Then Janco’s ever present smile dropped, the glee in his gaze died and he focused on Valek with a grim determination. The fight went from friendly bout to a full out attack.
“Janco, slow down. That’s not the point of this fight,” Ari scolded.
If Janco heard him, he showed no signs. Now deadly serious, Janco mixed up his strikes, tested for weaknesses, and aimed for the neck. Valek barely blocked him, and he suspected he was fighting for his life. They circled as Valek tried to keep his distance, but it was only a matter of time before Janco beat him.
Valek sidestepped a lunge and magic brushed his back. Directly in front of him, Janco paused in confusion and Valek took advantage. He knocked the bo from Janco’s hands, swept his feet out, and, when Janco landed, Valek pressed the end of his bo to his neck.
“Concede?” Valek asked.
“Yes! I don’t?—”
Valek spun and searched the faces of the crowd. Where was Alea? He spotted a flash of black hair and took off. By the time he pushed through the soldiers, she was gone.
When he returned, Janco sat on the ground. He rubbed his fingers along the scar on his right ear. “Was she trying to kill you or me?” he asked Valek.
“Both of us. You would have killed me, and the Commander would have killed you.”
Ari lowered his voice. “Did you feel twitchy?”
“No. I was jacked on adrenaline. Even at half speed, I was fightingValek. That gets into your head.”
“I should have intervened, but I thought it would look bad,” Ari said.
“You didn’t know.” Valek pulled Janco to his feet. “You’ve gotten better with the bo.”
“Thanks. I’m sor?—”
“Not your fault. We gave Alea an opportunity and she took it.”
“She’s going to be impossible to capture,” Janco said.
Now that the fight was over, Valek’s muscles trembled. He tightened them to stop the visible vibrations as he put his shirt on. “Come with me to the castle.”
They said goodbye to the overwhelmed Lieutenant. All she could do was nod in response. Valek hoped Maren would take Odell under her wing.
As they walked toward the north entrance, Valek asked them, “What’s the gossip?”
Janco signaled.Everyone is mouth about the marriage.
“You got a few words wrong, but that’s impressive. This is talking.” He demonstrated, touching his thumb to his index finger. “And this is magician.” This time he raised his middle finger. “But let’s not continue doing that here, someone might be watching. Anything else?”
Ari said, “The three main topics of conversation are the magician, your injury, and what happened to the Commander in MD-5.”
“And don’t forget the speculation that Valek killed Yelena.” Janco added.
Ari frowned and signaled,Be quiet!
He was glad they were learning the signals so quickly. But he hadn’t even thought about what the castle denizens would think when Yelena failed to return with the Commander.
Valek considered. “That’s a good rumor to encourage. That way she’ll be safer in Sitia, and we won’t have to answer the question about why we let her leave.” Huh. If he hadn’t lost his mind and had arrested Yelena instead of thinking the Commander had wanted him to assassinate her right then, the Commander’s order for her execution and her escape would have aided in the ruse.
When they entered the castle, Janco asked, “You want me to walk around the barracks and see if I feel twitchy? Maybe find Alea.”
“No. In fact, stay in the castle and continue your lessons.”
“But nothing is stopping her from being inside. What if I attack Ari in the middle of the night? Or attack someone else?”
“Then Iwillstop you,” Ari said. “Partners remember?”
