Janco sputtered and tried to break his partner’s hold. Tried being the key word. Without warning, Ari released him. Janco landed with an oomph. He recovered, but before he could squawk in protest, a clang echoed.
We turned to the main entrance of the jail. Irys strode in with two guards on her heels. One glance at her pale face and her fingers fretting at her sleeves, and I braced for bad news.
“Unlock the doors, now,” Irys ordered the guards.
They moved to obey, starting with Janco’s.
Perhaps bad was an understatement. I gripped the bars. “What happened?”
“Rusalka showed up at the Citadel without Leif,” she said.
I pressed my forehead against the cool metal. Concentrating on not panicking, I drew in a few steadying breaths. “My father? Is he missing, too?”
“No. He remained behind to finish his investigation.”
One good thing. I focused on the positive. “What’s being done to find Leif?”
“As soon as I heard, I gathered Kiki and your other horses, along with Rusalka. They’re waiting for you. Rusalka’ll guide you back to where she...lost Leif. Janco, you will be able to track him, right?” The desperate hope in her voice almost cracked my composure.
“How long ago did Rusalka arrive?” Janco asked her.
“This morning. About three hours ago.”
“Then we need to hurry.” Janco grabbed his hidden sword from under the metal cot.
We joined Irys in the corridor. If the guards were surprised by the sudden appearance of the weapons, they didn’t show it.
“Do you think the Cartel has him?” I asked her.
“I suspect they’re behind it, but I’ve no proof.”
Sprinting after Irys, we exited the building. Bain Bloodgood argued with a handful of Councilors at the base of the steps. A few shouted at us to stop, but we ignored them and mounted our horses.
“Let’s go,” I said.
Rusalka turned. We followed. The loud clatter of hooves over cobblestones vibrated in my ears. I let the sound drown out the voice in my head. Being very familiar with that voice, I knew it would list all the horrors that might have befallen my brother, remark on the slim chance of successfully finding him alive and comment on every other terrible scenario. That voice was rather creative when stressed and worried.
After a day and a half of hard riding, we reached the location of Leif’s disappearance. A few hours of daylight remained.
Janco dismounted and examined the ground. Ari and I allowed him to do his tracking mojo while we walked the horses. They had set the brutal pace. Patches of sweat stained their coats. Their nostrils flared as they caught their breaths. Once their breathing smoothed, we watered and fed them. By this time, Janco had finished his investigation. He stood in the middle of a number of scuff marks on the right side of the road, scowling.
“What did you discover?” Ari asked him.
“It wasn’t a typical ambush.” Janco pointed to clumps of grass and dirt between two trees. “Somebody went to considerable trouble to stage an accident. They overturned a wagon and made it appear as if it was stuck.” He strode closer and crouched down. “And here’s evidence of a freaked-out horse.” Janco straightened. “They knew their mark.”
“Janco,” Ari warned.
“I’m trying to be dispassionate. Leif’s my friend, too.”
I concentrated on the information and ignored my emotions, which threatened to let that voice of doom speak. “Why do you think it was set specifically for Leif?”
“’Cause of the elaborate setup. Being a Sandseed horse, Rusalka would have alerted him of people hiding in the woods.”
“Unless they were waiting downwind,” Ari added.
“Not this time of year. The prevailing wind direction is from the west.”
Ari and I exchanged a glance. Impressive.
Janco huffed. “Ya know, it’s not all...tracker mojo. There’s a lot that goes into it. And there’s some good news.”
My heart jumped. “You know where he is?”
“I wish. They headed west, but the road’s surface is too hard packed and well traveled to distinguish their tracks from all the others.”
“The good news,” Ari prompted.
“There’s no blood.”
“That makes sense if he was taken by the Cartel. They wouldn’t want to harm him until he refused to join them.” And my stubborn brother would probably never agree to work for them. Which meant we had a limited amount of time to find and rescue him before The Mosquito bit.
“Another thing about the setup is they knew Leif would be on this road at a particular time,” Janco said. “Who else knew his location, other than Master Irys?”
