Night Study

by Maria V. Snyder

  This door also opened without trouble. Too bad trouble waited for him on the other side. Big trouble. Pain drilled through his skull.

  28

  YELENA

  Disoriented, dry-mouthed and dizzy—the all-too-familiar aftereffects of sleeping potion. My blurry vision sharpened, along with the ache in my temples. I wished I hadn’t opened my eyes, but I couldn’t unsee the bars surrounding me or unsmell the wet, mucky dungeon stench mixed with the acrid odor of burned lantern oil—another aspect that I was well acquainted with.

  Perhaps it was time to reexamine my life.

  Bruns no longer knelt by me, and I no longer sat in a chair, but was sprawled on a pallet of straw. Better or worse? I pushed to a sitting position and groaned as intense pain danced behind my eyeballs. Nausea rolled, splashing up my throat.

  Resting my head in my hands, I willed my stomach to settle and hoped the repeated dosing of sleeping potion hadn’t harmed the baby.

  “It’s about time you woke up,” Janco grumped.

  Oh, no. “I’m not awake. Because you’re not in here with me. You’re outside the garrison, rounding up the cavalry.”

  “I hate to break this to you, sweetheart, but the cavalry is hanging with Bruns in the canteen, quaffing down Theobroma and kissing his rich ass.” The strain in his voice failed to match his flippant tone.

  I swiveled. Janco stood in the next cell. Even in the dim lantern light, a bright red bruise shone on his swollen right cheek. His fake ear was gone, replaced by bloody scratches. His uniform was torn and blood stained the fabric.

  “Is it as bad as you look?” I asked.

  “Worse.”

  “Don’t tell me.” I scanned the small cell, searching for a way to escape.

  “I’m all for denial, but it won’t last.”

  “Ignorance is bliss.” I ran my fingers through my tangled hair. The lock picks were gone, along with the set I’d hidden in the uniform Bruns made all of us wear.

  “He’s smart, Yelena. And pissed off.”

  I spotted a cup of water near the door. At least he wasn’t cruel.

  “I wouldn’t do that,” Janco said when I raised it to my lips. “Unless you want Bruns to be your master.”

  Stopping, I sniffed the liquid. Theobroma muddied the water.

  “Can you say hunger strike?” Janco joked.

  His words slammed into me as I realized that the joke was on me. I had to drink and eat for the baby’s sake. If we didn’t escape soon, eventually I’d consume enough Theobroma to be turned into one of Bruns’s supporters.

  “Where are we?” I asked, setting the cup aside...for now.

  “I thought you didn’t want to know.”

  “Changed my mind.”

  “We are in the special holding cells under the administration building.” He gestured to the four others—one next to him and three more across the aisle, which were all empty.

  “Special how?”

  “This place is saturated with magic. I can barely stand it.”

  “Do you have any of your...toys?”

  “No. They took everything, and the building has only one entrance. It’s probably surrounded by dozens of guards.”

  Alarmed, I asked, “What happened? How did you get caught?”

  In a rough voice, Janco told me about Leif’s plan to stage a fake rescue and his own reconnaissance. “...checking the basement of the dining room and...”

  “And?”

  He leaned on the bars as if they alone held him upright. Alarmed, I stood, reached through the bars and put my hand on his shoulder.

  “And,” I prompted again, but more gently this time.

  “And I walked right into a nest of nasties. We gotta start confirming dead bodies, ’cause I’d like to avoid being surprised and mind-raped again.” He scrubbed a hand over his face.

  At first, he didn’t make any sense. I repeated his words in my mind, picking up on the significant bits. “Who isn’t dead?”

  “The brother-sister team of horror who was with Owen and Ben.”

  A cold knot gripped my insides tight. “Loris and Cilly Cloud Mist?”

  “Yeah, them.”

  That meant Bruns and the authorities in Lapeer had lied. No surprise about Bruns’s deceit; I was more concerned about Captain Fleming in Lapeer. Had he been bribed or coerced, and why the ruse? “Are you sure?”

  “No doubt,” he said drily. “Loris is living below the dining room. He claimed his sister is alive, as well. She’s at one of the Cartel’s other garrisons.”

