Dawn Study

by Maria V. Snyder

  I clamped down on my protest. “What is she planning to do once she catches you?”

  “Take me to Bruns for interrogation. I considered letting her so I could see where they’re holding Fisk, but...” He rubbed his ribs, probably remembering the last time he was Bruns’s prisoner and had almost been beaten to death.

  “Better to get Zitora on our side first. You need to convince her, love.” He sat down on the floor next to the door. If anyone entered, the open door would hide him from view.

  I moved to the deepest shadow that had a clear shot to the entrance. Careful not to prick myself with the sharp tips, I laced the darts in my tunic for easy access. Then I loaded a dart into the pipe and waited. My stomach did flips—or was that the baby, energized by all the magic? Easier to blame him or her than my nerves.

  After a moment, Valek said, “They’re in the alley.” He closed his eyes. “Onora has engaged.”

  A few shouts and sounds of a scuffle reached us.

  “Right outside.” Valek’s voice strained with the effort to speak.

  I raised my blowpipe and aimed. The door flew wide. Spotting the guard’s neck, I puffed, then loaded another dart. People tumbled into the room. I shot at anyone I didn’t recognize until I ran out of darts. However, many of the guards remained on their feet, and while I managed to hold my own with my switchblade for a minute or so, the small confines of the room limited my maneuverability. Two guards disarmed me and grabbed my arms, pinning me between them.

  “Yelena! Figures I’d find you here.” Zitora’s tone turned deadly. “Traitor, where’s that killer Valek?”

  Flabbergasted by her anger and hatred, I stared at her. Words refused to move past my lips.

  “Behind you.” Valek pressed a knife against her throat. She didn’t make a sound or move, but he tightened his grip on her and said, “Don’t.”

  Zitora glowered at me. Finally the sleeping draft kicked in, and the men holding me swayed and collapsed. Wow. Leif hadn’t been kidding when he’d said it would take longer. Onora entered and, in a few quick moves, disarmed the other two before they also succumbed to the drug.

  “Is that all of them?” Valek asked Onora.

  “For now. When they don’t return, the others will come investigate.”

  “Yelena.” Valek met my gaze. Lines of strain showed on his face.

  Oh, right. I approached and grabbed Zitora’s hand.

  She cried, “You? You’re the one draining my power?”

  “Not me. The baby.”

  She glanced at my abdomen, and for the first time, I wished I had a baby bump.

  “It’s hard to explain, but if you stop aiming your magic at me, it won’t...er...collect it. At this point, we don’t really know what it’s doing with the magic.”

  “You’re not making any sense,” she said.

  I figured she might be distracted by the deadly weapon at her throat. “Valek, put the knife away. Why don’t you and Onora go guard the door?”

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  No. “Yes.”

  He stepped away from Zitora, and I released her hand. When she didn’t move, he titled his head at Onora, and they left the building.

  She crossed her arms. “My magic might not affect you, but I still can escape at any time. All I have to do is set this place on fire.”

  “You can, but you won’t. There are innocent people living on the upper floors.” Before she could respond, I held up both my hands. “Give me five minutes of your time. Please.”

  “And what if I don’t agree with what you have to say, Traitor?”

  Oh, boy. “Then you can go.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Yes. I’m not the enemy.”

  She glanced at the prone forms scattered on the floor.

  “Those men are asleep. Not dead.”

  “Fine.”

  Where to start? “The Councilors, Bain and Irys are not dead either. And you don’t have to take my word for it. Try contacting Irys or Bain.”

  “How? There are no more super messengers. Your Commander had them all destroyed.”

  One thing about Bruns—the man was smart and a smooth liar, which Zitora should have picked up on. Unless... “Bruns wears a null shield pendant, doesn’t he?”

  “Of course, or you’d attack him with your Soulfinding magic.”

  “I can’t access my power right now. The baby is blocking it.” I hoped.

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “Read my thoughts. See that I’m not lying.”

