Night Study

Valek banished all his crazy thoughts with effort. Yelena needed to be a part of this discussion. And he needed to confirm a suspicion.

When he’d finished gathering supplies, he searched for Onora. She had offered to get the horses ready. Leaning on the side of the stable, Valek studied Onora as she groomed Onyx. The black horse allowed her to inspect the underside of his hooves, lifting each in turn. Kiki and The Madam grazed nearby in the farm’s pasture. Their coats gleamed. In order for each member of their traveling party to have a mount, Onora had picked a chestnut-colored Thoroughbred from those Owen had left behind. The gelding displayed a gentle manner and appeared to be strong and healthy. Valek approved of her choice.

Just about everything was ready for their trip east. They would leave at dawn and set a fast pace to catch up to his operatives already in the field. The Commander wouldn’t be happy about the delay. Valek straightened as anger rolled through him. If the Commander had confided in him, this entire fiasco would never have happened, and Yelena wouldn’t have been in danger. Instead the Commander chose to reveal his plans only to Onora, the twenty-year-old assassin whose sole desire was to take Valek’s place.

At this point in time, Valek would be happy to give it to her. The Commander has been using her to test Valek’s loyalty for the past month. First by attacking Yelena, to determine if Valek would disobey a direct order, and then with a fake assassination attempt on the Commander. Tiresome, to say the least. Then the Commander assigned him the task of shutting down a new smuggling route into Ixia without informing him of crucial details...

Valek drew in a deep breath to calm the rising fury. No need to waste the energy now. He planned to confront the Commander on his return. In the meantime, he needed to clarify one vital detail with, as Janco liked to call her, Little Miss Assassin.

Onora glanced up as he approached. She continued to comb Onyx’s tail, but a wariness crept into her gray eyes despite her attempts to neutralize her expression. Barefoot even in the cold air, Onora had pulled her long brown hair away from her narrow face. A pretty girl and almost unflappable, it was difficult to discern Onora’s thoughts.

“The horses are almost ready.” She pointed to Kiki. “She won’t let me put shoes on her.”

Her horse knowledge must be considerable if Onora felt comfortable enough to shoe a horse. “Kiki’s a Sandseed horse—they dislike shoes,” Valek said.

“Yeah, she made that quite clear.” Onora pushed up the sleeve on her right arm, revealing a bright red, horse-teeth-shaped bruise.

Valek suppressed a smile. “That’s not for the shoes. Sandseed horses also have a keen sense of smell. That bite is for shooting Yelena with an arrow. Be glad she didn’t decide to kick the side of your head in, as well.”

Kiki snorted as if in agreement. Onora shifted away from Onyx’s hindquarters. She tensed, probably sensing from Valek’s tone that he wasn’t there to talk about horses. The young assassin had helped rescue Yelena and Janco from Owen, which weighed in her favor, and she had been acting on the Commander’s orders when she shot his heart mate. Valek, more than anyone else, understood the advantages and disadvantages of being loyal to the Commander. However, he suspected Onora had lied to him about a few details.

Valek strode right up to her. “The Commander didn’t give you that arrow, did he?”

Dropping the comb, she reached for her knives, but Valek already had his pressed to her throat. She froze. Smart girl.

“You filled the arrow with starlight, hoping Yelena would become pregnant, hoping I’d be happy to retire from my position to raise a family.”

Onora didn’t deny it.

“Are you that hungry for my job?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Show me.”

She hesitated.

“Show me or I’ll slice your tunic open.”

Giving him a nasty glare, she yanked down the collar of her shirt. A purple C-shaped scar marked her chest. From his own experience with scars, he calculated that it’d been done approximately six months ago. Probably when she first started working for the Commander. Emotions boiled in his stomach. Betrayal and relief dominated. Betrayal over the Commander marking another without discussing it with Valek or even informing him. Relief that he no longer needed to fear for the Commander’s safety whenever Onora was near him, because she had given her life and loyalty to the Commander.

Onora braced for his reaction.

“That scar won’t protect you from me. Don’t lie to me again. Understand?” he asked.

“Yes.”

He pressed harder. Blood welled under the sharp blade.

“Yes, sir,” she said.

“Hey! What’s going on?” Leif asked.

