Night Study (22 page)

He can’t leave the Council sessions. Would it be possible to bring your father and the plants to the Citadel?

It’s too cold. The plants will probably die before we arrive. But I’ll ask him.

Please tell him it’s very important.

Now she was scaring him. Leif had known Irys for most of his life, and she’d always been rather unflappable and stoic.
Irys, what’s really going on?

I’ll explain everything when you arrive.

A classic dodge.
Come on, Irys, it’s me.

How soon can you get here?

If we leave tomorrow, we’ll be there in seven days. But you didn’t answer my
question.

Be extra careful on your journey.
She paused.
We’ve...lost a number of magicians.

Lost? Like they’re missing, or they’re dead?

Both.

Holy snow cats, Irys! Why didn’t you tell me that right away?

The Council doesn’t want to spread panic needlessly.

Well, if there’s a time to be panicking, I think this merits it. Don’t you?

She ignored his sarcasm.
Get home as soon as you can.

Yes, sir.

16

YELENA

M
y lips still burned from Valek’s kiss. The intensity of it seared into my soul like a red-hot iron branding his name right on my heart. The idea of being locked in a tower with him no longer sounded so terrible. If my magic never returned, what else would I do aside from raising our child? I might be content...for about a week.

Valek mounted Onyx. He met my gaze, and his smile promised a reunion worth waiting for. Then he was gone, leaving behind a cloud of dust. The rest of the world returned, appearing duller.

“Yelena,” Onora said.

I focused on her. “Yes?”

She held out a roll of parchment. “I drew this for you.”

Suppressing my surprise, I took it and unrolled the sheet, revealing a picture of a tree drawn with charcoal. Each oval leaf had been carefully detailed, along with the precise lines and shading of the bark. I half expected it to sway in the breeze.

Why would she— I gasped. “It’s the Harman tree, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Onora’s tone was matter-of-fact.

She’d gone into Owen’s suite and sketched one of the saplings, despite the danger. Impressive and brave. “When?”

“This morning. Right after I talked to you.”

“Did anyone see you?”

“No. And I didn’t touch the trees or go near them, just in case there was a magical alarm.”

“Smart. I want to admonish you for taking such a risk, but...” I waved the picture. “This is perfect. You are a talented artist.”

She shrugged away the compliment. “Will it help your father identify the tree?”

“Yes. He’ll be ecstatic. And then he’ll bug me to invite you to the jungle to go on an expedition with him and draw plants. To him, that’s the ultimate experience, and he doesn’t understand why others aren’t jumping up and down at the prospect.”

Onora laughed. It was a small burst of sound as it escaped her tight self-control. “I might actually like that.”

“When all this mess with Owen is resolved, consider yourself invited.”

“Thank you.”

I tucked the picture into my saddlebags. Ari and Janco finished readying their horses.

The Stable Master gave Ari’s horse a pat on the neck. “His name’s Diamond Whiskey, ’cause of that diamond-shaped blaze on his forehead. But we all call him Whiskey for short. Take good care of him and make sure he returns with you. The Commander’s partial to him.”

Ari paused in midmount. “Why did you pick him, then? I can take another.”

“He’s the strongest of my lot.”

“That’s a polite way of saying you’re fat, Ari,” Janco said.

Ari and the Stable Master ignored him.

The Master pointed to Kiki and The Madam. “I also picked him ’cause he gets along well with the girls.”

“Being able to get along is a good quality to have,” I said, giving Janco a pointed look.

He batted his eyelashes at me—Mr. Innocent. “Hey, I’m the epitome of a team player.”

I suppressed a sigh as I swung into my saddle. Janco in high spirits meant more high jinks. However, no matter how hard I tried, I really couldn’t consider that a bad thing.

“Come on, Epitome,” I said. “Mount up. I’d like to cross the border before dark.”

* * *

We arrived at the northern gates of the Citadel late at night on the third day. Since I didn’t know Leif’s current location, I’d thought to check with Irys about his whereabouts to see if he’d already left the farmhouse.

Surrounding the Citadel was a high white marble wall broken only by four entrances. Janco had wanted to stop at an inn a couple hours ago, but the thought of sleeping in my own bed had given me a burst of energy, and we pushed on.

