Night Study (17 page)

This was going nowhere. He switched his line of thought. Where was the one place the Commander had said was off-limits? The guest suites! Janco opened his eyes.

Maren waited with her arms crossed. “Got something, genius?”

He ignored the insult. “Come on.” Janco ran and didn’t bother to check if Maren followed or not.

Ari jumped to his feet when Janco burst into their apartment. “What’s wrong?”

Janco raced to his room, grabbed his bag of tricks and dashed back. “Reema, stay here. Ari, come on.”

“Weapons?” Ari asked.

“Got ’em. Let’s go!”

Maren remained in the hall. Janco shot past her, heading to the nearest stairwell. Her and Ari’s pounding footsteps sounded behind him.

“Are you going to tell me what this is about?” Ari asked him.

“He thinks Valek’s in trouble,” Maren answered.

“Thinks?”

Maren explained about the oddness in the hallway outside Valek’s office. It didn’t take Ari long to reach the same conclusion.

“The three of us can’t fight three magicians,” Ari said.

Janco reached the stairs and bounded up them three at a time. At the fourth floor, he stopped, putting his hand up to signal all quiet. He peered down the hall. Empty.

Giving Maren and Ari the wait signal, he crept down the corridor until he reached the turn that would lead to the guest quarters. A quick peek confirmed no one lurked in the shadows. But a creepy-crawly sensation brushed his skin.

Magic nearby. Lovely. At least it wasn’t the sharp pain of an active illusion. Janco returned to his friends. He explained his plan in a whisper, then dug into his bag of tricks.

Ari raised his eyebrows when Janco handed him a blowpipe and darts.

“Just in case,” Janco said. Then he gave Maren the most important item. “Make sure it gets as close to the action as possible.”

“What if there’s no action?” she asked.

“Then we find it,” Ari said. “No stopping until Valek’s safe.”

Janco flashed his partner a grin. While Maren might doubt him, Ari was all in.

In silence, they ghosted through the hallway. When they reached the door to the guest suites, Janco knelt on one knee. He twisted the knob. Locked. Janco whipped out his lock picks. Using the one with the mirror, he inserted it under the door and confirmed no one guarded the door. A cool breeze blew over his hand and voices murmured from inside.

“A window is open,” Janco whispered. “We’ll have to move fast.”

Inserting his diamond pick and tension wrench into the lock, he aligned the pins in record time and slowly turned the cylinder. Even though every nerve tingled with the desire to hurry, he eased open the door. It about killed him to move that slow.

Owen, Tyen and Rika stood in front of the window with their backs to the door, talking. Strange, but good fortune for him. Where was Valek? He scanned the rest of the room.

“...Valek,” Owen said.

Janco’s gaze jumped back to the others and he spotted his boss through a gap between Tyen and Rika. Valek sat on the ledge with Owen gripping his shoulders, talking to him. Pushing the door wider, Janco entered the room and signaled Ari and Maren to follow.

Owen said, “...Yelena’s next.”

“Now!” he yelled at Maren.

The three magicians whipped around just as she threw a glass ball at their feet. It shattered on impact. A knockout gas hissed from the broken shards, fogging the area. But the breeze from the outside would soon clear the air. Then they’d have three pissed-off magicians.

Owen and the others stumbled to the ground. “Ari!” Janco pointed to the prone magicians. “Curare.”

But Ari raced through the fog to the window instead. The empty window! Shit. Fear burned in his gut. Janco held his breath and dashed after Ari.

His partner leaned out. Oh no. Janco joined him, preparing to see the worst.

Ari held Valek’s arm as the man dangled in midair. The big man’s arm muscles strained with effort. Janco reached for Valek’s other arm. Together they heaved their boss into the room.

“They’re reviving,” Maren yelled.

“Go,” Valek ordered.

They sprinted for the door and didn’t stop until they reached Valek’s suite. Valek unlocked the door. Or tried. His hands shook and the key rattled in the lock. Ari nudged Valek aside and finished the task. The housekeeper had lit the lanterns, but the main living area was empty.

Valek called for Yelena. He raced up the stairs, then returned a few minutes later, wild-eyed and frantic. “She isn’t here. Owen said she’s next. We need to search the castle!”

Ari blocked Valek. “Owen didn’t have time to set a trap for her.”

