Night Study (32 page)

“They’re inefficient because they don’t have enough staff or resources.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Progress! I let the subject drop. We walked in silence for a while. A few other people strode along the streets Fisk had chosen. Some nodded to him in greeting; others smiled. I spotted one of his helpers lurking in an alley, but she faded from sight once Fisk met her gaze.

“They’re ready,” he said.

My heart fluttered as my hand rested on my abdomen for a moment. I’d been the bait before. However, this time, I had a baby to keep safe. If Valek ever found out... No. Not going there. I concentrated on the plan.

Fisk took a few turns, then led me to an alley’s entrance. He made a show of checking for a tail before we dashed inside. When the alley’s rank fragrance turned my stomach, I thought of Janco whining about the stench. The alley dead-ended, but a few doors surrounded us. Fisk produced a key and stepped toward the one on the right.

“Hold it right there,” a familiar voice ordered.

I spun. The Mosquito stood about twenty feet away. He aimed a crossbow at us. I wasn’t expecting that particular weapon, but we could adapt.

“Hello, Kynan, or do you prefer to be called The Mosquito?” I asked.

“You don’t really think Kynan is my name, do you?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Perhaps you did, since you believe I’m not very bright and would follow your Ixian friends.”

“It was a good decoy,” I said in my defense.

He huffed with amusement. “Maybe at night or if I was half-blind. Her posture on Kiki didn’t match yours.”

I’d say his powers of observation ranked pretty high. “You need to get a life if you’ve been watching me that long.”

“I told you before. I don’t give up, and I always finish a job before moving on.”

I glanced at Fisk. He held his hands to the side.

“The boy can go,” The Mosquito said, gesturing with his weapon.

Fisk hesitated.

A twang snapped, sending the bolt right between us. I jerked in surprise as the tip struck the building behind us. By the time we returned our attention to The Mosquito, he had loaded another bolt.

“You’re not fast enough, boy. Now go on. Fetch help for Yelena.”

“Go ahead, Fisk,” I said.

Fisk frowned, but he strode past The Mosquito, who kept his weapon aimed at Fisk until he disappeared from view. Then he swung it back to me.

“That’s new.” I gestured to the crossbow. “What happened to your ice pick?” I asked.

“I learn from my mistakes. I’m not getting close to you until I’m sure you don’t have any of those darts hidden in your clothes.”

“Then it’s in my best interest to keep you at a distance.”

He laughed. “Yes, that would be right. But you’re in luck. The game has changed.”

“Funny, I’m not feeling very lucky.” Actually, I was quite confident—one gesture from me and The Mosquito would be squashed.

“Cute. My client has changed his mind about you. Instead of killing you, he wants to talk to you.”

“So he can kill me later?”

“All I know is you get a free pass this time. I don’t have orders for next time.”

I considered his offer. “Does your client have my brother?”

“Yes.”

“Will he exchange him for me?”

“No. And if you’re thinking you can use your...truth serum on me to get the location of your brother, I’ve no idea where my client is keeping him. My knowledge is limited just for that very reason.” He shot me a sour look.

“I’m guessing Bruns...or rather your
client
isn’t happy you blabbed.” I couldn’t resist needling him.

The Mosquito tightened his grip on the crossbow. “Is that your answer?”

“Where does Bruns wish to meet?”

“I don’t know. I’m to inform him of your response, and then he’ll tell me the location.”

Smart. This way I couldn’t detain him until after I’d learned the meeting place. Unless he lied about the extent of his knowledge.

“And I know all about your trap.” The Mosquito glanced up at the windows on the second story. “Should I wave to the Ixians?”

Busted.

“You really do think I’m an idiot.”

“Not anymore,” I said.

He smiled. “Your answer?”

“Tell Bruns I’ll meet with him.”

“Excellent.” The Mosquito backed away. He paused at the entrance, checked for an ambush and disappeared.

I replayed the encounter in my mind, but really couldn’t determine a way that it could have gone any differently.

Fisk arrived with a handful of his helpers. “You let him go?”

“I didn’t have much of a choice.” I explained what had happened.

“I’ve assigned a team to keep an eye on him,” Fisk said. “Maybe he’ll lead us to his boss and where they’re holding Leif.”

