Fire Study (27 page)

on my chest and pressed her bow to my neck. The crowd of soldiers cheered.

“Concede?”

“Yes.”

She grinned and pulled me to my feet. “Rematch?”

“Give me a minute.” I brushed the dirt from my clothes.

“What’s with the skirt?”

“It’s not a skirt. See?” Pulling the fabric apart, I revealed the pants.

She snorted with amusement. “We need to get you back into uniform, Yelena.”

Her use of my proper name meant that I had at least impressed her with my

fighting skills. Which reminded me of her comment that had thrown me off guard.

“What’s all this about you beating Valek? You’re adequate with a bow, but, come

on, Valek?”

Valek had issued a challenge to everyone in Ixia. Beat him in a fight with the

weapon of your choice and win the right to become his second in command. Many

soldiers had tried and failed to win the right.

“Adequate?” She laughed. “I guess when I beat you again, you’ll up it to

decent.”

“That’s if you beat me, and you haven’t answered my question.”

“I had help. Happy now? Valek never said we had to beat him one on one. Three

of us got together and we won the right to pick any position in Ixia. I chose to

become an adviser for the Commander. I’m in MD-7 on a temporary assignment to

deal with some—” she glanced at the soldiers “—issues.”

Three against one was still good odds for Valek. I wondered who the other two

were, and the answer came to me. “Please don’t tell me Ari and Janco were your

partners.”

Her chagrined expression confirmed my guess.

“Janco was insufferably smug before. There’ll be no living with him,” I said.

“Valek’s challenge has been modified. Since Janco and Ari have been promoted

to Valek’s seconds, if other soldiers want to claim the second positions they must

beat Ari and Janco, but no more than six can attack at one time. Valek’s seconds

should be able to handle three each. If a soldier wishes to fight Valek alone, he must

beat one of us to have the chance.”

“Having Janco in charge when Valek’s away is a scary state of affairs.”

“Not as scary as when you’re begging for mercy.” Maren swung her bow.

I blocked and countered. Soon we were engaged in another brisk fight. But this

time I stayed focused. I swept her feet out from under her and stepped on her bow

before she could roll away. I won the match and received a few cheers from my

brother, who had joined the audience. Moon Man and the others stood apart. He

watched me with no expression on his face.

“Tie breaker?” Maren didn’t wait for an answer. Round three began.

We fought until we reached an impasse.

Leif’s voice interrupted us before we started another match. “As much as I enjoy

watching my sister get beaten, we really need to talk to the Commander. You’re

wasting time.”

Maren studied Leif with a dubious expression. “I don’t see a family

resemblance.”

I introduced my brother to Maren. “Although I hate to admit it, Leif’s right. We

need to go.”

Maren shook her head. “General Rasmussen wants to talk with you first. These

soldiers have orders to keep you here until he gives you permission to leave.”

“But I’ve explained—”

“Everything but exactly what you need to discuss with the Commander.”

“That’s classified.”

“That’s what I was afraid of.” Maren leaned on her bow. “The general has

become…cautious in his advancing years. He won’t let you leave unless you tell him

the reason you came to Ixia.”

From her choice of words, I could tell there was more to the story. She worked

for the Commander but was helping the general, and probably reporting every bit of

information to Valek.

“We’ll talk to the general then,” I agreed.

“Great. I’ll schedule an audience with him tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? We have pressing business.”

“I’m sorry. The general retires early. He’ll see no one tonight.”

Leif opened his mouth to protest. I touched his arm, stopping him. Maren and I

had dueled the afternoon away, and I suspected she had a good reason for it.

“All right. We’ll wait until tomorrow. How long will it take us to get to the manor?

Perhaps it would be best to leave tonight?”

“No. It would be best to leave in the morning. It’s a half-day’s ride.” Maren led

us to a brick cottage with a stable nearby. “You can stay in our guest quarters. This

location is a popular spot for travelers from MD-6 to stop.”

The castle complex was located in the southern end of MD-6. Two-and-a-half

days’ ride directly north of Sitia’s Citadel. I found it interesting the two centers of

political power remained physically close while their governing styles were worlds

apart.

We entered the cottage. Although the furnishings in the main room were sparse, it

looked comfortable enough. Guards stationed themselves outside, but one lieutenant

followed us in.

“Beds! They have beds with feather mattresses,” Leif called from a bedroom.

“There is wood in the back, and you can dine with the soldiers for your evening

meal. I’ll let the general know when you’re arriving.” Maren left with the Lieutenant

close on her heels, but two guards remained positioned by the front door.

A quick peek out the side and back windows revealed the presence of more

guards. We were surrounded. I thought about Maren’s comments. A few of the

things she said didn’t add up. I wondered what she planned to do. All I knew were

my plans, and they didn’t include visiting the general.

I joined my traveling companions in the bedroom. Moon Man sat next to Marrok,

who lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. Tauno perched on the edge of a chair.

Leif had stretched out across one of the beds. A sigh of contentment escaped his

lips. “I haven’t slept in a bed since…since…I can’t even remember!”

“Don’t get too comfortable,” I said.

He groaned. “Now what?”

I put a finger over my lips then pointed to my forehead. Too many ears around, I

said in his mind.

What’s going on? he asked.

We are not going to waste time with the general, Moon Man said.

I scowled at him in surprise, forgetting that he could link his mind to ours.

Since you have chosen Gede as your guide, I had to channel through Leif.

I ignored Leif’s confusion. Unchannel then. This is a private conversation.

