However, even with their combined strength, they were unable to reach Bain. Disappointed but not surprised, Valek strode to Onyx, who napped in the mid-afternoon sunlight, and retrieved the super messenger. “Do you know how much magic is left in this?”
Teegan touched it with his finger. “Not much.”
“Do I have enough to contact all the Masters?”
“Not you, but I might be able to, if I keep the conversations short.”
Valek guessed that would have to do.
On the ride back to town, Teegan grabbed Valek’s arm, stopping him when they were a couple blocks away from the tailor shop.
Instantly alert, Valek scanned the surroundings. “Trouble?”
“Yes.”
24
JANCO
All this creeping around could wear a man down. Good thing Janco loved sitting still for hours and pretending to be a bush.
Not.
The compound in the middle of the Greenblade forest hadn’t changed too much since Ari and Janco’s last visit, when he’d run into Oran Zaltana, who might or might not be the Master Gardener. Ten glass hothouses remained lined up in a row, the sweet aroma of Theobroma mixed with the sharp tang of Curare was still polluting the air as the factories pumped the stuff out by the barrel...or so it seemed.
Yup, if he didn’t count the ring of soldiers guarding the place, he’d swear nothing had changed.
They’d crept as close as they dared and had been observing the place for days. Ari and Janco were dressed in green tunic and pants to blend in with the Greenblade workers who buzzed about the site with far more energy than Janco had ever had in his life. Pah.
The best time to approach Oran was when he was alone in his room at night. Otherwise, the man spent all his time inside the hothouses. They’d identified which building he slept in, but not which room. For that to happen, Janco needed to get past the ring of guards.
The soldiers stood within sight distance of each other. If one of them were to suddenly collapse or disappear, his neighbors would know right away. Even if Ari and Janco neutralized half a dozen, there would still be soldiers left standing to raise the alarm.
Well away from the compound, Ari and Janco discussed their pitiful options as the sun set.
“Why can’t we use that fancy cloak?” Janco asked.
Ari arranged the kindling into a lattice. “If you had bothered to listen, Teegan explained that since the compound is already covered by an illusion, the mirror illusion would cancel them both out. As soon as we stepped through the barrier, we would be visible.”
“Great, just when I was thinking magic might be good for once,” Janco muttered.
“At least you’re thinking.” Ari patted Janco on the head as if praising a well-behaved dog.
Janco growled.
Ari ignored him. “What else can we do?”
“We can create a distraction,” Janco said.
“Only if you can create a distraction that won’t alert them that something else is going on. As soon as the ruckus dies down, you know they’ll search the place,” Ari said.
“We can start a fire. That’ll keep them busy for a while.”
“And risk it getting out of control and harming innocent people? No.”
Janco flopped onto his bedroll. They’d set up a small temporary camp that could be quickly abandoned without too many tears.
Ari settled next to him. He dug a piece of jerky from his pack and chewed on it. “Let’s face it. We can’t complete this mission. The risk of getting caught is too high, and even if we did manage to escape, we might tip our hand, ruining Valek’s plans.”
Janco disliked failing. Very much. He lay back and stared up at the darkness. However, he agreed with his partner. They lacked recourses. Nothing here but dirt, leaves, bushes, trees—
An idea popped into his heat. What an idiot!
He jumped to his feet. “Ari, do you still have that rope?”
“Yes. Why?”
“’Cause I have a plan.”
“The guards—”
“Won’t suspect a thing.”
“Why not?”
“’Cause I’m not gonna try to go through them. I’m gonna go over their heads.” He pointed up to the tree canopy.
“Nice.”
* * *
The plan was simple and easy, which should have clued Janco in that it wouldn’t be as simple or as easy as he’d thought. First, using a rope to climb a tree required a lot of upper body strength. The darkness complicated things as well. Hard to find handholds when you couldn’t see your hands.
Once he reached the upper limbs, he didn’t need as much muscle. He wound the rope around his waist. However, in order to keep the noise of his passage from tree to tree as quiet as possible, he inched along the branches, which meant he probably sounded like a fat, out-of-shape Valmur. At one point, he imagined the soldiers below having a great laugh as they took bets on how far he’d get before plummeting to his death.
Good thing he wasn’t afraid of heights. Or was he? A limb dipped with his weight. He clutched another while his heart swung from rib to rib. Easy there. When his pulse returned to—well, not normal, but not thumping as if his life depended on it—he transferred his feet to a thicker perch. Whew.
When he’d moved far enough away from the ring of protection, Janco unwound the rope and tied it to a sturdy trunk. Going down was easier on his arms but burned his palms. Once on solid ground, Janco paused, listening for sounds that he’d been discovered. All quiet.
Ghosting through the forest, Janco kept to the shadows as he aimed for the building they’d suspected housed the officers and other important people. Not many windows had been installed, probably for security purposes. A few people hustled between the structures even this late at night. Since he was dressed for the part, Janco strolled into the open as if he belonged there.
No one even glanced at him. Janco entered the building and paused. Lanterns lit the corridors, illuminating closed doors. Now what? He couldn’t knock on each one and inquire where he might find the Master Gardener...or could he? Maybe pretend there was an emergency?
