“You know, a simple ‘no’ would have sufficed,” I teased.
“Where’s the fun in that?”
“I see where Leif gets his sense of humor,” Onora said.
* * *
While we waited for Fisk’s messenger to arrive, Onora taught Mara and me a number of skills she’d found helpful.
“If you’re going to be in a lit room for only a short time, then a way to keep your dark-adapted vision is to close one eye when you reach the light. Then, when you return to the shadows, open that eye and you won’t be completely blind,” she explained.
Onora also showed us how to read body language and to move without making too much noise.
“It’s all in keeping your balance and picking up your feet when you walk. Most people are lazy and shuffle. Rubber soles help, as well, if you’re going to wear boots,” she said.
“Why don’t you wear boots?” Mara asked.
“My toes grip better than any sole, and the bottoms of my feet can feel noisy things such as dried leaves or small twigs before I step on them. To me, wearing shoes is like putting gloves on hands. You lose your sensitivity.”
We practiced late at night when there were no other sounds to cover our movements. But we kept our boots on. Onora had been going barefoot for as long as she could remember, and her feet were conditioned to withstand the rough ground and cold air.
“I had to wear boots when I was in the army, but I shucked them whenever possible,” she said.
We taught Mara a number of self-defense moves, as well. The training kept me from worrying too much about Valek and Leif or from imagining all the dire reasons Fisk’s messenger hadn’t arrived yet. After two days of practice, Mara seemed a bit more like her old self. And while the time wasn’t nearly long enough to learn everything or to be truly proficient in anything, it was a start in the right direction.
After we ate breakfast in our rooms on the third morning, Onora asked, “How long are we going to wait for Fisk?”
Good question. “He’s usually reliable, which means something happened at the Citadel and it might be too dangerous for us to return.”
“I can scout ahead and see what’s going on,” she offered.
“Let’s wait another day.” Mara had benefited from the down time, and the rest had helped my father. The bruises were fading, and the lines on his face had smoothed. Plus I knew that once we returned to the Citadel, he would immerse himself in research and neglect his health again.
As I dozed on the couch later that afternoon, loud voices woke me. Onora stood at the door with both her knives drawn. I pulled my switchblade and joined her.
“What’s going on?” I asked in a whisper.
“An argument. Could be nothing. Wait here.” She slipped out the door.
I waited about three heartbeats before following her. Onora crept down the stairs, avoiding all the squeaky spots. She frowned at me when I joined her.
The quarrel grew louder as we descended. By the time we reached the second floor, I recognized the voices. Halfway up the steps to the first-floor landing, the innkeeper stood in front of two men, blocking the way. Impressive, considering one muscular man towered over the slight innkeeper and the other man glowered and fingered the hilt of his sword.
“...not allowed upstairs,” the innkeeper insisted.
We had asked him to keep our presence under wraps as much as possible. Of course, the locals saw us arrive, and we had to shop for supplies. But he had promised not to tell strangers and soldiers about us. Fisk’s people would have no trouble slipping by him, but these two should have known better.
“Idiots,” Onora muttered.
“It’s okay, Keyon,” I said. “They’re friends of ours.”
“Friends?” Janco asked, placing a hand on his chest. “You wound me. I consider us family.”
So happy to see them both, I rushed past Keyon. Ari swept me up into a hug.
Janco beamed. “Fisk and I called it. We knew you’d be here. Ari’s such a worrywart.”
Onora sheathed her blades. “And now everyone in a twenty-mile radius knows we’re here.”
Janco held up his hands. “Not my fault. You know how Ari gets when he’s in his protective bull mode. I’m surprised he didn’t just toss this little fella out of the way.”
“Watch it.” Keyon jabbed a finger at Janco. “If you’re going to rent a room, this little fella might charge you double.”
“Sorry, sir,” Janco said. “But you have to admit, compared to my partner here, even I’m considered a little fella.”
The man conceded the point.
“Besides, they can stay with us. Come on up to our rooms,” I said. Ari put me down, and I led them up to the fifth floor.
Mara and Esau stood in the center of the suite with weapons in hand when we entered. They relaxed as soon as they spotted Ari and Janco.
Janco immediately flopped into a chair. “We’ve been traveling all night.”
“What happened? We expected one of the guild members a couple days ago,” I said.
“That was the plan, but things got hot in the Citadel.”
“Hot?” Mara asked.
“Bruns has brought in more soldiers to patrol the streets. He closed all the gates except the east gate and doubled security, checking everyone coming into and leaving the Citadel.”
Not good. “How hard is it to get in?”
“For you, impossible.”
“Even if I wear a disguise?”
“Yes. They’re yanking off hoods, checking for wigs and even have a magician scanning for illusions.”
“But you managed to get in,” I said.
“No. We didn’t even try,” Ari said. He sank onto the couch. Exhaustion lined his face. “Fisk has people along the roads to the Citadel. They recognized us and sent us here to rendezvous with you.”
