“When do the guards change shifts?”
“About an hour before.”
Smart. They’d still be alert during the afternoon rush. “What about the mornings? When do the guards switch?”
“An hour before dawn. But I can’t get in until there’s activity. Unless I go in the afternoon before.”
“No need. We’ll stage the distraction in the middle of the rush. But if Yelena doesn’t get in, abort the rescue. The rest of the plan will remain the same.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ll get in,” Yelena said with confidence.
And that was half the battle. Most often, if you acted like you belonged, no one questioned you. However, the magician at the door would be their biggest obstacle. They were already on high alert for Valek, so Yelena was their best bet. But that didn’t stop the anxiety from gnawing on his stomach. His ability to shut down all his emotions has been shot to hell since he lost his immunity. Or had it been since Yelena confirmed her pregnancy?
Phelan arrived with a few more supplies and an update. “General Cahil’s in his headquarters.”
They reviewed the plan with Phelen before Yelena and Valek left to visit Cahil. His headquarters was located in a warehouse that was no longer in use to store goods. Instead, the large piles of crates served as obstacles for anyone trying to sneak in. Cahil had converted the basement into an office space for his crew of loyal people. Similar to Valek’s corps, but on a much smaller scale.
The guards at the entrance allowed them to pass, but their sour expressions deepened. Yelena led the way through the crates to the stairway. Cahil was hunched over a table in his office, discussing tactics with two of his men. He scowled when they entered, but he ended the meeting.
Cahil closed the door and turned around. “You do realize every soldier in the Citadel is hunting for you. Right?”
“Do they suspect Yelena is here, as well?”
“No. Master Zitora said she scanned the entire Citadel and didn’t sense her.” He glanced at Yelena. “Are you using a null shield pendant? Because she fell hard for Bruns’s lies and is looking for blood. At least there is no need to worry she’ll expose the other Masters.”
Valek decided not to enlighten Cahil about Zitora. Not just yet. “Why did Bruns summon you here?”
“To escort Master Zitora to the Moon garrison. He wants her trained and ready. Bruns is certain the Commander will invade right after the Ixian fire festival.”
“We know that’s a sham. What happens when his soldiers don’t show?” Yelena asked.
“I don’t know. He’s making plans for all the northern garrisons to march to the Ixian border and be in position by midseason. He’s transferred Master Bain to Krystal so each garrison has a Master Magician in the lead, and all our magicians will be accompanying our army.”
Valek kept his expression neutral, but his mind whirled. They had guessed wrong. The Commander’s forces would invade, and there would be a battle. There would be casualties on both sides. In the chaos of the battle, no one would realize who had specifically targeted the magicians to neutralize them, but they would all know who to blame.
The Commander.
21
JANCO
Janco sensed the ambush before he reached the edge of the Avibian Plains. Which was kind of amazing, considering the house wasn’t even in sight. He’d left Ari and a very reluctant Opal behind so he could scout the premises. Smart move. As he crept from the tall grasses, he counted at least four crouched figures in the dim moonlight.
With Opal’s horse setting a break-neck pace—he now understood why they called it break-neck, ’cause if you fell off at that speed, you’d break your neck for sure—they’d arrived at Opal’s parents’ place in just four days.
Once this was over, he planned to sleep for a week.
Janco looped around the house and, sure enough, ambushers covered all the doors and windows. Twelve total. Shoot. Too many for them to fight. And he doubted he could fetch his partner and Opal in time. It appeared things were about to go down. The air felt...unsettled. Then he remembered. A Stormdancer might be sleeping inside. If he could wake—
The gate squealed. The noise sliced through the heavy silence like a sharp blade through flesh and had the same effect. The figures whipped around to advance on the poor sod.
Janco cursed. What the hell were Devlen and Reema doing here now?
No matter. Janco straightened from his crouch and drew his sword. A high-pitched wail sounded, followed by a whoosh. One after the other, the ambushers were slammed to the ground. And for once, Janco wasn’t exaggerating—an invisible force had literally picked them up and slammed each one into the ground so hard that they didn’t get back up.
A smaller figure darted from the shadows of the stable and launched at Devlen. The big man caught him in midair and hugged him. Ah, sweet. Janco sheathed his sword. Another person also materialized from the shadows, but she moved at a much slower pace. After that display of power, Janco was surprised Heli still had the energy to stand.
All four of them whirled around when he approached. A knife flashed in Reema’s hand. Nice.
“It’s me. Janco.” He spread his hands wide.
Teegan peered at him, but his forehead creased with suspicion. “Null shield. That’s why I didn’t sense him. Can you take it off?”
About to ask why, he answered his own question. He could have been brainwashed by the Cartel and turned into a spy. Janco pulled the pendant off. “Hope you’re not too traumatized by my thoughts.” A prickly, unpleasant sensation invaded his mind as his ear tweaked with pain. It disappeared just as fast.
Teegan grinned. “Tell my mom we’ll be joining you in the plains as soon as we pack up.”
Good. “Are Zohav and—”
“We’re here,” Zethan said. “Just enjoying the show. Since Heli hogged all the fun.”
“Next time you can do the honors,” Heli said in a tired voice.
