The map crackled as Arminio unfolded it on his desk in Rome. As he was not an Earth Mage, he had marked the most important mines on the map a few days ago and numbered them in the order he subsequently visited them. His fingers traced the red markings, and he grinned. As capitano, he had greatly enjoyed mingling with the locals while in disguise. By reading their thoughts and asking specific questions, he had added several mines that had been built without official permission to his map.

In Santa Marta, Magister Thiveus was sitting at his desk with his head in his hands. Arminio noticed that the man's cuff links were made of real gold. Despite the fact that the buttons on his jacket were undone, the precious piece fit perfectly.

“My poor daughter,” wailed the Air Mage. “Magister Arminio, I am so glad you are accepting this assignment. I have heard that you are an authority in your field.”

“I have been finding missing persons all over the world for almost sixty years, Magister Thiveus. I know of no one better qualified for this task. Tell me about Lorelia.” In his magical vision, Arminio noticed a smile flit across the Air Mage's face.

Thiveus adopted a gloomy expression before raising his head. His irises were an unusually deep shade of blue. “She must have lost her way again. She's been so distracted lately.”

Arminio pricked up his ears. It was absurd that an Earth Mage would get lost. 'Where was she last seen?'

“In the Muzo emerald mine in Boyacá. My middlemen helped me with that.”

The fire mage unfolded his hands and grinned. “So you have an extensive network of informants in Colombia.”

“Of course. As a Sicilian, I understand their usefulness.”

“Certainly. I assume that is why you think your daughter is in Brazil. Your scouts were unable to find her.” When Thiveus nodded, Arminio continued. “Why do you think Lorelia is distracted?”

“My daughter is always forgetting where she is and what time it is. The heavy workload at the plantation alongside her studies is taking its toll on her.”

“What else can you tell me about her? Have you had any arguments with her?”

“No, we had great plans. She helped me on the tobacco farm and looked after the plants. Well, we did argue a few times about watering them. She quickly broke down when I criticised her. But aren't all women like that? You can't always carry them on your hands.” Thiveus smiled, revealing his yellowed teeth.

Arminio nodded to confirm this. He kept his opinion to himself while he worked. He wanted to use the armrest of the chair, but decided against it. Everything in this room was covered with a thin layer of tobacco. Even the glass panes only let light through diffusely. After crossing his legs, Arminio rested his hands on them. “When did you last see Lorelia?”

“That must have been about three or four weeks ago.”

“You don't remember the exact date?”

“Oh, business is so much work. I was busy making preparations so that my beloved daughter could take over the business one day. We met every day when we passed each other.” Thiveus waved his hand.

Arminio's instincts told him that he was lying. “For my work, I need a memory of your daughter. I need to obtain a thermal image of her body so that I can distinguish her from other women.”

Thiveus coughed. “You have already received the drawing.”

“That's not enough for my work.”

“You know, I don't like sharing memories. The after-effects of psionics tire me out for days, and without Lorelia, I have no one to support me when I'm ill.” Thiveus took an old handkerchief from his trousers and dabbed the sweat from his forehead.

Arminio held his fist in front of his mouth and cleared his throat, hiding his displeasure. This explained why Thiveus did not change his appearance like all the other magicians. With his grey-streaked hair, he estimated his counterpart to be closer to fifty than the usual thirty-something. “Why are you so sure she's not dead?”

“I asked the Chronomaga. She assured me that Lorelia is still alive, but she wouldn't tell me where she is.” With trembling fingers, Thiveus reached for a box of matches.

Arminio smiled inwardly. It suited Nelli to protect women. “And you didn't receive a ransom demand either?”

“No because then I could have called the police. I am certain that Lorelia has not been kidnapped.”

“Good. I'm here doing my research. Do you think she's in Brazil?”

“Yes. Lorelia spent a lot of time in Minas Gerais with her mistress, Magistra Glandera. The gemstone deposits are not a suitable habitat for a fragile woman like her. The place is teeming with snakes, pumas, and poisonous spiders.”

“If only that were all. What worries me more is that the mafia is monitoring the forests.”

The Air Mage's face turned white.

“Aren't you worried that it might fall into the wrong hands?”

“Therefore, I implore you: find Lorelia and bring her back. The gold is already waiting for you in my vault.”

Once again, Arminio had that strange feeling in his stomach, but Thiveus was telling the truth. “I will, Magister Thiveus.”

“As quickly as possible. We have deadlines to meet. I need Lorelia here on site,” the Air Mage urged.

“You mentioned family matters. What exactly are they?”

“She should…” Thiveus paused. “She should take over the family business. I already said that.”

“Oh yes, that's right.” Arminio stood up. “Then I won't keep you any longer.”

“I'll walk you out.”

