He inspected the branch I had used to drop into the clearing. He leaned over and peered at the forest floor.
“So me prey has gone to ground,” Goel said to himself.
He swung down and crouched by my marks. His thoughts focused on how much he would enjoy torturing me. Sleep, I projected into his mind. Sleep. But he was wide-awake and the command raised immediate suspicions. He stood and glanced around the clearing.
Damn. That wasn’t working. Don’t look up; I projected as I moved to a lower branch. The leaves shook, but Goel didn’t notice. Triggering my switchblade, I cut a three-foot section of rope. I wrapped the ends around my hands as Goel turned back to examine my tracks.
I jumped, landing behind him. Before he could move, I looped the rope I held around his throat. I spun. My backpack touched his back, and the rope was now over my shoulder. I dropped to one knee, forcing Goel to bend backward over me. In that position only his fingertips could reach me. Instead, he yanked at the garrote around his neck.
Just when I thought he was unconscious, his head bumped mine, and I felt his full weight on my back. He did a backward somersault over me. I saw his boots hit the ground in front of me.
Damn. Goel knew some self-defense techniques. He straightened and wrenched the rope right out of my hands.
“Got anything else?” he asked. His voice rasped from my strangulation attempt.
I pulled my bow from my back. He drew his sword.
He smiled. “Little girl. Little weapon.” Goel pointed to himself. “Big man. Big weapon.”
I shifted into a fighting stance, balancing my weight on the balls of my feet. He wasn’t going to intimidate me. If I could disarm my friend Ari, who had twice Goel’s muscle mass, and Ari’s partner, Janco, who was rabbit fast, I could take on Goel.
Sliding my hands along the wood of my weapon, I reestablished my mental link with Goel. When he lunged, I knew it before he moved. I stepped to the side, turning sideways so his sword missed my stomach. In a stride, I was in close. I slammed my bow into his temple. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
Thanking fate that Goel hadn’t called for his men, I searched his pack. I found brass knuckles, a small whip, a black club, an assortment of knives, a gag, manacles, keys and my camouflage material.
If I killed Goel, I would be doing the south a favor. A shame that Goel’s death wouldn’t go well in my “I’m not a spy” defense. So I dragged him to a tree and propped him into a sitting position against the trunk. The manacles had just enough chain for me to lock his hands behind the tree. I shoved his gag into his mouth, fastening the strap around his head.
I took my camouflage material and the manacles’ keys from his pack. Then I hid his pack and sword in the bushes. Pausing a moment to regain my focus, I sought Goel’s men with my mind. Satisfied that they were far enough away, I mentally scanned the forest for Cahil’s campsite. Once I knew in which direction to go, I set out.
I couldn’t leave Goel to die. Yet, if I released him, he would only track me down. I could find someone to direct me to the Citadel, and hope the few hours it took Cahil to find Goel would be enough time for me to stay ahead of them. That had been my intent when I had first escaped. But now that rankled. It would be the actions of a criminal or a spy, and I wasn’t guilty. I wouldn’t run away.
Perhaps I could use my magic and trick Goel into losing my trail. Then I could follow Cahil, keeping a close eye on him. But would he continue to the Citadel without me as his prisoner? I didn’t know.
A sudden intense desire for Valek was swept through my body. Discussing military tactics with him had always helped me work out a problem. I thought about how Valek would handle this situation and, soon after, a rough plan formed.
“You lost her,” Cahil repeated. He frowned as he stared at the faces of the four unhappy men who stood in front of him. “Where’s Goel?” he asked.
A mumbled reply.
“You lost him, too?” Outrage gripped Cahil’s face.
The men cringed and stammered.
I suppressed the urge to laugh out loud. My position near his campsite afforded me a clear view of Cahil and his men, while I remained hidden under my camouflage. I had used the waning daylight and the clamor of the search party’s arrival to move closer to the clearing.
“You’re a bunch of bumbling fools. Searching a prisoner for weapons and anything that would help an escape, is standard procedure.” Cahil glared at his men. “A complete and thorough search. You don’t stop because you found one weapon.” Cahil stared at his men until they fidgeted. “Captain Marrok?”
