Power Study (Poison Study 3.50)

CHAPTER ONE

“Holy snow cats! Will ya look at the crowd.” Janco whistled in amazement.

Although Janco had the annoying tendency to exaggerate, Ari agreed with his partner. “Must be a record.”

“They must think we’ll be easier to beat.” Janco touched the scar where the lower half of his right ear used to be.

Ari recognized Janco’s nervous gesture. He’d seen it a thousand times. “No worries. Take a closer look.” From where they stood next to the castle, they could see the training yard was filled with soldiers practicing with swords and knives and bow staffs. “Greenies mostly. A few veterans, but nobody you can’t handle. Well…” Ari eyed Captain Francesca. She was deadly with a knife.

“You call that a pep talk?” Janco grumbled. “Why are we here anyway? This isn’t our job. It’s Valek’s.”

Valek was the chief of security for the vast intelligence network of the Territory of Ixia and the Commander’s right hand man. He had made a challenge to all the soldiers in the Commander’s Army: beat Valek in a fight with the weapon of your choice and win the right to be Valek’s second. Ari and Janco had teamed up with Maren and the three of them had bested Valek. Janco had found the loophole and Valek agreed the trio could be his seconds. For now. If another trio formed, then the new group would have to win a fight against Ari, Janco and Maren together.

Ari and Janco strode into the yard. Maren was already warming up. Her blond ponytail flashed in the morning sunlight as she practiced a bow kata. She twirled the five foot wooden bow staff with lethal accuracy.

“Consider it an honor,” Ari said. “We get to weed out the greenies. Anyone who beats one of us wins the right to face Valek.” He knew he had said the right thing when a determined glint shone in Janco’s eyes.

Janco smiled with a predatory grin. “If anyone beats us. And I’m feeling disinclined to allow that to happen.”

The names of all the hopefuls were put into a bucket. Ari, Janco and Maren each picked a name and the matches began.

Those who faced Ari soon realized that, despite his large muscular size, he was quick with his broadsword. Able to hold the sword in his right hand and use his left for punching, he dispatched his first two opponents without breaking a sweat.

The third man chose the bow staff as his weapon so Ari’s next fight lasted a bit longer. Not as adept with wielding a staff, he always worried he would break the bow into splinters.

“A block, a dodge, a spin. Come on, do you want to win?” Janco’s voice sang out over the din of shouts and clashes of steel.

Ari smiled. His partner liked to sing rhymes during a fight to keep his rhythm and to unnerve his opponent. It reminded Ari to pace his bow attacks, luring his attacker into a cadence. Temple strike, rib strike, temple, rib, temple, rib. Then a feint to the temple and blow to the exposed ribs. The young man went down as his air whooshed from his lungs.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Ari chugged a glass of water and picked the name of his next opponent from the bucket. The morning flew by in a series of matches. Each one unique, but all ending in defeat. Ari was pleased with his skills, but vowed to work on his bow katas.

When all the soldiers had a chance to fight, Ari, Janco and Maren compared notes.

Janco tried to bandage a nasty gash on his right forearm. “Francesca is the only one who got past my defenses,” he said. “She’s awesome with a knife. Valek will have a decent match against her.”

Maren pulled the bandage from Janco. “You’re making a mess. Let me.” Her long fingers deftly wrapped his arm. “I lost one sword match to Rye.”

“The greenie?” Incredulity laced Janco’s voice. “Did he compliment your hair or something? I know he’s good looking, but—Ow! That hurts.”

Maren finished tying Janco’s bandage with vicious delight. Ari listened to them bicker. Just like old times, he thought. Back when they had met in a storage room and practiced bow fighting with Yelena. Since earning their new positions, Ari hardly saw Maren. And he and Janco were often sent on separate missions. He didn’t like it. They were stronger together than apart.

The subject of Maren and Janco’s argument interrupted them. “When do I fight Valek?” Rye asked.

“Anxious to lose?” Janco asked. “He won’t be as easy to beat as our creampuff—Ow!”

