Dawn Study

by Maria V. Snyder

  “Hey, who put you in charge?” Janco asked, outraged.

  “Valek.”

  “Oh, yeah.” All his annoyance disappeared. “No problem. I know you’ll want to take a closer look. It’s irresistible, like candy and babies.”

  “I know I’m going to regret asking this, but you find candy and babies irresistible?” Ari asked.

  “Hell no. They’re both sticky.”

  His partner waited.

  “Some people find them irresistible. And, you know...” Janco waved his hand. “They’re easy to steal...or something like that.”

  “I was right.”

  “About what?”

  “I regret asking that question.”

  Janco clapped him on the shoulder. “But you’ve learned something. Never pick up a sticky baby, ’cause you’ll never be able to let go. And I—” he yawned “—am going to catch a couple z’s while you go shopping and pack.”

  As Janco shuffled off to bed, Skinny-Mini said to Ari, “I thought you were in charge.”

  “Only when it counts.”

  * * *

  It was almost sunset by the time they saddled Diamond Whiskey and The Madam. While Janco missed his horse, Beach Bunny—named after a beloved pet rabbit—he had to admit The Madam’s calm demeanor was a nice counterpoint to his own fiery personality. Unconcerned, she watched Janco with gray eyes that said nothing could surprise her anymore. He stroked her neck, smoothing the hair on her gray-dappled coat.

  Now with Whiskey, Ari had finally found a horse that didn’t look like it would collapse under the big, muscular man’s weight. The large dark brown horse had a white diamond blaze on his forehead. Strong and quick despite his size, Whiskey shifted, ready to go.

  “After you,” Ari said, sweeping a hand out.

  Janco hopped onto The Madam and retraced the route to the hidden complex. Once the sun set, they’d have to slow down, so he set a fast pace. On horseback, it would take half the time to reach the spot Janco had marked to leave the horses. No doubt there was a magical alarm on the road closer to the facility. He hoped their null shields would prevent them from triggering it.

  They set up a base camp deep in the forest. Infiltrating an unfamiliar location took time. While the size of the place was in their favor—an unknown face would not cause alarm—the efficiency with which everyone bustled about was not conducive to blending in. Ari said they would follow the standard three-stage plan.

  Stage one—observe. Janco hated this one. For the next twenty-four hours, they took turns watching the facility from different angles, making notes of...well, everything possible. Boring, but necessary. If they planned to go undercover, they’d spend a week or more studying the complex and seeking the perfect place to insert themselves. But for information gathering, this part wasn’t that time-consuming—thank fate.

  Stage two—forays. More fun than sitting still for hours. Plus, Janco preened because he’d known Ari wouldn’t be able to resist. Forays involved making short trips into the complex at different times to clarify their observations. For example, the long rectangular building in the southwest corner could be housing for the workers or a canteen or could contain offices. They wanted to avoid people and find information, so they needed to know where the offices were located.

  Since Ari’s size tended to draw attention, Janco completed the forays while his partner watched. He strode into buildings as if he belonged there, nosed about the factories, confirming they were indeed producing both Theobroma and Curare, and took a closer look at those huge glass hothouses. Condensation coated the inside of the glass, blurring the contents into an indistinguishable mass of green.

  Workers carried long loops of vines from the second hothouse, so Janco headed toward the ones near the end. Checking that no one paid him any attention, Janco ducked into the seventh house and walked into a slice of the jungle. Thick, humid air pressed on his skin with the scent of living green. Insects buzzed around his ears.

  A narrow dirt path cut through the plants. He followed it and recognized Curare vines snaked around the trees and hanging from limbs. Underneath the green canopy, pods heavy with beans grew from the trunks of the Theobroma trees. Janco couldn’t identify the other plants, so he broke off a few leaves for Leif and shoved them into his pocket.

  Knowing Ari was probably having a fit, Janco headed for the exit. The door opened a few feet before he reached it. A middle-age man with dark skin entered. He carried a long pair of pruning shears.

