“What about Onora?” I asked.
“Let her ride Kiki; she’ll protect Onora.”
I glanced at my horse. She bobbed her head in agreement. Outsmarted, I conceded defeat, and we filled our water skins before mounting and heading south into the plains. It didn’t take long to reach the border. The fields with their squat growth ended, and a blanket of long grasses spread over the rolling landscape. The mounds weren’t big enough to call hills, but there was nothing flat about the ground under Horse’s hooves.
Pulling up beside Kiki, I asked her, “Can you find one of those glass hothouses?” I imagined the structure in my mind, recalling the sweet smell of the white coal.
Unable to use her gust-of-wind gait because of the other horses, Kiki broke into a gallop instead. She set the pace, making wide, curving sweeps over the plains, each one dipping deeper into the interior. After two days of this, she stopped on the crest of a small hillock. In the distance, a glass structure reflected the sunlight.
Janco slid off The Madam’s saddle. “Allow me.”
“I’ll go, too,” Onora said.
He crinkled his nose but kept quiet. They melted into the tall grass. I stayed on Horse, straining to track their progress toward the hothouse. The grasses dipped and swayed with the breeze. Time slowed while my impatience increased.
A faint rustle alerted me to Janco’s reappearance.
“Well?” I demanded.
“It’s full of plants like the ones I’ve seen in the Greenblade compound. And someone is taking care of them,” he said.
Esau leaned forward. “Did you see who?”
“Yes.”
“And?” I asked.
“You’re not going to like it,” he said.
“Tell me.”
“It’s your cousin, Nutty.”
14
VALEK
Yelena’s scent lingered on his clothes. Remaining in the middle of the road, Valek watched until she disappeared around a bend. An emptiness ached inside him. Each time they parted, it was harder for him. Instead of giving in to the temptation to chase her, Valek swung up onto Onyx’s back. Clicking his tongue, he urged his horse southeast to Fulgor to find Leif.
Four days later, he arrived in the capital of the Moon Clan’s lands. Unfortunately, he hadn’t encountered Leif, or any sign of him or his horse, during the journey. The afternoon sun warmed his back, reminding him that the heating season would begin in eleven more days.
Valek avoided the busy downtown district. Instead, he rented a small room in a dumpy little inn called Sweet’s. After settling Onyx in the dilapidated shed that aspired to be a stable, Valek changed into nondescript clothing and used putty and a bit of makeup to alter his appearance.
His agents stationed in Fulgor had been discovered and sent back to Ixia last season, so Valek spent the rest of the day visiting the places Leif would most likely stay. As the sun crossed the sky, Valek’s hopes for quickly finding his brother-in-law faded. Fear stirred in his chest when he spotted guards watching Opal’s building. He easily bypassed them and entered. The place was cold and quiet—something he’d never thought he’d equate with the hot glass factory. It was also empty of people. A bad sign.
When he finished checking the obvious locations, he tried to think like Leif. The man was smart and had to know the Fulgor security forces would be keeping an eye out for him. But what about Leif’s horse? Valek visited every stable in town, seeking Rusalka. Hours after the sun set, he’d exhausted all his ideas and was starving. Valek entered the Pig Pen for a meal—and to see if Leif was stupid enough to be having supper at his favorite eatery in Fulgor.
The Pig Pen was crowded like usual; however, an undercurrent of tension buzzed through the place. Valek spotted the source of the apprehension. Four soldiers sat at the bar. The stools of Opal’s soldier friends, Nic and Eve, were empty, just like their apartments had been. Valek found a table away from the bar and ordered the beef stew and an ale from a server. Despite the name, the tavern was clean. The regulars kept giving Valek the once-over, but he ignored them.
When the server returned with his order, she slipped a note into his hand. Valek glanced up and met Ian’s gaze for a brief moment before Nic’s twin brother returned to tending the bar.
With a sick tightness ruining his appetite, Valek unfolded the parchment. The note informed him that Leif, Devlen and Reema had been captured and were in the garrison’s stockade. And that Nic, Eve and Opal were away on a mission.
Ah, hell.
Since he’d promised to rescue Leif, Valek considered his meager options. Fisk’s people had been recalled, and Valek hadn’t replaced his own agents. A few of Nic and Eve’s colleagues in the security forces might help him, but he doubted they would without Nic and Eve around to vouch for him. Guess it would a one-man operation for now.
Valek spent the next three days watching the garrison and learning the delivery schedule. Each night, handfuls of soldiers headed to town for a few hours before stumbling back. On the fourth night, Valek donned a stolen uniform and joined the group returning from the taverns. The guards at the gate waved them all through, and the magician stationed there barely scanned their thoughts before returning to sleep.
Since this was a reconnaissance mission, Valek stayed in the shadows and poked around, getting a feel for the place. In the morning, he entered the dining hall. He munched on apples to avoid the foods laced with Theobroma while he listened to the conversations around him. Scanning faces for Devlen or Leif, Valek wondered if they’d been here long enough to have been assimilated, or if they remained in the stockade.
Valek left with a small group of guys, but when they headed to the training yard, he peeled off and made a loop around the stockade. An impressive number of guards watched the single-story building, which meant someone important was inside.
