Night Study

by Maria V. Snyder

  Perhaps I hadn’t been fully rehabilitated yet. Or perhaps what had happened with Janco in the jail—that blocking power—had something to do with it. But I didn’t touch Loris. Unless the baby really was a void and was slowly siphoning off the magic. My head ached with the possibilities.

  The desire to bolt once the magic released its hold on me was strong, but I wouldn’t leave without my brother, Ari, Janco, Dax and Hale. And I hadn’t figured out a way to rescue them. Not yet.

  On the fourth day, everything changed. Bruns called me into his office. I’d been helping in the armory that morning.

  Mara stood on the other side of his desk. I froze in shock for a moment. No guards bookended her, and she appeared healthy, despite a few cuts and bruises on her face. Pure determination radiated from her—a side of Mara I hadn’t seen before.

  “You see? She’s perfectly fine and has joined me. Tell her, Yelena.”

  “Yes, I’m assisting Bruns now. We have a lot of work to do in order to prepare for war.”

  “And it will be the same with Leif, if you convinced him to eat,” Bruns said.

  “He’ll eat. As long as we can work together,” Mara said.

  He gave her a condescending smile. “Of course. I’m a businessman, and that was our deal.”

  Bruns called for his secretary, Tia, and asked her to escort Mara to the magicians’ quarters to wait for Leif.

  “It’ll take a couple days. In the meantime, please make yourself at home,” Bruns said to Mara. “All meals are served in the canteen, and if you get bored, the cooks are always looking for help.”

  She nodded her thanks, met my gaze and held it a moment before leaving. Odd. The entire exchange was odd. Did I dare hope this was part of a larger scheme?

  “You should be happy, Yelena. Now your brother won’t die of starvation.”

  “I am.”

  “But?”

  “You didn’t seem to care if he lived or died before.”

  “Ah, true. However, working with you these last few days has made me realize why you, Leif and the others locked below have been so successful all these years. The level of intelligence is impressive. Now all I need is for Valek to break, and the Commander won’t stand a chance.”

  “Excuse me if I don’t believe you have him.”

  “Figured you’d say that. When we’re done with him, I’ll let you visit.”

  “Mighty nice of you.” I gave him a tepid smile, but inside, worry bubbled. Bruns appeared way too smug to be lying.

  He laughed. “Return to the armory. The Weapons Master is excited about your ideas. When you’re finished, come back here.”

  Being in the armory had its advantages—access to weapons was at the top of the list. I stole darts filled with Curare and hid them in my clothes and room. Bruns never specifically said I couldn’t. He was confident that his order not to escape included scheming, but it didn’t.

  At night, when the magic wore off, I could sneak down to the jail, disable the guards and free my brother and the others—I refused to believe Bruns had Valek. Denial kept me functioning.

  Rescuing them from the jail would be easy. The hard part would be leaving the garrison. Every entrance was well protected, soldiers patrolled around the buildings and magical alarms had been set on the walls. I could take Bruns hostage, put a knife to his throat and use him to get my friends released. Except it would only take one dart filled with Curare to neutralize me.

  I sparked on another plan the morning of my sixth day. Simple, yet it just might work, if I had enough time to prepare. It would depend on when Loris intended to brainwash Leif and the others. I suspected soon. But it was the best plan I had so far.

  That afternoon, Bruns ordered me to accompany him to the jail. By the way his chest puffed out and his eyes gleamed with glee, I assumed my days of denial were coming to an abrupt end.

  When we entered, the first thing to hit me was the smell. After more than a week without bathing, the men reeked. I met Leif’s gaze. He stood next to the door to his cell. He’d lost weight.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  I nodded. “You?”

  “Fine. The food could be better, though.”

  Ah. They were eating. Has Loris been here? I signaled.

  Not yet.

  One positive. I moved on, and Janco gave me a halfhearted smile. And he might have said something, but my attention focused on Valek. His complexion made the color white look dingy. He clutched the bars, and from the purple bruises on his face and the gash on his forehead, I wouldn’t be surprised if they supported his weight, as well. The desire to wrap him in my arms and heal him pulsed deep within me.

