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He reached through the magical border and yanked her inside. She yelped in surprise, but recovered quickly.
As he caught his breath, he scanned their surroundings. Wagon-wheel grooves marked the forest floor and led to a mouth of a cave a few feet away. The illusion camouflaged the cave’s entrance so the border patrols would walk right by it.
Onora peered inside then entered. She returned with an unlit torch. “Looks like the cave’s in use. Could this be a hideout?”
“Was there any evidence that someone is living in there?”
“It’s narrow and I couldn’t see far. There might be a bigger cavern farther in.”
“Then light the torch and we’ll go have a look.”
“Are you crazy?”
“Define crazy.”
“Walking right into a trap.” She stabbed the tip of her dagger at the cave.
Janco crouched on the ground. “The wagon marks are a few days old. No fresh boot prints. I don’t think the cave is occupied at the moment.”
“So now you have a cave vibe, too?”
“Okay, Little Miss Assassin, what do you suggest we do?”
“Hide and wait. See who comes out or goes in.”
Oh. Actually, that was a pretty good plan. Annoyed he hadn’t thought of it, Janco crossed his arms. “For how long?”
“For as long as it takes.”
“What about our mission?” And then it hit him. “This could be what we’re searching for—a way for the smugglers to cross the border without being seen.”
“If it tunnels under the border into Sitia, and if it isn’t just a hideout.”
“Killjoy.”
“If I was going to kill, it wouldn’t be joy.” Onora gave him a pointed look.
He laughed. “You wouldn’t be the first person who wished me dead, sweetheart.”
She flinched at the endearment and shoved her weapons into their holders to cover her...anger? No. Fear? Not quite. More like an old nightmare that hadn’t faded. He waited for her to threaten him with bodily harm if he used “sweetheart” again, but Onora kept quiet. Smart. If she’d fussed, he’d use it all the time just to goad her. Ari had called it childish, but Janco used it as a tool. He needed to discover just how much tolerance she had and where her breaking point was.
“How did you see through the illusion?” she asked. “Do you have magic?”
“Oh no. Not at all. I’m allergic to magic.” He explained about the warning pain. “I had no idea what it hid.”
“Since you can sense it, you should find a position outside the illusion, and I’ll stay inside,” she said.
He glanced around. There wasn’t much room. “Where—”
“Not many people look up.” She shoved her boots and cape inside her pack, then stashed it out of sight. Onora climbed the rough stone wall next to the cave’s mouth until she reached the apex. Settling into a comfortable position, she shooed Janco.
He paused. She appeared to blend in with the gray stones and brown earth that had collected in the nooks of the rock face. Janco glanced away and rubbed the back of his neck. Lack of sleep could do strange things to a guy. He turned to assess her line of vision so he didn’t watch the same patch of forest. Except she’d disappeared.
“Get going before someone shows up.” Her voice sounded above his head.
Holy snow cats! Did she...? Was she...? He stepped closer to the cave’s entrance, expecting his scar to burn. It didn’t. Maybe the illusion’s magic covered her power. He rubbed the spot as he considered.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Uh, just checking something.” Janco poked his head into the cave as if it contained all the answers. It didn’t. Unless darkness had something to do with the mystery of Onora. Perhaps it did. Perhaps—
“Janco.”
Her irritation snapped him from his thoughts. “All right, I’m going.” He braced for the pain as he crossed the illusion. It flared to life, stabbing into his head. Janco kept walking until the intense stinging dulled to a tolerable level. Then he found a place to hide.
His thoughts circled back to Onora. In all their time together, Janco had never felt that creepy crawly sensation along his skin, which he’d learned meant magic was in use but not directed at him. Hard to describe. It was like hearing an echo.
She could be one of those One-Trick Wonders who had enough magic to do only one single thing like light a fire or spot a liar. Hey, that rhymed—he’d have to remember that for later. Perhaps her power was blending in with her surroundings like a chameleon. No wonder she’d reached the Commander and escaped the dungeon. For an assassin to have that ability...was pretty sweet! Of course, he could be way off base. The pain from the illusion might have screwed with his vision.
But as he waited for...well, anything at this point. Talk about bored. Janco remembered the times he and Onora had encountered a patrol and she’d melted into the forest. The creepy crawlies hadn’t attacked him then, but her ability to disappear seemed...off. He decided to not jump to conclusions—Ari would be proud—and keep an eye on Little Miss Assassin, see if she had any more tricks.