  “Was Ben with him?”

  “No. I didn’t see him.”

  I gestured to his bruise. “Did they—”

  “Nope. I turned tail and hopped right on out of there like a good little scared rabbit. Made it about halfway through the dining room before he aimed his magical mind mojo onto the soldiers eating supper. At least I managed another couple steps.”

  I squeezed his shoulder. “You couldn’t have predicted they’d be here. They were reported dead by Devlen—a reliable source.”

  “And Dev trusted the captain. Which ya think would be an okay thing to do, considering all Fleming did to help rescue us from Owen.”

  “I guess that’s a puzzle to be sorted out later.” If there was a later.

  “Yeah. Too bad I knew exactly what was gonna happen when they dragged me to Bruns.” He shuddered.

  And now his mind-raped comment made sense. “Bad?”

  “Oh, yes. They know everything, Yelena. Leif’s hiding place, Dax and Hale’s involvement, where Ari’s located...everything.” His covered his pained expression with his hand.

  While I wished to panic over the dire news, I suppressed the emotion so I didn’t upset Janco any further. Pressing closer to the bars, I pried his hand away from his face and held it in both of mine. “Ari and the others are smart, Janco. Plus three of them have magic. They’ll be okay.”

  He stared at our hands. After a long moment, he met my gaze. “What are you doing?”

  “Uh...comforting you?”

  “The pain’s gone.”

  “See? It’s working.”

  “No, not that.” He pulled his hand free, scowled at the air, then grasped my fingers for another moment. Letting go, he signaled, The magic disappears when you touch me.

  Like a null shield?

  “Not quite,” he said.

  “Then what?”

  Switching back to the silent communication, he signaled, It’s like...my ability to sense magic has been turned off. But when you let go, it returns.

  I concentrated, deciphering Janco-speak. Like something is blocking your ability?

  “Yes, that’s it!”

  “Lovely.” I’m contagious. I yanked my hand back and tucked it into my pants pocket.

  No, that’s a good thing. Janco bounced on his heels. Think about it. If Brother Horror tries to read your mind, you can touch him and stop it!

  “I don’t know.” I considered. Owen had no trouble using his magic on me.

  Did you touch him? Skin to skin? It didn’t work on me until you grabbed my hand.

  The horrific events that I’d been suppressing for the past two months sprang to life. Owen had tried to erase all my memories. Except he’d been interrupted, and the events that followed jumbled together into a blur of being dragged along behind him, then tossed onto the ground. Valek had arrived, and Owen pressed his fingertips to my forehead. His magic had sliced right through me like a bolt of lightning.

  Yes, he touched me and almost killed me, I signaled.

  Janco rubbed his chin. Well...your blocking power was new then. Maybe it’s growing stronger.

  Jolted by the word growing, I placed my hand on my abdomen.

  Janco noticed the gesture and he grasped the bars, stiffening in horror. “You’re—”

  I pinched his lips shut. “Remember where we are.”

  He used the hand signals to admonish me for risking the baby’s life and asked if Valek knew.

  �
��Yes,” I said aloud.

  He relaxed, grinned and signaled, Valek will bring an army to rescue you.

  If he can find us.

  Not a problem. Fisk went to the rendezvous point to meet up with him.

  Which Bruns knows about. Right?

  His smile disappeared. “Right. I really screwed up.” He flopped onto his straw pallet.

  “You can’t blame—”

  He waved away my efforts to console him. I let him brood. Eventually he’d purge the guilt from his system and return to normal. Well, normal for Janco. Sitting down on my pallet, I mulled over our conversation and what had happened when I touched Janco.

  Could the baby be responsible for my inability to connect with the blanket of power? Other female magicians didn’t lose their abilities while pregnant, so it couldn’t be. But I wasn’t exactly like other magicians. Perhaps the combination of my Soulfinder magic and Valek’s strong immunity created a void—an area of no magic!

