“When do the guards change shifts?”
“About an hour before.”
Smart. They’d still be alert during the afternoon rush. “What about the mornings? When do the guards switch?”
“An hour before dawn. But I can’t get in until there’s activity. Unless I go in the afternoon before.”
“No need. We’ll stage the distraction in the middle of the rush. But if Yelena doesn’t get in, abort the rescue. The rest of the plan will remain the same.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ll get in,” Yelena said with confidence.
And that was half the battle. Most often, if you acted like you belonged, no one questioned you. However, the magician at the door would be their biggest obstacle. They were already on high alert for Valek, so Yelena was their best bet. But that didn’t stop the anxiety from gnawing on his stomach. His ability to shut down all his emotions has been shot to hell since he lost his immunity. Or had it been since Yelena confirmed her pregnancy?
Phelan arrived with a few more supplies and an update. “General Cahil’s in his headquarters.”
They reviewed the plan with Phelen before Yelena and Valek left to visit Cahil. His headquarters was located in a warehouse that was no longer in use to store goods. Instead, the large piles of crates served as obstacles for anyone trying to sneak in. Cahil had converted the basement into an office space for his crew of loyal people. Similar to Valek’s corps, but on a much smaller scale.
The guards at the entrance allowed them to pass, but their sour expressions deepened. Yelena led the way through the crates to the stairway. Cahil was hunched over a table in his office, discussing tactics with two of his men. He scowled when they entered, but he ended the meeting.
Cahil closed the door and turned around. “You do realize every soldier in the Citadel is hunting for you. Right?”
“Do they suspect Yelena is here, as well?”
“No. Master Zitora said she scanned the entire Citadel and didn’t sense her.” He glanced at Yelena. “Are you using a null shield pendant? Because she fell hard for Bruns’s lies and is looking for blood. At least there is no need to worry she’ll expose the other Masters.”
Valek decided not to enlighten Cahil about Zitora. Not just yet. “Why did Bruns summon you here?”
“To escort Master Zitora to the Moon garrison. He wants her trained and ready. Bruns is certain the Commander will invade right after the Ixian fire festival.”
“We know that’s a sham. What happens when his soldiers don’t show?” Yelena asked.
“I don’t know. He’s making plans for all the northern garrisons to march to the Ixian border and be in position by midseason. He’s transferred Master Bain to Krystal so each garrison has a Master Magician in the lead, and all our magicians will be accompanying our army.”
Valek kept his expression neutral, but his mind whirled. They had guessed wrong. The Commander’s forces would invade, and there would be a battle. There would be casualties on both sides. In the chaos of the battle, no one would realize who had specifically targeted the magicians to neutralize them, but they would all know who to blame.
The Commander.
21
JANCO
Janco sensed the ambush before he reached the edge of the Avibian Plains. Which was kind of amazing, considering the house wasn’t even in sight. He’d left Ari and a very reluctant Opal behind so he could scout the premises. Smart move. As he crept from the tall grasses, he counted at least four crouched figures in the dim moonlight.
With Opal’s horse setting a break-neck pace—he now understood why they called it break-neck, ’cause if you fell off at that speed, you’d break your neck for sure—they’d arrived at Opal’s parents’ place in just four days.
Once this was over, he planned to sleep for a week.
Janco looped around the house and, sure enough, ambushers covered all the doors and windows. Twelve total. Shoot. Too many for them to fight. And he doubted he could fetch his partner and Opal in time. It appeared things were about to go down. The air felt...unsettled. Then he remembered. A Stormdancer might be sleeping inside. If he could wake—
The gate squealed. The noise sliced through the heavy silence like a sharp blade through flesh and had the same effect. The figures whipped around to advance on the poor sod.
Janco cursed. What the hell were Devlen and Reema doing here now?
No matter. Janco straightened from his crouch and drew his sword. A high-pitched wail sounded, followed by a whoosh. One after the other, the ambushers were slammed to the ground. And for once, Janco wasn’t exaggerating—an invisible force had literally picked them up and slammed each one into the ground so hard that they didn’t get back up.
A smaller figure darted from the shadows of the stable and launched at Devlen. The big man caught him in midair and hugged him. Ah, sweet. Janco sheathed his sword. Another person also materialized from the shadows, but she moved at a much slower pace. After that display of power, Janco was surprised Heli still had the energy to stand.