“Bain and the Councilors, who might have informed their aides,” I said. Plus all the people who bribed the aides for intel. In other words, too many.
“Janco said they continued west. We didn’t pass them on the road, or else Rusalka would have smelled Leif. Is there another road that branches off this one?” Ari asked.
I considered. “There’s a shortcut about a day west of here that leads to the main southern road. That route follows the western edge of the Avibian Plains, but they could have veered off into Stormdance or Greenblade lands. And they have a three-day head start.” Frustration welled.
“That’s also the way to the Jewelrose lands,” Ari said.
“If Bruns Jewelrose is dumb enough to amass his magician army in his own backyard,” Janco added. “I doubt he’s that stupid.”
“What’s our next move?” Ari asked.
Guessing would get us nowhere; we needed reliable information. I stifled a groan. My earlier mistake—the one that had led to us sitting in a cell wasting time for five days—returned for another kick of recriminations. “Fisk.”
“But if he knows where Leif and the others are, why doesn’t he tell the Council?” Ari asked.
“For the same reason we don’t trust the Council,” Janco said.
“And the reason is?”
“They’re ineffective idiots!”
“He probably doesn’t have any proof,” I said. “These are wealthy businesspeople who have a great deal of influence and power. Fisk has probably cobbled together bits of information from his sources and determined what’s going on.” At least I fervently hoped so. “We need to talk to him. Let’s go.” I stepped toward Kiki, who grazed nearby.
Ari grabbed my shoulder, halting me. “No.”
“But time—”
“We haven’t slept in over a day.”
“We’ve been resting for five days.”
“A few hours is all we need.”
“Leif—”
“Leif’s clever. He’ll play along, knowing we’ll come rescue him. But you won’t be able to help your brother if you’re exhausted.”
I peered at him. He’d gone from using we to you, meaning me. “Let me guess. Valek—”
“Doesn’t have to order us to protect you. You are family. That goes beyond orders.”
* * *
When we reached the Citadel two days later, we split up, just in case the guards at the gate had been ordered to look for groups of three. Janco circled around to the southern gate with Rusalka, while Ari and I headed for the eastern entrance. We merged with the early-morning traffic and sidled behind a large caravan of wagons. The guards didn’t even glance at us as we passed through.
While the benefit of having busy streets helped us enter unnoticed, the crowded roads slowed our pace. It’d been six days since Leif had been taken, and the desire to scream at all these obstructions clawed at my throat. Then the need to ensure no one followed us to Fisk’s headquarters delayed us further as we snaked through the streets.
Fisk’s building resided in one of the outer factory loops southwest of the market. By the time we rendezvoused with Janco near the narrow alley that led to the door, all of my pent-up frustration and worry pressed on my skin from the inside. If Fisk couldn’t help, I’d explode. H
is Helper’s Guild members would be cleaning Yelena bits off their ceiling, walls and floor for days.
“Any trouble?” Ari asked his partner.
“None.” Janco scrunched up his nose.
“Then what’s wrong?” I asked.
“Yet another stinkin’ alley. The smell is bad enough, but the place is also reeking with magic. I thought Fisk was a regular kid.”
“He is.” Although I wouldn’t call a seventeen-year-old a kid. “He probably hired a magician to hide the guild’s entrance with an illusion.”
“Why?” Ari asked.
“Problems with the criminal element. Their cheap labor force, also known as the homeless children and the desperate, have been too busy working and earning money by being a part of Fisk’s guild, so the crime bosses have been making it difficult for the helpers. Leif offered to help, but Fisk insisted he’d handle it on his own. The young man’s a bit stubborn.”
“Stub...born?” Janco sounded out each syllable as if saying the word for the first time. “Gee, I don’t know anyone who is stub...born.” He stared at me.
“Just for that, you get to go into the stinkin’ alley first,” I said.
“Yay for me.” He rubbed his right ear. “What about the horses?”
“Ari, can you stay with them until we find the door?” I asked.