In one quick motion, Valek sheathed his knife and stepped away from Onora. Leif, Devlen and Yelena hurried to join them. Color had returned to Yelena’s cheeks. It was much better than the deathly paleness that had clung to her skin over the past few days. Of course, it would be even better if she wasn’t staring daggers at him. Probably not a good time to inform her that the Commander and Onora had plotted against her.

“Haven’t you assassinated enough people today?” Leif glared at him, then yanked out a handkerchief to dab at the blood on Onora’s throat. “It looks shallow, but I should put a poultice on it just in case.”

Onora shooed him off. “I’m fine.”

Uncertain about what had caused all this hostility, Valek mulled over Leif’s question. “Who died?”

“Oh, come on. Don’t play the innocent, Mr. Assassin,” Leif said. “I get that you’re all protective of my sister and think anyone who hurts her should die. But they had vital information that could have led us to Owen, you idiot!”

Ah. “All three?”

Leif opened his mouth, but Yelena stopped him. “Yes, Ben, Loris and Cilly.”

While not in the least bit upset over their deaths, Valek did regret not having more time to “talk” with them. He’d used goo-goo juice on Ben to learn the location of the escape tunnel’s exit point, but by the time he’d returned from his failed attempt to track Owen, the Sitian authorities had arrived.

Valek suppressed the urge to glance at Onora. Was she responsible? And, if so, was she acting on her own or following the Commander’s orders? Now was not the time to ask. “How were they killed?” he asked Leif instead.

Leif huffed in annoyance, but Devlen said, “Puncture wound to the jugular. They died of rapid blood loss.”

Yelena touched her neck—a gesture her mother often used when feeling anxious or vulnerable.

None of the assassins he knew killed that way. “Sound familiar?” he asked Yelena.

“When The Mosquito attacked me, he aimed an ice pick at my neck. If he’d succeeded, I probably would have died the same way,” she said.

Valek vowed to find the assassin and squash him. But first... “Didn’t Bruns Jewelrose hire him to target you?” Another whom Valek needed to have a little chat with—he planned to let the sharp point of his knife do all the talking in that conversation.

Her hand remained around her throat. “Yes. Do you think Bruns sent him after the magicians? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“You’re right, it doesn’t. And an assassin rarely works for one client. Owen has the most to lose if they talked to the Council. Plus, he has the money to hire The Mosquito,” Valek speculated.

“He wouldn’t kill his own brother,” Leif said. “He rescued Ben from Wirral Prison.”

“Which alerted the authorities,” Valek said.

“Who would have lost him if Ben had not gone after Yelena,” Devlen added.

“Brothers,” Yelena said, gazing at Leif pointedly, “can be troublesome and have the tendency to jump to conclusions. You need to apologize to Valek.”

Leif crossed his arms as two red splotches spread on his cheeks. “It wasn’t a jump. It was a perfectly reasonable assumption. One you made, too.”

“I suspected Valek, as well,” Devlen said. He towered about six inches over Leif, and his blue-eyed gaze held contrition.

“No need for apologies.” Valek considered. “I don’t suppose they would let me examine the crime scene?”

“That would be...unwise at this time,” Devlen said. “They would not even let me near it or the bodies.”

Which meant Captain Fleming suspected Valek and would probably report his suspicions to the Council. “Should we leave tonight?”

“No,” Yelena said. “By the time they make a decision, we’ll be in Ixia.” Her matter-of-fact tone belied her heated gaze. She hadn’t forgotten his promise.

Warmth spread throughout his chest. He’d risk being arrested for a night alone with Yelena. Hell, he’d risk his life. Once they left in the morning, there would be no privacy on the road.

Yet there was no sense in taking an unnecessary risk. Setting a watch tonight would provide Valek with ample time to escape should the captain decide to arrest him. “All right, we’ll proceed as planned. Onora, where’s Janco? I thought he was helping you with the horses.”

She gestured to a two-story barn to the left. “He’s pouting.”

Should he even bother to ask?

Yelena did. “About what?” She fed an apple to Kiki, who cleaved the fruit in half with one bite.

Onora rubbed her right arm as she watched Kiki chew. “He wanted to name the horse we’re taking with us ‘Beach Bunny,’ after some stuffed rabbit he had growing up, and I said it was a stupid name for a horse. Then he claimed, if it was his horse, he could name it anything he wanted, and I said he should ride The Madam because she’s the easiest to handle, and—”

“You offended his pride and he stalked away in a huff,” Yelena finished.

