Chapter Twenty-Eight

Commander Ambrose's traveling entourage consisted of nearly fifty

soldiers from his elite guard. Some led the way, others walked beside the

Commander and his advisers atop their horses. Guards also bracketed the small

group of servants, who preceded the horses. The remaining soldiers followed

behind. Ari and Janco scouted the Commander's planned route and were hours

ahead of the procession.

We advanced at a brisk pace in the crisp morning air. The vivid colors of

the hot season had long since drained from the forest, leaving behind a barren,

gray-hued simplicity. I had tucked Valek's butterfly underneath my shirt, and

found myself fingering the lump it made on my chest as we traveled. Valek's

gift had caused my emotions to roil. Just when I believed I had figured him out,

he surprised me.

Carrying a pack, I also held a walking staff that was a thinly disguised bow.

A few of the guards cast suspicious glances my way, but I ignored them. Rand

refused to meet my gaze. He stared straight ahead in stony silence. It wasn't long

before he lagged behind; his leg prevented him from maintaining the pace.

After a stop for lunch, we continued until an hour before sunset. Major

Granten, the official leader of the expedition, wanted to set up camp in the

daylight. Spacious tents were raised for the Commander and his advisers, and

smaller two-man tents were erected for the servants. I found I would share space

with a woman named Bria, who ran errands and served the Commander's

advisers.

I settled into the tent while Bria warmed herself by the fire. Lighting a

small lantern, I pulled out the book on war symbols that I had borrowed from

Valek. After we had deciphered the name of the new successor, I hadn't had a

spare moment to interpret Janco's message on my switchblade. There were six

silver markings etched into the wooden handle. I began with the top and worked

my way to the bottom. My smile grew wider with each translation. Janco could

be so annoying, but underneath he could be so sweet.

When Bria entered the tent smelling of wood smoke, I shoved the book into

my pack.

Disturbing dreams made for a restless night. I awoke tired in the gray fuzz

of dawn. With the amount of time the procession took to eat and reassemble,

plus the shorter hours of daylight, I estimated the excursion to Brazell's manor

house would take about five days.

On the second night of the trip, I found a note in my tent. A request for a

rendezvous. The next evening while the soldiers set up camp, I was to follow a

small, northbound trail that intersected the main road just past our campsite. The

message was signed Janco, in a lavish hand. I examined the signature in the

fading light, trying to remember if I'd ever seen Janco's writing.

Genuine note or a trap? Should I go or should I stay in camp where it would

be safe? I worried the question in my mind throughout the night and all through

the third day on the road. What would Valek do in this particular situation? The

answer helped me to form a plan.

When the signal to stop for the night sounded, I waited until everyone was

occupied before leaving the clearing. Once out of sight, I swept off my cloak and

turned it inside out. Before departing the castle I had procured gray cloth from

Dilana, which I had then sewn into the inside lining of my cloak just in case I

needed to hide in the winter landscape. I hoped the improvised ashen

camouflage would be adequate in concealing my presence when I neared the

meeting site.

I strapped my bow to my back, sheathed my switchblade on my right leg,

then grabbed my rope and grappling hook from my backpack. I found the

northern trail. Rather than walk down the narrow path, though, I sought a

suitable tree and tossed my hook up into its branches. My first concern was the

potential noise of my passage through the treetops, but I soon discovered that

trees without leaves only creaked under my weight as I followed the trail.

Maneuvering close to the meeting site, I spotted a tall dark-haired man

waiting at the prearranged location. He seemed restless and agitated. Too thin for

Janco, I thought. Then the man turned in my direction. Rand.

What was he doing here? I circled the clearing. Discovering no threat

lurking in the bushes, I climbed down to the path, leaving my rope hanging from

the branch. I tucked my backpack behind the tree's trunk.

"Damn," Rand cursed. "I thought you weren't going to show." His haggard

face had dark smudges under his eyes.

"And I thought Janco was supposed to be here."

"I wanted to explain, but there's no time, Yelena." Rand's haunted eyes

bored into mine. "It's a trap! Run!"

"How many? Where?" I demanded, pulling the bow from my back. I

scanned the woods.

"Star and two goons. Close. Leading you here was supposed to pay off my

debt." Tears streaked Rand's face.

I spun on him. "Well, you did a good job. I see you're actually following

through on this assignment." I spat the words at him.

"No," he cried. "I can't do it. Run, damn you, run."

Just as I moved to go, Rand's eyes widened with fright.

"No!" He shoved me aside. Something whistled past my ear as I fell to the

ground. Rand dropped beside me, an arrow in his chest. Blood welled, soaking

his white uniform shirt.