“Yes, my lord.” Marrok snapped to attention.
“If Goel doesn’t return by first light, I want you to lead a search party to find him. He’s our best chance of recovering that spy,” Cahil ordered.
“Yes, sir.”
Cahil stalked off to his tent. When he was gone, I could see the grim faces of his men as they stood around the campfire. The smell of roasting meat made my stomach complain. I hadn’t eaten all day, but I couldn’t risk making any noise. With a sigh, I squirmed into a comfortable position, settling in for a long wait.
Keeping alert proved difficult once the men had gone to sleep. Captain Marrok posted two guards, who circled the campsite. Using magic had drained me and I fought my heavy eyelids until I gave up and dozed for a while. The dream image of Goel’s hands on my neck jerked me awake in the middle of the night.
The guards were on the far side of the camp. I used my magic to send the sleeping men into a deeper slumber. The guards, though, fought hard. The image of the harsh punishment their comrades had received for falling asleep on guard duty the night before kept them vigilant. So I tried the “don’t look” command as I crept toward Cahil’s tent.
Upon reaching the back wall of the tent, I triggered my switchblade and cut a slit in the fabric. Then I entered the tent through that small opening.
Cahil was asleep. Leif looked like he hadn’t heard my entrance. Curled up on his side with one arm dangling over the edge of the cot, he appeared to be sleeping. Cahil lay on his back, his arms crossed over his stomach. His long sword rested on the floor within Cahil’s reach. I moved the weapon away before I sat on his chest.
The instant he awoke, I had my blade pressed against his throat. “Quiet or I’ll kill you,” I whispered.
His eyes widened. He tried to move his arms, but my weight pinned them down. Cahil could muscle me off, but I pushed the blade’s point into his skin. A drop of blood welled.
“Don’t move,” I said. “Your sword is out of reach. I’m not that stupid.”
“So I’m learning,” he whispered.
I felt him relax.
“What do you want?” Cahil asked.
“A truce.”
“What kind?”
“You stop trying to drag me to the Citadel in chains and I’ll accompany you there as a fellow traveler.”
“What do I get out of the deal?”
“You get Goel back and my cooperation.”
“You have Goel?”
I dangled the manacles’ keys over his face.
“How can I trust you when your brother doesn’t trust you?”
“I’m offering a truce. So far, I’ve had two opportunities to kill you. You’re a real threat to Ixia. If I were a true spy, your death would make me famous in the north.”
“And if I renege on this truce?”
I shrugged. “I’ll escape again. But this time, I’ll leave Goel’s dead body behind.”
“He’s a good tracker,” Cahil said with pride.
“Unfortunately.”
“If I say no to your offer?”
“Then I’m gone, leaving you to find Goel.”
“Dead?”
“Yes.” I bluffed.
“Why come back? You took care of Goel. He was the only threat to you.”
“Because I want the chance to prove that I’m not a spy,” I said with frustration. “I’m a Zaltana. And I’m not going to r
un like a criminal, because I’m not guilty. But I don’t want to be your prisoner. And…” I couldn’t explain anymore. I sighed. He was right. If my own brother didn’t trust me, why should Cahil? I had gambled and lost.
Time for plan B. I would run. My safest course would be to find Irys. I withdrew my switchblade from Cahil’s throat. After a full day on the lam without food or sleep, a bone-deep fatigue overcame me. I jumped off of Cahil.
“I’m not going to kill anybody.” I backed toward the slit I had cut in the tent, keeping my eyes on Cahil.
When I turned to find the rip in the fabric, a sudden wave of dizziness overcame me, and I stumbled to the ground. The tent spun and I lost consciousness for a mere moment as all my energy fled. I regained my wits in time to see Cahil pick up my switchblade.
8
CAHIL MOVED AWAY AND lit the lantern on his bedside table. He examined my switchblade in the candlelight.
“My lord?” a voice called through the door.
I braced myself, preparing to be accosted and manacled by a rush of guards.
