It didn’t take us long to set up and cook supper. Sitting around the sputtering flames that hissed from the moisture in the branches, I outlined the plan. “We’ll break into two teams and take turns watching the gate and the road from Owl’s Hill. Valek said he’d check the Cloverleaf Inn before traveling to the Citadel. We need to intercept him and Opal before they arrive at the gate. And the same goes if we spot Zitora.” That road also led to the Featherstone garrison. If Bruns decided to move Fisk, that would be the closest garrison. “Ideally we’ll discover a gap in their security so we can enter the Citadel undetected.”
“What if Valek and Opal are already in the Citadel?” Ari asked.
“Then we’ll rendezvous with them there.”
“Or rescue them, along with Fisk,” Janco muttered.
Ari punched him in the arm.
“Ow! Come on. We were all thinking it.”
“What are the teams?” Onora asked.
“The boys and the girls.”
“I suddenly feel like I’m in elementary school again,” Janco said.
Onora opened her mouth, but I shook my head. “Too easy. We all know Janco didn’t graduate from elementary school.”
Janco hunkered down. “I’m not feeling the love.”
“We’ll take the first shift,” Ari said, bringing us back to business.
I agreed. “We’ll do three shifts a day, alternating teams. Also alternating positions each shift. This way, everyone has a chance to study the gate at different times of the day.”
“Smart. What about at camp?” Ari asked me. “Do you want one person to stand watch?”
“No. Kiki will alert us of any intruders. Even asleep, she’d hear or smell them before they can get close. Plus, the person on the hill should be able to hear if there are any problems below, and vice versa.”
“What about the person watching the road?” Onora asked.
Good question. “He or she can wear the illusion cloak for extra protection.”
“But how do we know if he or she is in trouble?”
“The old-fashioned way,” Janco said.
We all waited.
“You don’t know?” He acted smug.
“Janco,” Ari warned.
“Fine. A high-pitched whistle. Or in the case of the girls, a girly scream will do.”
This time Onora smacked him on the shoulder.
He rubbed the sore spot and glowered at her. “Definitely not feeling the love.”
* * *
Ari woke us at dawn. Or rather, he woke me. Onora was already making breakfast, and she set a pot of water on the fire for tea. Ahh...the small comforts of life.
I stretched like a cat and then sat up. “Any trouble?”
“No. There were only a few people on the road.” Ari rolled his shoulders and neck.
“Janco?”
“They closed the gate for the night. No one in or out.” He plopped onto his bedroll. “I did a little exploring to keep awake.” He shooed away our protests over the added danger. “There’s magic at the gate.”
Not a surprise, but it would have been nice for something to go our way. “We have null shield pendants.”
“Which may or may not work,” Janco said. “If there’s a magician stationed there and he can’t read us because of the shields, we’re caught. And if it’s not a magician but one of those magical alarms, we don’t know if a null shield will trigger it.”
“What about the other gates?” Onora asked. “The Helper’s Guild kid said they were closed, but—”
“They’re barricaded, with no way through,” Janco said. “And they have these nasty-looking spikes.”
We all stared at him.
“What? I saved you some time. Sheesh.”
We ate a quick breakfast before Onora and I set off for our shift. She volunteered to watch the road.
“Zitora’s twenty-eight years old with honey-brown hair and pale yellow eyes. Pretty, with a heart-shaped face,” I said. Although it had been almost four years since I last saw the Master Magician. I hoped she hadn’t changed her looks too drastically.
Ari tried to hand Onora the illusion cloak, but she waved it off. “I blend in, remember? Give it to Yelena.”
But when I donned it, nothing happened.
Janco cocked his head like a puppy. “You look the same. Ari resembled a big fat bush when he wore it.”
“That’s because I was standing near a bush... Oh, never mind. Is it the baby siphoning the magic?”
“Probably.” At least, that was the theory—the baby siphoned magic when it was touching me or directed at me. What I couldn’t determine was what it was doing with the magic. I changed back into my own cloak, which had a number of hidden pockets with nasty surprises, giving me a sense of security. Probably a false sense, but better than being completely vulnerable.
Onora trudged up the hill with me, then headed toward the road. I found a comfortable spot to watch the gate. A few people already waited in a line to enter. The guards allowed only one person through at a time. They alternated sides. One into the Citadel, and then one out. The person stood at the threshold for a few minutes before he or she was allowed to pass. As the day wore on, the line grew longer, but the routine didn’t vary.
Halfway though my shift, there was a commotion at the gate. A few shouts reached me as two guards grabbed the man being inspected. They ripped off his cloak and yanked something from around his neck. Forced to the ground, the man was manacled and escorted away. That answered the question of the null shield pendant. It would be a bad idea.
By the end of my shift, I hadn’t witnessed any gaps in the security or noticed any way that we could sneak inside. Dejected, I returned to the camp by midafternoon. Onora joined us with nothing to report. Ari and Janco left soon after for the evening shift. I tried to sleep, but my mind whirled.
