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But Valek didn’t have the energy to reply. Onyx and Kiki greeted him with whickers, and they nosed his pockets for treats. Giving each a milk oat, he stroked their necks and checked
their legs for hot spots. All black, Onyx was built for speed. Sleek and quiet, he matched Valek’s personality.
Valek saddled both horses and secured Yelena’s bags and bo staff to Kiki’s saddle. Leading them outside, he turned to Kiki. White coated most of her face, except for a swirl of copper around her left eye. She had white socks, but the rest of her was copper. Her long ears pricked forward.
He relaxed his mental shield, allowing Kiki’s thoughts to fill his mind—one of the perks to having magic. As a Sandseed horse, Kiki used a form of magic to communicate mentally with humans and other non-Sandseed horses like Onyx.
Lavender Lady? she asked, using Yelena’s horse name.
With Peppermint Man, he said. Go find Topaz. He’s at the Council’s stables. Lavender Lady needs you.
Needs Ghost No More.
He’d been Ghost, but since he was no longer immune to magic, Kiki had added the “No More” to his name. Not this time.
She flicked him with her tail. Every time.
He laughed without humor. Lavender Lady doesn’t agree with you. Besides, he trusted Onora to keep an eye on her.
Smoke Girl part of herd. Kiki approved.
Smoke?
Unable to verbalize, Kiki sent images of Onora sitting quiet and still, blending in with her surroundings and moving with grace, like a wisp of smoke. Kiki hinted at something deeper within the girl. That a fire burned at her core, but she hid it beneath a smoke screen.
A good analogy, Valek thought.
Kiki smart.
Yes, you are.
Come.
I will be there. I just need...time. To cool down? Time to think?
Kiki’s blue-eyed gaze peered right through him. He remained still, even though the urge to squirm like a misbehaving child pressed on him.
Come soon. She trotted away.
He wondered how the Citadel’s citizens would react to a riderless horse, but then Valek remembered Kiki’s ability to stay hidden, despite being so large. Plus, unlike the other breed of horses, Sandseeds refused to wear horseshoes. No clip-clop of hooves on the cobblestones.
Valek mounted Onyx, but he had no idea where to go, except to leave the Citadel. “Let’s get out of here, boy.”
After they exited through the north gate, Valek let Onyx pick the direction. The steady rhythm of the horse underneath him combined with his exhaustion and it numbed him. His thoughts stilled. His emotions drained. A cool breeze fanned his face. The moist scent of earth and grass filled the air as trees and bushes blurred past, their green buds and blue sky the only colors.
Whenever Onyx stopped, Valek fed and watered his horse. He rested and ate stale travel rations until Onyx indicated it was time to go. The sun set and rose. Twice.
Onyx slowed as the light faded for the third time. Valek roused in preparation to care for his horse. But instead of halting in a clearing, Onyx approached a building. He had his dagger in hand before Valek recognized the cottage he and Yelena had purchased. It was located in the Featherstone lands, near the border with Ixia. Onyx headed to the tiny stable, pushing the door open with his head.
Valek dismounted. “Did Kiki tell you to come here?”
His horse blew a hot breath scented with grain in Valek’s face as if to say, Snap out of it, man!
Removing Onyx’s saddle and tack, Valek groomed, fed and watered his horse before shuffling toward the dark, cold cottage. Horsehair stuck to his sweat-slicked skin and coated his clothes. The warm season should be renamed the shedding season.
He paused in the threshold. It’d been three and a half months since he’d been here with Yelena. This was where their child had been conceived. Memories threatened to push through the fog in his head. Maybe he’d sleep in the stable. No, he was being silly. He entered. The empty rooms held no warmth. A light film of dust coated the furniture. Not bothering to light a fire or heat up the bathwater, Valek washed quickly. The little cottage had been perfect for them. A washroom and kitchen occupied the right side of the ground floor. A large living area filled the left side, and a huge stone hearth sat in the middle, heating all the rooms. The second story loft covered half the building and contained their bedroom.
After trudging up the steps, Valek shook out the blankets on the bed. Yelena’s scent slapped him in the face, and he collapsed onto the mattress. All his anger drained away in one gush of misery. Yelena had gone with the enemy, taking all his hopes and dreams with her. Ten days was enough time for Bruns to learn of her presence in the garrison. An intelligent businessman, he’d have informers in all the garrisons. Cahil had been brainwashed like all the rest. There was no way Cahil could protect her, no matter what he promised.