“Yup.”

As Yelena scratched Kiki in all her favorite spots, Valek gestured for Onora to follow him to the barn. He stopped outside the oversize doors that had been painted green with white trim.

“Tell Janco to set up a watch schedule for tonight. I’ll take the last shift,” he said.

“Should he include Yelena?”

“No. She needs her rest.”

Onora bit her lip, clamping down on the question dancing behind her eyes—was Yelena with child? Valek walked away without answering. It was too soon to tell, and, as far as he was concerned, Onora would be the last to know. Though a part of him was impressed by the twenty-year-old’s ambition and cunning, he also wished to throttle her. But the Commander had chosen her as Valek’s successor. And now it was up to Valek to decide if he agreed.

* * *

Valek rattled the doorknob so he wouldn’t scare Yelena. She lay in bed reading, but she glanced up from her book when he entered. He recognized it as the plant guide her father had given her.

“What took you so long?” she asked, setting the book on the night table with a thump. The low flame in the lantern jumped.

He’d been checking the perimeter, confirming the gates had all been locked and the buildings secured while Janco did a sweep of the surrounding forest. “Ensuring Captain Fleming isn’t at the gate with an arrest warrant.”

“Good.” She peeled back the covers, exposing her naked body. “Join me.”

His heart thudded so hard he feared his sternum would crack in two. Breathing became difficult, and the desire to rip the rest of the blanket off and press her to him trembled through his body. Yet he remained rooted in place. She needed to know about the starlight and Onora.

“What’s wrong?”

“I need to tell you—”

“Is it important?”

“Yes.”

Yelena pulled the blanket up, covering herself. “All right, tell me.”

He kicked off his boots and lay down next to her. She scooted closer and rested her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her. Valek informed her of Onora’s nasty little trick.

“I’m going to wring her neck,” Yelena muttered after he’d finished.

“You can try. I doubt you’d get close to her.”

“Is that why you had the knife at Onora’s throat?”

“Yes. She needed to understand that will be the last time she lies to me. And I needed to remind her who is in charge.”

“Until the Commander says otherwise.”

“True.”

“And will you take orders from her?”

“No. By that time, I suspect I’ll be taking orders from another woman.”

Yelena lifted her head from his chest and met his gaze. “Is that so? What type of orders?”

“You have a dirty mind, love. I’m thinking of orders to change a diaper or rock a baby to sleep. Things like that.”

“Not near as exciting as assassinating a criminal.”

“Not as dangerous, either. Besides, I think the teen years could be quite exciting. No one is going to mess with my son or daughter.”

She laughed. “You can’t assassinate bullies or boys who kiss your daughter.”

“Pity.”

A brief smile flashed, then she grew contemplative. “Since I was hit with starlight, that increases the possibility I’m pregnant. What will we do?”

“I expect we’ll do what most people do in that situation—become a family.”

“Easier said than done.”

“We’ll figure this out—I promise.” He pulled her tight against him.

She snuggled in and fell asleep. Valek took comfort in the steady rise and fall of her chest, but far too soon, it was his turn on watch. He slipped from her embrace, pulled his boots on and searched for Janco.

A half-moon cast enough light to avoid tripping and walking into tree trunks. Valek found Janco near the glass house. Condensation misted the outside panels of the structure. Inside, coals burned to keep it warm, and the pans of water added moisture to the air. Leif had been maintaining the equipment in order to keep the plants alive until his father arrived. The whole idea of the house and growing Curare far from the jungle was genius. He wondered if Owen had the original notion, or if the Commander had speculated about the possibility and sent Owen to put it all together.

“Any trouble?” Valek asked.

Janco rubbed the scar where the bottom half of his right ear should be. “Just thinking.”

“That could be dangerous.”

“Ha, ha. Not funny. What I’m wondering is, if all those plants inside came from the Illiais Jungle, then who brought them here?”

“Owen has been working on this for over three years.”

“Yeah, I get that. But wouldn’t the Zaltana Clan know strangers were digging around their jungle? Doesn’t the Curare vine only grow in a certain section? And isn’t Yelena’s father the only producer of the stuff?” Janco tapped on the glass. “These are far from seedlings. And then I’m thinking, how many people have enough knowledge of all these plants? Can’t be many outside the jungle.”