All four of them whirled around when he approached. A knife flashed in Reema’s hand. Nice.
“It’s me. Janco.” He spread his hands wide.
Teegan peered at him, but his forehead creased with suspicion. “Null shield. That’s why I didn’t sense him. Can you take it off?”
About to ask why, he answered his own question. He could have been brainwashed by the Cartel and turned into a spy. Janco pulled the pendant off. “Hope you’re not too traumatized by my thoughts.” A prickly, unpleasant sensation invaded his mind as his ear tweaked with pain. It disappeared just as fast.
Teegan grinned. “Tell my mom we’ll be joining you in the plains as soon as we pack up.”
Good. “Are Zohav and—”
“We’re here,” Zethan said. “Just enjoying the show. Since Heli hogged all the fun.”
“Next time you can do the honors,” Heli said in a tired voice.
“Sweet.”
Zohav frowned.
“Don’t worry, Zo,” her brother said. “I’ll let you in on the action.”
Which just caused her expression to deepen. But Zethan laughed, clearly not discouraged by her reaction. Janco approved. The boy had potential.
While they gathered their things and saddled the horses, Janco returned to Ari and Opal.
“Well?” Opal asked immediately.
“Relax, Mama Bunny, your family is safe. They’ll be here soon.”
“Here? What happened?”
He explained how Heli had stopped the ambush. “...that air blast of hers was a thing of beauty. If I was the Cartel, I’d be shaking in my boots right now.”
“It’s better if they underestimate us,” Ari said. “And don’t you mean Mama Bear?”
“Nah, female bears got nothin’ on bunnies when it comes to protecting their young. I once saw this—”
“I should have known better than to ask.” Ari walked away.
“Do you want to hear my story?” Janco asked Opal.
“No.”
“Fine. But the next time you get bitten by an overprotective mama rabbit, don’t come crying to me.” He pouted, but no one paid any attention to him, so he checked The Madam’s legs for hot spots. After all that hard riding, he hoped to give her a couple days’ rest, but they would need to travel further into the plains to avoid the Cartel’s next attempt. ’Cause they certainly weren’t going to stop, and it appeared that they’d upped the stakes.
He grinned. We scare them.
Within the hour, a group of nine people and four horses trudged into view. Opal whooped and raced to meet them. She scooped up her kids and hugged them both to her as if they weighed nothing. Devlen wrapped his arms around them. A hollow pang of longing ricocheted in Janco’s equally
hollow chest, surprising him. He’d never considered settling down before. All this drama with the Cartel was getting to him. Pah. Janco looked away.
Ari interrupted the family reunion. They needed to put a few miles between them and Booruby.
“Where are we going?” Opal’s dad asked.
“South. We’ll find a medium-size town where you can stay,” Ari said.
They had a total of twelve people and seven horses, so most had to double up. Janco shared The Madam’s saddle with Opal’s father. Ahir joined Teegan on Caramel. Opal rode with her mother on Quartz, the twins shared Smoke, and Devlen and Reema stayed on Sunfire. Ari and Heli each rode alone, but Whiskey and Thunder carried additional bags.
Quite the posse. With all the extra weight and baggage, they moved slower than Janco’s grandmother—and he’d seen snails lap her.
Traveling through the plains as long as possible, they stopped near the Daviian Plateau’s border to make camp. There were still a few hours until sunset, but everyone drooped with fatigue. While they made camp, Janco hunted for a few rabbits. The fresh meat would help revive everyone. When he returned, Opal’s mother took the skinned rabbits and turned them into the best campfire meal he’d ever eaten.
Zethan brandished a forkful of meat. “This is why I gained ten pounds in the last week. Ahir, it’s a wonder you don’t weigh five hundred pounds.”
“I sweat it all off in the factory.” Ahir glanced at his dad. “Did you warn our employees about the Cartel?”
“No. I just left a note for my assistant saying we had a family emergency. She’ll take care of filling orders while we’re gone,” Jaymes said.
“Uh, what about the ambushers lying on the ground?” Janco asked. “They’re not going to be happy when they wake up.” Considering how hard they’d hit, they might still be out cold.
Teegan grinned. “No worries. We cleaned up the mess.”