“But what if he’s looking for her right now?” Valek tried to push past, but Ari clamped a hand on his shoulder.

“He won’t just grab her in front of witnesses. He’ll have to plan. Let’s just take a moment and think. Okay?” Ari guided him to the couch.

Valek just about collapsed onto the cushions. Concerned by his boss’s stunned expression, Janco rummaged for the good stuff in Valek’s corner cabinet. No one said a word as Janco poured healthy shots of whiskey into four glasses. He handed one to each. They clinked the glasses together and downed the alcohol in one gulp.

Fire burned his throat and warmed his stomach. Janco refilled the glasses.

Valek stared into his, swirling the amber liquid around. “That’s the closest I’ve come to...” He pulled in a deep breath, then raised his glass to them. “Thank you.”

“Thank Janco,” Maren said. “He’s the one who figured it out.”

“Yeah, but I couldn’t have done anything without you and Ari.”

“We’re a team. This is what we do,” Ari said.

They drank. This time Janco sipped his.

“Now we can concentrate on finding Yelena,” Ari said. “Has anyone seen her since she returned from her ride with Reema?”

No one had.

“We’ll divide the castle into sections and each take one,” Valek said.

“No can do,” Janco said. “If one of us runs into Owen or his goons, we’ll be in trouble.” He scratched his goatee. “We should stay together. Let’s list the places she’s most likely to be.” He glanced at the dark windows. “Supper’s over. How about the washroom?”

“Or she could have gone to say goodbye to Reema and found her alone,” Ari said.

Valek stood. The whiskey appeared to have steadied him. “Let’s go.”

They left the suite. As they headed down to the washrooms, Janco asked Valek, “Are you going to report the attack to the Commander?”

“No. Owen will spin a tale about how I tried to sneak into his rooms.”

“But we saw—”

“What, exactly?” Valek asked.

Janco recalled the scene in the guest suite. “He had his hands on your shoulders.”

“He’ll claim he was trying to help me. You didn’t witness my abduction. All you had to go on was a creepy feeling in a dark hallway. No. It would be pointless to report the incident to the Commander.”

“How did he manage to capture you?” Maren asked.

Valek exchanged a look with Ari. The big guy nodded and Valek explained to Maren about the null shields.

It didn’t take her long to understand the danger. “So that means he can trap you at any time?”

“Unfortunately. And he can also suffocate me with that blasted shield.” Valek increased his pace.

Janco wished he’d brought the bottle of whiskey along as they checked the washroom, then their apartment, where they found Reema curled up in a chair fast asleep. They searched the stables, the kennels and visited Yelena’s friend Dilana, the seamstress. With every stop, Janco’s alarm grew twofold.

They visited Valek’s office, just in case. Valek’s knife remained in the hallway. He picked it up and a murderous expression settled on his face. If Owen had been standing there, no doubt Valek would have rammed the blade into his black heart.

While there were plenty of places left to look, there was no logical reason Yelena would visit them.

“Owen must have her,” Valek said in a deadly tone. “I’ll kill him.”

13

YELENA

B
lue. The liquid in Medic Mommy’s vial was blue. Blue for baby. I navigated the hallways of the castle without any thoughts on my destination. Lanterns glowed, painting blue shadows on gray stone walls. I clutched a list of foods and drinks that would aid in the baby’s healthy growth. The words had been written in blue ink.

Deep down, the news wasn’t a shock, but rather a confirmation. Yet the part of me that wanted to automatically dismiss the idea had been a loudmouth, shouting over the quiet knowledge.

Bad time or not, I wasn’t able to change the past. Based on my calculations and Medic Mommy’s experience, I was about six weeks along, which meant I had a few months before my body revealed the truth to others. The baby was due in seven and a half months and right in the middle of the cooling season. Hopefully by that time, Owen would be turned into a memory. A “remember when” that had a happy ending.

What a crazy day. I wondered if Valek would still consider my news a cause for celebration. So much had happened since I first suspected.

A baby.

I imagined a little boy with bright blue eyes and black hair. The scamp would be causing trouble at every turn. Janco would soon be the favorite uncle, and Junior would probably learn how to throw a knife before he learned how to dress himself. Or perhaps a little girl with curly black hair. She’d be in the midst of trouble and have Valek wrapped around her finger. Ari would spoil her rotten. And she’d learn how to pick a lock before she could read.