What if we couldn’t get inside? We could rush the entrance, but that would just tip everyone off that we were in the Citadel, and Bruns would probably triple the guards around Fisk. In that case, we’d have to abandon plans to rescue Fisk for now. Instead, we’d endeavor to recruit a Stormdancer and locate Teegan and Valek’s siblings. Then what? I mulled over our lack of resources and personnel.
If our plan to kill off the Theobroma pods worked, the soldiers loyal to the Cartel would no longer be under the influence of the drug. They would need trusted leaders to follow.
The Sitian Council. The Council members had to be rescued from the Greenblade garrison before the soldiers woke so they would be ready and able to lead. A good plan. Except it would be Onora and me storming the castle, so to speak. Unless Valek magically appeared with Opal and Zitora. A girl could hope.
The next two...four...six shifts netted the same results. No ideas on how to sneak through the gate and no familiar faces on the road. Then again, would Valek be in disguise? He, too, was on the Cartel’s most wanted list.
On the morning of our third day of fruitless spying, it was my turn to watch the road. As I hunkered down in the underbrush, I planned our next move. We’d travel to the Cliffs. Hopefully Kade would know where Teegan and the others were hiding. Not the best strategy, but better than wasting more time. In fact, the more I thought about it, the stronger my desire to leave. It was already midafternoon. I stood and froze.
Walking along the road were two people I recognized—Cahil’s scouts, Hanni and Faxon. Which might mean that Cahil and the rest of his men were not far behind.
If that was the case, then we had a possible way into the Citadel. As long as they were still free of the Theobroma. Only one way to find out. Taking a risk, I strode from the woods and hailed them.
* * *
“No,” Ari said when I explained my plan. “It’s insane.”
“I gotta agree with the bi
g guy on this one,” Janco said.
“It’s brilliant,” Onora said. “I’m in.”
Ari fisted his hands but kept them pressed to his sides. “No. Two of you can’t rescue Fisk. You’ll get captured.”
Onora snorted. I put my hand on her shoulder, stopping her retort before this turned ugly. “This would be an information-gathering mission only.”
“Still no.” Now Ari crossed his arms, trying to appear more massive and intimidating.
It worked on Hanni, who glanced at me with worry. “If you’re going to do it, you should leave soon. General Cahil and the rest of the team are departing Owl’s Hill in the morning.”
“Then we’ll all go,” Ari said.
“No. Too many unfamiliar faces will trigger suspicion. You and Janco have to go to The Cliffs and recruit a Stormdancer. You only have thirty days to get to the rendezvous point.” I outlined what I needed them to do as I rolled up my bedding.
“No.”
I sighed. “Ari, I don’t need your permission.”
“If you get into the Citadel, and that’s a huge if, how are you going to leave?” he asked.
“The same way. We’ll get papers from Cahil.”
“And the magician at the gate?” Janco asked.
“If we keep our thoughts on our duties for the General, we shouldn’t raise any alarms.”
“Sounds like your plan might just work,” a welcome voice said from the trees.
Everyone except me yanked weapons as they spun toward the sound. Our argument had put them all on edge.
Valek stood at the border of the clearing with his hands wide. “One change, though. I’m going with Yelena into the Citadel.”
17
VALEK
Yelena stepped into his arms, and he pulled her close. He hadn’t realized how much of the painful tightness in his chest had been due to worry. Having her by his side filled a void inside him.
Over her shoulder, Valek studied the expressions of the people gathered in the small clearing. Ari set his jaw and Janco stiffened, clearly preparing to continue to object to Yelena’s plan. Onora, too, appeared displeased with the change. Too bad. In the last five days, he and Opal hadn’t seen any other way into the Citadel. This was their only chance.
Breaking apart, he kept one arm around his wife’s waist. “We need to figure out where they’re holding Zitora and Fisk. See if there’s any hope for a rescue.”
“I knew Opal would find her,” Yelena said.
“Except I lost her.” Opal emerged from the greenery.
Yelena, Ari and Janco took a moment to greet their friend. However, they didn’t have time for lengthy explanations.
“We arrived just as Zitora entered the Citadel,” Opal said.
“Was she arrested?” Yelena asked.
“No, but a few of the guards followed her. Bruns is smart enough to try to recruit her to his cause before using strong-arm methods,” Valek said.
“And just how are you and Yelena going to rescue them?” Ari demanded.
“If we attempt a rescue, it will depend on a number of factors.” Valek used his flat tone, warning Ari.
But Ari was in protective bull mode. Nothing to do but let him say his piece.
“And how are you going to escape the Citadel?” he demanded. “They’ll have doubled the guard at the gate.”
“I don’t plan on taking any unnecessary risks. You should know that better than most.” He gazed at his friend. “Besides, Onora will be helping, as well.”
“I will?”
“How is she going to get inside?” Janco asked, more curious than combative.
“By doing what she does best—blending in.”
Onora’s gaze turned distant as she worked it out. The matching sour expressions on the power twins’ faces meant they had accepted the inevitable.
“Yelena, where are Devlen and Reema?” Opal asked.
Valek was surprised she’d waited this long to ask.
“On the way to Booruby.” Yelena filled them in on the hothouse, Nutty and about Theobroma-killing spores while she packed her bags and saddled Kiki. She also mentioned that Ari and Janco needed to find Valek’s siblings, Teegan and a Stormdancer to help spread those same spores.