All excellent points. Valek considered. “Tyen Cowan might have the knowledge, depending on where he grew up.” The jungle bordered the southeastern and southern sections of the Cowan Clan’s lands.

“Or a Zaltana was working with Owen.”

Deceit and betrayal were all part of his job; however, Valek had a difficult time believing that one of Yelena’s clan members would cooperate with Owen or be involved in illegal activities. Unless they’d been tricked. “Before we leave, we’ll ask Leif to look into it. If Leif finds the expert, he or she could lead him to where the other hothouses are located.”

Janco flashed him a bright smile. “See? I have good ideas, too.”

“I never said you didn’t.”

“But you never said I did.”

“I don’t have to. You’re very good at self-congratulation,” Valek said.

“I am?”

“Yes.”

Janco preened.

“Go get some sleep,” Valek said. “It’ll be dawn in a couple hours.”

At the mention of dawn, Janco’s shoulders drooped. “You know, midafternoon is a perfectly respectable time to leave,” he grumbled as he headed back to the house.

Valek looped around the complex, testing locks and seeking signs of a disturbance. Satisfied that all appeared secured, he stopped at the stables. Both Kiki and Rusalka, Leif’s horse, snoozed in their stalls unperturbed. He’d learned to trust the Sandseed horses. If a strange scent tainted the air, they’d be agitated.

When the sky lightened, he returned to the house. The smell of sizzling bacon reached him. He followed the wonderful scent to the kitchen. Leif filled plates with sweet cakes, bacon, eggs and toast. Everyone was awake and sitting at the table.

Happy to see Yelena tucking into a heaping portion in front of her, Valek joined them, letting the conversation flow over him.

“I’d wake up every morning at dawn if I knew this was waiting for me,” Janco said, helping himself to another stack of sweet cakes. His salt-and-pepper-colored goatee was sticky with syrup.

“You’re going to make yourself sick,” Yelena teased.

“Not possible.”

“Enjoy it,” Leif said. “Tomorrow you’re all going to be eating dried jerky, stale bread and hard cheese.”

Janco groaned. “Nasty, Leif.”

“I’m sure we’ll be stopping at a few inns. Right?” Yelena asked Valek.

“We’ll see.”

“That’s Valek speak for ‘no way in hell.’” Janco stole a slice of bacon from her plate.

She stabbed him with her fork.

“Owww.”

Valek turned to Leif and asked him about other jungle experts.

Leif chewed his food while he thought. “I’ll ask my father. Compared to the rest of Sitia, most of the Zaltanas are experts. However, in order to transport plants, you need a higher level of knowledge.” He tapped a fork on the table. “And, thinking about it...some of those unfamiliar plants might be crossbreeds.” Leif tossed the silverware in disgust. “Of course, that’s why I couldn’t identify them!”

“Crossbreeds?”

“When you graft one plant onto the other and create a new type of plant. And that’s an even rarer specialty.” Leif sobered.

“How rare?”

The mulish set to Leif’s jaw meant he wouldn’t answer without more prompting. “How many people can do it?” Valek asked.

“A few,” Leif hedged.

“Two,” Yelena said.

Leif shot her a nasty look.

“Do you know their names?” he asked.

“Our cousin Nutty Palm Zaltana, and our Councilman, Bavol Cacao Zaltana.”

3

LEIF

Anger boiled. Leif shot from his chair. “There’s no way either of them is involved with Owen!”

“Probably not directly,” Yelena, his traitor of a sister, said.

“Not at all. They both know how dangerous Curare is.” And Leif wasn’t going to let anyone cast suspicion on them.

“All right, then prove it,” Valek said. “Rule them out of the equation and we’ll look elsewhere.”

Except all the experts were fellow Zaltanas. His appetite gone, Leif pushed his plate away.

Janco chimed in between spoonfuls of eggs. “It should be easy to do with your lie-detecting mojo.”

A queasy expression pinched Yelena’s face. “He can’t use it unless he has reason to believe they’ve committed a crime. It violates the Magician’s Ethical Code.”

“They follow a code of ethics?” Janco asked in surprise.

“You should know about it,” Yelena said.

“Oh, I know about it. I just figured they all ignored it.”

“Because, according to you, they’re all evil and corrupt?”

“Not all. There are a couple exceptions.” Janco inclined his head, indicating her and Leif. “I assumed they ignored it because it’s what I’d do if I had magic.”

