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“Why are you following us?” Onora asked.
“I...thought you were...someone else.”
“Lame, boy. Try again.”
He sagged as if in defeat. “I thought you might need some help.”
Yelena stepped closer. “This is a strange place to offer help.”
The boy craned his neck to see her. “Circumstances aren’t important when lending a helping hand.”
She smiled. “He’s one of Fisk’s. Let him up.”
Onora pulled him to his unsteady feet. “Why didn’t you say so?”
He wiped off his pants. “Because it was just as likely that you would arrest me.”
“Then why follow us?”
A shrug. “A hunch. I thought you might be part of the resistance, but I wasn’t sure since I didn’t recognize you.”
“How about now?” Valek asked. “Do you recognize us?”
“Not really, but I know Master Fisk was working with a number of adults, and when I saw you two...well, there’s not many adults who visit the Unity Fountain in the middle of the day without kids.”
Valek had heard enough. It would only be a matter of time before they drew unwanted attention. “Let’s continue this discussion at the safe house. Actually, it’s the apartment above Alethea’s bookshop. Onora, take...”
“Phelan.”
“...Phelan, and meet us there.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Um... I’m not sure...” Phelan tucked his hands into his pockets. “I don’t even know who you are.”
“It’s safer for you if you don’t,” Yelena said. “But we are friends of Fisk’s. And we’re hoping to free him if possible.”
“Yeah?” He glanced around. “Where did you hide your army?”
Sarcasm, or a sardonic assessment? Valek would discover that eventually. Onora led the boy back the way they’d come.
Valek linked his arm in Yelena’s as they headed in the opposite direction.
“Is there food at the apartment?” she asked.
“Probably not.”
“Then we should stop at the market and purchase some supplies.”
“Hungry?”
She laughed. “Always. Or so it seems. I think that must be Leif’s problem, too.”
“I doubt he’s pregnant, love.”
“Ha. No. He must be always starving. Lately all I can think about is Ian’s beef stew and the raspberry pie Opal’s mom bakes and the sweet cakes Sammy cooks and—”
“I get it. You’re hungry.”
“Famished.”
“Let’s get to safety first. I’d like to learn from Phelan how dangerous a visit to the market would be.”
“Probably not as dangerous as having a hungry pregnant wife.”
Valek hoped she was joking.
A layer of dust coated all the furniture in the cramped two-bedroom apartment above Alethea’s bookshop. The agents who had been assigned to this safe house had aided in Valek’s rescue from the Krystal garrison and then returned to Ixia. Though small, this was one of Valek’s favorite locations. The windows overlooked the busy market. Lots of interesting things happened there. He’d neglected to mention the second safe house to Yelena. That one was near the Council Hall. And while it would be an ideal place to watch Bruns and his minions as they scurried to and fro, it would also be perilous to be that close.
While Yelena checked the cupboards for food, Valek built a small fire in the hearth. A cup of tea would soothe his wife for a while. Onora and Phelan arrived soon after he’d poured her a mug of her favorite blend. She chewed on a piece of beef jerky she’d found in her bags. Valek guessed Ari and Janco had taken the bulk of their travel rations with them to Booruby.
Phelan sat on the edge of one of the armchairs. Onora settled in the other while Valek and Yelena occupied the couch. Since she was the least intimidating of the three, Valek had asked Yelena to take point on the questioning.
“How did Fisk get caught?” Yelena asked.
The boy gripped the armrests. “Do you know about the Problem Gang?”
“No.”
“They are a rival group that formed a couple years after Master Fisk founded our Helper’s Guild.”
“I didn’t know they had a name.”
“They dubbed themselves the Problem Gang because they cause problems. It’s all the kids who would rather bribe, cheat and steal from people than help them. They also sell illegal goods and services.” He rubbed a hand on his leg. “They managed to get a spy inside our guild, and he or she learned we did more than just help and ratted us out to the Cartel.” He flashed a scornful grin. “For a price, of course.”
Yelena’s grip on her cup tightened, but her voice remained steady when she asked, “Was anyone hurt or...killed?”
“Right before the soldiers raided our headquarters, Master Fisk told us all to scatter and disappear. A few of the guild were hurt resisting arrest, but no one was killed. Lots of us escaped, but after Master Fisk was in custody for a few days, the soldiers invaded all our hideouts and dragged in our field agents from outside the Citadel.”
Valek hoped the Cartel had used goo-goo juice on Fisk to extract the information. He didn’t wish to consider the alternative, but Yelena’s rigid posture and clamped jaw meant she’d already envisioned poor Fisk being tortured.
“How did you escape?” he asked Phelan to distract her from her morbid thoughts.
“Luck. I was on a food run when the soldiers attacked our hidey-hole. Ever since then, I’ve been on the move, living on the streets.”
“Where are they keeping everyone?” Yelena asked.
“They sent most of the guild members to the garrisons. Bruns Jewelrose’s been telling everyone that he’s cleaning up the streets, and instead of begging and taking from the good people of the Citadel, these criminals will be rehabilitated so they can give back by protecting Sitia from the Ixians.”
Interesting strategy. Who could argue with that? “And the Problem Gang?” he asked.
“Lying low. I think the Cartel is paying them to keep up the ruse.”
“And Fisk?” Yelena asked.
“In the cells under the Council Hall. We tried to get to him, but no one goes into the Council Hall without being questioned. Even the kitchen and housekeeping staff are being searched when they enter. None of our usual methods will work to bypass security.”
Onora met his gaze. She raised her eyebrows as if to say, Challenge accepted.
“Do you know where Master Magician Zitora Cowan is?” Yelena asked.
“Rumors have been flying that she’s back. We haven’t seen her, but many of us wouldn’t recognize her,” Phelan answered.
“She has to be with Bruns,” Valek said. “She would head straight to the Keep, and when she saw it was closed, her next stop would be the Council Hall.” He considered. “Are there still watchers at the Keep?”
“A few. Not as many as there were before the other gates were closed.”
Good to know. “How many guild members are still free?”
“No. We’re not going to endanger them any further,” Yelena said. “They’ve risked their lives for us already. Phelan, you and your friends are to find a safe spot to hide in until this is all over.”
He glanced at Valek, then Yelena, and recognition shone in his gaze. “Lovely Yelena, we are not going to hide. There are only a dozen of us, but we already have shifts of people watching the gate, the market and the Council Hall. How can we help?”
Yelena huffed in frustration. Valek understood her desire to keep them safe, but if they were determined to help, then he wouldn’t pass up the opportunity.
Unable to remain seated, he stood. “How’s the market? We need provisions.”
“Let us shop for you. There are too many soldiers in
the market, and they are all looking for new faces.”
“All right.” Valek paced. It helped him think. “What is the status of the Council Hall?”
“Guards inside and outside all entrances. Shift changes every four hours around the clock.”
“Where does Bruns sleep at night?”
“The Council Hall.”
Valek clamped down on a curse. So much for targeting the man between locations. He mulled over the information from Phelan and developed a plan for the next couple of days. Giving the boy a few coins, Valek listed the items and food they needed.
