“They’re the sweepers for Fisk and Yelena’s surveillance team,” Innis explained. “They were running for help. Guess the scouts missed the ambush.”
The word zipped through him. “What ambush?”
“The lamplighters. Or people dressed like the lamplighters. They attacked with...” He swallowed, afraid to continue.
“With what?” Valek kept his fists pressed to his side to keep his hands from grabbing the boy’s shoulder and shaking him.
“Torches.”
Cold dread numbed Valek’s pain. “Where?”
“This way.”
He pulled his daggers and noticed Onora and the others doing the same. They raced after the two sweepers, heading toward the bright spot he’d seen from Penny’s Arch.
Except when they arrived, it was no longer ablaze with light. Instead, the dark area had spread, encompassing the entire street. Valek signaled for everyone to slow down. No sense rushing into another ambush.
They found the scouts first. The two young men had been knocked out, but their pulses were strong. Fisk lay crumpled on his side next to one of the buildings. He was unconscious as well, and had a large, fist-sized burn on his left temple. Blood dripped from a cut on his cheek. Valek suppressed his fury, keeping a firm grip on his magic.
“The lamplighters formed a circle around them and forced them up against the building,” one of the sweepers explained.
“How many of them?” Valek asked.
“At least a dozen.”
Lovely.
“Over here,” Renée called. “I found Lyle and Berk.”
Valek crouched beside them. Peppered with cuts, bruises and burns, the two...boys looked in worse shape than Fisk. But their chests rose and fell with even breaths. “Are they the bodyguards?”
“Yes.”
Incredible.
“They’re good,” Renée said in their defense. “They were just outnumbered.”
“Any sign of Yelena?” he asked the group.
No response.
Onora appeared next to Valek. “A word?”
They moved away from the others. “Did you find something?”
“I’ve an idea of which direction they’re headed.”
“Let’s go.” He stepped past her, but she touched his shoulder and he bit back a scream of pain.
Onora showed him her bloody fingers. “You’re in no condition to go anywhere. I’m surprised you made it this long with the amount of blood you’ve lost.”
Valek growled at her, “I’m fine.”
She stared at him. “Twelve of them. Two of us. Think you can handle six with that shoulder?”
He sighed. “I’m listening.”
“Go back to HQ and take care of your injuries. I’ll discover where they’ve taken Yelena. Then I’ll return, and we can plan a way to get her back. Together.”
She was right. Yet his heart didn’t agree. It slammed against his chest, trying to rally the troops, get the body moving, or else it threatened to break out and go on without him. “What if she doesn’t have the time to wait for us to plan?”
“If they wanted her dead, we would have found her body.”
She was right. But could Valek trust her?
Onora met his gaze, sensing his hesitation. “She’s my friend. My only friend. Ever. I’m not going to let anything happen to her.”
“What about Sergeant Gerik?”
“He’s not my friend. He’s my brother.”
6
LEIF
By the time Leif wrestled control back, Rusalka had taken them far away from the wagon and its precious cargo—Mara and his father. None of the patrol members had chased after him. Leif dismounted and walked Rusalka, letting the horse cool down. He needed to cool his raging thoughts, as well.
Impotent fury burned in his chest over what Mara had done. She’d commanded Rusalka to go home, and the horse hadn’t hesitated. Damn. This was the exact reason why he’d wanted Mara to ride Rusalka. So she’d be safe. But she’d refused, and now she was caught, along with his father. Double damn.
Trying to suppress his fear and anger, Leif considered his next move. The patrol would most likely take them to Fulgor, to either the security headquarters or the garrison. If he could intercept them before they arrived...
No. Too many of them. Plus the soldiers were on horseback, and Leif would need to bring along a couple mounts for Mara and Esau. Doubtful he’d find any extra horses in the middle of nowhere. Leif glanced around at the forest and realized he had no sense of his location. As much as he hated—no, despised—the idea, he’d have to wait until they were taken to a specific place before he could rescue them.
At least he had friends and family in Fulgor. Opal, Mara’s younger sister, wouldn’t hesitate to help him, and neither would her husband, Devlen. Leif checked Rusalka’s legs and gave her water, but his mind was already planning his next move.
Only later, with Rusalka headed toward Fulgor, did Leif grudgingly acknowledge Mara’s quick thinking and intelligence. Of the three of them, he had the best chance of coordinating a successful rescue. He had magic, connections and the most experience. It made sense that he’d be the one to escape.
But that didn’t mean he had to like it.
* * *
Opal’s glass factory appeared to be abandoned. No light shone from any of the windows. The sweet smell of burning white coal didn’t float downwind. No one had entered or left since he’d started surveilling the place around midafternoon. Leif looped around the building one more time, checking for other watchers, and spotted a couple with a view of the front doors. Interesting.
He ducked down the alley and picked the side door’s lock. Inside, he confirmed his suspicions. Dark, quiet and cold—three things he’d never experienced when visiting Opal’s factory previously. The four kilns had always remained blazingly hot, day and night. Heating glass to its melting point took too much time and effort to let the cauldrons cool.