“Do you know when the extra security measures started?” Onora asked Ari.
“Four days ago.”
“The same day we rescued Mara and Esau,” Onora said.
“Rescued?” Janco asked.
We explained about Cahil tipping us off, the ambush and Valek’s mission to find Leif.
“Valek will find him. No doubt,” Janco said with such confidence, Mara smiled.
It was nice to see her happy. I considered the timing of the security. Bruns’s magicians must have used a super messenger to communicate between the garrison and Citadel.
“Fisk thinks it’s best for all of us to avoid the Citadel right now,” Ari said. “He’s going to let everything settle down and then find an HQ outside the Citadel, but still close enough that we can observe who is coming and going. It might take a few weeks.”
“But—”
“I have a package for you in my saddle bags from Fisk.” Ari inclined his head at Esau. “It’s all the notes from Councilor Bavol Zaltana, plus the location of that farmhouse those glass panels were delivered to.”
Perfect. Fisk knew me so well.
“And Fisk says that Councilor Zaltana owns the farmhouse.”
That was interesting.
Janco jumped to his feet. “And we have news! Humongous news!”
We all waited, but Janco needed more prodding. “And?”
“I found where the Cartel’s been producing Theobroma and Curare. And I met the Master Gardener!”
Shocked, I glanced at Ari. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
“He thinks the man was the Master Gardener, but we were unable to confirm it.”
“Who is it?” Esau asked.
Janco took a deep breath and held it, as if about to make a big announcement. Then he let it all out at once, deflating. “He looks familiar, but I can’t recall his name. It’s been driving me crazy for days!”
“What does he look like?” I asked.
“Like half the men in Sitia,” Ari said. “Janco’s descriptive skills are as bad as his artistic skills. We were hoping to find a magician who could peer into the chaos that is Janco’s mind and identify him.”
“Ha. Ha. Not funny.”
“Is it Bavol?” Esau asked.
“No. I’ve met him.”
“We can travel to the factory and I can take a look at the guy,” I said. “And we could also sabotage it, cutting off the Cartel’s supply.”
“If that’s their only facility,” Janco said. “It was in the middle of the Greenblade forest and hidden by an illusion.”
I wondered if that was generated by Rika Bloodgood. Her strongest magical ability was creating illusions, and she was one of Owen’s closest colleagues. Her last known location was the Commander’s castle in Ixia.
“Plus the place is huge and well guarded,” Ari added. “And doing something big like that will need to be included in our grand plans to stop the Cartel. Fisk’s messenger said they’ve changed, but we don’t know what they are.”
“Regardless, we need more information,” I said.
Janco dug into his pockets and pulled out a handful of leaves. “I took these from one of the hothouses.” He handed them to Esau.
Esau’s green eyes lit up as if Janco had just given him the perfect present. If only we could get my father into one of those glass hothouses.
“No can do,” Janco said when I mentioned it. “After I was caught, they put extra security around them. Then we hightailed it out of there.”
I considered our options and remembered the glass hothouse that might be in the Avibian Plains. Explaining the possibility, I said, “We can find that one and see if there’s any information of value there before we continue on to the one you found. It’ll give us something to do while waiting for Fisk to regroup.”
“What about Leif and Valek?” Mara asked. “They’ll be caught trying to get into the Citadel.”
“Fisk’s people can warn them when they get close to the Citadel. Where should we tell them to go?” Ari asked.
“The Stormdance travel shelter across from the plains. Leif knows where it is,” I said. “We’ll meet them there.”
We made plans to leave in the morning. Onora offered her room to Janco and Ari. She moved to the extra bed in my room.
“One of the bounty hunters could have followed them here,” she said.
“I heard that.” Janco poked his head through our door. “And I’m offended that you think so poorly of our skills.”
“After that scene with the innkeeper, I’ve altered my assessment of your skills. Besides, Valek charged me with keeping Yelena safe.”
Janco laughed. “Good luck with that.”
* * *
In order to avoid any more attention directed toward us, we left in shifts the next morning. Esau traveled with Janco, Mara stayed with Ari and Onora kept close to me. No one appeared to take any notice, but a good spy would blend right in with the townspeople.
We met up a few miles east of the Citadel and touched base with Fisk’s sentries.
“Is the place still hot?” I asked the young boy.
“Yep. Best to stay well away,” he said.
“Can you send a message to Fisk that we’re heading to—”
“Is that a good idea?” Onora asked, interrupting me. “It’s safer to keep our destination confidential.”
“Fisk already knows where we’re going,” Janco said.
“Then no need to send a message,” she replied.
“I’ll let him know you passed by,” the boy said.
“And if you see Master Leif and Valek...” Ari explained to him where they should meet us.
“I’ll inform the others to keep an eye out for them.”
“Thank you.” I directed Kiki to find us a route heading southwest. The plan was to ride late into the night. It would be safer to camp near the farmhouse rather than along the road or in a travel shelter.
