing magical runes. “Your actions meet a reasonable definition of resistance, and the use of magical force has become authorized. Come with us, now.” She stepped toward Jace. “Your compliance is obligatory.”

Jace was out of time and out of options. It was time to give himself up. But instead he found himself dashing for a window on the opposite end of the hallway of the inn. He launched himself against the pane, breaking through onto an upper-story rooftop. He rolled down a length of sloping roof, dropped onto a lower platform, rolled down another shingled slope, and fell half a story into a stand of bushes. He stumbled out, spitting out a mouthful of brambles.

Jace expected to see Azorius officers already in the back of the inn, but instead he saw huge feet. As he scanned upwards, the feet turned out to be connected to muscular, tree-trunk legs, which were in turn attached to a massive body that blocked his path.

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