Moon Man remained quiet for a while. I will withdraw.

Care to tell me what that was about? Leif asked.

I filled him in on my conversation with Roze. Moon Man’s a spy.

No way. You can’t believe that.

Are you saying Roze is lying?

No. I’m saying maybe you’re overreacting. Moon Man admitted Gede is his

boss. Their clan was decimated by the Vermin so Gede and Roze want the same

thing. Gede probably sent Moon Man to keep an eye on you.

And that’s different than spying how?

He’s probably here to protect you. To keep you safe until your name can be

cleared.

It would be nice just to ask him, but I’m sure he has a vague non-answer already

prepared.

That’s harsh, Yelena. He has witnessed the massacre of his clan. Although, I do

wish for the old Moon Man back, Leif said. I’ll take his teasing, cryptic advice and

mysterious arrivals over his somber demeanor any day.

My brother put another pillow under his head. Looks like we’ll be in Ixia for a

while. Leif Liana Ixia has a nice ring to it. If they don’t execute me for being a

magician, perhaps I can find a job at an Ixian apothecary. Do they have uniforms for

an apothecarist?

We’re going back to Sitia.

To certain death? No thank you. Perhaps the Commander will need one of my

tisanes?

We need to talk to the Commander and rendezvous with Valek. I hoped.

Surrounded by guards. Remember?

That’s right. We’re outnumbered. It’s a shame we don’t have magic to help us.

A mage could put the guards to sleep. Or better yet we could use Curare. Too bad I

don’t have any blowpipes in my backpack.

Sarcasm is an ugly trait, little sister. You should avoid it.

And you give up too easy. And trust too easy, but I wouldn’t say it to him.

I blame the feather mattress. It has sucked all my motivation. If there is a

comfortable bed in my apartment above my apothecary shop, I will be quite content

living in Ixia.

Leif. I warned.

All right. All right. I’ll make you a few blowpipes just in case we can’t put

everyone to sleep. He grumbled to himself as he rolled out of bed and went over to

his pack.

I debated what I should tell Tauno and Moon Man. As long as we didn’t have a

fire, I could warn them about my plans. And I wanted them with me so I could keep

an eye on them.

“We should go to bed early tonight,” I said to them. “To rest for tomorrow.”

They appeared to understand my hint. Once the Ixian soldiers had gone to bed,

we would make our escape.

I planned to be at the Commander’s castle before the MD-7 guards realized we

had gone. Approaching the main gate of the castle complex without an Ixian guide

would create instant suspicion, but that was a problem I would deal with when it

arose.

After having dinner with the soldiers, I eyed our new set of guards with care,

trying to size them up. I knew Tauno and Moon Man wouldn’t pass for Ixian, so

either Leif or I would have to wear a uniform and pose as a soldier until we reached

the Commander. Ideally, I should disguise myself, but at five feet four inches tall, I

doubted I would find a uniform that fit.

Not bothering to build a fire, we retired early. I slept for a few hours. The luxury

of being in an actual bed made it difficult to rouse. But I forced myself to get up and

woke the others, gesturing for quiet.

Leif didn’t have the skills to put our guards to sleep, but he could complement

my energy. I held his hand and projected my awareness to the circle of soldiers.

Three men and one woman stood watch. Reaching farther, I connected to the horses

in the stable.

Ready? I asked Kiki.

Yes.

The two stable lads slept on bales of hay, content to have horses in their stables.

To them the musky smell of horse, manure and straw equaled a feather bed.

I swept the barracks with my mind, seeking trouble. At two hours past midnight,

the garrison was calm. Since I couldn’t put the entire garrison into a deep sleep, I

hoped we were far enough away not to wake them. I returned to the sleeping lads

and sent them into a heavy slumber.

The guards who ringed our quarters proved resistant to my mental suggestion.

Their Ixian training fought my magic and I feared I would have to resort to using the

Curare. Before I broke the connection, one of the guards jerked in surprise as a

sharp point jabbed his neck. His vision spun as the drug entered his blood. I pulled

away before the man passed out.

Leif released my hand.

“Time to go,” I said, moving fast. We had help and my heart soared. One person

always knew when I needed him. I threw open the door, expecting Valek, but found

Maren instead. She dragged one of the guards into the guest quarters, and was soon

followed by three others who each carried in a prone form, dumping them onto the

floor.

Her companions wore MD-7 uniforms.

“Guess we had the same idea. My men will pose as your guards while we head

toward the castle,” she explained.

“Will they be out long?” I poked one of the men on the floor with the toe of my

boot.

“A good six hours. I used Valek’s sleeping potion on them.” She smiled with a

mischievous glint in her gray eyes.

“Adviser Maren, you aren’t doing a little moonlighting with Valek’s corps now,

are you?” I tsked with mock concern. “How did you know when to strike?”

Maren gave me an odd look. “When the horses left the stable, I thought you

might be ready to go.”

“Are you coming with us? Can you ride?”

“Yes. I have a horse nearby. I need to return to the general’s manor house before

you’re discovered missing. I’ll take you to MD-6’s border and introduce you to the

soldiers at the way station there. They will take you to the Commander’s castle.

Your weapons are outside. Let’s go.”

Leif, Moon Man, Tauno and I carried our saddles until we were far enough away

to risk the noise. Moon Man and Marrok rode on Topaz. Marrok still couldn’t

speak, but he mounted when Moon Man asked him to.

Maren proved to be an adept rider and we covered the distance to MD-6 in

record time. Before she alerted the way-station guards, I asked her, “What will