No. Too risky. He’d just have to do it the old-fashioned way. Once he’d checked all three stories—same design as the ground floor—Janco retreated outside. A few hours remained until dawn. Ari knew not to expect Janco back until the next evening. Janco snooped around a bit but, finding nothing interesting, he returned to Oran’s building. Locating a hidden spot with a view of the entrance, he settled into a comfortable position to wait.
Good thing Oran was one of the first to leave, which confirmed he resided there. Now Janco just needed to occupy himself for the rest of the day. He followed a few people to a canteen. He stole a couple apples and a banana. Then he joined a team hauling vines from the hothouses to a factory. No one questioned him. Everyone looked stressed and harried, so he fit right in.
He kept an eye on Oran as the day turned into night. The man worked inside the hothouses almost nonstop. Late that night, he swung by the canteen, ate supper and headed to his quarters. When Oran reached the door, Janco was a few steps behind him. Oran climbed to the third floor without realizing he had a tail. Only when Janco followed him down the corridor did the man become suspicious.
“What are—”
Janco placed the tip of his knife on Oran’s throat. “Quiet. I don’t want you to wake your neighbors.”
Oran swallowed.
“Your room,” Janco ordered. When he didn’t move, Janco pressed a little harder. “Now.”
The man led him to the last door on the left. Fumbling for a key, Oran finally managed to unlock it. The light from the hallway illuminated a spartan room. Janco pushed him inside.
Oran stumbled a few steps, then spun to face him. “I rec
ognize you.”
“Good, that’ll save time on the introductions, Oran Zaltana.”
Alarmed, the man straightened.
“It took us a while to discover that you’re the Cartel’s Master Gardener.”
“I’m not—”
Janco held up a hand. “Save it.” He pointed to the lantern on the night table. “Light that, and then sit down.”
Oran hesitated until Janco stepped closer. Then he hurried to strike a spark. Once yellow glowed from the element, Oran settled on the unmade bed. Janco closed the door. The man fisted the blanket in fear when Janco advanced.
“You’ll never—”
Janco didn’t wait for the rest of the warning. He jabbed Oran with a dart filled with goo-goo juice. Many people had tried telling him he’d never get away with it or that he’d never leave the place alive. And those same people were always wrong. Just once, Janco would love to hear a truly unique threat.
Oran slapped a hand over the tiny wound. “What the hell was that?”
“A truth serum.”
“That’s...” He gazed around the room as if confused about why it had started to spin.
“Cheating?”
“Yes.”
“Who says I have to play fair? The Cartel certainly isn’t. Now tell me about your work as the Master Gardener.”
“Not me. Nope. I’m...going to be sick.” Oran heaved, vomiting onto the floor.
Janco jumped back just in time. Great, a puker. It happened from time to time. A nasty smell invaded the small room. Lovely.
“Who is the Master Gardener?” he asked.
“Bavol doesn’t know.”
Talking to a person under the influence of goo-goo juice required a certain level of patience. “Know what?”
“He’s working for us.” Oran giggled. “Shh. Mr. High and Mighty is really a traitor.”
“Who’s us?”
“The Cartel. Although I suggested Alliance...it’s a stronger...” He swept a hand out. “You know.”
“Word?”
“Yep.”
Janco tried again. “Who’s your boss?”
“Uptight know-it-all.”
“Really? I heard...”
“Don’t listen. She thinks she knows it all, but really...nothing.”
Ah. “But she’s Owen’s wife.”
“So she says.”
“Were the hothouses Selene’s idea?”
“No. Bavol’s. He built...little bitty one.” Oran spread his thumb and index finger about an inch apart. “Clueless to the potential.”
“What about the Harman trees? What do they do?”
“Oh...that.” He made a dismissive sound. “Uptight know-it-all’s pet project.”
“But it must be important.”
“Not to me. It’s a weed.”
“You don’t know.”
“It’s Ixian. Not my area of expertise.”
He was getting closer. “It’s Selene’s area of expertise.”
“It’s unnecessary. I provide plenty of Theobroma.”
“Always good to have a backup plan.”
“She’s killing people.” Oran stood up.
Holy snow cats. Janco kept his expression neutral, although his heart danced a jig in his chest. “That’s to be expected.”
The man wobbled on his feet. “Bavol and I...we...never, not...ever experimented on people. She...” He sank onto the bed. “She’s gone now. Took her poison and left.”
“Where’s she been doing this?” Janco asked.
“Plot behind...” He gestured to the window.
It took Janco a while, but he learned the location of Selene’s lab. He pricked Oran with Leif’s new sleeping draft and waited for Oran to succumb.
With his time running out, Janco sought the garden plot Oran described. He found rows of young trees stripped of their bark. A small building next to it appeared to be empty. Janco picked the lock and slipped inside.
The smell almost knocked him off his feet. No mistaking the acrid stench of death mixed with bodily fluids. He held his breath and lit a small lantern, planning to do a quick search of the room. Cages filled with dead bodies lined the back wall. Their open, lifeless eyes didn’t reflect the light.
