Dawn Study

by Maria V. Snyder

  As I waddled, I kept expecting her to call after me or sound the alarm, but nothing happened. The stairs to the upper floors were visible from the open lobby. According to Onora, the queue for the permits stayed long all day, and it trailed down the steps. I joined the line with a sigh, rubbing my lower back. My ducklings pretended to get bored and wandered off. The magician at the entrance scanned the people exiting and didn’t appear to be interested in me.

  Onora had left the safe house earlier this afternoon. I assumed she’d entered without trouble. Now it was just a matter of waiting for the signal. I rubbed my back with a little groan.

  “Maybe you should sit down, dear,” the lady next to me said.

  “It’s worse when I sit. This duck is just being difficult.” I patted my stomach.

  She nodded knowingly. “I had one like that. Are you due soon?”

  “Not for a week, at least.”

  “Not a good time to travel.”

  “Oh, no, I’m not leaving yet. Once the new duck is born, I’m going to visit my mother. Let her wrangle the others while I rest.”

  “That’s a good idea.”

  We stood in companionable silence as the line inched along. I scanned the flow of people crossing the lobby and using the other set of stairs. Valek’s theory about Bruns’s plans to target all the magicians tried to sabotage my thoughts. We needed to stop that battle and find a way to protect them. How we would accomplish this monumental task had so far failed to materialize.

  Instead of worrying about it, I switched my concern to Valek. His part of the plan was just as dangerous as ours, but he’d downplayed it with his usual bravado. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Onora on the far end of the lobby. She nodded at me—our agreed-upon signal—before disappearing.

  “Oh, my!” I clutched my bulging stomach.

  “Is it the baby, dear?” the lady asked, her voice shrill with alarm.

  “It’s just a cramp—oooohhh! I’d better...” I waddled down the stairs. “Ducks, come on, we’re—aaaahhh!”

  The kids joined me in the middle of the lobby, which had grown quiet. Everyone stared at the pregnant lady making noises. Good. I took a few steps toward the exit. “We need to get ho—oooohhh, no!” I gasped, stopping and bending over as if in extreme pain. “The baby is coming!” Squeezing my stomach, I ruptured the seal on the water skin that was hidden under my tunic. Except it wasn’t water that splashed onto the floor.

  The people closest to me jumped back, but the guards at the door stepped forward to render aid. However, it was the guards streaming up from the cells under the building that scared me.

  “Now!” I covered my nose and mouth with a cloth just as my ducklings threw small glass spheres onto the liquid. They shattered on impact.

  An angry fog hissed and spread. My kids swarmed out of the way of its gray tentacles, making a beeline for the exit. Breathing shallowly through the fabric, I remained in place as the people around me stumbled to the ground. Then I, too, bolted for the door.

  Outside, the kids had already disappeared. Kiki waited at the bottom of the steps. I mounted, and she took off for the Citadel’s gate, weaving through the government quarter. Once we were safe, she slowed so I could remove the deflated water skin and allow the others to catch up.

  Time for part two. We rendezvoused with Onyx and the guild members a couple blocks away from the gate. Valek’s horse was saddled and ready.

  “Is everyone here?” I asked. We would leave no one behind.

  “Yeah, except for Master Fisk,” Phelan said with a worried frown.

  “He’s not on horseback,” I said. “Fisk and Onora should be here soon.” Along with Valek, unless he was unable to ditch his pursuers.

  Kiki pricked her ears back and turned. Onora and Fisk raced into view. She waved us on. “Go, go! The guards are right behind us.”

  Damn. I hesitated. Valek hadn’t appeared. Where was he? I glanced at the kids and at Fisk’s pale face. We couldn’t wait.

  “Fisk, mount Onyx. You take Valek’s role.”

  Onora helped him into the saddle.

  “All right, let’s go,” I ordered. The words sizzled on my tongue and seared down my throat.

