Fire Study (42 page)

you’ll know.”

Janco and Ari exchanged a look. “Gotta love the confidence,” Janco said.

“And when do we start, love?”

“Everyone get a good night’s sleep and we’ll begin preparations in the morning.

We’ll leave early. Do you have enough disguises for four of us or do we need to get

supplies? Money?”

Valek smiled. “You mean raid some laundry lines? Steal a couple purses? No.

My safe houses are well stocked with all types of items.”

Leif was the only one to be alarmed by his statement.

The room erupted with the noise of multiple conversations. Plans were made and

actions decided. Tauno’s unhappiness at being separated from Moon Man became

apparent. He asked why we wanted him. I explained about needing a good scout.

“What about Marrok?” he asked.

“We need him just in case they’ve moved the captives. He can track them to the

new location.” Also I wanted to talk to Marrok and find out why he had accused

Leif and me of helping Ferde escape.

The next morning, my group saddled the horses. Since we wouldn’t be crossing

the Avibian Plains, Valek rode Onyx, Tauno sat on Garnet and Marrok rode Topaz.

Valek had used his skills to transform us into members of the Krystal Clan. We wore

the light gray tunics and dark woolen leggings that the clan preferred, which matched

the short hooded capes and black knee-high boots.

Before we left, Leif handed me a bunch of his herbs. “Since you can’t use your

magic, you might want to have them. There are directions on how to use each one

inside the packet.”

“Leif, I’m—”

“I know. Truthfully, I didn’t like the distrustful and mean person you became in

Ixia. The fire brought my real sister back. So be careful, as I’d like to keep her

around for a while.”

“You take care, too. Don’t get caught. I wouldn’t want to tell Mother about it.

She wouldn’t be pleased.”

Leif looked at Ari and Janco. They fought over who would drive the wagon and

who would guard. “Do they always argue?”

I laughed. “It’s part of their appeal.”

Leif sighed. “I’m amazed we made it to Sitia without being discovered.” He

paused and considered. “I think I’m actually going to miss them.”

“I always do.”

We set a time and place for everyone to rendezvous, knowing the cottage would

no longer be safe. I said goodbye to Leif and the others and we headed west, hoping

to reach the Krystal Clan’s border by nightfall. We would follow the border south to

the Stormdance lands. Then cross through Stormdance and Bloodgood before

reaching Jewelrose’s border.

Should anyone stop us on the road, we concocted a cover story. We were

delivering samples of quartz to the Jewelrose Clan. Irys’s clan cut and polished

gems and stones of all types. They designed and produced almost all the jewelry in

Sitia.

Disguised as a man, I used the name Ellion, and asked everyone to call me by that

name.

The day turned warm in the bright sunshine and we set a quick pace. Valek

hoped the temperate weather would draw people onto the roads.

“Why?” Tauno asked.

“Then we will be one of many instead of the only ones,” Valek explained. They

rode together and talked about how best to find the barn that held the Councilors’

family members.

Kiki stayed beside Topaz. She had missed his company and I wondered if Cahil

mourned the loss of his horse. They had been together since Cahil was young. My

eyes rested on Garnet. I cringed when I imagined facing the Stable Master’s wrath.

Garnet had been with us so long and I had lost the Avibian honey I had bought to

appease the Stable Master. He would make me clean tack and scrub stalls for weeks.

I snorted with amusement. I had found one positive thing about spending eternity

with the Fire Warper: no mucking out.

And no bat. My new friend hung from the edge of my hood. His weight rested

comfortably in the small of my back. He seemed content to sleep away the daylight

hours with me.

Marrok remained quiet throughout the day, but I wanted to know what had

happened to him at the Citadel.

“Cahil tricked me,” he said when I asked. “I fell for his lies about remaining with

Ferde to discover the extent of the Daviians’ operations. Applauded his plan to lure

Ferde back to the Citadel. Commiserated over your ill-timed interference. He

convinced me to confess and name you and Leif as accomplices. It would help him

persuade the Council to attack Ixia. He promised…” Marrok paused, rubbing a hand

along his right cheek. “After I confessed, he turned on me. A mistake I paid for…”

He shuddered. “Am still paying for.”

“Betrayals are brutal,” I agreed.

Marrok looked at me in surprise. “Don’t you think leaving us in Ixia was a

betrayal?”

“No. That wasn’t my intention. I wanted to protect you and was honest with all

of you from the start. I just wasn’t honest with myself. A mistake.”

“You’re still paying for?” Marrok smiled. The gesture smoothed out the lines of

worry and time on his rugged face, erasing years from his age.

“Yes. It’s the problem with mistakes, they tend to linger. But once we’re done

with the Vermin and Cahil, I will have paid for all my mistakes. In full.”

Marrok gave me a questioning glance, but I didn’t want to elaborate. Instead, I

asked, “Do you remember your rescue from the Citadel?”

He grinned ruefully. “Sorry, no. At the time, I was in no condition to think. Moon

Man is a wonder. I owe him my life.” He glanced around then lowered his voice.

“Being here without him, I feel…fragile. And that’s hard for an old soldier to admit.”

We rode the rest of the way in silence. Around midnight we set up camp. Funny

how we automatically attended to the chores without discussion. Tauno hunted for

rabbits and I cared for the horses. Valek searched for firewood and Marrok

prepared the meal.

“I’m used to soldiers’ rations on the road, so don’t expect this to taste like

Leif’s,” Marrok said as he dished out his version of rabbit stew.

The stew tasted a little bland but filled our stomachs. After dinner, we arranged

our sleeping mats and set a watch schedule. I shared a blanket with Valek, wanting to

be near him. I clutched him tight.