“What if it’s a trap?”
“I’ll scream really loud and you run and get backup,” Janco said.
“It’s not a trap. It’s Fisk.” I dismounted.
“Yeah, well, Fisk is a businessman, and I’m sure he has other clients who will pay—”
“No. Not Fisk.” I kept my tone even despite my anger. “Before you remind me of my...inability to wield magic and how I have to be paranoid and trust no one, it’s Fisk. Got it?”
“Yes, sir.” The big man set his jaw.
“While I’ll agree that Fisk wouldn’t ever betray or harm you for money, Yelena—” Janco swung down from The Madam’s saddle “—I also think Ari has a point, even though he didn’t communicate it well. Everyone is vulnerable. If I was a ne’er-do-well, I’d find a person’s weakness and exploit it in my favor. Like when Owen found your weakness by kidnapping Leif and forcing you to steal the Ice Moon. Fisk is no exception.”
“You’re right.” Before Janco could gloat, I added, “Ari didn’t express it well. My apologies, Ari.”
“Just be extra careful,” he said. “Janco, if you sense any magic inside Fisk’s headquarters—”
“We’ll make a super-quick exit.” He handed The Madam’s and Rusalka’s reins to Ari.
Janco entered the alley and I stayed a step behind him. The rank smell of urine and rotted garbage stung the inside of my nostrils, causing nausea to roll in my stomach. Our boots crunched on broken glass. Fist-sized spiders skittered behind heaps of trash. All, I hoped, part of the magical illusion. I kept my hand close to my switchblade just in case.
“You always take me to the fanciest places, Yelena. You really spoil me.”
“Anyone who can use ne’er-do-well in a sentence deserves every comfort.”
Janco grunted, but I wasn’t sure if it was over the joke or because of the magic. He stopped, turned to his right, held up his hands and walked through a brick wall, disappearing. I followed, bracing for impact even though I knew it was illusion.
We entered an alcove. Remembering the series of knocks Leif had used during our previous visit, I rapped on the door. If they’d changed the pattern, we might be in trouble.
A small peephole opened. “Kinda early for a visit,” a young girl said.
“It’s never too early to lend a helping hand,” I replied.
The peephole shut with a bang.
“Talk about paranoid,” Janco whispered.
Nothing happened. I resisted the urge to pound on the door with the sides of my fists. Then a metallic snap sounded and the door swung wide.
A girl no older than thirteen gestured us into a foyer. “Lovely Yelena, you honor us with your visit.” She tucked her long brown hair behind her ears. “Master Fisk has been expecting you.”
And probably wondering why we didn’t come sooner. I scanned the three rooms that branched off the foyer. On the right, the rows of bunk beds for the helpers were empty, and so was the classroom on the left. The enticing aroma of sweet cakes floated from the kitchen located straight ahead.
“Is Fisk in his office?”
“No. This is our busiest time of day and everyone is at the market helping shoppers. However, I sent Cricket to fetch him. Come and have breakfast while you wait. Amberle’s making sweet cakes.”
Another delay. I clasped my hands together to keep from shouting at the girl that we didn’t have time to eat. With my fingernails biting into my skin, I said, “We have another person outside with our horses.”
“Then I will direct him to the stable.”
Interesting that she already knew his gender.
“You have a stable in here?” Janco asked, glancing around with a sharp gaze. Probably marking all the exits.
“Not exactly. It’s on the other side of our building and is part of the White Rose Inn. However, we have an...arrangement with the proprietor of the White Rose, and there’s a convenient door into our headquarters from the stable.”
“I’d better go instead. Ari’s not gonna trust you.” Janco asked for directions.
“Tell the stable boy Hilly sent you.”
Janco nodded and left. I followed Hilly to the kitchen. It opened up into an expansive kitchen with rows of long wooden tables to the left of the hearth. Amberle waved hello with her spatula.
