“You know, a simple ‘no’ would have sufficed,” I teased.
“Where’s the fun in that?”
“I see where Leif gets his sense of humor,” Onora said.
* * *
While we waited for Fisk’s messenger to arrive, Onora taught Mara and me a number of skills she’d found helpful.
“If you’re going to be in a lit room for only a short time, then a way to keep your dark-adapted vision is to close one eye when you reach the light. Then, when you return to the shadows, open that eye and you won’t be completely blind,” she explained.
Onora also showed us how to read body language and to move without making too much noise.
“It’s all in keeping your balance and picking up your feet when you walk. Most people are lazy and shuffle. Rubber soles help, as well, if you’re going to wear boots,” she said.
“Why don’t you wear boots?” Mara asked.
“My toes grip better than any sole, and the bottoms of my feet can feel noisy things such as dried leaves or small twigs before I step on them. To me, wearing shoes is like putting gloves on hands. You lose your sensitivity.”
We practiced late at night when there were no other sounds to cover our movements. But we kept our boots on. Onora had been going barefoot for as long as she could remember, and her feet were conditioned to withstand the rough ground and cold air.
“I had to wear boots when I was in the army, but I shucked them whenever possible,” she said.
We taught Mara a number of self-defense moves, as well. The training kept me from worrying too much about Valek and Leif or from imagining all the dire reasons Fisk’s messenger hadn’t arrived yet. After two days of practice, Mara seemed a bit more like her old self. And while the time wasn’t nearly long enough to learn everything or to be truly proficient in anything, it was a start in the right direction.
After we ate breakfast in our rooms on the third morning, Onora asked, “How long are we going to wait for Fisk?”
Good question. “He’s usually reliable, which means something happened at the Citadel and it might be too dangerous for us to return.”
“I can scout ahead and see what’s going on,” she offered.
“Let’s wait another day.” Mara had benefited from the down time, and the rest had helped my father. The bruises were fading, and the lines on his face had smoothed. Plus I knew that once we returned to the Citadel, he would immerse himself in research and neglect his health again.
As I dozed on the couch later that afternoon, loud voices woke me. Onora stood at the door with both her knives drawn. I pulled my switchblade and joined her.
“What’s going on?” I asked in a whisper.
“An argument. Could be nothing. Wait here.” She slipped out the door.
I waited about three heartbeats before following her. Onora crept down the stairs, avoiding all the squeaky spots. She frowned at me when I joined her.
The quarrel grew louder as we descended. By the time we reached the second floor, I recognized the voices. Halfway up the steps to the first-floor landing, the innkeeper stood in front of two men, blocking the way. Impressive, considering one muscular man towered over the slight innkeeper and the other man glowered and fingered the hilt of his sword.
“...not allowed upstairs,” the innkeeper insisted.
We had asked him to keep our presence under wraps as much as possible. Of course, the locals saw us arrive, and we had to shop for supplies. But he had promised not to tell strangers and soldiers about us. Fisk’s people would have no trouble slipping by him, but these two should have known better.
“Idiots,” Onora muttered.
“It’s okay, Keyon,” I said. “They’re friends of ours.”
“Friends?” Janco asked, placing a hand on his chest. “You wound me. I consider us family.”
So happy to see them both, I rushed past Keyon. Ari swept me up into a hug.
Janco beamed. “Fisk and I called it. We knew you’d be here. Ari’s such a worrywart.”
Onora sheathed her blades. “And now everyone in a twenty-mile radius knows we’re here.”
Janco held up his hands. “Not my fault. You know how Ari gets when he’s in his protective bull mode. I’m surprised he didn’t just toss this little fella out of the way.”
“Watch it.” Keyon jabbed a finger at Janco. “If you’re going to rent a room, this little fella might charge you double.”
“Sorry, sir,” Janco said. “But you have to admit, compared to my partner here, even I’m considered a little fella.”
The man conceded the point.
“Besides, they can stay with us. Come on up to our rooms,” I said. Ari put me down, and I led them up to the fifth floor.
Mara and Esau stood in the center of the suite with weapons in hand when we entered. They relaxed as soon as they spotted Ari and Janco.
Janco immediately flopped into a chair. “We’ve been traveling all night.”
“What happened? We expected one of the guild members a couple days ago,” I said.
“That was the plan, but things got hot in the Citadel.”
“Hot?” Mara asked.
“Bruns has brought in more soldiers to patrol the streets. He closed all the gates except the east gate and doubled security, checking everyone coming into and leaving the Citadel.”
Not good. “How hard is it to get in?”
“For you, impossible.”
“Even if I wear a disguise?”
“Yes. They’re yanking off hoods, checking for wigs and even have a magician scanning for illusions.”
“But you managed to get in,” I said.
“No. We didn’t even try,” Ari said. He sank onto the couch. Exhaustion lined his face. “Fisk has people along the roads to the Citadel. They recognized us and sent us here to rendezvous with you.”
“Do you know when the extra security measures started?” Onora asked Ari.
“Four days ago.”
“The same day we rescued Mara and Esau,” Onora said.
“Rescued?” Janco asked.
We explained about Cahil tipping us off, the ambush and Valek’s mission to find Leif.
“Valek will find him. No doubt,” Janco said with such confidence, Mara smiled.
It was nice to see her happy. I considered the timing of the security. Bruns’s magicians must have used a super messenger to communicate between the garrison and Citadel.
“Fisk thinks it’s best for all of us to avoid the Citadel right now,” Ari said. “He’s going to let everything settle down and then find an HQ outside the Citadel, but still close enough that we can observe who is coming and going. It might take a few weeks.”
“But—”
“I have a package for you in my saddle bags from Fisk.” Ari inclined his head at Esau. “It’s all the notes from Councilor Bavol Zaltana, plus the location of that farmhouse those glass panels were delivered to.”
Perfect. Fisk knew me so well.
“And Fisk says that Councilor Zaltana owns the farmhouse.”
That was interesting.
Janco jumped to his feet. “And we have news! Humongous news!”
We all waited, but Janco needed more prodding. “And?”
“I found where the Cartel’s been producing Theobroma and Curare. And I met the Master Gardener!”
Shocked, I glanced at Ari. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
“He thinks the man was the Master Gardener, but we were unable to confirm it.”
“Who is it?” Esau asked.
Janco took a deep breath and held it, as if about to make a big announcement. Then he let it all out at once, deflating. “He looks familiar, but I can’t recall his name. It’s been driving me crazy for days!”
“What does he look like?” I asked.
“Like half the men in Sitia,” Ari said. “Janco’s descriptive skills are as bad as his artistic skills. We were hoping to find a magician who could peer into the chaos that is Janco’s mind and identify him.”
“Ha. Ha. Not funny.”
“Is it Bavol?” Esau asked.
“No. I’ve met him.”
“We can travel to the factory and I can take a look at the guy,” I said. “And we could also sabotage it, cutting off the Cartel’s supply.”
“If that’s their only facility,” Janco said. “It was in the middle of the Greenblade forest and hidden by an illusion.”
I wondered if that was generated by Rika Bloodgood. Her strongest magical ability was creating illusions, and she was one of Owen’s closest colleagues. Her last known location was the Commander’s castle in Ixia.