  The kids raced ahead of us. Just before we turned the last corner and would be in full view of the gate’s guards, we all paused. I hooked my right foot through the stirrup and swung my left leg over. I dropped the reins so they dragged on the ground and shifted until I clung to the side of the saddle, as if I was about to fall.

  I signaled. Showtime. The guild members ran straight at the armed soldiers, screaming about a runaway horse just before Kiki burst into view. Onyx followed close behind, with Fisk bravely trying to grab Kiki’s reins and save the damsel in distress. I played my part by screaming for help and carrying on.

  There were only a few guards at the gate. Valek had successfully drawn off the extras who had been stationed there. Did they catch him?

  The men and women dove to the side when it became obvious they would be trampled by the horses if they didn’t. I tightened my hold and braced as Kiki broke through the gate in one powerful stride. A loud crack split the air, and splinters flew in all directions. Pinpricks of pain peppered my hands and face. I glanced back. Onyx and the kids poured from the Citadel like water breaking through a mud dam. The plan was to scatter once we were free and meet up later. Kiki slowed, and I pulled myself back into the saddle.

  While elated that we’d rescued Fisk and the guild members, my heart burned for Valek. I tried not to get too upset. He might still be free but unable to leave the Citadel. Once I rendezvoused with Fisk and the others, I could wait for when Cahil and his group left to escort Zitora. He would have information on Valek’s whereabouts. Or Valek might even be hidden in his posse. A girl could hope.

  The trip to Bavol’s farmhouse seemed to take an eternity. Since it was close to the plains, it would be an ideal hideout for a couple of days. Fisk and his people would need to move on in case Valek had been captured. The bitter taste of ashes coated my mouth at the thought.

  It was dark by the time we reached the farm. Fisk and Onyx had beaten us there. Since the kids were on foot, it would take them longer to arrive. In the meantime, I lit one of the stable’s lanterns and tended to Kiki’s injuries. Cuts crisscrossed her chest, and thick wooden splinters protruded from her neck and legs. Blood ran down her front legs. Poor girl.

  I rubbed a little of the watered-down medical Curare into her wounds first. Finding a pair of tweezers, I carefully tugged the pieces free from the cuts. Fisk groomed and settled Onyx before he joined me.

  Limping slightly, he leaned against a beam. Lines of exhaustion etched his young face. Purple bruises stained his skin. His defeated posture said more than his haunted gaze.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  “Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”

  “It is. I should have—”

  “Stop right there. Should haves are a complete waste of time and energy. They can’t change the past. It happened. You learned a lesson. Now you know what not to do. That’s what you focus on for the future.”

  He didn’t reply. After a while, I glanced at him. He rubbed his arm but stared into the night as if deep in thought.

  I pulled the last splinter from Kiki’s copper coat, then washed her wounds before smearing on one of Leif’s healing salves. Thinking of Leif, I calculated the timing of his trip. My brother should have reached the jungle by now. Had our father started cultivating the spores?

  The pain in my chest, which had died down to a smolder while I’d been distracted, flared to life once more. Would Valek divulge that information to the Cartel? He was resistant to goo-goo juice, but not to magic. And Cilly would take great delight in scrambling Valek’s brains as she searched for information. Revenge for killing her brother.


  “Thank you.” Fisk interrupted my morose thoughts. “For...” He swept a hand wide. “Rescuing me, and getting my kids to safety. Despite the danger.”

  “You’re welcome. Besides, it was my turn.” I touched his shoulder. “Tag, you’re it.”

  That surprised a laugh from him. “I don’t know if I can top today. When I saw you hunched over, screaming about the baby, for a moment I actually worried you were going to squat down and pop the kid out right there in the lobby.”

  Pop the kid out? If only it would be that easy. “Don’t worry. I’ve about two seasons to go.”

  We shared a look as we both acknowledged the unspoken—if I survived that long. If any of us did.

  Fisk wrapped his arms around his stomach. “I’m sorry about Valek.”

  “Me, too, but he knew the risks. And he’s escaped worse situations. The man doesn’t know how to quit. And we shouldn’t, either.” Energized, I grabbed my saddle bags and headed for the house. “Come on. Your people are going to be hungry and thirsty when they arrive.”