  Startled, the man demanded, “What are you doing in here?”

  Janco kept calm. “Just looking around.”

  The gardener peered at him. A shock of recognition zipped through Janco. He’d met this man before, but at the moment, he couldn’t recall his name or the place. Bad enough, but if the man recognized him, that would be even worse.

  Unaware of Janco’s turmoil, the man said, “You’re not part of the gardening crew or the harvesting crew, so you’re not allowed in here.”

  “Sorry, sir.”

  “Sorry isn’t good enough. Many of these plants are very delicate.”

  “I didn’t touch anything.” Janco stepped to go around him.

  The gardener held up his shears, pointing the tips at Janco’s chest. “Not so fast. You look familiar. What’s your name?”

  Without hesitating, Janco said, “Yannis Greenblade, sir.”

  “You’ll be docked a week’s pay for this little stunt, Yannis. Be glad I don’t fire you.”

  Ah, this man was in charge. Janco lowered his gaze as if in contrition. “Thank you, sir.”

  “And stay out of my hothouses.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The man lowered the shears, and Janco bolted for the door. Holy snow cats, he’d just encountered the Master Gardener. Now if he could only remember the man’s name.

  10

  YELENA

  The bang of the door slamming behind Valek echoed in my bones. Shocked and speechless, I stood among the prone forms of Cahil’s people in the warehouse. I’d never seen him so angry with me. But he had every right to be. I hadn’t believed he’d win in a fight with Onora, or trusted him to rescue me.

  Cahil bent to retrieve his sword. “That went better than expected.”

  I raised an eyebrow. All his people had been neutralized, and a nasty cut snaked up his arm from when Valek had disarmed him.

  “When I saw the Commander’s new assassin, I thought she’d come to kill us all. And then with Valek... I never thought he’d let you fulfill the terms of our agreement. Although, at the end there, I think he wanted to kill you more than me.”

  With good reason. I’d ruined all the plans we’d worked so hard to set in motion. The heart-shaped scar on my chest ached. It’d been only two months since we’d exchanged marriage vows and Valek had transformed the Commander’s bloody C on his chest into a heart, pledging his loyalty to me. In return, I’d cut a heart of my own, vowing to be with him forever.

  “Despite your claims, the Commander is not working with Bruns,” Cahil said, distracting me from my morose thoughts.

  “How did you come up with that?”

  “Onora’s obviously working with Valek. That fight on the rooftop was probably staged. Her claim that Bruns asked the Commander to send her was just to make me doubt Bruns. Just like you want to do with our accord.”

  I couldn’t argue the point that Valek and Onora were working together. Why hadn’t he told me? Perhaps he didn’t have time. Did it matter? No. Valek always put my safety first. If he forgave me, I’d never doubt him again. If not...

  I shied away from that awful thought.

  “Come on,” Cahil said, heading to the stairs.

  We returned to the basement office. I bandaged Cahil’s cut and then sat at one of the desks while Cahil straightened the me
ss they’d left behind in their hurry to leave. He hummed to himself. The bastard was in a good mood.

  “Did you lie about The Mosquito, too?” I asked.

  “I didn’t lie about Valek. My sources spotted him fighting Onora, and she was seen later. It was a natural conclusion. As for The Mosquito, he is dead. That’s been confirmed.”

  One bright spot in an otherwise miserable day. The sleepless night caught up to me. Exhausted and heartsick, I rested my head on the desk and welcomed sleep.

  * * *

  Voices and movement roused me. Cahil’s people had woken, and they filtered into the office area with sheepish expressions. A few sported bruises, and I helped bandage a number of cuts. It could have been worse.

  Cahil sent two of them to keep an eye on the door while the rest discussed their next move. A messenger from Bruns arrived, and I ducked under the desk to avoid being spotted. They went into Cahil’s office, but I remained hidden until the man left.

  “Good news, Yelena.” Cahil smiled. “I’ve been recalled to the garrison. No need to invent an excuse for our departure.”

  “Why do you have to go back?”