  I surged to my feet, unable to remain still. Perhaps as the baby grew, the area affected by the void also expanded. And by touching Janco, I included him in the void. Of course it was all speculation, and I had no way to test my theory right now, but it gave me hope that my powers might return once the baby was born. Considering my current predicament, I held on to that small comfort.

  * * *

  A clang of metal woke me from a light doze. Harsh voices emanated from the far right as a group of figures emerged from the darkness. Janco stood close to his door, his tense posture poised for action. But the group stopped before reaching Janco and unlocked the cell next to his.

  The door squealed as it swung wide. The pack pushed Leif into the cell. I winced in sympathy as he hit the floor with a thud. By the time he regained his feet, they had slammed the door shut. And our chances of being rescued narrowed, along with my throat. I swallowed, but it didn’t help.

  When the group retreated, Janco said, “Welcome to the party.”

  Leif glared at him. His pant legs were sliced open, his shirt was untucked and torn, and bloody bruises marked his face.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “I’d be better if it wasn’t for Mr. Careful here,” Leif growled. “Just couldn’t keep out of trouble, could you?”

  “I didn’t expect to run into—”

  “I know. They gloated about it as they tried to puree my brains.” Leif ran a hand over his short hair, smoothing the strands down.

  I bit down on a joke about his brains already being pureed. In this foul mood, Leif wouldn’t appreciate it. Instead, I asked, “Did they get through?”

  “No. Unlike Mr. Careful, I have strong magical defenses. Besides, it doesn’t really matter. It sounds like he told them everything.” Leif waved the ribbons of fabric that had been his pants. “They took my hidden surprises.”

  “Lock picks?” I asked.

  “And my darts.”

  Janco slouched. “Sorry.”

  Leif jerked his thumb at the empty cells across the aisle. “Make sure you tell that to Dax, Hale and Ari.”

  “They’re caught!” I sagged against the bars.

  “Not yet. Bruns sent trained teams to round them up. It won’t take long, since Dax and Hale have no military training.”

  “Ari won’t be easy to catch,” Janco said with pride.

  “They have highly accurate blowpipes, remember? Ari can be the best swordsman around, but one well-placed dart filled with sleeping potion...” Leif spread his hands.

  There’s still Valek, Janco signaled.

  “They’re setting a trap for him,” Leif said.

  My head throbbed from all the bad news and from dehydration. I picked up the cup of tepid Theobroma-laced water and took a couple sips for a bit of relief. Both Janco and Leif watched me in silence. Their matching resigned expressions said it all.

  * * *

  Over the course of the next few hours, Bruns’s hunting parties dragged in first Dax, then Hale and finally an unconscious Ari—one for each empty cell. Janco curled into a tight ball of misery, and I worried about Valek and Fisk, wondering if they’d avoid capture or walk right into Bruns’s ambush.

  I slept in snatches. Every little noise jerked me awake, convinced Valek had been seized. Ari groaned to life, groggy and surly. Explanations on how everyone had been apprehended were exchanged again. We also discussed escape, but Bruns’s men had been thorough and no one had any lock picks or weapons. Rescue might be our only chance.

  “No way they’d get Valek,” Ari said. “No way.”

  “They have a dozen magicians that can weave a null shield in seconds,” Leif said, shredding that last bit of hope.

  When a loud bang signaled the entrance of another group of soldiers, ice coated my insides with dread. But only Bruns and a handful of guards walked in. Relief warmed me.

  Bruns surveyed us while his men slid trays of food into each cell and added oil to the lanterns. No one said a word.

  “You have a choice,” Bruns said, breaking the silence. “Eat and drink the meals we bring, or not.” He shrugged. “At this point, I don’t care if you die of thirst. You’ve all been a pain in my side since the beginning. But know that after you’ve had a few meals here, you’ll be welcomed to my team. And you won’t be able to fake it, and there’s no chance of recovery. I believe you’re all familiar with the talents of Loris Cloud Mist.” Bruns turned to leave.

  “Is that why you didn’t assassinate them? So they can work for you?” I asked.

  “Yes. Not only does it make them grateful, but no one wastes time searching for the dead.”

  “You stole that idea from Owen.”

