Chronicles of Ixia 09.5 [Soulfinders] - Diaper Study

by Maria V. Snyder

  The second lock was a fiendish little devil--similar to Little Miss Assassin--requiring a fair amount of concentration and determination. He had plenty of determination. As for concentration...he'd focused that one time during the Richter ambush and there was that other time when Ari was captured and—

  oh right, lock, baby, now.

  Sweat stung his eyes and mixed with the blood already soaked into his shirt, igniting all those cuts he'd gotten from Kurt. After an eternity, the lock clicked open. One left. Janco just about wept when he examined it. Son of a sand rat! What sort of twisted mind came up with this nasty piece of iron.

  Gritting his teeth, he set to work. Another eternity passed followed by an epoch. He imagined Yelena and Valek searching the castle for him—both armed. Thank fate, the lock popped. The door opened, Janco sprang inside, and... The room was empty. He wilted.

  He searched just in case they were hiding. But, unlike the piles and books and general mess of Valek's office, Onora was a neat nic. She'd cleaned out and organized all of Valek's files right away.

  Unfortunately, she'd ordered Janco and Ari to help—not fun. At all. The conference table was clean, nothing underneath or behind the desk.

  Next place? Onora's apartment! Good thing Janco was friendly with the guards on duty and they owed him a favor. He hightailed it—who comes up with these words?—through the short cut. And skidded to a stop when he encountered that creepy crawlie feeling that meant magic was in use. Could it be Onora hiding nearby? He hoped.

  The little-used corridor was empty. He crept to the end. Voices hissed in whispered anger. Janco peeked around the corner. Two men faced each other. Their postures radiated fury and one had his hand on his sword. They wore soldier uniforms. Janco didn't recognize either one. Not that unusual since he'd become a special advisor to the Commander, but still.

  One of the men pulled a knife and the hair on Janco's arms stood on end as a wave of magic reached him. Oh boy. One or both of these guys was a magician. Here in the Commander's castle where magic is not allowed—well, only a select few could use it. Certainly not these two goons. What were they doing here? And why?

  And, more importantly, what was Janco going to do about it?

  PART FOUR

  Two spies had infiltrated the Commander's castle and Janco just had to stumble onto them. Of all the rotten luck. They argued in a deserted corridor of the castle over which one of them was going to give

  "the boss" the bad news.

  Out of sight around the corner, Janco leaned on the wall and considered his options. One, arrest them--at least one of them was a magician so he had a good reason. Except, he wouldn't learn the identity of "the boss." Who thinks of these names? Probably someone with an utter lack of imagination.

  Two, he could just leave them and follow up later--he knew what they looked like and both were wearing soldier's uniforms. That'd be the quickest thing to do. Again, he'd miss out on meeting the boss. Three, he could wait for them to finish and follow the loser to the boss, and learn why they were here. And the winner was...option three. Sigh. Janco was one of the best because he didn't shirk his duty. Well...not this time.

  The goons finished their argument. Janco hid as they left. And instead of searching for Onora and Liana, he was stuck ghosting behind these idiots who dared come to Ixia for nefarious reasons. Yelena and Valek would never trust him to babyguard Liana again. At least the baby was safe with Onora.

  The idiots in question left the castle and split up. One headed to the barracks, while the other aimed for the south gate. When the goon left the castle complex without drawing anyone's notice, Janco figured he tailed the magician. Good.

  They entered Castletown. The spy kept glancing behind him. Not the smartest puppy in the litter.

  Who trained this guy? And because fate decided Janco must not be miserable enough, the cuts along his arms, legs, and torso started to throb with pain. He sighed again.

  After a bunch of I'm-trying-to-be-inconspicuous moves--another sign of ineptitude--the spy entered a dilapidated warehouse. Seriously? How cliched can you get? Janco tried to peer inside, but the windows were covered in grime. Although, it didn't take a genius to guess this was the lair of some black market dealer.

  Janco looped around the building. It sagged under the weight of its roof. Paint peeled from the wooden siding. The door to the back alley was locked, but a window two stories up was ajar. Too easy.

  Except when Janco started climbing, his skin crawled with magic. The desire to be somewhere--

  anywhere--else pulsed in his veins. The power increased as he ascended higher until he fought for

  every single inch. Sweat stung his eyes, ran down his back, and collected in unmentionable places.

  And don't get him started on what it was doing to his collection of wounds. He cursed both Onora and Kurt multiple times.

  Sheer stubborn determination kept Janco moving. He reached the window. Once he climbed inside, the magical pressure dissipated. Swaying with relief, he paused a moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the semi-darkness.

  He'd entered an office. By the amount of cobwebs, dust, and mouse droppings, he doubted anyone had worked in here in ages. Janco crept to the door and eased it open. Voices sounded from below. He caught the words "inventory" and "border patrols." It was enough to confirm his guess that this was a black market operation. He wondered what illegal goods warranted the magical protections. Curare?

  Theobroma? Harman sap? If he had his way, all that magic crap would be tossed into a giant pile and burned.