He’d bet a dozen gold coins it was Leif, and that the Cartel planned to use him as bait to lure Yelena and Valek into attempting a rescue. Would they expect one so soon? Valek considered. Getting into the base wouldn’t be difficult. It would be leaving with Leif and Devlen, who might be brainwashed and reluctant to go, that would be almost impossible. Valek needed time to think and plan. He searched for a spot to hide for the rest of the day.
While checking out the stables for possible locations to wait, one of the kids running errands paused next to him.
“Your disguise sucks, and you’re going to get caught,” whispered the girl.
Valek glanced at her. Relief warred with concern. “Reema—”
“Not here. Follow me.”
He trailed her through a warren of buildings. She entered one of the smaller buildings. Closing the door, she lit a lantern and scowled at him. “Don’t you know they’ve set a trap for you? You need to leave.”
He made a stopping motion. “Slow down. Tell me what’s going on. Why are—”
“All right. I guess you can’t leave until dark anyway. Sit down.” Reema gestured to a couple barrels next to a small table. She pulled her cap off, and her blond corkscrew curls sprang free. Drawing in a breath, she said, “My dad and I were arrested a few days after my mom left. He was locked in the stockade, but they didn’t think I—” she held up her hands and curled her fingers in mock quotes “—posed a threat. They put me with the other street rats they had ’scripted from Fulgor to run errands.”
“Conscripted?”
“Yeah, that. I made friends with Fisk’s people and was helping them, but they left right before they dragged Uncle Leif in here.”
“Where’s your father?”
“Still in the stockade with Uncle Leif. They’re bait for you and Aunt Yelena and my mom when she comes home.”
“That explains the extra guards.”
“Yeah, and there are a couple you don’t see.”
“
But you have?”
“Of course. What do you think I’ve been doing all this time?” she asked in an annoyed tone, sounding much older than eleven.
“You know this place pretty well?”
“Inside and out.” Her blue eyes gleamed. “Do you have a plan for rescuing my dad and uncle?”
Did he? Possibilities raced through his mind. “Where did your mother go?”
“To Tsavorite, in the Jewelrose lands.”
An odd destination. “Why?”
“She received a letter from Master Magician Zitora Cowan, asking for help.”
Did he dare believe there might be some good news? That they might have another powerful magician on their side? “Is it legit?”
“She seemed to think so. Nic and Eve went with her.”
“How long ago did they leave?”
“About six weeks ago. She had to dodge the guards on the way out, and I’m sure they’ve set up an ambush for her when she returns.” Reema’s pretty face creased in concern, and she bit her lip.
“I trained your mother. She’ll spot that ambush without trouble.”
Reema relaxed for about an instant. “What about my dad and uncle?”
Valek considered. “Have you made friends with the street rats still here?”
“Yup.”
“Will they be willing to help us?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“That’s a step in the right direction. Do you have any null shield pendants?”
“Yes, Fisk’s people left a couple here for us, but we buried them because of the sweeps.”
“You know where they are?”
“Yup.”
“Good. Now tell me everything you’ve learned while living here.”
“Everything? Even the boring day-to-day stuff?”
“Especially the mundane stuff. That’s where we’ll find the golden opportunity.”
* * *
In the gray light before dawn, Valek stopped the wagon at the Moon garrison’s gate. The officer in charge peered at him in suspicion. He resisted the urge to scratch his fake nose or sweep his now dirty blond hair from his eyes. Would the man notice that Onyx and Devlen’s horse, Sunfire, weren’t the typical breeds used to pull wagons? It hadn’t been hard for Valek to convince the manager at Sunfire’s stables that Devlen had approved Valek’s request to borrow the horse.
“Where’s Phil?” the guard asked.
“Broke his ankle,” Valek said in a deep baritone. “I’m just filling in. He’ll be back next week.”
“And you are?”
“Orrick.”
“Got any proof?”
Valek grunted and handed him a paper. “The boss said you’d ask for this.” He kept his bored expression even when magic brushed him. Then he thought of Phil and his bloody broken ankle and the damn inconvenience to him. Valek kept up a running litany of gripes until the guard returned the parchment and waved him on. He avoided thinking about how he had arranged Phil’s “accident” in order to take over his delivery route. Phil’s boss had been thrilled to find a cheaper replacement so quickly.
Once Valek was far enough away from the magician at the gate, he raised his mental shields. He could have borrowed one of Reema’s pendants, but if he’d worn a null shield, he would have been spotted at the gate. Good thing he preferred knowing when magic was aimed at him. So far his mental barrier has been effective in keeping other magicians from getting too far into his thoughts.
Valek guided the horses to the kitchen. Not many soldiers stirred at this early hour of the morning. Of those, most headed to prepare breakfast for the garrison. He unloaded the crates of fresh meats and cheeses and carried them down into the cold cellar. Then he piled the burlap bags of garbage waiting to be hauled away onto his wagon. Valek kept a slow pace, despite the risk of discovery, taking as much time as possible. However, no one bothered him or looked at him twice. When he left the garrison, the guard at the gate poked a few of the garbage bags with his sword and checked under the wagon.