  The place was just as dark and empty as it had been the last time I’d visited. Just to be safe, I did a sweep of all the rooms. When I returned, Fisk was building a lattice of branches for a fire. I moved to help him, but he waved me off.

  “Go get cleaned up or you’re gonna scare my kids.” He pointed to his cheek.

  I touched mine. Ow. My fingers came away sticky with blood. So worried about everyone else, I’d forgotten about my own injuries. In the washroom, I plucked splinters from my face, neck, hand and arm. Just like with Kiki, I cleaned the wounds and rubbed a healing ointment into the stinging cuts. By that point, my disguise was ruined. I scraped off the putty and untangled my black hair. At least Valek had left the strands long enough for me to collect them into a single braid. It reached just past my shoulders.

  A fire roared in the hearth. Fisk huddled next to it, soaking in its heat.

  I sat next to him. “Bad enough to be locked in a cell, but then the cold dampness seeps into your bones until you believe you’ll never be warm again.”

  “Yeah, I hadn’t experienced it before.” He watched the flames as they danced. “I’ve been hungry, poor, homeless, alone and afraid, but I’ve never been so helpless and terrified. So...”

  “Exposed?”

  “Ripped apart.” He rubbed a hand over his short beard. “All my thoughts and memories laid bare. All my secrets. My kids who depend on me...taken. Nothing I did made a bit of difference.”

  “I know. It’s rough, and it leaves you feeling raw. But you walked away with your personality and memories intact. You’re still Fisk. They could have taken that, as well.”

  “So, I should be grateful?” His tone was bitter.

  “Not at all. Just think about it. As bad as it feels right now, and when all you want to do is curl up in a ball and ignore the world, remember—you are alive, both body and soul. You didn’t die, so don’t act like it. There are a lot of others who can’t say the same thing.”

  “Is that your idea of a pep talk?”

  “Yup. Mind you, it’s just plain old Yelena’s words of wisdom from her own experiences, and not the Soulfinder talking.”

  “That’s okay. I’ve heard the Soulfinder is a bit of a drama queen anyway,” he teased—a good sign for his recovery.

  “Tell me about it. Plus, she’s always in the middle of trouble.”

  His small smile widened suddenly. “Cilly didn’t get everything.”

  It took me a moment to follow his shift in topic. “No?”

  “No. She doesn’t know about your deal with Cahil, thank fate!”

  “Why not?”

  “She didn’t know to ask or to look. Bruns is confident that his people are loyal.”

  Thank fate, indeed.

  As Fisk warmed up, an unpleasant odor emanated from him. Unfortunately, I was well-acquainted with the reek of dungeon. I sent him to get cleaned up before his kids arrived.

  Around midnight, they started trickling in, either alone or in pairs. All were tired and hungry, but still had enough energy to give their leader a hug or a high-five. We fed them and sent them to bed. The farmhouse had plenty of bedrooms.

  “Not many helpers left,” Fisk said in a dejected tone.

  “Phelan said none of your guild were killed. They’ve been sent to the other garrisons, which is a good thing for us.”

  “They’ve been brainwashed and forced to work for the Cartel. How is that a good thing?”

  I’d forgotten that he didn’t know about the spores. Without telling him all the details, I said, “There will come a time when they’ll recover their senses, and then they’ll be in the perfect position to help us stop the Cartel.”

  Fisk shook his head. “My guild has gone in well over our heads. It’s too dangerous for them.”

  “I agree it’s dangerous. I didn’t want them involved in your rescue, but they refused to lie low. Even with the Cartel rounding them up, they still gathered intel.”

  “Are you saying that even if I order them to stay uninvolved, they’ll ignore me?”

  “Yes.” I patted his arm. “You did a good job raising them.”

  He huffed.

  A few more members arrived by dawn. Fisk refused to go to sleep, even though I promised to man the door. Instead, he dozed on the couch.