  Janco stepped onto the metal walkway, allowing his weight to settle slowly to avoid loud squeals. He peered over the railing. Why did all these warehouses look the same? Large open areas with crates piled high. Bare cement floors. Chains and pulleys extending from the ceiling. Metal see-through stairs. Did they expect something to spill on the steps? Was that why they eschewed normal wooden stairs? And the smell...think rust, oil, mold, and dead animal all mixed together. The entire place was creepy.

  He didn't see anyone. But he counted at least four distinct voices. Moving closer to hear them better, he tiptoed halfway down the stairs.

  "...scouted...castle...found a farm..."

  "...water...well...unguarded..."

  "...one more shipment...have plenty...poison..."

  "...should be easy..."

  His blood turned to ice. This went way beyond selling black market merchandise. They were plotting murder! Janco needed to leave. Now.

  He spun to retreat. But the steps suddenly gave way under his feet. With a cry of alarm, Janco plummeted. Pain shot up his legs as he crashed to the hard floor. Too bad that wasn't the extent of his problems. Because he also landed in the middle of a cage.

  A loud metallic bang sounded overhead. He glanced up as the magician locked the hatch.

  "So predictable," the magician said with a big grin. Then he looked up. "I told you he wouldn't be able to resist. A bit of magic, some suspicious activity, and he was hooked."

  Janco followed his gaze. Standing on the other side of the cage were four more thugs. All armed. All staring at him with highly amused expressions.

  "You were right. I just didn't think it'd be this easy," said one of the thugs.

  And then it dawned on him. They weren't planning on poisoning the castle's water supply. He'd been their target all along. And like the biggest idiot in all of Ixia, he'd walked right into their trap.

  PART FIVE

  Janco stared at the four goons through the bars of his cage. They were your typical muscle-for-hire types with large biceps and small brains with identical smirks planted on their wide faces. Not like he could talk. He hadn't shown much intelligence when he'd followed the magician. The man's ineptitude was all part of the ruse.

  He eyed the magician who was still crouched at the top of the cage. A creepy crawlie sensation crept up Janco's spine as the man stared back. Then the man stood and went down the stairs to join his thugs. While not as broad or as thic
k, his long lean frame oozed power. With his white blond hair and ice-cold blue eyes, the man was probably a member of the Moon Clan in Sitia. What was it about that clan? Did they have a special school just for evil magicians? The Too Evil For You School of Villainy.

  Pah.

  "You were after me all along," Janco said.

  "Give the man a prize. No wonder everyone says your partner's the smart one," Evil said.

  While Janco briefly considered being offended, he knew the advantage was his when an opponent underestimated him. "I guess I should be flattered you threw this party just for me," Janco said.

  "If that makes you feel better, go ahead and be flattered."

  "Can we skip all the blustering and threatening and just get to the end?" Janco asked. "What do you want?"

  "From you? Nothing. You're simply bait. A juicy morsel to dangle on the hook for our real quarry,"

  Evil said.

  Now that was just insulting. "Who's your fish?"

  Evil huffed. "You insult my intelligence."

  "It's only an insult if you actually have intelligence, which you do not. Do you really think any one of my friends and colleagues is going to fall for this?"

  "You did. And your young boss is so new, she's all shiny."

  If they're after Onora, they were in for a big surprise. "That's because she carries an abundance of knives." But Onora was watching Liana. He hoped! And knowing Little Miss Assassin she'd leave him here just to teach him a lesson. That thought wasn't helping.

  "Fair point," Evil said. "But I never said she was our fish."

  After a few more jeers, Evil and his quartet of goons left. Janco chuckled. They just did number seven on his list of stupid things criminals do--not keeping eyes on their prisoner. Janco didn't have his sword, but he had lots of goodies stashed about his person. Handy things like lock picks, knives, and a snack.

  He examined the cage. It was bolted to the cement floor and tucked under the metal stairs that went up to the second floor of the factory, which didn't smell any better down here. The hatch was in the center of the cage's roof. The lock looked...odd, but not impossible. Janco removed the diamond pick and his tension wrench from the seam of his tunic, stuck them in his mouth, and climbed to the top.

  Hooking his legs around the top bars, he pulled his body to the center.

  Now came the tricky part, picking the lock while hanging on. He stuck his arms through the bars and used his elbows to hold his weight. Not the most comfortable or easy to maintain position, he felt the strain in his shoulders almost immediately. Also nausea churned up his throat. Better hurry. He inserted the tension wrench and pick and worked on aligning the cylinder. Except, the metal tools grew warm in his fingers. The heat went from uncomfortable to painful in seconds. It scorched his skin and he dropped them with a curse.

  Evil had protected the lock with magic. He cursed the man and the parents who'd spawned him. Janco dropped to the floor. He didn't want to acknowledge it, but he was well and truly stuck. He might have to suffer the indignity of being rescued. The amount of gloating would never cease.

  He sat in a corner, waiting to see how this played out. The only thing he did know for certain. Yelena would never let him babyguard Liana ever again.