By the murderous expression on Maren’s face, Ari would bet a month’s wages on her challenging Janco to a match and dumping him into a large mud hole. Before they could erupt into another argument, he said to Rye, “Valek is on a mission right now. You can face him when he returns.”

“When?” Rye asked.

“That’s when, sir.” Janco corrected. “Besides being none of your business, I don’t like your attitude. Maybe you should fight us first.”

“Anytime, sir.” Rye flipped him a salute.

Ari put a warning hand on his partner’s arm. “Cocky and insubordinate. Sound like anyone you know?” Janco huffed but kept his mouth shut. Good.

Ari studied the young man. He had a lean muscular build and was a few inches taller than Janco. A serious intensity radiated from his blue eyes and his dark hair and tanned skin tone suggested he was from one of the southern Military Districts.

“Valek will find you when he returns,” Ari said. “In the meantime, I recommend you practice as much as you can. Valek favors the broadsword. What’s your weapon?”

Rye pulled a long scimitar from his scabbard. Ari exchanged a glance with Janco. The scimitar was a Sitian weapon. No one in Ixia used that sword.

CHAPTER TWO

The young pup named Rye flashed his Sitian weapon. Wonderful. Janco loved surprises. Although he wasn’t too keen on countering a scimitar, he understood how Rye had gotten through Maren’s defenses. Sword fighting wasn’t her forte, and the scimitar’s long curved blade reached beyond her ability.

Janco rubbed his bandaged arm, debating if he should challenge Rye to a duel. Francesca’s nasty little scratch still throbbed, and he vowed to sharpen his knife fighting skills. Chuckling at his own pun, he sobered when Ari shot him an annoyed frown.

“Where did you get your weapon?” Ari asked Rye.

The greenie glanced around the training yard. Most of the soldiers had dispersed, and the sun hovered on the horizon. Maren leaned on her bow staff, listening to them.

“My mother gave it to me. She said it was a family heirloom,” Rye said.

“Family, eh?” Janco scratched the scar below what remained of his right ear. Whenever something didn’t sound right or feel right, the spot would tweak with pain as if jabbed with a needle.

“Do you even know what it is?” The young man’s tone bordered on snide.

“Course. I’m the only Ixian who’s fought against one.”

“The only Ixian, Janco?” Ari asked.

“Yeah. You can’t call hacking at a scimitar with your broadsword fighting. Face it, Ari you have no finesse.”

His partner sighed, but refused to counter. No fun. Janco enjoyed goading Ari into a verbal bout, and loved provoking him into a real fight. Ari was the best opponent around besides Maren.

Rye failed to be impressed by Janco’s claims. “Since I’ve been assigned to the Commander’s garrison, more than thirty soldiers have faced this weapon and lost.”

That did it. Janco pulled his sword. “Come on puppy dog; show me what you can do.”

Much to his chagrin, Rye could do quite a bit. The greenie launched into the match without hesitation, forcing Janco to back peddle and counter Rye’s initial strikes.

The clang and ring of swords vibrated through the air. Janco moved to an internal cadence, testing the youth’s skills.

“He’s green and

likes to preen.” Janco feinted high and attacked low. Rye failed to take the bait, blocking Janco’s strike. “Tends to brag and his feet do lag. Soon he’ll be in a body bag.” After a quick secession of jabs, he lunged.

Rye tripped as he shuffled back. Pressing his advantage, Janco stalked the greenie as he rolled away. The scimitar blurred with motion, keeping Janco at bay while the puppy regained his feet. Impossible.

“He’s old yet bold. Soon he’ll be turning into mold,” Rye sang.

How dare he! Janco increased the pace of his attack.

The fight lengthened until the light faded. Finally, Ari called the match a tie. Janco panted, staring at the greenie. It has been years since Janco failed to get past an opponent’s defense at least once. He was impressed, annoyed and furious all at the same time.

“Interesting,” Ari said. “Come back tomorrow. I want to see how you do against me.”

“Prepare to lose, sir.” Rye saluted and swaggered toward the barracks.