  His grin turned sly. “I’ll tell you in ten days.”

  Bastard.

  “We’ll leave tomorrow morning for the garrison,” Cahil said to his crew. “Hanni, please pick up supper for all of us.”

  “Not from the Council Hall’s dining room,” I said. “The Hall’s food is laced with Theobroma.”

  Hanni gave me a wide-eyed stare.

  “You don’t know that for sure,” Cahil said with an annoyed tone.

  “How else can you explain the Councilors’ willingness to leave and allow the Cartel to take over?”

  “They agreed with Bruns’s brilliant ideas and strategy.”

  “Then why not appoint him General and organize the war preparations themselves?” I asked.

  “I’m not going to argue with you anymore.”

  Too bad. It would be a nice distraction from my situation.

  “Hanni, buy a bunch of meat pies from the market.” Cahil handed her a gold coin.

  “Yes, sir.” She bolted for the door.

  “This place has been compromised. The rest of you pack up all the intel. We’ll move the furniture later.”

  They bustled about, shoving files and various items into boxes and crates. I stayed out of the way.

  One of the door guards appeared and gestured Cahil over. “There’s a...person at the door. He insists on talking to you and our...guest.”

  Scowling, Cahil asked, “Valek?”

  Excitement swirled in my chest. Did Valek return to say goodbye?

  “No, sir. A young man. Says he has a package for you both.”

  All warmth died.

  Cahil belted his sword on and tucked a dagger into the opposite side. He held a hand out to me. “Come on.”

  Curious and hopeful that maybe Valek had sent me a message instead, I stood. Cahil grasped my wrist tightly.

  “I promised to cooperate. You don’t need to hold on to me as if I’m going to run away,” I said.

  He didn’t bother to reply. But as he guided me up to the ground floor and through the gloomy warehouse, I remembered he’d done the same thing when Onora appeared. As if the gesture warned her that I belonged to him. Perhaps he worried the young man would attempt to rescue me.

  Fisk waited with the other guard by the open door. The fading sunlight lit his light brown eyes. A painful burn shone on his left temple and a raw cut marked his cheek. I shot Cahil a nasty glare. Fisk, though, peered at me in concern. Even though he was seventeen years old, I still saw the small boy that I’d first met over eight years ago superimposed on his tall and lean frame.

  “Ah, it’s the Beggar King,” Cahil said. “Come to check on Yelena, Your Majesty?”

  Fisk ignored Cahil. Instead he asked me, “Are you all right?”

  “She’s fine,” Cahil said.

  “And she’d better stay that way, or else—”

  “What? You’ll send your kiddies after me? They’re no match for trained soldiers.”

  Fisk smiled. I marveled that his grin actually lowered the temperature in the room by ten degrees.

  “Oh no, General. I wouldn’t do something so...overt. There are so many ways to make a person’s life miserable.”

  Score one for Fisk.

  “Did you just come here to threaten me? I’ve more important things to attend to.”

  “I brought you these.” Fisk handed a pouch to Cahil and one to me.

  Cahil let go of my arm, and I untied the string. Inside was a wooden pendant of a bat hanging on a necklace. Cahil held up an ugly beetle. Leif had been so thrilled when he figured out how to attach a shield to a pendant. His wouldn’t stick to glass or metal or stone, but when he tried wood, it had worked. The sudden desire to see my brother pulsed in my chest.

  “Null shields, compliments of Valek,” Fisk said.

  Was this a sign that Valek wasn’t angry anymore? I looped it around my neck, even though the baby seemed to be protecting me from magic. When Bruns had captured me, the daily magical brainwashing I endured wore off as the day progressed. And when Rika had used a magical illusion to disguise herself as Valek, I saw through it when she touched my skin. I’d speculated that the baby was stealing the magic, but since I didn’t know exactly what was going on or what the fetus was doing with the power, it was a good idea not to rely on the protection it offered.

  Cahil gave me a sour look as he tucked the pendant under his tunic, hiding it from sight. “I don’t feel any different.”

