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 fingertips 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. Moments later, Arminio's keen eyesight did not fail to notice that the man's cufflinks were made of solid gold. Although the buttons of his jacket gaped open, the precious piece fit perfectly.

“My poor daughter,” lamented the air mage. 'Magister Arminio, I am so glad that you have accepted 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 suited to this task. Tell me about Lorelia.' In his magical vision, Arminio noticed a smile flit across the air mage's face.

Thiveus adopted a sombre 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 become disoriented. “Where was she last found?”

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

After a brief pause, 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’s why you suspect your daughter is in Brazil. Your scouts couldn’t locate her.” After a brief pause, Thiveus nodded, and Arminio continued. “Why do you assume that Lorelia is absent-minded?”

“My daughter is always forgetting places and times. All the work on the plantation alongside her studies is getting to her.”

“What else can you tell me about your daughter? Have you had an argument with her?”

“No, we had great plans. She assisted me on the tobacco farm and tended 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 the room was covered in a thin layer of tobacco. Even the glass panes only let light through diffusely. After crossing his legs, he rested his hands on them. “When did you last see Lorelia?”

'It must have been about three or four weeks ago.'

'You don't recall the exact date?'

'Oh, I've been so busy with work. I was busy making preparations so that my beloved daughter could one day take over the firm. We saw each other every day as we passed by.” Thiveus waved his hand.

Instinctively, Arminio sensed 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 already have the drawing.'

'That’s not enough for my work.'

‘You know, I don’t like to share memories. The after-effects of psionics leave me exhausted for days, and without Lorelia, I have no one to support me when I'm unwell.” After a moment, he took an old handkerchief from his trousers and dabbed the sweat from his forehead.

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

“I asked the chronomage. She assured me that Lorelia is still alive, but she wouldn’t tell me where she is.” Thiveus reached for a matchbox with trembling fingers.

Arminio smiled inwardly. Typical of Nelli to shield women. “And you haven't received a ransom demand either?”

“No, because then I could have called in la Policia. I’m sure Lorelia hasn’t been kidnapped.”

“Good. I’m on site doing my research. Do you suspect 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 region 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.'

Instantly, the air mage's face turned white.

“Aren't you worried that she'll fall into the wrong hands?”

“That’s why I beg 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 soon as possible. We have deadlines to meet. I need Lorelia here,” 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 disturb you any longer.”

“I'll show you out.”

The chair creaked as Thiveus stood and slipped the matches into his suit pocket. Arminio noticed that the high-quality attire had two burn holes. The formerly white hat he was wearing had yellowish grip marks on it, which rounded off Arminio's impression of the slightly overweight man. Thiveus' 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 wished, the Capitano could easily read the Magister's thoughts and uncover the truth, but the code of the Mages' Academy prevented him from doing so. He did not want to lose credibility or face punishment from the college for insubordination.

Moments later, 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 mage, 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 lurking in the plantations, one of whom carried a magical weapon.

Thiveus fumbled in his back pocket. “Do you smoke?”

Arminio stretched to buy some time. He couldn't remember ever having seen the killer's thermal image with the weapon before. As he wasn't wearing any Academy artefacts, the Capitano identified him as a wild mage. No code protected him. Confidently, Arminio smiled and raised his eyelids. Instantly, the Colombian held out a wooden box containing three cigars of his own brand. “Thank you very much.” Arminio sniffed the cigar. Moments later, 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. Next to him, there was a jingle as the air mage took a cigar cutter out of his pocket and trimmed the 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 Thiveus 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 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...”

At that moment, the Capitano pounced. Nodding, he half-listened to the air mage while penetrating the Sicario's thoughts unhindered. Meanwhile, the guard scratched his head briefly, wondering why he had suddenly developed a headache, while Arminio reassured himself that he really wasn't a mage from the academy. His duty was to guard the grounds 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. Had the air mage observed his glowing red irises, he would have struggled to offer a convincing explanation. Relieved that he hadn't missed a thing, Arminio continued to follow his memories. Moments later, the Sicario saw Lorelia's wide eyes. “Lorelia doesn’t need legs to do what she’s supposed to do on the farm,” he thought. The earth mage’s irises changed colour from blue to brown. Instantly, a stone knocked the weapon out of his hand before he lost consciousness.

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

“Yes, but let's keep the exchanges brief.” The air mage bowed his head. 'Thank you for accepting the assignment.'

Instantly, 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. Still reeling, he couldn't believe what he had read in the assassin's mind. The Capitano had come up with two theories. Assuming Thiveus was his boss, he was clearly incompetent. The role of a sicario was to eliminate targets, not to 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 little Thiveus valued her, and that the guard did not have to fear being held accountable for his actions.

“When in doubt, give the defendant the benefit of the doubt,” thought Arminio. “For now, I must play along.”

Arminio would never light that cigar again. He tossed 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.