So what the hell was Valek doing here? Pouting. He should be arranging another rescue. Except he’d given his word to Cahil that he wouldn’t do that, and Yelena would never break hers. Until things went sideways with Bruns, Valek’s hands were tied.
He breathed in the clean scent of lavender. As he lay on the bed they’d once shared, a realization came to him slowly. He’d been so furious at her for not trusting him that he was doing the same thing—not trusting her. Yelena had been confident of Cahil’s ability to see reason, and she’d escaped plenty of tight spots before. And if the null shield pendant was taken from her, the baby created some kind of void, which protected her from magic.
Her comment about Onora finally registered. The idiot had lied to her. Told her Valek was dead. Desperate and upset, she’d made a deal with Cahil to protect the baby. Ah, hell.
He should have picked up on it sooner. Why had he gotten so furious so fast? He could blame his exhaustion on the fight with Onora, the energy needed to heal, and no sleep. But that was just an excuse. No. The Commander had sent Onora after him. Onora, who the Commander had trained and who fought Valek with the clear determination to kill. Considering Owen Moon’s influence on the Commander, that betrayal hurt more than it should. Commander Ambrose no longer trusted him after they’d worked together for twenty-four years. When he combined Ambrose’s lack of trust with Yelena’s, Valek had snapped. However, knowing why he’d been so angry didn’t help Valek feel any better now.
Valek pulled the blanket up to his chin. He needed a good night’s sleep. And after that? In six days’ time, he’d meet up with Onora near the Featherstone garrison. Now that he had time to think about it, a brief amusement flared over Onora’s confession that Gerik was her brother. It was one of those things he should have picked up on sooner, but it made perfect sense now that he knew.
But what was he going to do for the next few days? An idea sparked. He dismissed it as too dangerous, but his dreams swirled around the idea, testing it.
In the morning, Valek sat up and knew exactly what to do. Onyx fidgeted while Valek saddled him, turning a twenty-minute task into forty. Then the horse stood rock-still, despite Valek’s signal to go.
“I know you were hoping to rest here a few days,” Valek said. “We’ll be back soon. I promise.”
Onyx glanced at the stable with longing. Then he heaved a sigh and broke into a reluctant trot. Valek suppressed a chuckle—no sense upsetting Onyx any further. Valek required his cooperation; walking would take too much time.
Due to the extra time needed to avoid the border guards and keep out of sight, it took them the rest of the daylight to reach their destination—Ixia. Valek found a comfortable spot in the Snake Forest to leave Onyx.
After taking care of the horse, Valek stroked Onyx’s long neck and said, “If I’m not back by tomorrow morning, return to the cottage without me. Understand?”
Onyx lifted his head and stared down at Valek.
“I don’t like it either, but I need to do this.”
The horse snorted. Valek assumed that was an agreement and left. He wanted to be in Castletown before the streets emptied for the night. Due to the small city’
s proximity to the Commander’s castle, Valek was certain there would be extra security officers patrolling the town. If he was spotted, this outing would not end well. His cloak hid most of his advisor’s uniform, but he needed to blend in, and there were other uniforms stashed at his safe house in Castletown.
When Valek entered the apartment on Pennwood Street, he surprised the agents who had been assigned to keep an eye on the city. Adrik and Pasha jumped to attention and saluted. Good to know they remained loyal.
“Report,” he ordered.
They glanced at each other. “Uh...there’s nothing to report, sir,” Adrik said.
Valek raised an eyebrow, inviting them to continue.
“We’ve been in standby mode, waiting out the storm, sir,” Pasha rushed to explain.
“The storm?” Valek asked.
“There’s an order for your execution, sir,” Adrik said. “All your agents know it’s bogus, and we won’t work with that...girl because she’s with them.” He spat the word. “We figured we’d lie low until you returned.”
“Lie low?”
“We all stopped sending reports to the castle, and all orders coming in have been ignored.”
Valek was touched by their rebellion. “You realize that’s an act of treason.”
“No, it isn’t,” Pasha said. “The Commander is not in command anymore.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“As soon as he ordered your execution, we knew. No way you’d do anything against Ixia or the Commander.” She flicked a long blond strand of hair from her face.
He wanted to hug them both.
“And there have been a few...inconsistencies with the Commander’s orders,” Adrik said. “He’s never changed his mind before, or given us conflicting orders. It’s almost like there are two people in power.”
His agents confirmed Valek’s suspicions.
“What are your orders, sir?” Pasha asked. “Did you come back to evict the Sitians?”
If only it was that easy. “Not yet. For now, continue to lie low.”