  “It’s going to take some time for the Theobroma and magic to wear off,” I said.

  “So you say.” He turned to Fisk. “Anything else?”

  “I’d like to talk to Yelena in private.”

  Cahil crossed his arms as if about to refuse, but after a moment he relaxed and motioned for his men to move away. “Stay in sight,” he said to me, then strode far enough to give us some privacy if we kept our voices low. But his gaze remained on me.

  “Do you have a message from Valek?” I asked before Fisk could even open his mouth.

  “Uh...no.”

  I swallowed my disappointment. It hurt going down and landed in my stomach with a nauseated splash. “How are Lyle, Innis and the scouts doing?”

  “Other than pissed about being jumped, they’re healing well. I wanted to tell you we’re moving HQ and changing all our plans. I’ll have the agents out of the garrisons in a few days. If the general doesn’t switch to our side in the ten days’ time, you can tell him and Bruns what you know and it won’t ruin anything.”

  “But I already ruined everything.”

  “No. I did. I was supposed to keep you safe. Instead we took you right into that lamplighter ambush.”

  I shook my head, but his hard expression meant I’d have an easier time convincing Cahil to befriend Valek.

  “Is Valek helping you?” I asked.

  Fisk creased his brow. “He can’t, just in case you get stuck with Cahil.”

  “Oh.” Why hadn’t I thought of that sooner? I understood Valek’s anger, and now I comprehended the depth of his fury. “Where is Valek?” I held my hands up. “No. Don’t tell me.”

  “I don’t know. He left this afternoon.” Fisk lowered his voice even more. “I suspect he’ll be keeping an eye on you.”

  A nice thought, but Fisk hadn’t seen Valek’s reaction.

  “Hey.” Fisk draped an arm around my shoulder, giving me a half hug. “It’s only ten days, and then we’ll have another ally. It’ll all work out.”

  I leaned into him. He was as tall as Valek, but he smelled of wood smoke and pine instead of musk. “Thanks.”

  “Anytime. Stay safe, Lovely
Yelena.” He gave me another squeeze and then left.

  The room’s temperature plummeted another ten degrees in Fisk’s wake. I hugged my arms and turned toward the stairs. Cahil followed me without saying a word. Thank fate. We returned to the offices and I sat at an empty desk, staring at nothing while I fiddled with the butterfly necklace Valek had carved for me. Would he forgive me?

  The smell of beef pies roused me from my dark thoughts. Hanni set one in front of me. Despite my upset stomach, I ate the entire portion. I had to stay strong for the baby. The rest of the evening blurred together. Soldiers returned and left in waves, carrying crates. I noticed that none of the people were familiar. This crew appeared to be close to or younger than Cahil’s age of twenty-nine. None of Cahil’s old gang—the ones who’d raised him and lied to him about being King Ixia’s nephew—were part of this group. Maybe they were stationed at the garrison. Or maybe he no longer trusted them.

  Thinking about trust, I almost groaned aloud. Just how loyal were his people? They’d all eaten the spiked food and been brainwashed. What if I managed to wake Cahil, but his agents refused to obey his orders? There was nothing in the contract about his people following the terms of our agreement. I’d have to ask Cahil about it when—or should that be if?—we were alone.

  Later that night, Cahil woke me. I’d been dozing with my head on a desk.

  “Come on,” he said, pulling me to my feet. “Let’s go.”

  “Where?”

  “We don’t sleep here, and unless you’d rather be chained—”

  “No.”

  “Thought not.” He clamped a hand around my arm, escorting me up and out of the warehouse.

  Once again, Cahil’s crew surrounded us as if they expected an ambush. I pulled the hood of my borrowed cloak up and over my head. No need to tip Bruns off that I was with his general. Few people strolled along the quiet streets. Clouds blocked the moon, but I guessed it was close to midnight. A light breeze blew dead leaves along the road, their rattle the only sound.

  “Are you still worried I’ll escape?” I asked after a few blocks.