Cast in Secret

## **Blurb**

Still avoiding her magic lessons—yet using her powers when need be—Private Kaylin Neya is relishing investigating a regular theft once again. That is, until she finds out the mysterious box was taken from Elani Street, where the mages and charlatans mingle and it's sometimes difficult to tell the difference between the two. Still, she hopes this might be a mundane case…

Then in a back room, Kaylin sees a lost-looking girl in a reflective pool…who calls out for Kaylin's help.

Shaken, Kaylin tries to stay focused on the case at hand. But since the stolen item is ancient, has no keyhole and holds tremendous darkness inside, Kaylin knows unknown forces are again playing with her destiny—and her life…

## **Plot**

With some good-natured ribbing, "Lady" Kaylin is assigned to investigate a break-in at Evanton's magic shop. Nestled among the charlatans of Elani St, Evanton's back door opens a portal into an elemental garden temple. Footprints of a large man and a child lead to a stolen water reliquary; in a mystic pool, the image of a neglected girl calls Kaylin's name. Missing persons has no info on her, but while Severn distracts the insufferable sergeant Mallory, the Tha'alani Hawk Draalzyn tells her to meet her after work, then brings her into their Quarter where castelord Ybelline tells her of another missing person. The young Tha'alani-born Grethan (who was born "blind", or non-telepathic, then lived too long among the "deaf" citizens of Elantra, including with Fieflord Nightshade) has vanished along with precocious 6-year-old Mayalee.

Asking about magic water alarms her dragon tutor Sanabalis, who takes her to the oracle temple/orphanage where a non-verbal boy Everly has painted a life-sized portrait of Sanabalis in wyrm-form and Kaylin wearing an expensive dress revealing her magic tattoos. The other oracles clarify that in two weeks she will need to prevent the city from being destroyed by a tidal wave.

He then takes her to the court library, where she awakens a skeleton that turns out to be a dragon who hoarded duty, which he passes to her in the form of an invisible medallion; she releases him by telling him the end of his story, and he implodes with a roar heard through the entire city. This medallion prevents her from re-entering Nightshade's castle through the front door; instead she drops down a well into more magic water, through which she relives the tortures inflicted on the Tha'alani by arcanist Donalan Idis in an attempt to understand and acquire their telepathic powers. She also experiences, in the distant past, the rise of a general Uriel, who used elemental magics to destroy entire cities before Water begged him to stop, and created the collective Tha'alaan dream to show him his "enemies" were not bent on genocide.

She emerges from the water wearing the dress in the portrait, and staggers home with Andellen. The next morning, two merchants found with lungs full of salt-water but otherwise dry moves the timetable for the tidal wave up to two days: Everly has finished his painting, implying the showdown takes place in Evanton's garden. Using memory chips, they convince Grethan to stop defending torturer Donalan; Kaylin summons and befriends a Fire Elemental, then shows the Water Elemental--which is connected to the oncoming massing wave--the Tha'alani that have formed a line along the harbor, and they collectively ask it to turn back.

Crisis averted, Grethan joins Evanton as apprentice, Donalan Idis is taken off to trial in the High Halls, and Kaylin takes Mayalee home.

## List of Characters

1. Kaylin
2. Severn
3. Marcus
4. Mrs. Whitmore
5. Marai (Leontine)
6. Roshan
7. Evanton
8. Mallory
9. Draalzyn
10. Epharim
11. Ybelline Rabon'alani
12. Onnay
13. Nevaron
14. Sanabalis
15. Caitlin
16. Nightshade
17. Sigrenne
18. Christen
19. Marai (oracle)
20. Master Sabrai
21. Everly
22. Tiamaris
23. Lannagaros
24. Teyaragon
25. Clint
26. Tanner
27. Grammayre
28. Teela
29. Donalan Idis
30. Andellen
31. Uriel
32. Grethan
33. Mayalee
34. Dock
35. Catti
36. Chant
37. Marrin
38. Sandrina