  Soon he was bored. So very bored. Janco yawned and stretched his legs. He'd been stuck in this cage for years...well, maybe only a few hours but still! His cuts had stopped bleeding, and now throbbed dully. Beating an armed opponent while unarmed was quite the coup. Yet here he sat, counting the cuts--24--for something to do.

  A slight noise drew his attention to the factory. A typical abandoned warehouse--can't these people ever pay their bills?--there were wooden crates stacked five high, winches and pullies with chains hanging from the ceiling. The cement floor was stained with old grease and things he'd rather not think about.

  And then Onora, his boss, appeared on the other side of the bars. Janco scrambled to his feet and hissed, "It's a trap."

  "I know and they did a good job of it, too," she said, gesturing toward him.

  Janco bit back a groan. "Yell at me later. There are four of them plus a magician. Go and bring back a battalion."

  "A battalion? Surely, you're not worth a battalion."

  "Onora," he growled.

  "Okay, okay. You're right four is too many for me. I'll be back with help."

  But Janco spotted movement behind her. "Too late."

  PART SIX

  Onora spun and disappeared from sight. The familiar creepy crawlie sensation of magic caressed his skin--the evil magician was getting ready to strike. Evil and his goons drew their weapons and spread out to flank her. Janco hoped she'd already slipped past them. Little Miss Assassin was fast. Super fast.

  Evil waved his hands and more magic pressed on Janco. Then Onora reappeared. She was just about to sneak past the thug on the left. Instead he rounded on her and lunged with his sword. Her knives seemed to jump into her hands. She countered with ease, but then the others rushed her. Onora turned and bolted. Four was too many for her. Plus the magician!

  Janco grabbed the bars and tried to pull them apart. They didn't budge. Frustration and fear pumped through him as the clang of blades, grunts of the men, and shuffle of boots reached him. Every so often he caught sight of Onora fighting one or two or even three of the men. But then they'd disappear behind one of the crate stacks.

  Desperate, Janco shoved his picks into his mouth. Burnt fingers be damned, he would get out and help her. Except a cheer rose from the men, stopping him. His blood turned to pure ice, freezing his heart.

  Soon they carried a limp form toward him. Onora's brown hair had escaped her usual braid. They dumped her on the floor next to Janco's cage.

  "Our client said dead or alive. What do you think? Should we kill her?" Evil asked his men.

  They discussed her like she was a piece of meat. Janco wanted to rip their heads off and feed them to the snow cats.

  Onora's pale gray eyes fluttered open. Disoriented and confused, she glanced around. "Janco?" She reached for him.

  He knelt on the ground and clasp her hand through the bars. Suddenly filled with remorse--a new feeling for Janco--he said, "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have fought that loud mouth with Liana in my arms. I should have told someone about the magician instead of running after him. I shouldn't have entered the factory without back up. I'm sorry."

  "You learned a lesson, then?" she asked.

  "I--" He peered at her suddenly alert expression. He glanced at the goon squad. The men had stopped talking and stared at him with open amusement.

  Janco released her hand and stood. "This is a trick! That's..." At a complete loss for words--a rarity--

  his mouth worked but no sound escaped his tight throat.

  "No, it was a test," Valek said, stepping out from behind a crate along with Yelena, who carried Liana in her arms.

  A test! That was worse. How could they? They didn't trust him? Betrayal, anger, sadness, and a bit of admiration--it was a hell of a set up to teach him a lesson--rolled through him.

  "I guess I failed then," he said.

  "There's no guessing about it," Yelena said.

  "Come on, love," Valek said, taking her arm. "Time for the baby's bath."

  Onora stood and dusted off her pants. "There's a reason I've implemented those new procedures. So this situation doesn't happen." She stared at him. Hard. "See that it doesn't happen again."

  He nodded. "Yes, sir."

  "Good. Boys," she called. The goons and the magician followed her out.

  "Wait!" He called. "What about me?"

  "You got yourself into this mess. Get yourself out," she said over her shoulder.

  Janco stood there. This had to be part of the trick. Right? They wouldn't really leave him locked in here. Then again, Yelena and Valek were not happy. He proved to be a bad babyguard. He waited a

  long time, but no one returned. Sighing, he eyed the lock. Maybe the magic had worn off and he wou
ldn't burn his fingers.

  Nope. It remained super hot. He dropped down. The acrid stink of singed flesh filled his nose as he rubbed his fingers. He had to admit Onora more than proved her point. She had hired a magician!

  The Commander was either in on it or had no idea what she was up to. Kind of scary either way.

  Miserable, Janco plopped in the corner and rested his head on his knees.

  Then a small giggle sounded to his right. He looked up, crawling toward him was Liana. Amazed he watched as the little girl slipped right through the bars. He straightened his legs and she crawled into his lap with a big smile. Clamped in one of her fists was a key. She put it into her mouth.

  Janco pulled it out. "No, it's dirty."

  That lower lip trembled.

  Oh no. He suddenly remembered and pulled the teething ring from his pocket. Her eyes lit up and she munched on it with her single tooth, happy again.