The place had all the paraphernalia of a laboratory—beakers, burners, containers and hoses. Nothing else remained that might help them discover what exactly Selene had been doing. Would it be too much to ask for a journal filled with notes?
Sick to his stomach, he turned to leave and spotted another door. Also locked, but he fixed that in seconds. More cages, but this time, people stirred awake inside them. He froze.
“Isn’t it a bit early for breakfast?” asked a woman, pushing up on her elbow as she squinted in the light.
Janco debated. There were four of them. He should bolt, but he couldn’t. What would Yelena do?
“I’m not with them,” he said.
All four scrambled to their feet.
“Are you here to rescue us?” asked an older man. The skin clung to his skeletal face and gaunt arms.
“I...can’t,” Janco admitted. “I’ll be lucky to escape myself. Please tell me what’s going on.”
“Why should we?” spat the woman. “You’re not going to help us.”
“Not now. But I promise I will do everything I can to return and free you.”
They appeared doubtful. Given their circumstances, Janco didn’t blame them. “Look, I’m working with Yelena, the Soulfinder, and we need to know what Selene’s been doing so we can stop her. We’ve been doing everything we can to upset the Cartel’s plans.”
“I doubt you’ll be able to stop them, young man, but if you piss them off, I’d die a happy man.” The older man gestured to his companions. “We’re the survivors. Selene’s been injecting people with sap from the Harman trees. With each batch, she adjusts the concentration. By the time it was our turn to test the sap, she had determined the right dose, and it didn’t kill us.”
“It did something worse,” the woman said bitterly. “We can’t use magic anymore. It’s all dead air.”
Holy snow cats just didn’t seem strong enough for this news. Janco stared at her, speechless for the first time in his life. His mind processed the information, turning it over. A small part of him thought magic had caused nothing but trouble, and he’d be happy to see it gone for good. But one thing his friendship with Yelena had taught him was that it wasn’t the magic that was evil, but the person who used it to do evil. He finally found his voice. “Do you know if there is a cure?”
“No.”
Yikes. “How long have you been here?”
“We volunteered a year ago.” The woman gave him a humorless smile. “Bought into the entire ‘save Sitia’ propaganda, until it was too late. Now they don’t even bother to feed us the Theobroma or waste magic on us.”
“No offense, but why are you still alive?” Janco asked.
“Just in case the poison wears off,” the older man said.
That would ruin Bruns’s plans. “Has it?”
“Not yet, but I’m hopeful.”
“It’s been a season, Rurik. It’s not coming back,” the woman said.
“How long has Selene been gone?” Janco asked.
“Once she found the right concentration, she produced gallons of the stuff. I think she finished with the last batch a couple weeks ago and left soon after,” Rurik said.
“Thanks.”
When he turned to go, Rurik said, “Remember your promise.”
“I will.” But right now, he needed to deliver this information to Yelena and Valek.
25
YELENA
The market hummed with activity. Late afternoon was
a busy time for the merchants as workers stopped for supplies before heading home for the evening. Dressed in a light green tunic and tan pants, I blended in with the crowd of mostly locals. A few soldiers from the garrison shopped, but they were more interested in the vendors selling roasted pork than in me. I kept an eye on them, though, just in case their focus shifted.
The enticing aroma of fresh baked bread drew me to a popular stand. I was on a mission. We needed more food. Not a surprise. Valek expended a great deal of energy practicing his magic, Teegan was a teenage eating machine and I was pregnant. Mass quantities of bread, meat and cheese were being consumed on a daily basis.
As I lugged my bags toward our hideout, the nape of my neck tingled. I turned right at the next street and glanced back. Two soldiers strode down the street at a brisk clip. They weren’t carrying packages, and their gazes were trained on me. I hurried to the next intersection and turned left. Sure enough, they followed me. Unease churned, ruining my appetite. Had someone recognized me at the market? Or had a magician used magic to find me? Either way, I needed to shake the tail.
Recalling my lessons from Valek, I found a short street. I turned down it, and, as soon as I was out of their sight, I dropped my bags, sprinted to the end, bolted left, crossed the road, ducked down an alley and hid behind a row of trash cans. My heart banged against my chest, urging me to keep going. Instead, I pulled out my blowpipe, loaded a dart while palming another and waited.
Boots drummed on the cobblestones.
“This way,” one man yelled.
Shadows crossed the mouth of the alley. I counted to ten, then crept deeper into the alley, hoping there was an exit. Avoiding the piles of rotting leaves and puddles of a foul-smelling muck, I encountered a locked gate at the end. Swapping my blowpipe for my lock picks, I popped the lock and eased into the street. A few people lingered near a fruit stand and a horse pulling a cart trotted by, but there were no soldiers in sight.
I drew in a deep breath and took a long, circuitous route back to our hideout. We would need to leave Longleaf right away and camp in the woods until Ari and Janco returned.
Circling the tailor shop, I sought watchers before entering through the back door. The sun hung low in the sky. Valek and Teegan should—