Hilly gestured to a table, grabbed a plate, filled it from the stack of sweet cakes next to Amberle and set it front of me. The nausea caused by the odors in the alley transformed into ravenous hunger. I thanked her and dug in as if I hadn’t seen food in days. Somewhat true. Cold road rations didn’t count as real food, and my appetite had been nonexistent between my worry for Leif and the morning sickness the medic had warned me about.
Once I stopped shoveling sweet cakes and took a breath, I realized that in spite of my concern for my brother, I must ensure the baby remained healthy by eating regularly and getting enough sleep.
By the time I’d finished my meal, Janco and Ari arrived in the kitchen from another direction.
“This place is huge.” Janco straddled a bench opposite me.
Ari sat next to me. The wood bowed under his weight and I tipped toward him.
“The horses?” I asked Ari.
“Fine.”
Hilly served them and sat down next to Janco. While they ate, I asked her why only a few remained in the building.
“Oh, there are others,” she said. Her brown eyes sparkled. “Headquarters is never empty. I’m told it’s like a hive with bees flying in and out all day.”
Janco paused. “And if you upset the hive, will you get stung?”
She grinned, showing her teeth. “Oh, yes. Many times.”
“Nice.” He scratched his ear. “But not many people can find this place. There’s magic all around the outside, but thank fate the inside is clean.”
“These are...uncertain times, Master Janco.”
He preened. “Master Janco. Did you hear that, Ari?”
Ari and I ignored him. Instead, I studied the girl. Hilly knew his name, and she was here instead of working the busy market.
“You’re one of Fisk’s information collectors. Aren’t you?” I asked.
Hilly smoothed her skirt. “I just answer the door.”
“Ha.” Janco stabbed a forkful of sweet cakes at her. “Don’t try the innocent act, kitty cat. I invented that act ages ago.”
“Too bad you never could pull it off,” Ari mumbled.
“Zip it, Ari.” And then to Hilly, “I spotted you hiding in the shadows the night we were arrested and again when we left the Citadel a few nights ago.”
She gazed at him. “You’re lying.”
“Navy blue tunic and p
ants, scuffed black boots and the handle of your dagger is patterned with stars.”
Her mouth gaped for a second, before she pressed her lips together in annoyance—a typical reaction after dealing with Janco.
“Don’t worry about it, kitty cat. You’re good—not as good as me, but no one’s perfect.” He flourished the fork before sticking it in his mouth.
“That ego is going to get you killed someday,” Ari chided.
“Pish.” Janco faced Hilly. “After we were hauled away by the Citadel’s guards, did you return to Fisk or did you wait to see if anyone else watched the spectacle?”
“What would you have done?” she asked.
“Patience isn’t my thing, but a smart spy would stick around and see who the other curious cats are.”
Ah, clever. He phrased it in a way to prod her ego into giving us information.
“I may have seen another...cat slinking away,” she said.
“Oh? Do you know who this cat belongs to?”
“It depends.”
Janco leaned forward. “Depends on what?”
“On how many coins you’re going to give me for the intel.”
“Gotcha,” Ari said.
I laughed at Janco’s sour expression. “How about two silvers for the name?” I asked.
“Six, and I’ll tell you who also watched you leave to find your brother.”
“Three.”
“Five.”
“Four.”
“Deal.” She held out her hand.
I placed four silver coins in her palm.
“The cat returned to a well-dressed man wearing a necklace with a large red jewel. The man was staying in the Council’s guest quarters. He stepped from the back entrance to talk to the cat.”
“Can you describe him?”
“It would be better for you to see him. I can tell you where to find him.”
“For a few more coins?” Janco asked.
“Of course. Feeding everyone in the guild isn’t cheap,” she snapped.
“Well, if it wasn’t for Yelena, you wouldn’t even have a guild,” he shot back.
I held up my hands. “I’m happy to pay. That’s the whole point—to provide services in exchange for payment.” I gestured, indicating the room. “So those without homes and families have food and shelter.” Smiling, I added, “I’d no idea it would expand into a guild, and, for that, you have Fisk to thank.” I handed her two more silvers.