  She scrunched up her face as if smelling a rotten egg. “I can’t.”

  Shoot. Valek had been able to read my thoughts a month ago. The baby’s ability must be getting stronger as he or she grows. “That’s the baby.”

  Zitora failed to appear convinced.

  I tried another tactic. The truth. “Bruns has lied to you. His Cartel is planning a takeover of Sitia and is working with the Commander, who is under Owen Moon’s control.”

  “He said you might try to twist things around. Besides, Opal never said a word about this Cartel to me.”

  “That’s because when Opal left to help you, we didn’t know the extent of their reach. They’ve been feeding everyone Theobroma and using magic to brainwash everyone. At least tell me you noticed the taste in the food at the Hall.”

  “I did, but Bruns said the new chef likes to use it as seasoning, and it’s harmless in small quantities.”

  Bruns had an answer for everything. I needed to try yet another angle. “You don’t even know Bruns. But you know me and what I’ve done to keep Sitia safe. Do you really think I would do anything to harm it?”

  “You’re married to Valek and are having his child. You could have been sent here as a spy.”

  She had a point. Although it’d been years since anyone had accused me of being an Ixian spy. Which reminded me of Cahil. “Do you trust General Cahil?”

  “Yes.”

  “Talk to Cahil before you report this to Bruns. Ask him about Bruns. He’ll say the man’s a genius and is going to save Sitia, but use your magic and you’ll sense he’s lying.”

  “Why would he lie?”

  Time to take a gigantic risk. My heart fluttered. “Because he’s working with us. And you know how much Cahil hates me. So if he’s helping us, that’s because he understands Bruns is dangerous and must be stopped.”

  Her expression softened just a bit. “If you’re telling the truth...am I in danger?”

  “Not if Bruns thinks you still believe him. He’s waiting for the Theobroma to build up in your system so he can brainwash you, too. He hasn’t learned that it doesn’t work on the Master Magicians. Both Irys and Bain have been playing along until we’re ready to fight back.” I took a deep breath to steady my voice—I’d just dug us in deeper. “If you tell Bruns what I just said, he will kill them, and you, as well as Cahil. And then it’s only a matter of time before the rest of us are all dead.” I rested my hand on my stomach. “When you believe me, tell Cahil. He’ll get a message to us and we can arrange for you to escape.”

  “And if I don’t believe you?”

  “That message won’t be hard to miss.” I called for Valek and Onora.

  They returned and we hurried into the back room. A grimy window let in enough light for us to find the exit. Fisk always ensured there was a back door in his headquarters, just in case. Once we stepped outside, I grasped their hands so it would be harder for Zitora to track us to our apartment.

  “Did you convince her?” he asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  He slowed. “We need to leave the Citadel right away.”

  “Bruns already knows we’re here. And I may have doomed us all anyway, so there will be no point in trying to leave. It w
ill only delay the inevitable.”

  It was a sign of his exhaustion that he just squeezed my hand.

  After a few blocks, Onora said, “I’m gonna swing by the Council Hall. If I’m not back by midafternoon tomorrow, worry. Otherwise, don’t.” She aimed that comment at me as she released my hand.

  “Sorry, but I’m gonna worry anyway. Get used to it.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “That’s nice, but it would be better without the sarcasm.”

  She flashed a rare smile and ducked down a narrow side street. Valek and I took a winding path back to the apartment. He towed me to the bedroom.

  “Is the Keep safe?” I asked, thinking I might have a couple hours to check the library.

  “Yes, but I need you, love. Zitora could find me again, and I don’t have any energy to block her.”

  He released my hand long enough to strip off his shirt and pants. The heart-shaped wound on the center of his chest had healed, but the scar hadn’t faded. I traced it with a fingertip. The mark on my chest matched his—symbols of our marriage vows.