I arrived at the kitchen. Laughter and the clatter of dishes vibrated through the double doors. A spicy roasted meat aroma enticed me onward. Steam puffed from buckets of water as the staff scrubbed pots. I’d missed supper while visiting the medic.

Sammy, the head chef, spotted me hovering near the door and waved me over to his workstation. It gleamed, but his all-white uniform sported a number of gravy splotches and other stains.

“Did you stop by to say hello or to scrounge for food?” he asked.

“Both. And to thank you for the delicious sweet cakes. The best you’ve ever made. You added something new, didn’t you?” I sat on one of the stools.

“Yup. Guess what it is.” A devilish grin spanned Sammy’s youthful face.

At age twenty, he was the youngest person ever assigned as head chef for the Commander. A pang of grief pressed on my heart for the previous chef, Rand. A friend who had betrayed me, and then saved me.

“Lemon juice?”

“Aww, you’re no fun.” He pretended to pout.

“Then you should ask someone who wasn’t trained as a food taster. Why did you add it?”

“The lemon juice reacts with the baking powder, causing the batter to bubble, and it makes the sweet cakes lighter and fluffier.”

“And yummier.” I smiled. “Speaking of food, is there anything left over from supper?”

He opened one of the ovens built into the stones above the huge hearth that dominated the center of the kitchen. Grabbing a protective mitt, he pulled a pan out along with the mouthwatering scent of braised beef.

Sammy picked up an oversize metal spoon, ladled two heaping servings and slid one over to me along with a fork. “Nice to have company while I eat.”

“Thanks. Do you always wait this late?”

“Yup. This way I know everyone’s fed and no one’s gonna interrupt me.”

The meat just fell apart and melted in my mouth. Sammy chuckled at my unladylike moans.

“This is fantastic. What’s the occasion?”

Sammy sobered. “The Commander’s guests requested it.”

Figured Owen wouldn’t be happy with standard fare. And this was the perfect opportunity to learn what the gossip network had discovered. “Does the Commander usually let his guests decide?”

“No. Usually, he lets me plan the menu unless there’s a special occasion. Then he orders the meal. But these three have been a giant pain in my ass since they’ve arrived.”

“Really?”

“Yup. They complain about everything. The meat’s too hot. It’s too cold. Too much bread. Not enough cheese. They also have the poor housekeepers in a tizzy.”

“Why?”

“They’ve taken over the entire guest wing and refuse to let the housekeepers into certain rooms. And they fuss if their beds aren’t made early enough and if the chamber pots aren’t immediately emptied.”

“Has any of the staff complained to the Commander?” I asked.

“No. The Commander gave orders that we were to ensure that their every need was met, no matter what. And no, he’s never said that before. Not even when the Generals are visiting.”

Not too surprising, if Owen had somehow managed to influence the Commander despite the null shield woven into his uniforms. How long ago did Leif provide the protection? Could Owen have done it four and a half years ago, when he’d first been captured in Ixia? I’d have to ask Leif. But would his answer come in time? Before, I’d contact him through a super messenger and have instant communication. Now it would take a week at least. If my magic ever returned, I’d never take it for granted again.

“Anything else strange going on with them?” I asked.

Sammy chewed thoughtfully. “Yup. They took a bunch of the housekeepers’ buckets and filled them with dirt. And they’ve been burning lots of wood. But not in their rooms, ’cause there’s not enough ash.”

“Buckets of dirt?”

He shrugged. “Probably in the rooms they blocked from the staff.”

Sammy’s gossip confirmed that Owen had brought along a few of those Harman saplings and were growing them inside. It made sense if the tree was used to the warmer Sitian climate. Plus, it would take a few weeks for Owen to build a glass hothouse.

As Sammy prattled on about the various hookups among the servants, I wondered if Valek could sneak into the guest suite and steal one of those saplings. Eventually Sammy finished his stories and started yawning. His day started hours before dawn. I bid him a good-night and headed to Valek’s suite.

Only a few people traveled the corridors. It was later than I’d thought. By the time I reached the turn into the shortcut through the servant’s wing, the halls were deserted.

“Yelena!” Valek called from behind me. He sounded relieved.