17. The Traitor

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'What's wrong? What did you see? Who was it?' they all started to ask at once.

Vega took a few seconds to answer, as though she was still absorbing what she had seen.

'It was Balkar!' she said finally.

'What do you mean it was Balkar?' Oliver asked, incredulous.

'He must have passed the mirror by chance,' said Darion. 'Lots of knights were keeping watch that night.'

Rodrigo felt as though something was wringing his stomach. Had they been wrong about everything? What if nothing was as it seemed?

'We have to get into the grand master's study,' he said. 'I want to see that diary again. I've got a horrible feeling.'

'Are you mad?' Vega said. 'I don't even want to imagine what will happen if he catches us in his study. Anyway, how do you plan on getting in?'

'I don't know,' Rodrigo replied. 'But we have to find a way.'

'We could use Donegan's coins,' said Oliver. 'We only need to slide one under the door.'

'Yeah, sure,' said Aisha, 'but those coins are almost certainly inside Balkar's study.'

'Exactly,' Oliver repeated. 'I just need to ask Kepi to push one under the door for us.'

'What are you talking about?'

'Balkar's ferret!' Oliver explained. 'It always sleeps inside his study.'

'That's a great idea, Oliver!' Rodrigo exclaimed. 'Come on, let's go. Who's coming?'

'I think Vega and I should keep an eye on Balkar,' said Aisha. 'She can see him through the wall of his bedroom and I can let you know by telepathy if he's getting out of bed.'

'Ok, well, I'm coming with you, Rodrigo and Oliver,' said Darion. 'If the girls are watching the grand master we've got nothing to fear.'

The five of them walked towards the staircase where Rodrigo, Oliver and Darion began to descend while the girls went to the upper floors. They walked stealthily, keeping a careful watch on every corner but once again they reached their destination without seeing anyone.

'Here it is,' said Rodrigo, stopping in front of a familiar door.

'Aisha says Balkar's in his room, sound asleep,' Darion informed them. 'There's no danger of him catching us.'

Oliver neared the door and asked the ferret to look for one of the coins. Seconds later, they heard noises coming from inside the room. It was the ferret running and jumping between each piece of furniture, looking for what Oliver had requested. A minute or two later, half of a silver coin appeared below the door.

'Perfect. Now we just need to touch it,' said Rodrigo, crouching down and stretching out his fingers. He immediately found himself inside Balkar's study. His two friends appeared at his side a moment later.

'Right, now we need to find the seer's diary,' said Rodrigo.

'I'm sure Kepi will know where it is,' Oliver said. 'Ferrets love to sniff around every corner.'

As soon as Oliver gave the order, the ferret rushed to a drawer under Balkar's desk. The small animal tried to open it, but the only thing it managed to do was end up standing on its hind legs.

'Thanks, Kepi. I can open it,' said Oliver. 'Look. It's here.'

'Let me see it,' said Rodrigo.

Oliver gave him the diary and he immediately flicked to the last page. There was the premonition, which talked about the Mirror of Power. Rodrigo looked at the previous page. There was nothing interesting there. Only a few lines that spoke of the position of the stars and planets in the sky.

Rodrigo Zacara and the Mirror of PowerWhere stories live. Discover now