  He caught my hand and kissed my knuckles. Then he swayed with fatigue, so I pushed him down on the bed. “Sleep.” I shucked off my boots and tunic before joining him. Although he pressed against my bare back, he reclaimed my hand just before falling asleep.

  * * *

  Onora woke us...later. Outlined by the lantern’s yellow glow, Onora stood at the threshold. Valek was already sitting up and clutching a knife—where did that come from? Darkness streaked with lamplight flickered against the windows. My stomach roared with hunger. We must have slept for hours.

  “I’ve news,” Onora said a bit awkwardly.

  “We’ll be out,” Valek said.

  She nodded and closed the door. We disentangled, reaching for clothes. Once we were dressed, Valek claimed my hand as we joined Onora in the living area.

  She sat in one of the armchairs with her bare feet propped up on the table. I wondered what she’d been climbing—the walls of the Council Hall were too slick. Valek and I sat on the couch opposite her.

  “Report,” he said.

  “It was pretty quiet at the Hall,” she said. “If Zitora had informed Bruns about us, there would have been lots more commotion.”

  So far so good. “Fisk?” I asked.

  “Down in the cells, with layers of security around him.” She flexed her fingers as if stretching the joints. “I didn’t know you’d taught him the hand signals.”

  Valek tensed next to me. “You talked to him?”

  “Yup. I scared the crap out of him. Poor kid.”

  “Is he...healthy?” I asked, bracing myself for the answer.

  “Yes. He was mostly pissed off and upset about being caught, but when I explained you were safe for now, that calmed him down. He says he’s sorry that Bruns knows everything.”

  Poor kid, indeed. The desire to hug and comfort him pulsed through my chest.

  “Have they been feeding him Theobroma?” Valek asked.

  “No, but they used magic to extract all the information from his mind.”

  Oh, no. That was a horrible experience. Now tears threatened, and Valek rubbed his thumb on my hand.

  “Can you free him?” Valek asked.

  Onora pursed her lips in thought. “If there was a major distraction in the Hall, I could rescue him from the cells. Not sure if we’d escape the Hall, though.”

  I tightened my grip on Valek’s hand.

  He squeezed back. “What about Bruns? Did you see him or Cahil?”

  “I did a sweep and found where he set up his office. He’s staying in one of the guest suites on the third floor. Cahil wasn’t around.”

  “Are there layers of security around him, as well?”

  “Yes. Not as many, but I think a few are magicians. I recognized Cilly Cloud Mist.” She frowned, probably remembering when Cilly tried to erase her memory.

  No surprise Bruns was keeping Cilly close.

  “Can you reach Bruns?” Valek asked.

  Onora sat up, setting her feet on the floor with a thump. “You mean...?”

  “Yes. Assassinate the bastard.”

  Her already pale face whitened as she pressed her arms on her lap. “I...” Onora stared out the window.

  When she didn’t say anything, Valek asked, “Could I reach him?”

  “No. You’d never get inside the Hall without blending in. But if he leaves...”

  “I’d rather we target him while he’s asleep. That would give us more time to get away. And I doubt he’ll venture outside knowing I’m in the Citadel. Ideally, we’d kill him at the same time we make our move in the hot season, but this might be our only chance to reach him. You’ll have to do the honors.”

  She dragged her gaze to him. “I...”

  “Never killed anyone?” he asked, but it sounded more like a statement than a question.

  “Yes.”

  20

  VALEK

  Onora confirmed what he’d suspected for a while now. She’d never assassinated anyone. Talk about bad timing for this revelation.

  “How can you call yourself an assassin, then?” Yelena asked in surprise.

  “I have all the training and skills. I just haven’t...couldn’t...can’t...”

  Yelena reached over and grabbed the girl’s hand. “That’s not a weakness. That’s a strength.”

  Onora gave her a grateful smile.

  “What about with the Commander?” Valek asked. “Do you hide your full fighting abilities like you have with me?”

  “No. But like you, he stopped me by doing something unexpectedly desperate. And I was glad, because I already knew I couldn’t finish him.”