By the guards’ slow response to our calls, I guessed we had woken them. Two men exited the guardhouse to talk to us, but two others headed into the Citadel at a fast pace—so it was a shift change, not a case of sleeping on the job. Much better, considering the Commander’s plans.

The guards were members of the Citadel’s security forces. Since I wasn’t ready for the Council to know I’d returned from Ixia, I’d pulled my hood over my head and planned to give them fake names. I’d inform the Council of my return once I learned of their state of mind from Irys.

“Names?” the taller of the two asked.

“I’m Elliona Featherstone. This is Yannis and Pellow Moon.” I hooked a thumb at Janco and Ari. Their pale skin matched most Moon Clan members.

The man asked a number of detailed questions about our reason for visiting, how long we planned to stay and where we were lodging. He wrote all our answers down with slow strokes of his quill in a ledger. Then he consulted another book before he allowed us to enter the Citadel. The whole exchange took much longer than normal.

Once we were out of sight of the guardhouse, Janco rode alongside me. “That’s new. When did they start with the cross-examination at the gate?”

The last time I’d arrived, I’d been waved through. I calculated. “Sometime in the last forty days.”

“Do you think it’s because the Commander now has Curare?” Ari asked me.

“No. In that case, they would have doubled the guards at the border, but we didn’t see any unusual activity on the Sitian side.”

“Do they know Owen’s in Ixia?” Janco asked.

“Leif may have messaged Irys.”

“Is Leif back from Broken Bridge?” Ari asked.

“It’s possible. We’ll ask Irys once we reach the Magician’s Keep.”

“I’m
so
looking forward to being in the Creepy Keepy again,” Janco muttered sarcastically. “Can’t we crash in Leif’s apartment? Mara won’t mind.”

“She will if an assassin climbs through her window,” I said. “He might get my blood on her pretty yellow curtains.”

“I guess it’s the cold, hard floor of your room in Irys’s tower, then.”

“The Keep has comfortable guest quarters. I’m sure—”

“Not a chance, sweetheart,” Janco said. “Valek said ‘protect.’ We’re not letting you out of our sight. Except...you know...when...” He blushed and spurred The Madam into a faster walk.

The Citadel was a large, rectangular-shaped city divided into six quarters. The northwest and southwest quarters contained a maze of residences. The two middle quarters resembled a giant bull’s-eye with an impressive market right at the center. A diverse selection of goods imported from all over Sitia and Ixia were sold in its many stands. Large-scale businesses and factories ringed the market in ever-widening circles. The Magician’s Keep with its four towers occupied the entire northeast corner of the Citadel, and the Council Hall, government buildings and Councilor’s residences were located in the southeast quarter.

At this late hour, only a couple people hurried through the streets of the Citadel, but I knew various members of the Helper’s Guild hid in the shadows cast by the street lanterns. Fisk, the young man in charge of the guild, would be informed of my arrival well before anyone else. Good thing he was a friend and would keep the knowledge to himself.

Firelight blazed from a few taverns where voices buzzed and an occasional burst of laughter tumbled from open windows. We soon passed the outer ring that consisted of inns and taverns and entered the quieter and darker loop of factories.

After a few minutes, the cool breeze shifted and Kiki stopped. She reared up and snorted, signaling trouble. Without conscious thought, I yanked my bo staff from its holder on my saddle just as Ari and Janco drew their swords.

Dark figures rushed from the shadows and blocked our path. My pulse rate increased as I counted over a dozen. Too many for the three of us.

“Ambush,” Ari said.

“Ya think?” Janco pulled on the reins, backing The Madam closer to Kiki and Whiskey.

We turned around. More figures stood on the street behind us. There was just enough light to reveal the swords and daggers gripped in their hands. At least two aimed crossbows at us. I scanned the buildings on each side, seeking an alley to escape down. Instead, I spotted more ambushers.

We were trapped. Anger mixed with fear. Those two guards hadn’t been rushing home after their shift. Idiot!

“We’re on horseback. We can charge them,” Janco said.

“And get bolted,” Ari said. “I don’t think so.”

“Drop your weapons and dismount,” a deep male voice ordered. He strode forward and into the faint light. Two silver captain bars glinted on his shoulders—Captain Romas.