Not bad for a dry run. The next day, he repeated the routine. By the end of the week, the gatekeepers waved him through both ways without a second glance.
On day four, Reema appeared while Valek unloaded boxes of bananas. “Did you confirm their location?” he asked without otherwise acknowledging her.
“Yeah.”
Her dejected tone drew his attention. “I warned you they might be brainwashed.”
“It’s not that.” She bit her lower lip. “My dad...doesn’t look good. He’s got bruises and cuts. And there are extra guards hiding inside the stockade.”
Valek cursed under his breath. He’d bet all the coins in his pocket the bars had magical alarms. The only thing in their favor was the location of the stockade. Unlike the Krystal garrison, the Moon was a one-story standalone structure, and not in the basement of the administration building.
“Stick close. I need to adjust our plan.” He continued carrying the boxes, letting his mind run through various plans and dismissing most of them as too dangerous or a quick way for them to get caught. It took him about four trips to the cold cellar, but he figured out a possible way to rescue them. They’d have to move fast.
“Have you found all the guards, even the ones hiding?” he asked Reema as he heaved the garbage bags onto the wagon.
“Yes.”
“Can you scrounge guard uniforms for the older kids?”
“For stand-ins?”
He was impressed by how much she knew about subterfuge. “Yes.”
She flashed a grin that Janco would be proud of. “Yes.”
Good thing she was on his side. “Okay. The plan with the doppelganger is still a go.”
“And then?”
“As Janco would say, ‘Hit and git.’”
* * *
The horses’ hooves sounded loud in the predawn air. Valek approached the gate earlier than normal—they’d need every extra second to pull this off. A long list of things that could go wrong repeated in his head, but he suppressed the worries and focused on the job. The guard yawned as he lifted the gate and Valek clicked his tongue, urging the horses into the garrison. Sweat dampened the reins. He wore two layers of clothing. His plain work coveralls covered a Sitian military uniform.
When he arrived at the kitchen, a man the same shape and size as Valek and wearing the same clothes appeared with Reema. The doppelganger began pulling crates off the wagon.
“Take your time. Move like molasses,” Valek said to him before ducking into a shadow and following Reema. She led him to an equipment shed, where he pulled off the coverall.
“How many?” he asked her.
“Twelve guards, nine street rats and one cat.”
“I’m the cat?”
“Yup. We thought about calling you the big rat, but I thought you’d be offended.”
“I’m sure my ego would have survived.” Valek handed her the darts. “Be careful. They’re loaded with poison.”
Aghast, she held them away from her body. “You’re gonna kill them!”
“I hope not. It’s diluted My Love and should just render them unconscious. I can’t use either Curare or the sleeping potion, as they’re now immune to them. And I didn’t have enough time to find an alternative.” Finding the My Love had taken him much longer than he’d expected as it was. The criminal element in Fulgor was very skittish because the city was under martial law.
She nodded and disappeared. He waited for a few minutes. Then he strode through the buildings, heading toward the stockade. He trusted Reema and her young friends to neutralize the hidden guards. No need to waste energy worrying about something he couldn’t control.
When he spotted four rats crouched just out of sight of the stockade’s main entrance, he drew in a brea
th. “Hey!” he shouted.
They sprinted, with Valek a few steps behind them. He rounded the corner, and the four stockade guards stared in their direction.
“Stop them!” he yelled when the kids neared the guards.
They grabbed the rats’ arms and shoulders. There was a bit of a scuffle, and two of the soldiers yelped in pain while the other two grunted.
By the time Valek arrived, all four were down on the ground, unconscious. None of the hidden watchers sounded an alarm. Reema and her gang had done their part. Good.
Valek swiped the keys and unlocked the main door. The theory was that only the locks to the cells would be warded with magic. If not... Valek didn’t have time for doubts. The rats helped him carry the men inside, and the kids pulled off their outer clothes, exposing guard uniforms.
Valek scanned them. If anyone took a close look, their cover would be blown. “Stand tall and try to make yourselves appear bigger,” he said as they hurried outside.
He crossed the guard room to another set of doors. Opening those doors, Valek braced as four figures rushed him. He ducked the first swing and stabbed a dart into one of them. Keeping low, he jabbed another in the leg. In the semidarkness, he caught a glint of steel and blocked the strike, but the blade sliced his skin. Fire raced up his arm. He ignored it.
A thud sounded, followed by another as the two guards succumbed to the poison. The third thrust his knife at Valek’s throat. Not wanting to harm the man, Valek sidestepped the strike and sent a dart into the man’s neck. The fourth advanced with a sword already wet with Valek’s blood. Lovely. Valek backed up and tripped over one of the guys on the floor. As he hit the ground, he yanked another dart from his belt. His opponent leaned over, aiming the blade at his shoulder. Throwing the dart, he hoped it pierced skin as he rolled away from the weapon. The tip of the sword cut along his back. He kept rolling until he hit the wall. The attacker advanced, and Valek palmed his knife, but the man wobbled a bit and then toppled, landing with a loud thump.
Valek didn’t have time to celebrate or worry if the noise drew any unwanted attention. He hopped to his feet and checked the cells.