The day dragged, limping toward twilight. Janco’s stiff muscles complained about the inactivity. His stomach growled. Wonderful. He’d wait until full dark and then take a break. After all, a man had to eat and sleep and pee.
* * *
A rumbling creak woke him from a light doze. Darkness surrounded him. It took him a moment to orient himself—Snake Forest—on lookout—with Onora. Check.
A harness jingled and the thud of horse hooves on the ground vibrated under him. Soon two wagon teams rolled into view. The figures sitting on the benches didn’t have a lantern, but there was enough moonlight to discern big obstacles like trees. Besides, most horses just needed to be pointed down a trail. They instinctively followed the cleared path.
As they passed his hiding spot, Janco noticed a burlap blanket covering the lumpy contents of the wagon. Intrigued, he followed the wagons as they neared the illusion then slowed.
“Where’s that damn cave?” one man asked. “Did we miss it?”
“No, it’s a little further,” his companion said.
“Just stop here,” a woman called from the second wagon. “The horses get too skittish if we get closer. Mattison will meet us.”
They unhitched the horses and fed and watered them. They appeared to be waiting for this Mattison. Too curious to stay put, Janco crept up behind the second wagon, noting the long and narrow bed. He lifted the blanket, revealing barrels. Words had been burned into the oak, but it was too dark to read them.
A bright yellow glow pierced the illusion, momentarily blinding him. Three huge men carried torches and pulled a small cart. Another set of three big brutes emerged, but they didn’t tow anything. All six men wore some type of leather harness.
The two groups merged. Janco slipped back into the forest while they were distracted.
“Anyone follow you?” one of the big brutes asked.
“You kidding? No one’s around for miles,” the wagon leader said. “How much did you get?”
“Six golds a barrel.”
“Next time ask for eight. It’s getting harder to smuggle this stuff out. Valek’s got his dogs sniffing around.”
An indignant huff sounded next to Janco. He jumped and clamped down on a cry.
“Don’t sneak up on me like that,” he whispered to Onora.
“Assassin, remember?”
“But I’m on your side.”
She shrugged. “Habit.”
“Did you see what’s in the cart from the cave?” he asked.
“Yes. A few small barrels.”
They watched the smugglers as they hitched one wagon to the three big men, attaching the chains to their harnesses
, and then they hooked up the other three with the other wagon. Odd. Why not use the horses?
“I’m going to crawl under the burlap on that second wagon,” Onora whispered. “You track the cart and see where it goes. We’ll meet back here once we learn what’s going on.”
He opened his mouth to protest, but she disappeared. While the others were distracted hooking up the men and horses, the blanket rippled and the wagon creaked under the additional weight. No one but Janco noticed.
After they finished, the smugglers made arrangements for another meeting, then headed in opposite directions. The horses pulled the cart from the cave back into the forest, and the men lugged the two wagons toward the cave.
Ah. The horses either couldn’t fit inside the tunnel or were too scared to go underground. Onora’s plan had merit, but Janco still didn’t trust her. And Valek had ordered him to keep an eye on her.
Janco waited a few minutes before dashing through the illusion. A brief surge of fire ringed his head before dying down. The circle of torchlight retreated deeper into the cave. He summoned the courage to follow. Janco hoped it was a short tunnel.
After all, he hadn’t had time to eat or pee.
23
YELENA
I released the reedwither plant and spread my hands wide.
“Good. Now stand and turn around slowly,” the man behind me ordered.
Wondering why Kiki hadn’t warned me of his presence, I straightened and faced him. A tall and muscular Sandseed warrior watched me. I didn’t recognize him. He held a scimitar in his left hand and another dagger in his right. His skin was the color of shadows and he had a green-and-brown-patterned cloth wrapped around his waist. It must be for modesty because the rest of his body was bare despite the cold.
Unconcerned, Kiki grazed nearby.
“You must continue on your journey,” he said.
Not a chance. “I need to collect—”
“It is forbidden to harvest the reedwither.”
“Why?”
“It is a powerful poison.”
“I know. I may have been injected with it.”
“Not possible. You are alive.”
I stifled a sarcastic retort. No need to upset the well-armed man. “I have healing abilities. I may have stopped the poison from killing me.”
He stepped closer. “I sense no magic from you.”
All right, time to try another tactic. “I’m friends with almost all of the surviving Sandseeds, but I’ve never seen you before. Who are you?”
The Sandseed puffed out his broad chest. “I am the guardian of the reedwither plants.”