“He’s intelligent, so I doubt he’d be that careless. But it doesn’t hurt to try.”

The door into the alley swung open and Ari and Janco arrived. The red splotches on Ari’s normally pale cheeks warned me. I braced for his lecture on the dangers of meeting with Bruns. He didn’t disappoint, listing a number of horrific and creative outcomes. Janco had rubbed off on him.

“...not listening, are you?” Ari asked.

“I got the point. You’re not happy and neither am I, but I see no other way.”

“What do we do while we wait?” Janco asked.

What indeed? “We need to update Irys and...” My stomach soured. “And Mara. She needs to know what’s going on.”

“Can we trust the guards at the Keep not to turn us in to the Citadel’s security forces?” Janco asked.

For the first time since I’d come to Sitia, I truly didn’t know. “Fisk, can one of your helpers deliver a message to the Second Magician?”

“Yes. In the meantime, you’re welcome to stay with me. I’ve guest rooms.”

“Fancy,” Janco said.

Pride momentarily eclipsed my anxiety for Leif. Fisk had turned into such a fine young man.

* * *

Irys and Mara arrived after supper. Both wore worried expressions. Mara fisted the fabric of her skirt. We settled in Fisk’s living area. He had left earlier and hadn’t returned. I sat next to Mara on the couch and held her cold hand in mine. Janco leaned against the door and Ari occupied the other chair across from Irys.

“No,” Mara said when I’d finished detailing my conversation with The Mosquito. “You can’t sacrifice yourself for Leif.” She smoothed the wrinkles over her lap.

“It’s not an exchange.,” I assured her. “He just wants to talk. Plus we can follow him after—see if he’ll lead us to Leif.”

“And if he doesn’t? What if something goes wrong?” Ari asked.

“Then I’ll have a
talk
with him,” Irys said. Her steely gaze promised results, and the magic detector flashed in response. “Let me know when the meeting is scheduled.”

* * *

While we waited for a message from The Mosquito, my thoughts turned to Valek. It’d been sixteen days since we’d parted. I wondered if he waited at our rendezvous location or if he still hunted the Storm Thieves. Should I send a messenger? I asked Ari and Janco.

“If you do, he won’t worry why we’re not there, but if he hears about Leif, he’ll come here,” Ari said.

Not good. He needed to stay in Ixia. “What if I say we’ve just been delayed?”

“He’ll come regardless.” Janco crinkled his forehead in confusion. “You act like that’s a bad thing. He can flatten that Mosquito.”

“The Commander has forbidden him to leave Ixia,” I said.

“That didn’t stop Valek last month,” Janco said. “He disobeyed a direct order from the Commander when he traveled to Lapeer to help you. Valek’s never done that before. His loyalties have changed, so unless you’re at the rendezvous location soon, expect to see him.”

I played with the butterfly pendent Valek had carved for me. If Janco had noticed that Valek’s priorities had switched, then it must be obvious to the Commander. No wonder he’d come down so hard on Valek.

“Then we’ll have to conclude our business with Bruns as soon as possible,” I said.

“No problem. We’ll rescue Leif, bring down the Cartel and be home in time for our afternoon naps,” Janco snarked.

I stood and slapped him on the back. “That’s the spirit!” However, my insides churned with dread. This Cartel might be beyond our ability to stop, and convincing the Sitian Council would require more proof than we currently had. Drawing in a deep breath, I cleared all the things I couldn’t control from my mind and focused on the most important issue: rescuing Leif.

Fisk drew on his network of information gatherers to collect any bit of news regarding the Cartel’s location. They kept an eye on the businessmen who were suspected of having ties to the Cartel. Irys gave permission to Lindee, Fisk’s accountant, to access the Citadel’s records room. According to Fisk, she had a sharp mind and was a genius with numbers. Perhaps she’d find a bill of sale for a building that could be traced back to the Cartel.

I organized the intel, searching for clues and weak links, and tried to piece together their plans. Ari and Janco frequented the taverns in the government quarter, listening to the gossip.

The Mosquito’s messenger arrived four long days after the encounter in the alley. The young boy waited outside for a reply. The letter said:

The meeting is now. Follow the boy. If you don’t arrive in thirty minutes, my boss will be gone
.

“No way,” Ari said, reading over my shoulder. “We won’t be able to have backup on site.”