  Unable to do either, I stood frozen while my heart dissolved. Valek kept his expression flat, but a blast of emotion pierced me when he met my gaze. I thought his voice sounded in my head, saying, Sorry, love. But I dismissed it as just my imagination. He wore a Sitian uniform like the others. Blood stained the fabric in more than a few places.

  “Believe me now?” Bruns asked.

  “Yes.” Time to put on a show. I turned to him. “Why didn’t you just prick him with goo-goo juice to make him talk? He has vital information about the Commander we can use.”

  “I did. It failed to work and so did torture.”

  It took all my self-control to stay put and not kick Bruns in the nuts.

  “Next up. Threats.” Bruns turned to Valek, who faced him. “Yelena, tell your husband what you’ve been doing these last few days.”

  “Helping you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because we need to prepare for the Commander’s attack,” I said, while I signaled with the hand Bruns couldn’t see—but Janco and Leif could. Because I’ve no choice, you prick.

  “You follow my orders. Is that correct?” Bruns asked.

  “Yes.”

  Bruns pulled a glass vial from his pocket. “Hold this.” He handed it to me. “Don’t drop it.”

  A pretty, deep purple liquid filled the container.

  “It’s an extract from the amethyst flower,” Bruns explained. “It will kill the baby.”

  My grip tightened. All I could do. It was still early, and Loris’s magic controlled my movements. But it didn’t stop the panicked screaming inside my head.

  “Drink it,” he ordered me.

  Terrified and unable to resist, I pulled the cork from the bottle and raised the rim to my lips.

  “Stop,” Valek growled.

  “Stop,” Bruns echoed to me.

  The vial paused a few inches from my mouth. My blood slammed through my body as if I’d run for miles.

  “You’ll cooperate fully?” he asked Valek.

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Yelena, put the stopper back in and keep that vial with you at all times. Understand?”

  “Yes.” Happy to comply, I shoved the cursed liquid into my pocket and out of sight. Purple was now an evil color.

  “Eat,” Bruns told Valek. “We’ll have a chat when you’ve had some more time to recover. Any hint of trouble, and I’ll order your wife to drink the extract. If I’m not happy with your answers or if I discover you lied, I’ll—”

  “I said I’d cooperate.” There was a hard edge to Valek’s voice.

  “You better. The life of your child depends on it.” Bruns strode away.

  I stepped close to the bars, reached through and lightly pressed my hand to Valek’s bruised cheek. He covered my hand with his own. His gaze showed his love as he turned his head and kissed my palm.

  “Yelena, come,” Bruns barked.

  Leaving Valek caused me physical pain, as if my heart had been ripped from my chest. I followed Bruns, but glanced back when we reached the door. Valek watched me, and so did my brother and the rest. Their defeated postures and pained expressions matched. Unable to resist, I flipped them a thumbs-up sign.

  * * *

  No time left. I waited until Loris’s magic ebbed, then I rushed to prepare. I could no longer be subtle. Tonight was my
only chance to collect the rest of the supplies I needed for tomorrow night’s rescue attempt.

  Using Bruns’s name netted me a number of items I normally would have stolen piece by piece to avoid detection. I hoped no one talked to Bruns.

  All the next day, I tried to focus on the tasks Bruns assigned me. If I looked too distracted he’d inquire about my thoughts. That had led to embarrassing revelations, but today a disclosure would be far more than just humiliating.

  As I worked in the armory that afternoon, testing the Weapons Master’s new ultralight sword for female soldiers, Bruns arrived.

  “Put the weapon away. We need to talk,” he said.

  My pulse skittered through my body. I wondered who or what had tipped him off. Or if he’d spotted the blowpipe hidden in my uniform.

  On the way to his office, he said, “Captain Geffers tells me you’ve been asking questions about the training sessions outside the garrison.”

  Oh no.

  “Why the interest?” he asked.

