“And I’m supposed to create a null shield to protect us once we’re inside the Keep,” Leif said.
“A null shield you just learned how to create?” Valek asked.
“That’s the one, but Yelena will call the other magicians to help me maintain it.”
“And that’s when I heard the rest of your plans.” He turned to Yelena. “Keep thinking about your exit strategy once you defeat the Fire Warper. Please.”
She nodded, but the sadness in her eyes remained.
* * *
The next morning, they prepared to join the caravan. Valek was standing next to Yelena when Janco snarked, “You ever notice how couples start to look alike?”
In a deadpan, Valek replied, “Yes. In fact, I was just thinking how much you and Topaz resemble each other. It’s uncanny.”
Ari chuckled at Janco’s chagrined expression before saying, “The caravan is leaving soon. What part of the line do we want to be in?”
“Near the back, but not the last wagon,” Valek instructed. “When we’re out of sight of the gatehouse, head to the Keep.”
“Yes, sir.” Ari snapped to attention.
“We don’t know what we’ll encounter inside the Keep. Listen for instructions, and follow orders even if they don’t make sense,” Valek said.
“Yes, sir,” everyone said in unison, including Gale.
Before they assumed their positions, Yelena handed three glass statues to Leif and another three to Gale.
“What are these for?” Leif asked.
Yelena explained that she’d stopped in Booruby to visit Opal. “I discovered I can use her glass animals to communicate with other magicians far away, without using my own magic. When Opal blows into the glass, instead of air, she blows magic, trapping it inside.”
Valek remembered the brief glimpse of the trapped magic he’d gotten with Yelena’s help. Beautiful.
“Keep one each, but give the rest to Moon Man, Irys, Bain, and Dax if they’re still alive,” Yelena said. “I think I can use the animals to communicate with you when I’m in the fire world.”
That would be helpful, but Valek hoped she would find a way to come home.
“Come on, you first.” Yelena gestured Leif to the cart.
With a grumble, Leif, and then Gale, laid down in the row of boxes in the wagon. Valek met Yelena’s gaze and held it a moment.Come back to me, love.Then he laid down. The top closed and the darkness was instant. After a few moments, his eyes adjusted. Light shone through the cracks in the crate.
Thumping sounded above him as goods and Yelena’s crate were loaded, followed by a pile of rugs to conceal everything. The wagon lurched. Valek reviewed the plan as they trundled closer to the Citadel. The caravan planned to enter through the south gate, as it was the closest to their destination.
A couple hours later, the wagon jerked to a stop. Then voices sounded. This was it. If they were discovered, all bets were off.
Something banged on wood. “What’s in this one?” a man asked.
“The finest silk sheets woven by the Moon Clan, sir,” the owner of the caravan replied. “Perhaps you care to purchase a set? Just feel the fabric and you’ll know your wife will be most anxious to try them out.”
The man laughed. “I’ll not be spending a month’s pay for a night with my wife. That’s why I married her.”
More laughter, then the Citadel’s guard asked the owner a bunch of standard questions. He answered without hesitating. After an age and a half, the wagon finally moved. They had made it passed the gate. Soon, the sounds of bartering, children shrieking, and the general buzz of people gathered in one area reached him. They were in the market, where Ari was signaling his resistance force to riot when the wagon entered the Keep.
They turned a corner and came to an abrupt halt. Ari cursed as the jangle of many horses echoed on the cobblestones.
“Oh no. This will not do,” the Wannabe King called out.
CHAPTER16