The chair creaked as Thiveus stood up and slipped the matches into his suit pocket. Arminio noticed that the high-quality clothing had two burn holes. The formerly white hat he was wearing had yellowish grip marks on it, which completed Arminio's impression of the slightly overweight man. Thiveus's psionic abilities were so weak that they were insufficient to affect his appearance. That was why he had written the letter to Arminio. If he wanted to, the Capitano could easily read the Magister's thoughts and find out the truth, but the Magicians' Academy code prevented him from doing so. He did not want to lose credibility or be punished by the college for misconduct. Outside, Arminio closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The fresh air felt good in his lungs, and his closed eyes allowed him to switch to magical perception unnoticed and survey the grounds. Although Thiveus was a magician, he had guards posted around his property. The Capitano counted five in the courtyard alone, and another seven around the estate. More worrying still were the sicarios hiding in the plantations, one of whom was carrying a magical weapon.

Thiveus fiddled with his back pocket. “Do you smoke?”

Arminio stretched to buy some more time. He couldn't remember ever having seen the assassin's thermal image with the weapon before. As he wasn't wearing any artefacts from the academy, the Capitano identified him as a wild mage. No code protected him. Arminio smiled confidently, ending his scan, and raised his eyelids. The Colombian held out a wooden box containing three cigars of his own brand. “Thank you very much.” Arminio smelled the cigar. A pretty Colombian woman emerged from the house carrying a laundry basket. He admired her rear view with great pleasure.

“I must thank you for your time.” Thiveus took one and put it in the corner of his mouth.

Arminio would have preferred to leave immediately, but he needed to know what the Sicario's task was. There was a jingling sound next to him as the Air Mage took a cigar cutter out of his pocket and trimmed his cigar. He passed it to Arminio, who did the same. Before the fire mage could help him light it, Thiveus took out a match. Arminio still couldn't get used to this invention, but he let him light his cigar with it. The men stared at the grounds as they puffed away. Arminio's psionic powers were strong, honed through training with his grandmother. Two minutes should be enough to find out the most important information.

“Hmm, I can taste cedar wood,” Arminio began, starting his diversionary tactic. “I know these are trade secrets, but what processes do you use to achieve this full-bodied aroma?”

Thiveus's eyes lit up. “After the harvest, we hang them up to dry...”

This was the moment the Capitano had been waiting for. He nodded and listened half-heartedly to the Air Mage while penetrating the Sicario's thoughts unhindered. The guard scratched his head briefly, wondering why he had suddenly developed a headache. Meanwhile, Arminio reassured himself that he really wasn't a mage from the academy. His job was to protect the premises while Lorelia and Skipper… The Capitano paused. Why hadn't Thiveus mentioned that she was engaged? The Colombian was supposed to keep intruders away from the coca fields. Arminio took another drag on his cigar and asked about the absorption of the aroma. Meanwhile, he planted a question in the Sicario's mind: When had he last seen Lorelia? The memory flashed: Bright red blood spurting from a graze wound on her left calf. Arminio inhaled sharply and coughed. “No, everything's fine,” he reassured Thiveus, staring at the ground. If the Air Mage had seen his glowing red irises, he would have found it difficult to explain. Glad that he hadn't missed a thing, Arminio continued to follow his memories. The sicario looked into Lorelia's wide eyes. 'For what she's supposed to do for the farm, she doesn't need legs,' he thought. The earth mage's irises changed colour from blue to brown. A stone knocked the weapon out of his hand before he lost consciousness.

The captain struggled to suppress his anger. Lorelia had been hit by a magic bullet. How else could it have penetrated her magic shield? “Tomorrow, I will begin the search on site. Is it okay if I contact you telepathically?” Arminio asked as impassively as possible while extinguishing the embers of his cigar with magic.

“Yes, but let's keep the discussions brief.” The Air Mage bowed his head. “Thank you for accepting the assignment.”

The Capitano returned the gesture and opened a portal to Catania with a wave of his hand.

At twilight, Arminio sat on his terrace with a full wine glass, staring at the cold cigar stub. He still couldn't believe what he had read in the hitman's mind. The Capitano had come up with two theories. Assuming Thiveus was his boss, he was incompetent. The job of a sicario was to kill people, not guard his own daughter. It would be even worse if the Air Mage had ordered him to use force. Nevertheless, the fact that the sicario had dared to shoot at Lorelia showed how much Thiveus valued her, and that the guard did not have to fear being held accountable for his actions.

When in doubt, favour the accused, thought Arminio. As long as I only have assumptions, I have to play along.

Arminio would never light this cigar again. He threw it in a high arc towards his fire bowl. Just before it landed, a small magical impulse set it alight. Watching the wind swirl and scatter the smoke did not give him the satisfaction he had hoped for.

This mission had finally awakened his ambition.