“Sweet.”
Zohav frowned.
“Don’t worry, Zo,” her brother said. “I’ll let you in on the action.”
Which just caused her expression to deepen. But Zethan laughed, clearly not discouraged by her reaction. Janco approved. The boy had potential.
While they gathered their things and saddled the horses, Janco returned to Ari and Opal.
“Well?” Opal asked immediately.
“Relax, Mama Bunny, your family is safe. They’ll be here soon.”
“Here? What happened?”
He explained how Heli had stopped the ambush. “...that air blast of hers was a thing of beauty. If I was the Cartel, I’d be shaking in my boots right now.”
“It’s better if they underestimate us,” Ari said. “And don’t you mean Mama Bear?”
“Nah, female bears got nothin’ on bunnies when it comes to protecting their young. I once saw this—”
“I should have known better than to ask.” Ari walked away.
“Do you want to hear my story?” Janco asked Opal.
“No.”
“Fine. But the next time you get bitten by an overprotective mama rabbit, don’t come crying to me.” He pouted, but no one paid any attention to him, so he checked The Madam’s legs for hot spots. After all that hard riding, he hoped to give her a couple days’ rest, but they would need to travel further into the plains to avoid the Cartel’s next attempt. ’Cause they certainly weren’t going to stop, and it appeared that they’d upped the stakes.
He grinned. We scare them.
Within the hour, a group of nine people and four horses trudged into view. Opal whooped and raced to meet them. She scooped up her kids and hugged them both to her as if they weighed nothing. Devlen wrapped his arms around them. A hollow pang of longing ricocheted in Janco’s equally
hollow chest, surprising him. He’d never considered settling down before. All this drama with the Cartel was getting to him. Pah. Janco looked away.
Ari interrupted the family reunion. They needed to put a few miles between them and Booruby.
“Where are we going?” Opal’s dad asked.
“South. We’ll find a medium-size town where you can stay,” Ari said.
They had a total of twelve people and seven horses, so most had to double up. Janco shared The Madam’s saddle with Opal’s father. Ahir joined Teegan on Caramel. Opal rode with her mother on Quartz, the twins shared Smoke, and Devlen and Reema stayed on Sunfire. Ari and Heli each rode alone, but Whiskey and Thunder carried additional bags.
Quite the posse. With all the extra weight and baggage, they moved slower than Janco’s grandmother—and he’d seen snails lap her.
Traveling through the plains as long as possible, they stopped near the Daviian Plateau’s border to make camp. There were still a few hours until sunset, but everyone drooped with fatigue. While they made camp, Janco hunted for a few rabbits. The fresh meat would help revive everyone. When he returned, Opal’s mother took the skinned rabbits and turned them into the best campfire meal he’d ever eaten.
Zethan brandished a forkful of meat. “This is why I gained ten pounds in the last week. Ahir, it’s a wonder you don’t weigh five hundred pounds.”
“I sweat it all off in the factory.” Ahir glanced at his dad. “Did you warn our employees about the Cartel?”
“No. I just left a note for my assistant saying we had a family emergency. She’ll take care of filling orders while we’re gone,” Jaymes said.
“Uh, what about the ambushers lying on the ground?” Janco asked. “They’re not going to be happy when they wake up.” Considering how hard they’d hit, they might still be out cold.
Teegan grinned. “No worries. We cleaned up the mess.”
“How—No, never mind,” Opal said. “I don’t need to know. I’m just glad we’re all together and safe.” She put her arm around Reema, who leaned into her.
Which reminded Janco. “Devlen, did something happen to Leif and Mara? You should have dropped Reema off a while ago.”
“They reached the Illiais Market without any trouble. Reema stayed with us because...” He glanced at Opal.
Janco straightened. This ought to be interesting.
“I’m good at spotting places to avoid,” Reema said.
“What do you mean?” Ari asked.
She shrugged. “We didn’t want to draw attention. And I know where to travel so we didn’t get noticed.” Then she crossed her arms. “Which is why we should have stayed with Uncle Leif and not wasted time coming up here. You’re gonna need me.”
Devlen ignored that comment. “Once the others continued into the jungle, we returned to Booruby. I wanted to arrive before dawn, just in case there were watchers on the house.”
“I was asleep, or else I would have warned him about the ambush,” Reema said. Then she beamed at her brother. “But Tee took care of it!”
“Heli did all the work,” Teegan said. “I just directed traffic.”
Janco glanced at Heli, but the poor girl was curled up, fast asleep. It wasn’t long before the other kids joined her. Ari, Janco, Opal and Devlen took shifts guarding the camp.
Two days later, they entered the town limits of Kerrylee. It was smaller than desired and hugged the western edge of the Daviian Plateau. But according to Reema, the place had no watchers working for the Cartel. How the girl knew this, Janco hadn’t a clue, but he’d learned to trust the little scamp. They found a nice inn for Opal’s parents and brother to stay at, and for the rest of them to spend the night. Devlen and Opal were having a family discussion about Reema’s future.