Kiki set a quick pace, and we arrived a few hours after midnight. We skirted the farmhouse’s property and found a small copse of trees wedged between the fields that was perfect for a camp.
“Are you sure no one will see us?” Onora asked. She peered around. “It’s not very big or dense.”
“The fields around here haven’t been planted,” Janco said. “I doubt anyone will notice us.”
“How do you know?” Ari asked, gesturing beyond the trees. “It’s dark out there.”
“There’s enough moonlight to see there are no fresh grooves in the dirt. And my nose doesn’t need light to smell fertilizer. It’s the warm season. Any farmer worth his salt would have planted his fields by now.”
“Is this from your experience living on your uncle’s farm in MD-7?” Onora asked.
“Yeah. How did you know about that?” Janco’s voice held a suspicious tone.
“From you, genius. Am I the only one who listens to you when you talk?” she asked.
“We’re supposed to listen to his prattle?” I asked. “Who knew?”
“Not funny.” Janco mumbled something about checking the area and stalked off.
“Should we light a fire?” Esau asked.
“No,” I said. “Just in case there are neighbors.”
“I’ll take first watch,” Onora said.
“I’ll take second, and Janco can finish the night,” Ari said.
“No.” I poked my chest. “I’ll finish the night. Tell Janco when he returns.”
Ari just stared at me.
“Ari,” I warned.
“I’ll talk to Janco.”
A vague response. He could talk to him about the weather and still keep his promise. As I set up my bedroll, I decided to wait for Janco, but once I slipped under the warm blanket, I struggled to keep my eyes open.
Janco woke me at dawn. I growled at him for waiting so long, but he batted his eyelashes at me, trying and failing to look innocent.
“I’m able to stand watch,” I grumbled.
“What a coincidence. So am I.” He beamed at me, then leaned in closer and lowered his voice. “What I can’t do is grow a baby inside me. Nor can I hatch an egg by sitting on it. I’ve the stained trousers to prove it.”
“Do you have a point?”
“I thought it was obvious.” Janco’s expression softened. “Take the rest when you can, Yelena. For the baby. There aren’t any guarantees that you’ll get a chance later.” He gestured to the rising sun. “Besides, it was a short night.”
He had a point. I gathered branches and made a small fire. In the daylight, the flames wouldn’t attract as much attention. The rest of the group woke and stretched while I heated water for tea.
“I already scouted the farmhouse,” Janco said. “It’s empty.”
“How can you tell?” Esau asked. “It was night, and the occupants could have been asleep.”
“No one was in the house, sleeping or otherwise engaged.”
Ari shot Janco a look.
“What? I was bored, and now we don’t have to tiptoe around.”
“Did you find anything?” I asked.
“The place has been abandoned. Not much furniture. Lots of dust and spider webs. Otherwise it was too dark to see.”
We ate a quick breakfast before heading to the cluster of buildings in the center of the fields. Weeds and a few small corn plants grew among the leftover brown stubble of last year’s harvest. Sunlight glinted off the drops of dew on the leaves. As the air warmed, the earth emitted a fresh scent of grass and dandelions. The heating season started in less than ten days, which meant the baby was about sixteen weeks old. I pressed my hand to the small bulge underneath my tunic. Soon I would st
art to show, and I’d no longer be able to hide my condition. Not that it mattered at this point. The Cartel found out about the baby when I’d been Bruns’s prisoner. And it certainly wouldn’t stop them from killing me.
A large porch wrapped around the two-story stone farmhouse. A wooden stable, a barn and two sheds huddled behind it. They all needed repair and a fresh coat of paint.
We split into three teams to search for any information on the glass panels and the location of a glass hothouse. Onora and I tackled the farmhouse. Like Janco had said, it was unoccupied. No squatters had taken up residence while Bavol was gone.
I started in the office while Onora checked the rest of the house. Reading through the files that had been tucked away in the desk’s drawers, I only found an invoice for services rendered, made out to Bavol Zaltana. It confirmed Bavol had used this address to send the glass panels. I’d been hoping for more information, but perhaps there would be some when we found the glass hothouse.
Onora shook her head when I asked if she’d discovered anything. Outside, we conferred with the others. Nothing.
“The soil is generative,” Esau said when I asked him. “Lots of worms.”
“Does this mean we’re at a dead end?” Mara asked.
“No. We’ll travel into the Avibian Plains and let Kiki sniff out the glass hothouse,” I said.
“Why didn’t we just do that instead of stopping?”
“There could have been valuable clues or information here. We still don’t know who the Master Gardener is or what else the Cartel’s been growing.” I peered at the horses. None of them except Kiki were Sandseed horses. Would they have trouble with the protective magic in the plains? What about the riders?
“I think I should go into the plains while you wait—”
“No,” Ari said. “We stay together.”
Janco tapped his chest. “And aren’t we immune? Ari and I have null shields, and Mara and Esau are distantly related to the Sandseeds.”
“I’m not sure that covers the horses,” I said.
“Kiki will take care of the horses,” Ari said with conviction.