  I chose each word with the utmost care. “They’re our first line of defense, and I’m curious how well trained they are.”

  “Why are you curious?”

  “A company of soldiers is trained to fight an enemy army of similar size, and I know from experience that a small group or just one person can cause havoc with a larger group that’s not prepared.”

  “You mean guerrilla tactics? Or someone like Valek?”

  “Both.”

  “And you think our soldiers need this more specialized training?”

  “I don’t know. That’s why I was asking Captain Geffers, to see if we should consider it.”

  Bruns tapped his fingers on his thigh—a gesture I’d learned meant he was deep in thought. “Do you think Valek would train our units?”

  “Yes.”

  “But can I trust him?”

  “Yes. He’d do anything to keep us safe.”

  “That’s what worries me. With his immunity, he won’t be influenced by the Theobroma.”

  “He gave his word to cooperate. That is more binding than magical coercion.”

  Bruns studied my expression. “Good to know.”

  He appeared satisfied with my answers, and I relaxed. When we reached his office, my fear returned in a rush. Ben Moon lounged on the visitor chair, waiting for us.

  “I thought Owen ordered you to kill her,” Ben said.

  Ah, confirmation that Bruns was working with Owen. Being right didn’t make me feel any better. In fact, my hopes of stopping the Sitian takeover plunged. Even if we escaped, we didn’t have enough people or resources.

  Bruns scowled at Ben. “I don’t take orders from Owen.” Then he glanced at me. “Are you surprised about Owen?”

  “No.”

  “What tipped you off?”

  “When I overheard your conversation with General Cahil.”

  “But Cahil believes we’re preparing for a war.”

  “Exactly, and I know the Commander well enough to know he’d rather come in and take over Sitia the same way he conquered Ixia. There had to be a reason he didn’t execute Owen.”

  “And that’s why I didn’t kill her.” Bruns jabbed a finger at me. “She’s been an invaluable resource.”

  “I wouldn’t trust her,” Ben said.

  “She’s under my control.”

  “Yeah, well, Owen thought the same thing, and look what happened.”

  “Owen didn’t take away all her supporters. Besides, he’s doing pretty good for a dead man, and soon he’ll be in charge of Ixia.”

  “For sand’s sake, Bruns, why don’t you just tell her everything? That’s another reason she needs to die. We’ve been successful with this plan because only three of us know what’s really going on.”

  “No. I need her and Valek.”

  “Valek’s alive, too? How stupid can—”

  “That’s enough, Ben. They are my guarantee that you and your brother won’t double-cross me.”

  “Why would we do that?”

  “To have Ixia and Sitia to yourselves.”

  Ben waved it off. “I don’t want either. Too much work.”

  “That’s fine, but in case you change your mind, I have two very capable people to send after you.”

  Ben huffed in amusement. “And they’ll obey you? Yeah, right. As soon as they’re out of your sight, they’d be gone.”

  “Yelena, tell him.”

  I met Ben’s dubious gaze with the flat killer stare I’d learned from Valek. In a cold, emotionless voice, I said, “Bruns, it would be our pleasure to assassinate Ben and Owen Moon for you.” This time, the truth tasted as sweet as my favorite breakfast.

  Fear flashed in his eyes for an instant, then Ben grunted and faced Bruns. “Just remember who told you to kill them both. Is this why you wanted to meet? To gloat that you’ve captured them?”

  “No. Valek agreed to cooperate, and I thought you should hear his information firsthand. It should be very helpful.”

  “If we can trust him.”

  “We can.”

  Explaining about the amethyst, Bruns ordered me to show Ben the bottle. I held it up. Then the three of us trekked down to the jail to interrogate Valek. Ben fussed about the stench until Bruns glared at him.

  Valek answered every question. The information he provided, while true, omitted quite a bit. Impressive, considering the battered state of his body and mind. The session ended two hours later when Valek passed out. I worried that Valek wouldn’t be physically able to escape later tonight, but I couldn’t wait for him to recover. Even with Ben’s presence at the garrison complicating things, I had to risk it.

