“Ah hell.” Janco cut the ropes around his ankles, scrambled to his feet and sprinted after him.
I waited. Broken Teeth groaned, cursed and promised to kill Janco, but he didn’t chase after him and, eventually, he slumped over. Unconscious or dead, I couldn’t tell until the stench of offal reached me. Dead.
Nothing happened for a long time. Then shadows crossed the hatch and four guards descended. I laid my head back and hoped they hadn’t killed Janco. They untied me and marched me back to the main floor. Janco knelt on the ground surrounded by six guards who pointed their swords at him. Blood from a cut on his forehead spilled down his cheek. His hands were laced behind his neck.
“Sorry,” he said, looking miserable.
“You tried,” I said.
But he tilted his head to the left. Onora stood in the middle of another group of guards. Her pale face and wide eyes gave her the appearance of being nervous, but she scanned the room as if assessing weaknesses. I copied her. At least two dozen of Owen’s smugglers filled the area along with Owen, Ben and his three magician friends. Oh joy.
“Take them to the stables,” Owen ordered.
We tried to resist, but they dragged us into the daylight and to the stable. The large wooden building had two rows of stalls. But these were fully enclosed, with bars on the top half to prevent horses from jumping. Or to keep a person contained inside.
Pushed into a stall, I tumbled to the straw-coated floor. By the time I gained my feet, the door had locked shut. Janco occupied the one to my left and Onora stood in the stall to my right.
Owen consulted with Cilly and Loris.
I asked Onora, “How did they catch you?”
“Tactical error.” She paced the six-foot-square space and twisted the end of her shirt.
If she was digging for lock picks, she’d better hurry. I lowered my voice. “Did you send a message?”
“No time.”
“Couldn’t you at least lie to me?”
“Oh. Uh...I did send a message, and now the entire Ixian army is camped outside this compound.”
“You’re a lousy liar.”
“My one flaw,” she joked.
“One?” Janco choked. “I know at least a dozen. You’re terrible at avoiding capture, following orders—”
“I can say the same for you. What part of ‘wait for me before you go inside’ didn’t you understand?”
Owen interrupted them. He approached my stall as Loris stood in front of Janco’s and Cilly took up position outside Onora’s. Unease swirled. I backed away, until I hit the wall.
“Now,” Owen ordered.
I opened my mouth, but a hot knifing pain pierced my head, stripping away my resistance and willpower. It felt as if my soul was being ripped into a thousand pieces. Horror at losing myself welled and built until I could no longer stand the pressure. I screamed.
33
VALEK
Yelena’s scream stabbed right through Valek’s heart. He moved without thought. Devlen grabbed his arm, stopping him.
“Wait for it,” Devlen said.
They crouched in the woods just outside the fence. Town watchmen surrounded the complex. Captain Fleming had gone above and beyond, recruiting as many soldiers from the local towns that he could in mere hours.
When Yelena screamed again, Valek growled. “What is she waiting for?”
“The right opportunity.”
Valek had put a great deal of trust into Onora. When the assassin had volunteered to be captured, Valek initially resisted the idea. But then he agreed she had the best chance. However, now he questioned his decision.
Many agonizing minutes passed.
“There,” Devlen said. “Smoke.”
Valek whistled and the signal repeated on both sides. He waited just long enough for the message to reach all the soldiers. Then he and Devlen and the watchmen all climbed over the fence. Magic clung to the metal links. Hell.
“They know we’re coming,” he shouted to both sides.
“How?” Devlen asked as he joined him.
“Magic woven through the fence.”
“Then we better hurry.”
They raced toward the building leaking smoke. It had been a stable. Men poured out, coughing with tears running down their cheeks. The watchmen engaged them, but Valek bypassed them, slipping inside. He crouched low, staying under the cloud. Glass shards from Onora’s smoke bombs crunched under his boots.
Through the gray haze, he spotted Onora and Janco fighting a trio of guards.
“Where’s Yelena?” Valek asked.
“Owen has her,” Janco shouted. “They disappeared. That way.” He pointed right as he ducked under an opponent’s sword.
“Owen?”
“Ben’s not-so-dead brother.”
He’d think about Owen’s rise from the dead later. Yelena first. Valek followed Janco’s directions. At the end of the row of stalls was a corridor. The smoke thinned as he ghosted down the hall and into a training ring.
Owen pulled a hatch open in the center. Yelena lay nearby. She pressed her hands to her head and moaned in pain.
Valek drew his knives and ran toward them. Owen spotted the movement and Valek slammed into an invisible wall. The impact dazed him for a second. A null shield blocked him. Magic couldn’t pierce it, but objects could. He flipped his weapons, grabbing the blades, and aimed at Owen. The shield tightened and knocked into his hands just as he threw the weapons. They missed. One struck the soft dirt near Yelena and the other sailed past. The shield pressed around him, trapping his arms.
“Wow,” Owen said. “It’s true. The infamous Valek can be stopped by a simple null shield. That information was worth every gold coin I spent for it.” He glanced at Yelena. “I planned to use her as a hostage, but she’ll only slow me down.” Owen knelt next to her. “I’ll just finish what I started.” Touching her forehead with two fingers, he closed his eyes.