  That explained why the Commander had been so freaked. She’d gotten closer than Valek, and it had terrified him. “What about now?”

  She quirked her lips in an ironic half smile. “We’ve sparred a few times, and I’ve identified his weakness.”

  So had Valek, or so he’d thought. Ambrose liked to dangle the bait and see if you’d bite. But if he’d been forced to do something desperate, then maybe she truly could beat him. Not like any of this helped them now. He considered their meager options.

  Rescue Fisk, or assassinate Bruns. There was no way they could do both. Either would bring instant attention to them. Plus there was Zitora to consider. She could expose everything. A bone-deep ache of exhaustion throbbed through him. He hadn’t had nearly enough sleep.

  “Now what?” Yelena asked.

  “Tomorrow we’ll go to the Keep’s library and touch base with Cahil. After that...” He shrugged.

  “We rescue Fisk,” Yelena said in a tone that dared anyone to argue with her.

  He glanced at her. “You have a plan?”

  “Onora said she needed a distraction. So we’re going to provide one for her.”

  “Go big or go home?”

  “No.”

  “No?” he asked.

  “Go big and go home.”

  * * *

  They woke late the next morning. Onora returned from her mission while they ate breakfast.

  “How did it go?” Yelena asked.

  “After I did a reconnaissance of the Hall, I met with the Helper’s Guild and explained our plans to them.” She huffed in amusement. “Bets are already being made. We’re not favored to win, but I put a silver coin on us.”

  “Only silver?” Yelena raised an eyebrow.

  “No need to break the bank.”

  Yelena laughed. “As Janco would say, ‘Gotta love the confidence.’”

  Onora smiled, but it failed to reach her eyes. Valek wondered if she worried about Janco’s reaction to her not being quite the Little Miss Assassin he’d always b
elieved her to be. It hadn’t changed Valek’s opinion of her. She hadn’t lied. Everyone had just assumed and never asked her directly. Killing a person was not easy in any situation. Some people couldn’t do it even to save their own lives. Valek, on the other hand, recognized the need to eliminate certain people to ensure the safety of others, but he’d never done it lightly or for no reason. Which was why he had no regrets.

  Focusing on the problem at hand, Valek asked Onora if she’d talked to Phelan.

  “Yes. The General visited his headquarters late last night. He might be there again tonight.”

  “Good. Any signs of trouble?”

  “None so far, but Bruns might be biding his time, hoping to draw us out.”

  In that case, Bruns would succeed.

  When they finished eating, Valek escorted Yelena to the Keep, despite her protests that he was being overprotective.

  He was, but this time he had a legitimate reason to tag along. “While you’re checking the library, I’ll search Bain’s office. He might have had the same idea as us, and since he’s the First Magician, the library might have allowed him to borrow Master Magician Ellis Moon’s notes.”

  “That’s a good idea.”

  “Don’t sound so surprised, love. I might start to think you’re only interested in me for my body.”

  “Did you say something? I was too busy staring at your muscular chest.”

  “Nice.”

  They crossed the tunnel into the Keep without trouble. Yelena clutched her hands together while she scanned the empty campus. Valek squeezed her shoulder in support before she headed to the library. Without her touch, he needed to reinforce his mental barrier. Zitora might not be searching for him, but he wasn’t going to risk opening his mind at this point.

  He looped around to the back entrance of the administration building that housed the Master Magician’s offices, along with the Keep’s clerical staff. Valek ghosted down the hallway to Bain’s office. Halfway there, a muffled cry sounded. Drawing his knives, he paused to listen. A bang and a thud echoed. Valek tracked the noise to Irys’s office. The door stood ajar. He peered inside and cursed his rotten luck.

  Zitora faced the back wall, but before he could retreat, she said, “I know you’re there. I shouldn’t, because of your immunity.” She turned. “But you’re no longer immune. Are you?”