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Ah. “The Commander would not have given you the job if he thought you couldn’t handle it.”
“I know. It’s just...overwhelming.”
“That’ll pass in about five or six years,” Valek said.
“Thanks,” she said dryly.
“Just remember that you’re not alone. And that I owe you one.”
Onora peered at him in confusion.
“You saved Yelena’s and our baby’s lives. If you get into trouble and need help, send me a message, and I’ll—”
“—we’ll come and assist you,” I finished for him.
He drew in a breath. I waited for overprotective Valek to frown at me, but instead he amended, “We’ll come. And if it’s bad, then we’ll bring the whole herd with us.”
“Herd?” Gerik asked.
Onora smiled in relief, and the color returned to her face. “He means his family and friends.”
“Our family and friends.” I corrected her. “You and Gerik are now part of the herd.”
Shocked, Onora glanced at Valek. “We are?”
“Yes. The horses have named you Smoke Girl, but I don’t know Gerik’s horse name yet.”
“Thanks.” Another smile, this one with genuine warmth. She then asked Valek for advice on how to make the transition from his leadership to hers go smoothly.
He suggested she rely on Maren for guidance. “She’s had years of experience, and my agents trust her. They’ll trust you, too, once you’ve proven that you can handle difficult situations. Don’t try to be their friend. Ask their opinions, listen to them, but once you’ve decided on a course of action, don’t let them change your mind. Never show them you’re uncertain. Issue orders with confidence, despite how you feel.”
“Is that what you do?” I asked.
“Not at all.”
“Uh-huh.”
He flashed me a grin.
“Anything else?” Onora asked.
Valek sobered. “When you return to Ixia, you’ll have a chance to show everyone what type of leader you’ll be by how you deal with Captain Timmer.”
She stiffened. I didn’t blame her. Timmer had sexually abused her when she’d been a young solider in his unit.
“I thought the Commander...” Onora swiped a hand along her throat.
“He’s waiting to see if you’d like to execute the captain yourself or if you want him publicly hanged. Or...if you wish to spare the man’s life. What you decide will send a message to everyone in Ixia.”
“No pressure,” she muttered.
I grasped her hand. “You’re protecting the citizens of Ixia now. They’re in your care. Keep that in mind, and you’ll do fine.”
She hugged me. Or at least, she tried. Her arms weren’t as long as Valek’s. We laughed.
“Take care of the baby,” Onora said. “If you need some extra protection or a dozen babyguards, just let me know.”
I mock-groaned. “A dozen babyguards? Don’t you start. I get enough of that overprotective nonsense from him.” I jabbed my thumb in Valek’s direction.
She gave me a smug Janco smile. “Too late.”
“Go.” I shooed her out the door.
Gerik shook our hands before following her.
After they left, I glanced at Valek. “What happened with the Commander?”
“I’ll tell you on the way.”
“To where?”
“To fetch Onyx.”
* * *
We set off that afternoon. Valek borrowed a horse from the council’s stables and I rode Kiki, who kept her gait as smooth as possible so I didn’t go into premature labor. During the two-day ride to the farm where Valek had left Onyx, he filled me in on his adventures in Ixia. When he told me about the Commander’s orders to execute him and still proceed with the invasion, I focused on the fact that Valek had survived and was with me. Otherwise, I’d plot a way to punch the Commander. Hard.
But then his next comment about being poisoned with the Harman sap turned my desire to punch the man into wanting to stab him.
“I hid the vial of my blood in Onyx’s saddle,” Valek said. “I’m...surprised that I’m anxious to find it. I never wished for magic, but once it was gone...”
“I understand completely.”
“I know, love. There’s still hope for you, as well.”
However, there was no guarantee for either of us. Valek finished his story, and I mulled over the Commander’s request to free his mother’s soul. “If I can, I’ll help him, but I can’t promise not to punch him afterward.”
Valek chuckled, but then he sobered. “If I do recover my magic, we shouldn’t tell the Commander.”
“He’ll eventually learn about it. Plus, then he won’t bother using the Harman sap on anyone.”
“That’s true. Of course, there’s always the chance he’ll find another way to neutralize magicians.”
“Or someone else might discover a way. There’s always going to be another problem to solve. We’ll just have to tackle it when the time comes.”
“We? I’m retired, love.”
I stared at him. “You’d let someone else solve the problem?”
“I already have. Onora has my job.”
“What about Sitia?”
“I’ll help for now, but Teegan, Reema, Zethan, Zohav, Heli and Fisk are all poised to take over, and I’ll be happy to let them.”
I wasn’t convinced that he could remain uninvolved. But only time would tell.
We retrieved Onyx, and Valek’s vial remained hidden in the saddle. Both of us relaxed. However, we waited until we returned to the Citadel to inject his blood back into his body. If I missed his vein, it would ruin Valek’s only chance to recover his magic.
When we arrived, we headed straight to the infirmary in the Council Hall. To our surprise and relief, Healer Hayes was back and helping at the Hall until the Keep was ready. Hayes instructed Valek to lie down on the bed while he filled a syringe with Valek’s blood.
“Why lie down?” Valek asked.
“Just in case you pass out. Unless you want to hit your head on the floor?”
“I’m not the fainting type,” Valek muttered, but he settled on the mattress.
“Have you been injected with your blood after losing your magic before?” Hayes asked, knowing full well Valek hadn’t. “I don’t know what’s going to happen.” He tied a band around Valek’s bicep, right below a cut that had been sealed but still remained bright red. Hayes traced his thumb over the injury, and Valek sucked in a quick breath. “This is getting infected. Do you want me to heal it now or after?”
“Lat
er. If my magic returns, I’ll be able to heal myself.”
“That’s good to know. I can always use help in the infirmary.”
“Walked right into that one, didn’t I?”
“Yep.” Hayes pressed the needle into Valek’s arm and pushed the plunger. Red liquid disappeared into his vein.
I suppressed the impulse to hold his hand. The baby’s magic-sucking ability might interfere. Instead, I hovered nearby.
Valek stiffened. He squeezed his eyes shut as his fingers curled into fists.
“Talk to me,” Hayes said. “What’s going on?”
“It burns.” He arched his back. “Too hot...” A red flush swept over his pale skin, leaving beads of sweat in its wake. Valek jerked again. Then his head lolled back.
I dug my fingernails into the palms of my hands as I stood there, utterly useless. Glancing at Hayes’s calm expression didn’t help. “Is he all right?”
The Healer touched Valek’s neck. “The toxin in his body is fighting the clean blood. It has overwhelmed his system.”
“And that means?”
“He lost consciousness.”
I bit back a sarcastic reply about stating the obvious. Instead I asked, “Will he wake up?”
“I hope so. Time will tell.”
Must. Not. Strangle. Healer Hayes. Once I clamped down on my panic, I dragged a chair closer to Valek’s bed and sat down to wait. There was nothing else I could do. As I watched my husband thrash about as if in the grip of a fever, I alternated between sitting and standing. Each position eventually caused my lower back to ache.
The hours added up. One day turned into two. I slept in the next bed, close but not touching. Visitors came as our friends and family returned from the various garrisons. Leif mixed his sustaining teas.
I paced around Valek’s bed. After everything he’d gone through—being knifed in his heart, being captured by Owen, fighting Onora and the Commander—to be taken out by his own blood? The desire to scream at fate clawed up my throat.
On the third day, Healer Hayes suggested I touch Valek. “The baby might neutralize the magic, and he’ll wake up.”
Without his magic. Better than without his life. But it was the “might” that caused me to hesitate. When I heard that Ari and Janco had returned, I asked Fisk to bring Janco right away.