Yelena jerked. In a panic, Valek struggled against the invisible force wrapped around him, but it didn’t budge. Without her magic, she wouldn’t survive. That word, survive, sparked a memory. She’d survived before back when she didn’t know she had power.
Valek yelled, “Fight him. Come on, Yelena. You don’t need magic. You survived Mogkan and Reyad. Come on. Fight. Survive!”
34
YELENA
I’d been torn apart. Pieces of me littered the ground. I felt like a stuffed toy whose stuffing had been ripped out. Owen dug for more. The sharp pain gouged and it hurt to form a thought. Mindless, I burrowed deeper into the tiny bit left, but it crumbled and soon nothing of me would remain.
Valek’s strident voice cut through my haze of pain. I didn’t understand all the words, but his emotions flowed into me like pure energy. And one word burned brighter. Survive. I could do that. I’d done it many times before.
Concentrating on the image of me as an empty toy, I gathered the clumps and crammed them into my mind, body and soul. Owen worked to drag them away, but I collected them just as fast. Survive. All I needed to do was survive. He’d get tired eventually, while Valek’s encouragement strengthened my efforts.
The attack increased in intensity, but I persisted, harvesting the pieces of me. My skull ached, and pain seared my skin and burned my muscles. Memories of the agony I suffered when I’d crossed into the fire world surfaced. I’d survived that without the help of my magic. Other recollections of survival rose unbidden. I’d endured Mogkan’s torture and lived through Reyad’s assault.
Owen yelled and power slammed into me. White light sparked behind my eyelids as pain exploded inside my head. I kept a tight grip on all I’d worked so hard to collect.
Another bolt of agony sliced through me. I fought to remain awake and teetered on the edge, enduring, su
rviving until the attack stopped. A cool hand touched my hot skin. Safe. I relaxed, letting a blackness wash over me.
* * *
I woke to a soft voice and a touch on my cheek. Opening my eyes required effort since my lids weighed a hundred pounds each. The lantern light seemed overly bright, but I squinted and my exertions were rewarded with a wonderful sight. Valek.
He sat on the edge of my bed, holding my hand and stroking my face with his fingers. The small room gave no clues as to where we were. But I didn’t really care at this point.
His worried expression disappeared into a smile. “How are you feeling?”
“Like a chew toy for a pack of snow cats.” My voice rasped and my throat burned with thirst.
Valek let go and I mewled like a kitten.
“I’m not leaving, love. Here.” He handed me a glass filled with a yellowish-colored liquid with bits of green floating in it. “Drink it all.”
Raising the glass up to my lips required too much energy. “Is this one of Leif’s concoctions?”
“Yes.” Valek supported me and guided my hand.
I gulped the lukewarm drink. It tasted like honey grass. “Is he here? And where are we exactly?”
“He’s here. Along with Opal and another magician. They arrived a couple hours after the ruckus and have been helping with the cleanup. We are in a bedroom of the compound’s farmhouse.”
I finished the potion despite the bits of green clinging to my teeth. Leif’s restoratives might not taste good, but they worked. “I’m still mad at them. Leif especially.”
“I’m grateful Leif’s here. Besides the drinks, he aided in your mental recovery. Owen had done considerable damage.” All softness left Valek’s face. “When I catch up to him, I’m going to personally ensure he stays dead.”
Not good. “He escaped?”
“Yes. He dropped down through the hatch and secured it on the inside. It led to a tunnel. By the time we broke in, he was long gone.”
“Did you know he was still alive?”
“No, love. The Commander hadn’t confided in me about him, the Curare or Maren’s involvement.”
“Perhaps he thought you’d tell me. It’s a game changer.”
“Perhaps.” Valek didn’t appear convinced.
“What are you going to do?”
Pain and betrayal creased his expression and he suddenly appeared to be exhausted. “I need to talk to him. Find out why he’s keeping things from me and determine if he still trusts me.”
I squeezed his hand. It would be a difficult conversation. “What about the others? Did anyone else escape?”
“We caught Loris, Cilly and Ben Moon. The others got away. I promise Ben won’t live for long.”
“Don’t kill him. We can use him as bait. Owen rescued him before and may again.”
“You sound just like the others.”
Which reminded me. “How are Janco and Onora doing?”
“They’re bickering like brother and sister.”
In other words, fine. “Reema and Devlen?”
“Devlen is coordinating with the authorities. Reema is safe in Ixia with Ari. And before you ask, Kiki is impatiently waiting for you in the local inn’s stable.”
Good. I told Valek about Owen’s confidence regarding the Commander’s continuing support. “Maybe something growing in the hothouse.”
“Leif’s already compiling an inventory of the plants.”
And what he couldn’t identify, our father would know. “There might be more of those hothouses in Sitia. This isn’t the end.”
“It never is.”
Depressing but true. “I’m sorry.”
“Nothing you can do about it. It’s the way of the world.”