“Everything’s fine,” Cahil called.
“Very good, sir.”
I heard the guard move away and I looked at Cahil in surprise. Perhaps he wanted me to tell him where Goel was before he “reclaimed” me. I sat up and glanced at Leif. His eyes were closed, but I didn’t know if the light and Cahil’s voice had roused him.
“These markings are very familiar,” Cahil said, referring to the six symbols engraved on the handle of my switchblade. “My uncle’s secret battle codes, I believe.” His gaze returned to me.
His sleep-tousled hair reinforced my first impression of his youth, but a sharp intelligence danced in his eyes.
I nodded. The codes had been used by the King of Ixia to send secret messages to his captains during battles.
“It’s been so long,” Cahil said. A brief sadness pulled at his face. “What do they mean?”
“It says, ‘Sieges weathered, fight together, friends forever.’ It was a gift.”
“Someone in the north?”
Loneliness touched my heart as I thought of what I had lost by coming south. My fingers sought the lump under my shirt, Valek’s butterfly. “Yes.”
“Who?”
An odd question. Why would he care? I searched Cahil’s face for some sign of duplicity, and found only curiosity. “Janco. One of my self-defense teachers.” I grinned at the memories of Janco singing his rhymes and knocking aside my attacks. “Without him and Ari, I wouldn’t have had the skills to escape you and take on Goel today.”
“They taught you well.” Cahil ran a hand along his neck, smearing the drop of blood.
He seemed deep in thought as he turned my switchblade in his hands. He pushed the blade into the handle then triggered it. The snick from the weapon made me flinch.
“Well made,” he said.
Cahil stepped toward me. I scrambled upright and stood in a defensive stance. Even though I was light-headed and weak, I contemplated my chances of getting away. Instead of threatening me, Cahil retracted the blade and gave me the switchblade. I looked at the weapon in my hand with a tired astonishment.
“A truce, then,” he said. “But any trouble and I’ll have you in chains.” Cahil gestured to a corner of the tent. “You’re exhausted. Get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow.” Placing his sword back within reach, Cahil lay down on his cot.
“Do you want to know where Goel is?” I asked.
“Is he in any immediate danger?”
“Unless there are poisonous or predatory animals in this forest.”
“Then let him sweat out the night. Serves him right for being caught.” Cahil closed his eyes.
I glanced around the tent. Leif hadn’t moved since I had arrived, but his eyes were open. He made no comment as he rolled over to his other side, turning his back on me. Again.
I sighed, wondering how much he had heard, and found I was too tired to care. With weariness dragging at my limbs, I spread my cloak on the floor, blew out the lantern and collapsed on my makeshift bed.
The next morning, Leif left the tent without saying a word. Cahil told me to stay inside while he made a show of the fact that Goel hadn’t returned.
I heard Cahil question the guards of the previous night.
“All was quiet, my lord,” one man replied.
“Nothing unusual?” Cahil asked.
“Just your light, sir. But you said—”
“What if I’d had a knife at my throat, Erant? Would you have believed what I said?”
“No, sir.”
“How did you know, then, that I wasn’t in trouble?”
“I didn’t, sir. I should have checked,” Erant said, sounding miserable.
“Should haves lead to death. In war, you don’t get a second chance. In a battle with the north, they won’t send an army against us. They’ll send one man. Without vigilance, we’ll all be killed in our sleep.”
Someone scoffed. “Surely one man can’t get by us.”
“How about a woman?” Cahil asked.
“No way,” a guard said amid cheers of assent.
“Then explain this. Yelena,” Cahil called. An immediate silence filled the forest. “Join me, please.”
I didn’t like being part of Cahil’s lesson, but he was right. An assassin trained by Valek would have had no trouble taking out his guards. I stepped from the tent, holding my bow in case anyone decided to rush me. The morning sun shone in my eyes as I squinted to examine Cahil’s men.
Surprise, anger and disbelief peppered their faces. Captain Marrok drew his sword. Leif was nowhere in sight.
“Everything wasn’t fine last night, Erant,” Cahil said. “Next time, make sure.”