Leif lit a lantern and checked the apartment on the second story. Opal, Devlen and their two adopted children, Reema and Teegan, lived above the factory. A sick feeling swirled in his stomach when he spotted the overturned chairs and broken table in the kitchen. The military must have taken them. With Devlen’s superior fighting skills and Opal’s ability to make magic detectors, they would be an asset to the Cartel. Once they were brainwashed, of course. And even though Opal was immune to magical subversion, she would do anything to keep Reema safe.
Yelena had sent a messenger to Opal weeks ago, warning them of the Sitian takeover, but Leif guessed they didn’t get it in time. Good thing Teegan was currently safe on the coast.
Leaving by the same door he’d entered, Leif headed toward the headquarters for Fulgor’s security. Nic and Eve, two officers and friends of Opal, might be able to help him. But once he arrived, the number of uniformed soldiers coming and going at HQ meant the military had taken control of the local security and would likely arrest Leif on sight. No surprise, as martial law had been declared, but it had still been worth checking. Leif watched the flow in and out for a couple hours, just in case he spotted Nic’s broad shoulders or Eve’s short hair. No luck.
Leif had one last place to go before he ran out of options. Then what?
He pushed down the panic. He’d worry about that later.
The Pig Pen bustled with customers despite the late hour. Leif noted four Sitian soldiers, but he’d altered his appearance as much as he could under the circumstances. It was hard to disguise his square face or his stocky build. No sign of Nic or Eve, and their two stools remained empty. Nic’s twin brother Ian owned the Pen and nobody would dare to sit in Nic’s or his partner’s space. Leif settled on one of the empty stools and waited.
“Those stools are not for you,” the man next to hi
m said. “You better find another place to sit.”
“I like this stool,” Leif said.
“You’re either brave or stupid.”
“I like to think I’m a little of both. It keeps people guessing,” Leif replied. Then he waved at Ian, who was tending the bar. “An order of beef stew and an ale.”
His neighbor laughed and muttered, “This ought to be good.”
Ian didn’t acknowledge Leif’s existence. Didn’t make a move, as far as Leif could tell, but within a minute, four thugs surrounded Leif.
“You’re leaving,” Thug One said.
They grabbed Leif under the arms and carried him to the door. Then they tossed him to the sidewalk. Leif rolled on impact and regained his feet.
“Tell the proprietor that I will no longer frequent his business. He doesn’t get a second chance.”
“Don’t come back, Meat,” Thug Two said.
They remained in front of the entrance. Leif brushed his pants off, glared at the impenetrable wall of muscle, and walked off in a huff. He took a circuitous route to the Second Chance Inn and found a hidden place to keep an eye on the inn’s entrance. He settled in for a long wait.
If Ian hadn’t been influenced by the Cartel, he would relay the message to Nic and Eve that Leif was at the inn. Provided Nic and Eve were also free. If Ian had been converted by the Cartel’s special indoctrination methods, then Leif expected a number of soldiers to storm the inn, looking for him.
When the sun rose in the morning without either scenario developing, Leif realized he’d have to rescue Mara and his father on his own. An almost impossible task.
Leif wandered the city, reviewing his options. He could return to the Citadel and recruit helpers. Or he could turn himself in and offer his cooperation and loyalty in exchange for Mara and Esau’s freedom. The Cartel was run by business people who honored written contracts.
Or he could go in undercover as one of the soldiers. With a null shield around him, he’d be able to avoid detection for a while. Then Leif remembered Fisk already had people undercover in the garrison. If he could just contact one of them—
“Spare a copper, sir?” a street rat asked him, holding out a grubby hand.
“Uh...sure...” Leif fished a silver coin from his pocket and gave it to...her? It was hard to tell under the grime.
“Thank you, sir. I have something for you in return,” she said.
“Oh?” He opened his magical senses, but only the clean scent of honesty reached him.
“A bit of advice. You need to leave Fulgor. Right away.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“You can’t stay here. You’ve been spotted all over town. It’s amazing you haven’t been arrested already.” Her tone was a combination only a young teen girl could pull off—equal parts annoyed, dismissive and incredulous.
In any other circumstance, Leif would have been amused. “Maybe you can help me? I’m—”
“You’re too hot, Mr. Leif. You really need to leave.”
Ah. She was a member of Fisk’s guild. “Not without my wife and father. They were captured and brought to the garrison.”
Understanding smoothed her dirty face. “Oh, so you’re trying to be arrested. No need. They’re not here.”
7
YELENA
My captors opened the door into the basement of the warehouse. The bright warmth spilling from the entrance threw me off balance. I blinked and, for a moment, thought I’d been transported to the Commander’s throne room or a security office. Lanterns blazed from desks. Men and women bustled about or grouped together, discussing what must be important things, if I read their expressions correctly. A few glanced at us but didn’t think my arrival all that noteworthy.
Weaving through the people and furniture, our group—now down to four, plus me—headed toward an open doorway, where more light and voices poured out.