Opal played with the ring on her finger as she listened. When Yelena finished, Opal glanced at Ari and Janco. “Kade would never let Teegan, Zethan and Zohav leave the safety of The Cliffs alone. He’d either go with them or send Heli.”
“That’s good to know,” Ari said. “Do you know where they might go?”
“Yes. To my parents’ house in Booruby.”
“Are you sure? We have no time to be wrong.”
“Yes. Teegan knows it’s a safe place. The Avibian Plains are right next to the glass factory. The Sandseed protection recognizes my family, so they can hide in there if trouble arrives. Which it probably will, because if they messaged Fisk with their new location, the Cartel might already be on the way to intercept them.”
Although he’d just learned about the existence of his younger brother and sister a season ago, a protective instinct flared under Valek’s ribs at the thought of them being in danger. Plus his mother would kill him if anything happened to them. Valek suddenly understood why Janco feared his own mother.
“Then we’d better get moving,” Ari said.
They packed in record time. Opal whistled for Quartz. They had left her and Onyx a quarter mile away, just in case.
“Where do we rendezvous with you once the spores are airborne?” Ari asked.
“Longleaf. It’s a town near the Greenblade garrison,” Yelena said.
“Why?” Valek asked.
She sketched out her thoughts about the Councilors. “They need to be freed first regardless.”
He agreed.
“What if you’re not there?” Ari asked.
“If we’re not there by...” She drummed her fingers on her pants. “By the first day of the hot season, then you’re in charge of stopping the Sitian takeover. Assume the Cartel knows everything Valek and I do when you’re formulating a strategy.”
Janco glanced at her, then at Valek, then at Ari. “Holy snow cats, she’s serious!”
“Of course she’s serious,” Ari said. “If they’re caught, Bruns won’t let them escape, and he has the magicians to—” he spun a finger around the side of his head “—steal their thoughts.”
Or, in Valek’s case, they’d just need to threaten Yelena or the baby, and he would cooperate.
“I know that, but I was hoping for a more upbeat send-off,” Janco grumbled.
“We’ll always be with you in spirit,” Yelena said. “Is that more upbeat?”
“That you’ll haunt me? No. That’s creepy.”
The goodbyes were quick after that, although Ari and Janco paused long enough to obtain a promise from Yelena to not do anything stupid.
“You mean don’t do anything Janco would do?” she teased.
“Exactly.” Ari nodded.
“Hey! Who’s the one who agreed with Ari that it’s too dangerous to go into the Citadel?” Janco asked with a wounded lilt to his voice. “Avoiding that place is the smart thing to do.”
“It is smart,” Yelena said. “I guess there really is a first time for everything.”
He pressed a hand to his chest. “You wound me.”
She pecked Janco on the cheek. “Be careful. All of you.”
Quartz and Onyx arrived in the clearing. The horses all rubbed heads in greeting before Opal, Ari and Janco mounted and headed south, planning to ride in the plains to avoid being spotted. Hanni and Faxon returned to the road. They had orders to rendezvous with Cahil and his team before they entered the Citadel tomorrow.
“How does blending in
get me through the gate?” Onora asked Valek.
“An hour before dawn, go lean on the Citadel’s wall. You’ll blend in with the white marble streaked with green. Then move closer to the entrance and wait. Let a few people cross through, then empty your mind of all thoughts and slip inside with the next person going in. The magician at the gate shouldn’t pick up on your presence.”
“How do you know?”
“You’re pretty hard to read.” He held up a hand, stopping her. “When I saw Yelena earlier, I scanned the area with my magic. I sensed Ari and Janco and the horses, but not you. It’s only when I focused on you that I could hone in on your thoughts.”
Onora stared at him. “You have magic?”
He met Yelena’s gaze. “You didn’t tell her?”
“It’s your secret to share.”
Valek turned to Onora. “Here’s the short version—I lost my immunity and gained magic. I can heal and read other people’s thoughts. I may be able to do more, but haven’t had the time or the instruction to find out. But trust me when I say you’ll get into the Citadel.”
True to form, Onora took the news in stride. “All right. Where should I meet you once I’m inside?”
“The Unity Fountain,” Yelena said. “Do you know where it is?”
“No, but I’ll find it. What if you can’t get through?”
“Then collect as much information as you can about what’s going on and leave the same way you arrived,” Valek said. “We’ll meet you back here in two days. If we’re caught, then catch up to Ari and Janco. They’ll need your help.”
“Yes, sir.”
“What about Horse?” Yelena asked.
Onora smiled. “I’ll stable her nearby.”
“Be careful. See you later.” Yelena gave her a quick hug.
Valek clamped down on a laugh. The girl could handle Valek’s new magical powers without missing a beat, but a hug from a friend left her a bit shocked. Her hand trembled just a bit as she swiped a strand of hair from her face.
Yelena and Valek mounted their horses and headed to Owl’s Hill. They stayed in the forest, letting the horses pick the best path through the underbrush. Only a few hours remained before the sun set, and the warm air held a hint of moisture.