Janco caught a few words as he passed their room on the way down to the common room. He smiled as Opal kept repeating, “She’s only eleven,” with Devlen reminding his wife how Reema had aided in his and Leif’s rescue. Should be an interesting conversation, but Janco wasn’t about to listen at the door. No need to spy on his friends.
The warmth and bright lights of the common room wrapped around him like an embrace. He scanned the occupants. Banished from the discussion upstairs, Reema played cards with Teegan, Zethan and Heli, but she shot dark looks at the stairs, as if her unhappiness could travel up to her parents’ room. Ari sat nearby, drinking ale. Janco joined him and ordered a pint.
When the drink arrived, he took a long pull. It wasn’t half-bad.
“What do you think?” Ari asked him.
“It’s a little sour, but I like the lemony flavors.”
“Not the ale. Our next move.”
Oh. He scratched his ear. “I think the others will be safe traveling to the Illiais Market without us.”
“You think they’ll take Reema with them?”
“They’d be stupid not to.”
“Thank you,” Reema said.
“Hey, it’s rude to eavesdrop on people’s conversations,” Janco said.
“Oh, sorry. I wouldn’t want to be rude. Is it rude to talk about someone when she’s sitting right here?”
Janco opened his mouth to reply, but Ari shook his head. Instead, they moved a few more tables away. However, due to her sly smile, Janco suspected the scamp had rabbit ears.
“I agree that there will be enough people and magicians to spread the spores,” Ari said. “We can leave for the Greenblade garrison tomorrow. I want to gather as much intel about the place as possible before we rescue the Councilors. Do you think Opal will let Teegan come with us?”
“Do you think Teegan will listen to his mother if she says no?”
“Some kids actually listen to their mothers.”
“Really?” Janco blinked at Ari. “What a concept.”
“Your poor mother. She should get a medal for not killing you.”
“Oh, she tried. Many times. That’s how I learned the fine art of duck and cover.”
Devlen and Opal joined them four ales later. From the shine in Opal’s eyes, he guessed they’d done more than discuss their daughter. Understandable, considering they’d been apart for months. Reema showed remarkable restraint by not pouncing on her parents right away. It also helped that the scamp was soundly beating her brother at cards. Good. It would keep the boy humble.
Ari told Opal and Devlen their plans and asked them about Teegan. “I think you’ll have enough protection. Plus a bigger group of people will draw more attention.”
“I agree,” Opal said. She glanced at her children. “As much as I want to keep them safe from harm, I know we won’t be safe until this is over. Teegan can decide.”
“What about Reema?” Janco asked.
“She coming with us.”
“Woo-hoo!” Reema said. When they all looked over at her, she slapped a card down. “I win!”
Smooth recovery. Janco’d been right. Rabbit ears.
Teegan chose to accompany Ari and Janco. They picked a rendezvous location near the Greenblade garrison.
“When you’re done spreading the spores, meet us there,” Ari said. “I think Yelena and Valek are planning the big counterattack to commence during the first month of the hot season.”
“And if they don’t escape the Citadel?” Janco asked.
“Then we’ll implement the other counterattack.”
“Oh, the other attack. I feel so much better now.”
* * *
The next morning, as they were saying goodbye and eliciting promises to be careful, Heli pulled Janco aside.
“You’re going to rescue the Councilors?” she asked.
“We’re going to try.”
“I have something that might help you. Come on.”
Surprised, he followed her. She opened her bulging saddle
bag. He had wondered what she’d packed in there. Heli pulled out a wrapped bundle and handed it to Janco. It was shaped like a small watermelon and about as heavy.
“What’s in here?”
“A glass orb. Be careful. It’s filled. And you do not want it to break.”
Confused and alarmed, he asked, “You mean there’s a storm inside it?”
“Not quite. The energy from a storm is trapped inside. And if you shatter the orb on...let’s say, the garrison’s wall...the energy released will bring that wall crashing down.”
“Holy snow cats! That’s...” Janco couldn’t find the proper words for just how awesome it was.
“I couldn’t carry more than two, but Kade and Zethan have filled lots of extras. They’re storing them at The Cliffs. Just make sure you’re a safe distance away before you use them. Maybe they’ll come in handy for the big counterattack.” She grinned.
“Sweetheart, there’s no maybe about it.”
22
YELENA
I paused halfway up the steps to the Council Hall. Leaning slightly forward, I pretended to huff from the effort of the climb, resting a hand on my huge fake belly. My five “children” bounced up the stairs. Then, when they realized “mom” wasn’t keeping up, they hopped back down. The two oldest supported me as I waddled up to the landing.
“Thanks, ducklings.” I patted my “sons” on their shoulders.
The guards at the entrance watched us with amusement. I kept my thoughts on the task at hand, suppressing the doubts and million worries about what could go wrong deep into my subconscious. Free Fisk first. Then I’d fret over the next task.
There were a few other people entering the building, and I followed them with my children in tow. “Sir, can you direct me to where I obtain permission to leave the Citadel?” I asked one of them.
“Second floor. Can’t miss it. There’s a line.”
“Thank you.” Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the magician turning her attention to me. I signaled my children. They started bickering and it escalated into fighting. Then they knocked into the magician as they wrestled. I swooped in and scolded them, apologized and made them say they were sorry before we all trundled off.