“No. I’m sorry for not telling you about...you know. I didn’t want to worry you.”
Valek pulled the glass from my grip, set it on the table, then took both my hands in his. “When we’re apart, I worry about you. Even when I know you’re fine and doing some boring research for Bain or visiting your parents, I worry. Even though you are more than capable of taking care of yourself, I worry.”
“I was capable.”
“You still are. Owen couldn’t break you.”
“If it wasn’t for you, he would have. Your voice gave me the strength.”
“You used your own strength. I just reminded you that it was already within you.”
I didn’t know if I agreed with him or not. “Then it’s a good thing you showed up in time. How did you find us?”
“Later. You need your rest.”
He leaned in and kissed me lightly on the lips then tried to let go of my hands.
I wouldn’t release him. “Stay.”
“All right.”
I scooched over, making room on the bed. Valek kicked off his boots, removed a number of weapons and then stretched next to me. I snuggled against him, breathing in his scent. Safe and warm. My eyes drifted shut.
“Yelena?”
“Hmm?”
“I’d like you to stay with me while we figure out how to unblock your magic. We’re stronger together.”
“All right.”
He laughed. “I thought I’d have more of a fight.”
“I’m too tired to argue.”
“Then I should take advantage of the situation.”
I cracked one eye open. “And?”
“I’d like you to stay with me forever.”
My heart jolted with surprise. Wide-awake, I pushed up to my elbow. “Is that a proposal?” I demanded.
“Uh...no. Not at all. Because that would be very unromantic.”
“Right.”
“Guess I should find a better time and place?”
“There’s no guessing about it.”
* * *
The smell of wet dog intruded on my dreams. They weren’t the best dreams, but far better than the stink of damp puppy.
“Go away,” I said without opening my eyes.
“No,” Leif said.
An image of him crossing his arms and setting his square jaw formed in my mind. It’d be easier to get rid of a splinter driven deep under my skin than my brother. I opened my eyes. Sure enough, that Zaltana stubbornness stiffened his posture. He held a cup of steaming liquid—wet-dog tea.
“If that’s your idea of a peace offering, then I’m going to declare war,” I said.
“Valek has charged me with your care. Since you haven’t been eating, you need to drink this to regain your strength.” He handed it to me.
It had been a couple of days since I last woke, but my body still ached, I had no energy and my stomach remained unsettled. The encounter with Owen had left me feeling raw and exposed. Even the blankets chafed against my skin. Sunlight reflected off the window’s glass.
I sipped the tea. It tasted better than it smelled. “Happy? Now go away.”
Leif stayed by my bed. “Yelena, how many times do I need to apologize? I was following orders and you were going to put yourself in harm’s way.”
“That’s what I do. It’s my job so others like Reema are safe.”
“I agree. Except now you need to be more cautious and have backup.”
I changed the subject and asked about the plants in the hothouse.
“The ones I recognized all have medicinal applications, but there’re a few that I can’t identify. Father’s coming to help.”
“Are any of them like Curare, with extraordinary properties?”
“Valek asked about that, too. They’re good for fevers and coughs and constipation. Nothing significant. Maybe our father will discover what Owen was talking about.”
“Can you ask him about my problem? He might know if a poison caused it.”
<
br /> “Does this mean you forgive me?”
I huffed. “Oh, all right, but only because you’re my brother.”
“Gee, Yelena, don’t get all mushy on me.”
“You’ll talk to Father?”
“Of course. Now finish your tea.”
Holding my breath, I managed another swallow. “How did you know we were here?”
Leif plopped into the chair next to my bed. “After realizing we’d been duped, we trudged back to Fulgor with our tails between our legs. Captain Alden pounced as soon as we arrived, and Hale and I hightailed it back to the Second Chance Inn. I talked to the staff, visited the Clever Fox stables and followed your scent.”
“My scent?”
“It’s hard for me to explain as it’s not really a smell, but rather a primal certainty that you went in a certain direction. Plus Rusalka and Garnet acted as if they knew where they were going. Opal said the Sandseed horses think of us as part of their herd, and they’re very protective of the members of their herd.”
Leif chatted until I finished my tea. My stomach growled with hunger for the first time in days. My brother jumped to his feet and hurried to fetch me a bowl of soup.
Janco arrived with the promised bowl.
“I see your talents are being put to good use,” I teased.
“Real funny.” He handed it to me.
I sniffed it. Chicken noodle. Yum.
Janco settled into the chair. “You look better. When Valek carried you up here, I’d thought I’d have to get a shovel and start digging.”
“Thanks, I think. How about you? How’re the ribs?”
“Tender.”
“And your head?”
He scowled. “Other than feeling like my brain has been sliced and diced, fed to a cat and horked out along with a giant hair ball, I’m peachy.”
“So back to normal?”
“Normal? I think I’ve lost track of what normal feels like. Do you know what I want for my birthday?”
“For magic to disappear forever?”
“You know me so well.”
“You may have your wish. Whatever is blocking my magic might be the next weapon against magicians. In the hands of the wrong people, they could make magic disappear forever.”