Ari clamped down on Janco’s shoulder before he could chase after the insolent puppy.

Unable to break his partner’s vice-like grip, Janco said, “He needs a good beating.”

“I doubt he would get it from you,” Maren said. She swiped blond hair from her gray eyes. “It was only a matter of time before he disarmed you.”

He sputtered in outrage when Ari agreed with Maren. “Back stabber. Disloyal—”

“Be quiet, Janco. I won’t be able to beat him either. Did you see how the scimitar moved?”

He closed his mouth and reviewed the match. Rye’s gawky jabs and clumsy footwork didn’t jive with the weapon’s lightening fast reactions and smooth counters. “The sword has a mind of its own.”

Maren laughed. “Only you would think that. Ari’s implying our greenie may be a magician and a spy from Sitia.”

Which would explain the Sitian weapon and his darker skin tone. “You’d think he would have disguised himself better.”

“May be a spy. ‘May’ being the key word.” Maren looked at Ari. “What’s next?”

“Hey,” Janco said. “How come you always ask him? He’s just the muscle. I’m the brains of this outfit.”

She ignored him. “Ari?”

“Can you do a little research into Rye’s background? Find out where he’s from and who his family is?”

“No problem.”

“Janco, I want you to follow the greenie around. See who his friends are and watch what he does with his free time.”

“Why do I get to baby-sit?” No answer. “Wouldn’t it look strange if I start hanging out at the barracks?”

“Good point.” Ari considered.

“That’s what I’ve been telling you people. Brains and brawn, I’m a talented guy.”

“Modest, too,” Maren muttered.

“Inventory is due and an annual maintenance inspection. That should be good cover.” Ari nodded as if the discussion was final.

Janco groaned, counting supplies and looking for splinters was drudge work. He brightened only when he imagined himself discovering a plot and single-handedly stopping the spies from carrying out their nefarious deeds.

“…listening?” Ari’s annoyed tone cut through his daydreams. “I said you’ll want to recruit a helper to watch Rye at night. I’ll check Valek’s files, I’m sure he has one of his intelligence operatives assigned to listen for any trouble in the barracks.”

“Why don’t we just use him the whole time?”

Maren huffed. “Brain Boy can’t figure it out. It’s called sleep. Everyone has to do it sometime.”

He drew a breath to retort, but Ari silenced him with a warning look. Grumbling, he trudged back to the castle to bathe, change clothes and eat dinner. It would take Ari a while to ferret out the operative’s name, so Janco headed to the barracks to baby-sit the greenie overnight.

Doing inventory would be high entertainment compared to watching a man sleep. Rows of bunk beds lined the entire first floor of the wooden barracks. The officer’s bedrooms were located on the second floor, but since Ari and Janco’s promotion to Valek’s seconds, they had rather extensive rooms in the castle.

Aside from the snores, coughs and creaks of floorboards from soldiers either leaving for or coming back from guard duty, the night remained uneventful.

Upon reflection, the early morning hours had been too quiet. There had been a lack of…substance. It was the best word to describe those hours, but he knew Ari wouldn’t understand. Ari would be too busy berating him.

Because when the substance returned, Rye was gone.

CHAPTER THREE

Ari searched through Valek’s files. He muttered under his breath about his boss’ total disregard for alphabetical order. Although the files were probably organized in a secret way only Valek could decipher, knowing there was a method to the madness didn’t help Ari. Since Valek wouldn’t be back for a few weeks, it was up to him to comb through the piles, looking for information about Rye.

Maren’s review of the garrison’s commanding officer records failed to produce any details on the greenie besides his home Military District.

Why did trouble always come from MD-5? Ari wondered. The district had a bad reputation since General Brazell was caught trying to overthrow the Commander. And now Rye had transferred in from MD-5 last season.

A knock interrupted Ari’s musings. “Come in.”

Maren entered Valek’s office. “Have you been here all night?”

He glanced out the window in surprise. The sun hung a few inches over the horizon. “Guess so.”

“Find anything?”

“No.”

“Want help?”