  “Yes, I did. And why not? The tactic has a little bit of life left in it. Of course, it won’t work anymore.” He swept a hand, indicating the cells. “But I don’t need it to.”

  “Did you save Ben, as well?”

  Bruns met my gaze. His expression remained neutral. “Eat your breakfast, Yelena. I told your heart mate I’d keep you alive if he cooperated. Don’t go making me a liar, now.”

  It took every fiber of my willpower not to react to his comment. Instead, I said in a neutral—I hoped—tone, “Too late, Bruns. We all know not to trust what you say.”

  A half smile twisted his lips. “Fine. Believe what you will.” He left, taking the guards with him.

  Leif sniffed the food. “Don’t eat it. We can last a couple days without food.”

  The enticing scent of warm cinnamon tea drifted to me. My stomach cramped with hunger. It’d been over a day since I’d last eaten. I lifted the mug and cupped it in my cold hands.

  “Yelena,” Ari said. He was in the cell across from mine. “Valek’s not caught. I don’t care how many magicians and null shields they have. Bruns does not have him.” Pure conviction vibrated in his tone.

  “Have you heard from him?” I asked. If he was close, I could wait.

  Ari shook his head, his expression bleak. I calculated the distance to the rendezvous point. If Valek left right now, then it’d take him three days to arrive. Plus he’d need another day or two to figure out a way inside the base. Too long—I’d need to eat by then. I glanced at Leif, looking for guidance. Of all of us, he had the most medical knowledge.

  My brother pressed his lips together, clearly unhappy. Then he signaled, It’s your choice. You can probably go another day, but no longer. Think about it. You can save yourself now and have another baby later.

  “No,” I said as Ari gasped. He’d been watching Leif. I held up a hand, stopping Ari from voicing his questions about the baby. “I need another option.”

  “I don’t have one,” Leif said.

  “I do!” Janco jumped to his feet.

  The poor man hadn’t said a word or moved since they had dragged Dax in.

  Janco’s hands almost blurred as he motioned. Wouldn’t Brother Horror’s power not work on you because of that blocking thing?

  That’s just speculation. I can’t risk the baby.

  You might not
have a choice if we’re here for a few days.

  True.

  “Can someone tell us what’s going on?” Dax asked.

  “It’s better if you don’t know,” Ari said. He sank onto the pallet of straw in his cell. “Did you know about...that before you rushed off to rescue Leif?” he asked me.

  “Yes, and don’t yell at me. Leif and Janco already have.”

  Ari grunted, but kept quiet. I sipped the cooling tea. It tasted divine, warming me. However, I planned to wait another day before I ate the food. At this point, I didn’t have any other options.

  * * *

  The following day passed in a slow trickle of nothing. Without a window, we marked time by the guards’ entrance. Trays of hot food arrived, cooled, congealed and were replaced—three per day. I started eating after the fourth delivery. By that time, dizziness made it difficult for me to stand.

  Leif made a few obvious gestures to explain to Dax and Hale why I risked being turned into Bruns’s minion.

  After two days, the others started drinking the Theobroma-laced water. They didn’t wish to die. No one voiced what we all thought: Where’s Valek? Will he be here soon? Or has he been captured?

  Four days into our incarceration, Loris and Bruns accompanied the food. They stood in front of my cell.

  “You’re the only one who seems to have an appetite.” Bruns peered at me in suspicion. “Why is that?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t have as much willpower as the others.”

  “Uh-huh. Loris?”

  Instinctively I glanced at Loris, but wished I hadn’t when he captured my gaze. Unable to look away, I fought against a heaviness pressing into my thoughts. I tried to jumble them, keep the answers from his reach like a mental game of keep-away. It worked until he increased his efforts. Then I counted numbers backward as Valek had taught me and recited lists of poisons. It only delayed the inevitable. Eventually, Loris’s magic shone on all the corners of my mind, exposing everything. The blocking thing failed to work. Instead, a powerless humiliation spread throughout my body.

  “And?” Bruns asked.

  “She’s pregnant.”

  While Loris held me, I was unable to see Bruns’s reaction. However, through Loris, I sensed Bruns’s surprise turn into cold calculation.