Valek toppled. He’d congratulate them on getting the drop on him, but...
* * *
Valek woke but kept his eyes closed. Fuzzy memories of being ambushed swirled. His head ached from a sleeping potion hangover. A dull throb pulsed through his left shoulder. He smelled wood smoke. A fire crackled nearby.
“...too slow. We should use Curare instead. It’s faster,” a woman said.
“But it won’t work. Everyone’s been eating Theobroma for months. It neutralizes the Curare. And next time, remember to use a dart and not your knife, Hanni,” Onora said. “You have more control and can keep your distance. You saw how quickly Valek freed himself from the net. He could have killed you before the sleeping potion kicked in.”
Onora? Was she working for the Cartel now?
“I’m sorry. I panicked. Do you think he’s going to be mad we did a test run on him?” the woman—Hanni—asked.
No answer, but it explained quite a bit.
“Just don’t panic tomorrow,” Onora said.
“No problem. Tomorrow I won’t be jumping Valek,” Hanni muttered.
“As long as you all remember that the goal is to rescue my sister-in-law and father without killing the guards. Incapacitate only,” Yelena said.
Her voice soothed his soul. Valek opened his eyes. He lay on a bedroll with a blanket over him. Nearby, Yelena and Onora sat around a campfire with two men and Hanni. Darkness surrounded them. He waited. It didn’t take long for Yelena’s gaze to find his.
She tensed. Even though he deserved it, her reaction stabbed him right in the heart. The others sensed her concern and turned. He sat up. The men and Hanni hopped to their feet. Their hands hovered near weapons. Skittish lot. Valek would have been amused, but Yelena still hadn’t relaxed.
“Onyx?” he asked her.
“Fine. He’s with Kiki.”
Onora poured him a cup of water and brought it over. “Here.”
“Thanks.” He downed it in one gulp. “Test run?”
“Yeah. They’re young and needed the practice,” Onora said.
“We’re older than you,” one of the men said in protest.
“Sorry. They’re inexperienced.”
That didn’t go over any better.
Valek touched his neck. A dart would have left a smaller injury, but the cut had already stopped bleeding. “Were the darts loaded with sleeping potion as well?”
Onora smiled. “Of course. Although I’m surprised you didn’t spot the ambush sooner.”
He met Yelena’s gaze again. “I was distracted.”
“Bad form, old man. Don’t worry, I won’t tell the Commander.” Onora refilled his cup.
“Good, because he believes this old man—” Valek tapped his chest “—killed you.”
“Oh?” She stilled.
He glanced at the three others. “I’ll tell you about it later.” He stood. Cahil’s crew stepped back and grabbed the hilts of their weapons.
“Relax,” he said. “I’m not upset about the ambush. Onora and Yelena know I encourage training and preparation. Kudos to you for a successful test run.” He held his hand out to his wife. “Yelena, a word in private?”
Her hesitation hurt worse than his head. But she slipped her hand in his, allowing him to pull her to her feet. Valek led her well away from the others. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, the shapes of Onyx, Kiki and Horse formed. They grazed in a small clearing. Weak moonlight outlined them in silver.
“Valek, I’m—”
“No.” He pulled her into a tight hug. Surprised, she stiffened, then relaxed against him. He breathed in her scent. “I’m so, so sorry. I overreacted. I didn’t trust you. And I threw a tantrum and stormed off to sulk like a child. I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”
“Only if you can forgive me.”
“For what?”
She leaned back. “I believed Cahil and thought Onora had killed you, not trusting that you might have worked out an arrangement with her. I should have just trusted you. And I endangered our child.”
“You were right about Cahil. Now we have a powerful ally.”
“But I should have believed in you.”
“All right, you’re forgiven.”
“So are you.”
Relieved, he kissed her long and hard. When they broke apart, they were both panting. He drew her close and wished they were alone. Maybe if they went—
“Why does the Commander think Onora is dead?” Yelena asked.
“I paid him a visit.”
“Are you insane?” She broke away and punched him on his sore shoulder.
He grunted in pain, but she failed to look contrite as he rubbed the sore spot.
“Talk,” she ordered.
“Like you, I took a gamble.” Valek told her about his visit and what he’d learned. “I hope we can find Ellis’s notes in the Keep’s Libra
ry.”
“If they’re still there.” Then she scowled. “And if we’re successful tomorrow.”
He glanced at the horses. “Speaking of tomorrow, why aren’t there more horses?”
“Hanni and Sladen will commandeer a couple from the guards, and Faxon will drive the wagon.”
“Any word from Leif?”
“No. We hope he’s following the wagon, but Cahil said they were captured near Fulgor.”
Valek considered. “He might have gone to Fulgor instead, thinking to get there ahead of them.”
“That’s what I thought, too. I hope he wasn’t arrested.” Concern deepened her voice.
“Would Cahil know Leif’s status?”
“Eventually.”
“How are you going to communicate with him without the Cartel finding out?”
She peered up at him. “One of his loyal crew will get a message to a member of Fisk’s guild.”
Not the best situation, but there weren’t any other options. “Too bad we don’t have any glass messengers.”
“That might give us away. The Cartel has a group of loyal magicians who have not been ingesting the Theobroma. The drug makes it too hard for them to concentrate. So they’re seeking others who are using magic, and they’ve been using those glass super messengers to communicate between the garrisons.”
Another bit of unwelcome news. If the resistance tried anything at one garrison, all the others would be notified right away.
“What else did you have planned for Cahil?” she asked.
“I hoped he could wake the other military leaders and then the Councilors.”
“That would be impossible for him to do without tipping the Cartel off.” She explained about the frequent null shield sweeps.
He almost growled in frustration. “We need an...anti-Theobroma. A substance that works faster.”
“I agree. Something that works as quickly as Curare would be ideal.”
“Now you’re dreaming, love. I’d be happy with something that shortens the time to mere days instead of a week.”
But her brows crinkled in thought, and she was no longer listening to him. He kept quiet, letting her mull over whatever it was that had snagged her attention. Content to hold her close, he relaxed for the first time in ten long days. She had forgiven him, and right now, that was all that mattered.