“How do you know you don’t have magic?” Onora asked, speaking for the first time that morning.

“I don’t have magic.” Janco huffed.

“But you can sense it.”

“And you can sense the cold air, but that doesn’t make you a snowman...er...woman.”

As they argued over the definition of a magician, Leif collected the empty plates, stacking them in the sink. The thought of interrogating his family sat heavily in his stomach. Maybe a casual visit would work. But then his certainty of Bavol’s innocence faded. He remembered how Bavol had dodged their questions when he and Yelena had visited. The man had lied to them, but at the time, Leif had thought it was regarding the Council’s knowledge of Yelena’s blocked magic.

After everyone finished eating, Leif followed them to the stables. The sun poked from the horizon. Cold air bit through his tunic. He handed Yelena a pouch full of herbal medicines with instructions on how to use them.

She raised an eyebrow at the unexpected weight.

“Just in case you run into trouble,” he said.

“I’m traveling with two assassins and a master swordsman. How much trouble do you think we’ll get in?”

He gave her a flat look.

“Yeah, okay.” She hefted the pouch. “Feels about right.” Yelena opened it. “Did you include the ginger tea that helps with nausea?”

“There are a few bags. Why? Are you still feeling sick?”

“Oh, no. Not at all.” She tucked the medicines in her saddlebag.

The faint scent of licorice swirled around her. His magic mojo—as Janco called it—sensed she was hiding something. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’m healthy.”

The sweet smell of truth. “Good. Although you might need that tea after it’s Janco’s turn to cook.”

“I heard that,” Janco called. He swung up into Beach Bunny’s saddle and shot Onora a triumphant expression.

The quiet woman merely ignored Janco’s posturing as she saddled The Madam. Kiki stood head to head with Rusalka, who remained in her stall. Her body language made it quite clear she wanted to go with Kiki and the others. Leif stroked her neck and fed her a peppermint.

Just before the group departed, Leif hugged his sister and made her promise to be careful.

“I will if you will,” Yelena said. “If you discover Owen’s hiding place, don’t go after him with just Devlen for backup. Take Irys and at least another magician with you and about a half-dozen soldiers. Promise?” When he hesitated, she added, “If not for me, then do it for Mara.”

Ah, hell. The thought of upsetting Mara always hurt him deep down. And if anything happened to Devlen, their brother-in-law, she’d be doubly upset. Not to mention how devastated Devlen’s wife, Opal, and his children would be. “All right. All right. I promise.”

“Good. Keep me updated on your progress.”

“I will if you will,” he said.

“It’s a deal.” She mounted Kiki.

Leif turned and met Valek’s gaze. The infamous assassin had been his best man at his wedding, but Leif still didn’t know him all that well. However, he would never question Valek’s desire to keep Yelena safe. As if reading his thoughts, Valek nodded at him before spurring Onyx toward the main gate.

He watched the four of them leave. An unsettled feeling swirled in his stomach. Every time he and Yelena parted, one painful memory from his childhood always darkened his thoughts—the time he’d witnessed Yelena’s kidnapping and done nothing to help. Each time she left him, he relived his shame and guilt. Fourteen years later, she’d returned and eventually forgave him. But though he’d only been a terrified eight-year-old at the time, he could never fully forgive himself. Instead, he’d made an uneasy peace with his actions. And he accepted that every time she left him, he’d worry that he’d never see her again.

“The horses need to be fed,” Devlen said, bringing Leif back to the present.

Devlen mucked out the now-empty stalls. Aside from Rusalka, two other horses remained behind. One for Devlen to use, and the other would be given to the Clever Fox stables as a replacement for The Madam. The unflappable horse was now a member of their herd.

As Leif filled the buckets with grain, Devlen brought fresh water, and together they finished cleaning the rest of the stalls. Valek had invited Devlen to travel with them and eventually join Reema in the Commander’s castle, but he’d declined, claiming he’d be more useful aiding Leif with the investigation.

“What is next?” Devlen asked.

“I need to check on the coals in the hothouse.” And look for signs indicating crossbreeding to determine the purpose of the unknown plants. They had to have a purpose; otherwise, why take up space that could be used to grow more Curare vines? The factory in Lapeer that they’d shut down had the capacity to process twenty times the number of vines that grew in this one house.