  Bruns kept me by his side as he played host to Ben that evening. I endured a long supper, an even longer discussion on how they would use Valek’s information and then was sent to bed like a child while the “adults” conversed about important matters.

  Glad to be released, I lay in bed and reviewed my plan, seeking gaps in the logic and other possible problems. My imagination had compiled quite the list of things-that-could-go-wrong by the time Bruns and Ben finished their conversation and retired for the evening.

  I waited a couple more hours. Near midnight, I slipped from my room and crossed Bruns’s dark office. I grabbed the doorknob.

  “Bruns really is an idiot.” Ben’s voice pierced the darkness.

  My breath locked as fear coiled around my body. I turned. “I was just—”

  “Save it. I don’t care what you were about to do. The fact that you can do it, despite Loris’s magic, should be a surprise, but I’ve learned my lesson. Do you want to know what that lesson is?” Ben stepped from the shadows.

  “No.”

  “Too bad, ’cause I’m going to tell you anyway. I’ve learned to never, ever underestimate you. And to never assume anything.” He moved closer.

  A strange weakness flushed through me.

  “You’ve been consuming the Theobroma,” Ben said. “So why isn’t the magic working? Let’s see...”

  The compulsion to sit in Bruns’s visitor’s chair pressed on me. My body obeyed before my mind gave the command. Panic pulsed and urged me to run, scream or fight back. All was ignored.

  “Goody. My magic works on you.” He pulled a dagger from a sheath on his belt and stood in front of me. “I’ve imagined stabbing this knife into you a million times.” Ben crouched down to my eye level. He poked my stomach with the blade’s tip.

  The pain failed to register over the sheer terror that gripped me.

  “However, I think it’ll be so much more fun watching you slice yourself to ribbons before you cut your own throat.” Ben offered me the weapon. “Take it.”

  Unable to resist, I reached for the hilt. My fingers brushed Ben’s as I wrapped my right hand around the hilt. In that instant, the compulsions disappeared. Without thinking, I grabbed his wrist with my left hand and hundreds of hours of knife-defense training kicked in.

  I thrust forward, unbalancing Ben. He fell back on hi
s butt as I sprang from the seat and followed him. Turning the knife around, I didn’t hesitate to plunge the blade into his stomach, aiming the tip up to his heart, killing him.

  It was brutal and ruthless. It was necessary to save myself and the baby. It was just what Ben wished to do to me—erase a problem permanently.

  Should I be upset by the warm blood gushing over my hands? By the final painful exhalation from my victim? By the stench of body fluids pooling under his dead body?

  Yes—taking a life was never easy, no matter the circumstances.

  But did I regret it?

  No.

  * * *

  After I cleaned up, I filled a bucket with water and grabbed the basket full of soap, washcloths and clean uniforms I’d assembled and hidden in a supply closet. I carried them down to the jail. Now wasn’t the time to worry about what could go wrong. There were two sets of doors and four guards between me and my family. Now was the time for action.

  “What’s this?” the soldier on the left asked when he spotted me lumbering toward him with my heavy load.

  “Bruns wants the prisoners to wash up before the morning,” I said.

  “Now? It’s the middle of the night.”

  “I don’t question orders,” I said. My tone indicated that he shouldn’t, either.

  “All right, give them here.”

  I handed the bucket and basket to him as his partner unlocked the door.

  “Make sure they all clean up,” I said.

  “Yeah, yeah. We’ll take care of it.”

  I left, but didn’t go far. The second set of guards also grumbled about the time. While they transferred the items to the inner guards, I drew a blowpipe from my tunic and a handful of darts with extra-long needles. Loading the first one, I aimed.

  With a sharp puff of air, I shot the closest man. It hit his arm, piercing the fabric. By the time he jerked with surprise, I launched another. Then in quick succession I hit the other two. The Curare worked fast and, with only a minimal amount of yelling, they toppled to the ground, paralyzed. Sweet.