  Phelan showed up in the morning. Mud coated his pants, and rips marked his sleeves. “I picked up a tail and couldn’t shake him. Tenacious bastard. I hid in the briars for a few hours until he gave up.”

  “Is anyone else coming?” Fisk asked him.

  “How many have arrived so far?”

  “You make thirteen,” Fisk said.

  “That’s everyone.”

  A sad relief shone on Fisk’s face, but the comment sliced through me. Onora was still missing. I didn’t panic right away. Knowing her, she was probably waiting for everyone to be safe inside before joining us. But just to be sure, I asked Phelan if he’d seen her.

  “No.”

  “She told me she was staying in the Citadel,” Fisk said.

  “What? Why didn’t you tell me?” I demanded.

  “I thought you knew. She made it sound like it was part of the plan.”

  A sick dread swirled in my stomach. “What did she say?”

  “That she needed to stay behind and keep an eye on Bruns.”

  Oh, no. She planned to assassinate Bruns.

  * * *

  I couldn’t sleep. I paced around the living area while Fisk and his guild slept. The midafternoon sun painted a sheen of brightness on the trees and grasses. Yet to me, the colors resembled mud.

  Onora and Valek remained in the Citadel. Perhaps they would team up and Valek would kill Bruns to save Onora from doing it. But what should I do? Should I assume they wouldn’t reveal our plans to the Cartel and proceed as arranged, or should I change everything? There were forty-five days left in the heating season. I needed to be at the Greenblade garrison before the start of the hot season.

  Kiki whinnied. I froze for a moment. She repeated the sound. Distressed, and definitely trying to get my attention, I yanked my switchblade and triggered the blade. Peering through the windows, I studied the land between the house and stables. Nothing. Kiki jumped the stall door and ran to the house.

  I bolted outside. “What’s wrong?”

  She spun and returned to the stables. I followed her. Onyx thumped at the walls. Was he injured? Perhaps one of the splinters from the gate had struck him and festered. I ducked inside and stopped. Valek slumped over a bale of hay. A knife jutted from his back.

  An ice-cold lance of fear shot right through me, pinning me in place. He looked...

  Dead.

  Racing to his side, I paused. His magic might be able to heal him, bu
t not if I touched him. I crouched next to him and called his name. His eyelids fluttered, as if he needed every ounce of energy to open his eyes, but he didn’t wake.

  Alive. For now.

  I ran into the house and woke Fisk and Phelan. They carried Valek into the house and lay him on his stomach in the master bedroom downstairs. Valek moaned.

  “Should we pull the knife out?” Fisk asked.

  “No. He might bleed to death if it pierced his heart.” My thoughts jumbled into a swirl of panic. No healer. No magic. No way he’d live without one or both.

  “One of us could fetch a healer from... Where’s the closest town?” Phelan asked.

  “No time,” I said. The words repeated in my mind. No time. No healer. No magic. Think! There was magic in the Avibian Plains, but could Valek access it? No. Kiki had magic. Who else had magic? No one. What else?

  Holy snow cats! I sprinted to the stables and into the tack room. Valek’s saddle and bags rested on a pile of straw bales. I yanked open the pouch and dug deep, flinging items left and right. It was down deep at the bottom, rolled in one of his tunics. Racing back to house, I dashed into Valek’s room, gasping for breath.

  Fisk and Phelan hovered near him.

  “What’s that?” Phelan asked.

  Wrong question. No time to explain.

  “What do you need us to do?” Fisk asked.

  Right question.

  I handed the bundle to Fisk. “Unwrap it.” Then I instructed Phelan to move Valek’s arms until his hands were over Valek’s head. Pointing to the knife, I said, “Phelan, when I say three, you yank the knife free in one quick motion.”

  With an “ah” of understanding, Fisk dropped Valek’s tunic on the bed.

  I picked it up and folded into a square. “Press this to the wound right after you remove the knife,” I instructed Phelan.

  When he gave me an odd look, Fisk said, “She can’t touch him.”

  “You know what to do?” I asked Fisk.