Entering the room, my captors stopped. Three men hunched over a blueprint on a table, arguing over the best way to bypass the building’s security.
The guy holding my right elbow cleared his throat to catch their attention. “You were right, General, she’s terrified of fire.”
The man with his back to us turned around, and my emotions seesawed between terror and relief. Cahil. My survival would depend largely on his state of mind, but at least there was some hope when dealing with him.
“Good. Any trouble?” General Cahil asked.
“Nothing we couldn’t handle.”
“Valek?” He spat the name.
“Occupied with his own ambush.”
Worry for him eclipsed my own fears. Did Cahil set up an ambush for him, as well, or had someone else? Was it Onora?
I kept the questions—and my rising concern—to myself. I wouldn’t give Cahil the satisfaction.
“Weapons?” Cahil held out his hand, and the lamplighter gave him my switchblade. He shook his head. “Hanni, search her. Be careful. She’ll have a number of darts—some filled with Curare—a blowpipe and a couple sets of lock picks. Check her hair, too.”
Damn. Cahil knew me too well. Hanni, who had been standing behind me, did a thorough search and found almost all my hidden surprises. She laid them on the table, and the other men stared at the amount in amazement. As Valek said, it never hurt to be prepared. Too bad I hadn’t listened to all his advice.
Cahil’s gaze, though, never left mine. His blond hair was military short and he’d shaved off his beard, but not his mustache. Amusement lit his washed-out blue eyes. “This reminds me of the first time we met.”
That time I’d been ambushed in the woods. Cahil had believed I was an Ixian traitor and planned to deliver me to the Sitian Council in chains. We’d gone on to become friends, then enemies, and finally called a cease-fire when he was promoted to be a general in the Sitian army and I was named Liaison. However, the last time I saw Cahil, he was taking orders from the Cartel. Was he still under Bruns’s influence?
“And I escaped.”
“True. But you had your magic then.”
He had a point. I studied him. Was Cahil aware that the Commander’s invasion was just a ruse to give control of the garrisons to the Cartel? That Bruns planned to use the Sitian military to take over Sitia without ever going to war? That Owen Moon practically ruled Ixia?
Now might not be the best time to broach the subject.
“What? No smart comment?”
I shrugged. “Too easy.”
He laughed. “Some things never change.”
Tired of the game, I asked, “Can we skip all this? What do you want, Cahil?”
Cahil gestured to the wall. “Secure her,” he ordered his people.
Resisting netted me a number of bruises, but I managed to knee one of the guys in the groin and kick another in the shin—a small victory, considering they chained my wrists to the rough stones with my arms spread wide. My ankles were manacled together and secured to the wall, as well.
While my situation had gone from bad to worse, I just couldn’t contain my amusement. “Are you that scared of me, Cahil?”
His cheeks turned red, and he ordered the others out of his office. Closing the door, he turned to me with a dangerous expression. “I know you, Yelena. I know what you’re capable of. What situations you’ve escaped from. This—” he swept his hand at me “—is excessive for a normal person, but you’re far from normal.”
“Is that a compliment, Cahil?”
“If it makes you feel better, then yes. It is.”
“Good to know you wish me to feel better. I was beginning to worry that you meant me harm, Cahil.” I kept using his name to remind him of the time when we were once friends. A trick Valek had taught me.
He rubbed his hand over his jaw and leaned on the desk, as if suddenly tire
d. A haunted emptiness clouded his expression, and for the first time since seeing Cahil, I feared for my life.
“What do you want, Cahil?”
“To talk with you.”
I bit back a sarcastic comment about having to work on his invitation skills. “I’m willing to talk to you, Cahil, but am I talking to you or to Bruns?”
“That doesn’t make any sense. I report to Bruns.”
“Does Bruns know you’re here?”
“Of course.”
Not good. “What is this place?”
“My base of operations.” He quirked a smile. “I never felt secure in the one they assigned me in the Council Hall, so I constructed my own. And I took a page from Valek’s spy book and recruited a group of loyal people.”
“And you used this network to help Bruns and the rest of the Cartel.”
“Yes. They wanted to protect Sitia, and the Council refused to see the need.”
Old news. “And now?”
“Why are you fighting the Cartel? Don’t you want to see Sitia safe for your child?”
A loaded question. “I’m fighting Bruns to keep Sitia safe.”
“Yet another statement that doesn’t make sense.”
“And I won’t be able to explain it to you, Cahil.”
“Why not?”
“You won’t believe me. You’ve been indoctrinated.”
He paced in agitation. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means that since you’ve been ingesting Theobroma for seasons, you’re all under his control. None of you can think for yourselves any longer.”
Cahil shook his head, stopping in front of me. “No. The Commander is a threat to Sitia. And Bruns is a genius. He’s combined our resources, and we finally have an advantage over the Commander’s army. We don’t have to be afraid anymore.”
“I agree, he’s innovative. But what happens if the Commander doesn’t invade Sitia?”
“Our intel says he’s planning to attack soon after the fire festival.”
“Which Bruns learned from Valek.”
Cahil frowned.