“They’re the Citadel guards,” I said to my friends, relaxing. Then, louder, I asked Romas, “Why have you ambushed us? We’ve done nothing wrong.”

“You mean other than giving false names at the gate?” he asked.

Uh-oh. We were recognized. “I don’t—”

“Save it for your hearing. Yelena Zaltana, Ardenus Ixia and Janco Ixia, you are all under arrest.”

“You can’t still be mad at me over that little incident last season,” I said, referring to when Romas and a unit of his men tried to stop Leif, Hale and me from leaving the Citadel about a hundred years ago. Or so it felt.

He grasped the hilt of his sword. “It isn’t about
that
.”

Oops, I shouldn’t have reminded him. “Is it for lying to the gate guards? You can’t—” I tried.

“No. For conspiring with the enemy, for espionage and for treason. Now drop your weapons and dismount, or my archers will knock you off your horses.”

And that answered my question about the Council’s state of mind regarding me. Kiki tensed. One word from me and she’d shoot forward and trample anyone unfortunate enough to be in her path. However, I’d been hit by a crossbow’s bolt before. If it didn’t kill me, it’d still mean an excruciating trip to the infirmary.

“Orders?” Ari asked me.

“It’s clearly a misunderstanding,” I said, lowering my bo. “No need for bloodshed.” I threaded the staff back on my saddle and dismounted. “Do as he asks.”

Although they grumbled, Ari and Janco returned their swords to the sheaths attached to their saddles before swinging down.

“Step away from the horses,” the captain ordered. “Hands on your heads.”

Before I complied, I whispered, “Kiki, once they have us, take The Madam and Whiskey to the Keep, please.”

Staying together, we moved a few feet down the road. Romas instructed us to kneel and then his men closed in to secure our hands behind our backs. A shout rose as Kiki lurched forward, scattering guards. The Madam and Whiskey kept pace with her.

“Sir?” someone called.

“Let them go,” Romas said. He grabbed my arm and jerked me to my feet. “We’ve only orders for these three.”

“Who signed the arrest order?” I asked him.

“You’ll be shown a copy of the arrest affidavit when you’re processed. Let’s go.”

The captain kept his hand clamped around my biceps as they marched us through the streets. I imagined one of Fisk’s helpers reporting to him about our arrest. Would Fisk even be surprised? Or had he heard about the arrest warrant through his network?

A list of recriminations spun through my mind. I should have stayed at an inn as Janco had wanted and then visited Fisk in the morning when the traffic through the gates would have hidden us. Too bad I hadn’t thought of this sooner. I’d grown lazy, relying on my magic. Being extra cautious, paranoid even, was no longer a habit of mine. At least my stupid mistake didn’t get us killed. Not this time.

Instead of leading us to the Citadel’s jail, Romas escorted us to the holding cells in the basement of the Council Hall. No surprise that the members of the Council had signed the order to arrest me and my companions on sight. And I probably shouldn’t be shocked that they didn’t incarcerate me in the Keep’s special cells—the ones that blocked a prisoner’s magic. By now, news of my condition had probably spread throughout the Citadel and Sitia.

While they searched Ari and Janco and removed a substantial pile of weapons and lock picks, they only performed a quick pat-down on me—an interesting side effect of being considered harmless. They found my switchblade, but nothing else.

We were locked in three adjoining cells, the guards departed and the metal outer door clanged shut, leaving us in utter blackness. I groped for the bed and tried to get comfortable on the thin mattress. The silence didn’t last long.

“Ah, just like old times,” Janco said. “Oh, wait. What am I saying? It’s just like almost every time I’m with you, Yelena. Don’t you get tired of being arrested
all
the time?”

“You’re exaggerating,” I said.

“Oh, that’s right. I forgot about our last mission. We weren’t locked up, just tied down. My mistake.”

“Give it a rest, Janco,” Ari said.

“Yeah, well, it seems every time I’m in Sitia, I’m thrown into jail. Do you think they’ll stamp my frequent-visitor card? I think I get a prize if I’ve been in them all.”

“What’s the plan?” Ari asked. “Do either of you have a set—”

“This place gives me the
creeps
,” Janco interrupted, warning us of magic in use nearby.