Erant hung his head. “Yes, sir.”
“Yelena will be traveling with us to the Citadel. Treat her as a comrade,” Cahil ordered.
“What about Goel?” asked Captain Marrok.
Cahil looked at me. “Tell him where Goel is.”
“You’ll keep Goel on a leash?” I asked. There was no doubt in my mind that Goel’s desire for revenge would cause trouble. I shuddered at the thought of being at his mercy.
“Captain Marrok, explain the situation to Goel. Before you free him, make sure he gives his word not to harm Yelena.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Unless I give him permission,” Cahil added, staring at me. “Trouble will get you in chains. Treason will get you Goel.”
A rumble of appreciation rolled through Cahil’s men. His little show had earned him points in their minds. I gave him a bored look. I had been threatened many times before and had learned that the men who didn’t make verbal threats were the most dangerous. With that thought, I searched the campsite for Leif. Perhaps he had returned home now that I had delivered myself to Cahil.
I gave Marrok the key to the manacles and instructions as to where to find Goel and his pack. As the Captain left to free him, the rest of the guards began breaking down the campsite. Cahil’s men kept a wary eye on me. A couple of hostile glares were thrown my way, especially when they discovered the rip in the tent’s fabric.
While waiting for the Captain and Goel to return, I sorted and organized my backpack. I combed and braided my hair, then twisted the long braid up into a bun, using my lock picks to hold the hair in place. It never hurt to be prepared. Cahil might trust me not to cause trouble, but he still believed I was a northern spy.
Goel returned with Marrok and Leif. I was surprised to see Leif, but not surprised by the seething glower on Goel’s face. His cheeks had deep red marks where the gag’s strap had pressed into his skin. His hair and clothes were unkempt. Wetness stained his pants and his skin was blotchy from multiple mosquito bites. Goel gripped his sword, starting toward me.
Captain Marrok intercepted Goel and pointed across the clearing to a bedroll still lying on the ground. Goel sheathed his sword and headed to the sleeping mat, shooting me a look of venom.
I resumed breathing. O
nce the camp was packed, Cahil mounted his horse and led us to the forest trail. I stayed close to Marrok in case Goel forgot his promise again.
The Captain grinned at me and said, “Watch now.”
Cahil clicked at his horse as he tapped his heels into the animal’s sides. The horse increased its stride, and the men began to jog.
“Keep up,” Marrok said.
I hadn’t run laps since training with Ari and Janco, but I had found some time to exercise while traveling south. Matching Marrok’s pace, I asked, “Why does he make you run?”
“Keeps us battle ready.”
I had more questions, but I saved my breath, concentrating instead on staying with Marrok. By the time we reached the next campsite, my field of vision had shrunk to a small area on the Captain’s back. My efforts to stay in shape hadn’t been enough. When we stopped, I labored for air, sucking in huge mouthfuls. Leif, too, seemed winded. Hasn’t run with his friends for a while, I thought peevishly.
Once the camp was erected, Cahil offered to let me sleep in the corner of his tent again. There, I collapsed to the ground without bothering to spread my cloak. In the morning, I ate a light breakfast.
The next three days mirrored the first day of traveling with Cahil, but by the end of the fourth day, I wasn’t as exhausted. I could eat dinner, and even stayed by the fire for a while. Goel glared at me whenever I met his eye, so I ignored him. Leif pretended I didn’t exist.
I began to think the forest was endless. Day after day we covered many miles, yet met no one on the trail, nor saw any sign of a village. I suspected Cahil avoided the towns. I couldn’t be sure if it was for my benefit or his.
Eventually, the men got used to my presence. They bantered and kidded with each other, and practiced sword fighting. The wary glances disappeared, and my arrival at the campfire no longer caused an immediate hush. I found it interesting that the men always sought Captain Marrok’s approval prior to doing anything.
After we’d been traveling for seven days, Captain Marrok surprised me. Some of the guards were performing self-defense drills, and he invited me to join them.
“We could use the practice against that staff of yours,” he said.
Magic Study Page 7