“What’s the matter, love,” he whispered in my ear. “You’re rarely this quiet.”

“Just worried about the Councilors’ families.”

“I think we have things well in hand. Between my sleeping potion for the guards,

your Curare for the Warpers and the element of surprise, we should rescue them in

no time.”

“But what if one of the captives is sick? Or dying? If I use my magic, I risk letting

the Vermin know where I am and what I’ve been doing.”

“Then you’ll have to decide what is more important—one person’s life or the

success of the mission for Sitia’s future. It’s pointless to worry. Instead, use your

energy to decide how you would react to each contingency you can imagine. It’s

more prudent to prepare for all possibilities than fret.”

He was right. Eventually, I slept.

Shadows haunted my sleep. They roamed the shadow world, lost and afraid.

Whenever the bright heat would appear, they hid and waited for the hot hunter to

dissipate. Each time, the hunter captured more of them in his net of fire. They didn’t

understand why he came and they knew nothing about the bridge to the sky. They

clung to this world, desiring revenge and justice. The shadows needed a guide to

convince them to let go and to show them the way.

“Ellion…Ellion…Yelena! Wake up.”

I pushed the arm away, wanting to roll over. “Tired,” I mumbled.

“Yes, we all are. But it’s your turn,” Valek said.

I blinked. My eyelids would not stay open.

“There’s a pot of tea on the fire.” When I failed to move, Valek pushed me off

the mat and curled in my place under the covers. “Ahh. Still warm.”

“You’re evil,” I said, but he feigned sleep.

We had been on the road for the past four days, riding every minute we could to

turn a seven-day journey into five days. And since Tauno had left before dinner to

scout the area ahead, we had one less to guard the camp.

My bat swooped over the rising heat of the fire. He’d been staying with me

during the day and hunting food at night. I longed to fly with him, soaring over the

ground.

Tauno returned the next morning to report no signs of activity along our path to

the Jewelrose border. “There is a good site to camp about two miles south of the

border,” he said. “I will join you there.” He left.

I wondered what had kept him awake. Unlike Tauno, I had had a few hours’

sleep last night. Perhaps I shouldn’t complain anymore.

We packed and followed Tauno’s trail. Another uneventful day and we found the

camp location without any problems. Tauno reappeared with dinner hanging from

his belt.

“I discovered the location of the barn,” he said, while butchering the rabbits. “It

is four miles west of here in a little hollow.”

Valek quizzed him for the details. “We’ll have to strike in the dark,” he said.

“We’ll go after midnight, leave the horses in the trees and then attack.”

Tauno agreed. He cubed the meat and dropped it into the pot. “I will sleep,

then.”

While Marrok stirred the stew, Valek prepped the reed pipes and I saddled the

horses. Garnet sighed when I cinched his straps tight.

“It’s not far,” I said aloud. “Then you can rest.”

I joined Marrok and Valek where they sat by the fire. They ate their stew and I

filled a bowl for me. The broth tasted better; there was a hint of spice.

“This is good,” I said to Marrok. “I think you’re getting the hang of it. What did

you add?”

“A new ingredient. Can you tell what it is?”

When I sampled another spoonful, I rolled the liquid around my mouth before

swallowing. The aftertaste reminded me of Rand’s favorite cookie recipe. “Ginger?”

Valek dropped his stew. He jumped to his feet but stumbled. A look of horror

creased his forehead. “Butter root!”

“Poison?”

“No.” He sank to his knees. “Sleeping draft.”

VALEK COLLAPSED ONTO the ground. But just before he closed his eyes, he

winked at me. I glanced around. Marrok hunched over his bowl, appearing to be

asleep. A bone-deep fatigue spread throughout my body, but I remained awake.

Perhaps I hadn’t swallowed enough butter root.

Not wanting to be caught “aware,” I pulled my switchblade and hid the weapon in

the palm of my hand with my thumb resting on the button. Slumping over, I let my

upper body fall to the side. The stew spilled off my lap and onto the ground,

soaking into my pants. Great.

I feigned sleep. My muscles stiffened and the cold seeped into my skin. Trying

not to shiver, I strained to hear any noise to give me a hint of what was going on.

The horses whinnied in alarm and I opened my mind to Kiki for the first time in

days, hoping the tiny use of my magic wouldn’t alert anyone.

Bad smell, she said. Quiet Man tied reins.

Quiet Man?

She huffed and showed me an image of Tauno.

Why would he do that?

Ask Garnet.

Where did you go today, Garnet? I asked.

See people. Smell fear.

I cut off the connection when voices approached.

“So easy! All the talk about the Soulfinder and the Ghost Warrior and look at

them! Sleeping like babies,” a male voice said.

“Trust is a powerful ally. Right, Tauno?” a female voice asked. She had the same

lilt as a Sandseed.

Was Tauno in league with them? Or had they captured him today and forced him

to help them?

“Yes. And trust is blind. No one suspected me even after the ambush in the

plains.” He laughed. “Trust is for stupid people. Even the Sandseed Elders had no

idea. My ability to find the Daviian camps amazed them.”

They chuckled, enjoying themselves. Anger seethed in my blood. Tauno could

trust I would make him regret his actions.

As they decided what to do, I counted four distinct voices. Two men and one

woman plus the traitor Tauno. They planned to use Marrok to appease the Council,

and bring me to their leader, Jal.

“Kill the Ghost Warrior,” one of the Vermin ordered. “Make sure you cut his

throat and collect his blood. It will be just revenge for Alea and her brother.”

I waited. Arms wrapped around my chest and another set around my ankles.

They lifted me off the ground.

“Now!” Valek yelled.