“Sure. I’ve looked through all the piles on the floor and the left side of the conference table. Why don’t you search his desk?”

She wove her way through the heaps of books and stacks of papers with an athletic grace. Gray-colored rocks weighed down every pile. Valek was a classic pack rat. Ari shook his head. Trained as a soldier and scout, Ari learned to keep his minimal possessions packed in a small rucksack in case he needed to leave in a hurry.

The rustling of paper and tangy scent of ink filled the room. Ari and Maren worked for an hour in companionable silence—a rare and soothing break from Janco’s constant chatter.

“Found it,” Maren said. She hefted a thick dossier.

“Good.” Ari eyed the size of the file. “How old is he?” He joined her at Valek’s desk.

She flipped it open and scanned a few pages. “Twenty. But Valek has been keeping tabs on him since he reached puberty.”

“Is he a magician?”

“No evidence found.” Maren sorted through the papers. “Although Valek suspects Rye’s father is originally from Sitia’s Moon Clan and he might have been spying for Sitia.”

“Have been?”

“He disappeared four years ago while on patrol. Rye’s family lives near the Sitian border and his father was a border patrolman.”

The man could have been involved in illegal border crossings. “Anything else?”

“Rye’s father has either returned to Sitia or was a victim of foul play. No evidence to suggest either one. Rye is an only child. Valek assigned one of his men to keep an eye on him and his mother. No suspicious activities in the last four years. And when Rye enlisted, Valek had him transferred to the Commander’s garrison.”

Ari considered the information. Perhaps the greenie’s father was a smuggler and stole the scimitar from Sitia. It’s possible the Sitians discovered it missing, waited for the father to return to Sitia, and killed him. “Did Valek interview the mother and son?”

Maren gave him a grim smile. “Of course. They knew nothing.”

Ari felt a twinge in his heart for Rye. Valek’s interview methods were brutal and reliable. Interesting the boy would enlist after suffering through an interview session.

A loud bang jolted Ari from his thoughts. Janco stood in the doorway. By the wrinkled uniform, wild hair and hang-

dog look on his partner’s face, Ari knew the news would be bad.

“I’ve lost him,” Janco said.

“Figures,” Maren said.

“Wasn’t my fault. I had my eyes on him the whole time!”

“While your brain slept? Oh, I forgot – you don’t have a brain.”

Before they could launch into an argument, Ari asked Janco what had happened. His partner rambled on about some kind of substance or lack of substance. Either way the end result was the same. “Did you find any tracks?”

“The dirt around the barracks is too hard packed, and none of the gate’s guards reported seeing anyone.” Janco pulled at his goatee. “The outer walls are too sheer to climb. No one has seen him, and he didn’t report for duty.”

“Could he still be in the castle complex?” Maren asked.

“Unlikely,” Ari said. “If he could slip past you unseen, he could exit the complex without being noticed. Although we should make sure before we go.”

“Go where?” Janco asked.

Ari waited. His partner tended to speak before thinking and if Ari gave him a minute he would figure it out for himself. Unfortunately, not every one knew him as well, and Janco’s quick responses often led to trouble.

“Tracking mission.” Janco rubbed the scar below his right ear. “Which direction do you think Rye headed?”

“East toward home.”

“The greenie seemed smart. Do you really think he’d run home?” Maren asked.

“Do you have any better ideas?” Ari asked.

No response from either of them. Maren volunteered to conduct a castle-wide search for Rye while Ari and Janco headed to their rooms to prep for the mission. Their suite was down the hall from Valek’s. Janco’s gaze lingered on his bed, and he ran a hand over the pillow.

“I didn’t sleep either. We’ll have to catch a few on the road,” Ari said as he packed his rucksack.

Janco sighed and shoved supplies into his pack. “Should we bring the orange, yellow and red camo? The leaves are starting to change.”

“No. They’re still on the trees. Bring the green and browns – we’ll be staying on the ground.” He zipped up his bag, and tried to calculate how far Rye might have traveled. “When did you notice he was gone?”