“I think that’s the point,” Janco said. “It’s a trap.”

“You can follow me to the meeting place, then send one of Fisk’s helpers to fetch Irys. I’ll delay as long as possible.”

“No.” Ari shook his head. “It’s—”

“Our only chance to find Leif.” I gestured to the papers spread on one of the kitchen tables. “There’s nothing here.” I stood and wrapped my cloak around my shoulders.

Ari and Janco scrambled to grab theirs, but Fisk stopped them.

“You’re too noticeable. Let my people do the honors, and they’ll relay Yelena’s position to you. You’ll only be a minute behind her. I promise.”

Ari straightened to his full height and peered down at me and Fisk. “First sign of trouble and we’re coming in. Understand?”

“Yes, sir.” I hurried outside and found the messenger. “Where are we going?”

The boy shrugged. “All I know is to go east.” He turned right and headed east.

After a few blocks, another boy waited. His instructions had been to lead me south until we reached a third boy. Then a fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh. I had kept track of my whereabouts despite the serpentine route. But once we’d traveled into the southwestern resident quarter of the Citadel, I lost my exact location in the unfamiliar labyrinth of streets. We reached a dilapidated section. Wooden boards covered the windows and doors of the buildings. Broken glass and trash coated the walkways. The air smelled rancid.

The eighth boy led me to a broken-down shack. “Inside,” he said.

I hesitated. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” He pulled open the warped door, revealing darkness. “After you.”

Bruns hadn’t said to come unarmed. I yanked my switchblade from its holder and triggered the blade.

The boy smirked. “Good luck with that.”

Bracing for...well, anything, I entered. The floor creaked under my boots. After two steps the door clicked shut, and I stopped, unable to see in the utter blackness. He brushed past me and then swept aside a curtain. We stepped into a room filled with sunlight that streamed in from two skylights high above. I blinked at the expensive furnishings, rugs and solid walls. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think I was in the living room of one of the Sitian Councilors and not in the poorest section of the Citadel. The shack must be an illusion to keep the neighbors away.

The boy indicated the couch. “Please have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?”

“Uh, no thanks.”

“Mister Jewelrose will be here shortly.” The boy disappeared through an alcove on the left.

I peered through the single small window facing a narrow street. A row of houses slumped against one another. A few people sat on porches or pulled wagons over the cobblestones. No familiar faces. I hoped Fisk’s people hadn’t lost me.

“My estate outside Kohinoor has a much better view,” a male voice said behind me.

I turned. A tall, well-dressed man with graying black hair and gray eyes strode toward me. He held out his hand. “Bruns Jewelrose.”

Without thinking, I shook it. “Yelena Liana Zaltana.”

“Pleasure to meet you.”

“Not from what I’ve heard.”

He smiled. “That was just business, Yelena. Nothing personal.”

I gaped at him. How could he believe that? I recovered from my shock. “I disagree. You hired an assassin to kill me. That’s
very
personal.”

“You were an obstacle to be eliminated, but now the situation has changed.”

“Yay for me.” Sarcasm sharpened my tone.

“Now, now. No need for that. Have a seat and we can discuss my proposal.”

I remained standing. “Not until you tell me what happened to Leif. Is he okay? Where is he?”

“You’re jumping ahead. Sit down and—”

“Not until I know Leif is alive and well.”

Bruns tsked over my stubborn refusal to play nice. “All right.” He settled on a leather couch and crossed his legs. “Come on in,” he called.

A door opened, and Leif strode into the room. An intense relief washed through me, and I swayed. He rushed to hug me, keeping me upright. I clung to him. Was he real?

“Took you long enough,” he said. “Good thing the food is delicious.”

Yup. It was him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Good. I’m going to get you out of here.” Somehow. I hoped.

“Thanks, but I don’t need to be rescued.”

I pulled away. “What?”

“I’ve joined the Cartel.”

23

VALEK

“A
re you talking about pirates?” Valek asked the young magician.

She knelt on the bow of the ship, soaking wet. “I guess. They pretended to be in distress, and we pulled alongside their ship to help. Except they boarded our ship. They had swords and they killed Nell and our first mate.” She closed her eyes for a moment as if enduring a wave of pain. “And then tossed their bodies overboard.”