"Run," he whispered. "Run."

"No, Rand," I said, brushing the dirt from his face. "I'm tired of running."

"Forgive me, please." He clutched my hand as his eyes beseeched me

through tears of pain.

"You're forgiven."

He sighed once, then stopped breathing. The shine in his brown eyes dulled.

I pulled his hood over his head.

"Get up," a man's voice ordered.

I looked into the dangerous end of a loaded crossbow. Leaning on my bow,

I rose. With my weight balanced on the balls of my feet, I rubbed my hands

along the wooden staff, finding my zone of concentration.

"The area is secured, Captain," the man called out to the woods. "Don't

move," he said to me, leveling his weapon at my chest.

Footsteps approached. The man took his eyes off me to look for his

companions. I moved.

My first bow strike landed across his forearms. The crossbow sailed from

his hands, firing into the woods. My second strike went to the back of his knees.

I knocked his feet out from under him. Lying flat on his back, he blinked at me

with a stunned expression.

Before he could draw breath, I slammed the point of my bow straight down

onto his neck, crushing his windpipe.

A quick glance over my shoulder revealed Star and another man rushing

into the clearing. Star shouted and pointed. Her goon drew his sword. I raced

down the trail, his heavy footsteps thundering after me. When I reached my rope,

I tossed my bow into the woods before scrambling up into the tree. The man's

blade stabbed at my legs. Cloth ripped as his sword cut through my pants. The

brush of cool steel on my thigh spurred me on.

He cursed as I leaped to the next tree. Moving fast, I swung through the

treetops. When the sound of his crashing through the underbrush was far enough

behind me, I found a good place to hide. Wrapping myself in my cloak, I

hunkered down on a low branch and waited.

Star's thug barreled though the woods. Not far from my perch, he stopped

to listen, searching the treetops. My heart raced. I muffled my heavy breathing

with my cloak. Sword raised, he hunted for me.

When he was below me, I threw off my cloak and launched myself, hitting

his back with my feet. We fell hard. I rolled away and stood before he could

recover, then kicked his sword from his hand. He was faster than I had

anticipated. He grabbed my ankle, yanking me down.

Next thing I knew, his weight pressed on top of me and his hands were

wrapped around my neck. Banging my head on the hard ground, he muttered,

"That's for giving me trouble." Then he pressed his thumbs deep into my throat.

Dazed and choking, I plucked at his arms before I remembered my

switchblade. I fumbled in my pockets as my vision blurred, turning to snow. The

smooth feel of wood greeted my fingertips. I grasped the handle, pulled it out

and triggered the button.

The snick of the blade caused fear to flicker in his eyes. For a moment he

stared straight into my essence. Then I plunged the knife into his stomach. With

a low growl, he increased the pressure on my neck. Blood, hot and sticky, ran

down my arms, soaking my shirt. Through dizziness and pain, I jerked the

weapon out and tried again. This time, I pointed the tip of the blade up toward

his heart. The man hunched forward, driving the knife in farther, and finally

collapsed.

The dead man's weight impeded my starved lungs. Summoning my last bit

of strength, I rolled his body off of me.

Dazed, I wiped my switchblade clean in the dirt, found my bow and went in

search of Star.

Two men. I had just killed two men. A killing machine, I hadn't even

hesitated. Fear and rage settled deep in my chest, forming a layer of ice around

my heart.

Star hadn't gone far. She waited in the clearing. Her red hair blazed against

the dark gray background of the forest dusk. Night would soon be on us.

She made a small noise of surprise when I stepped clear of the trees.

Peering through the gloom, she studied the blood on my shirt. The wet material

clung to my skin. When she saw I was unharmed, her sharp nose jerked her head

around, searching for her goon.

"He's dead," I said.

The color drained from her face. "We can work this out." A pleading note

entered her voice.

"No, we can't. If I let you walk away, you'll only return with more men. If I

take you to the Commander, I'd have to answer for killing your thugs. I'm out of

options." I stepped toward her, my body frozen with dread. The others I had

killed in self-defense during the heat of battle; this would be difficult—this

would be premeditated.

"Yelena, stop!" someone called from behind me. I spun. One of the

Commander's soldiers stood with a sword in his hand. As he moved closer, I

judged the distance between us.

He must have recognized my battle stance because he stopped and sheathed

his sword. Pulling the wool cap off his head, he let his black curls spring free.

"I thought you had orders to stay at the castle," I said to Valek. "Won't you

be court-martialed?"

"And I thought your killing days were over," he replied as he examined the

prone form of Star's thug. His crushed windpipe had suffocated him. "Tell you

what. If you don't tell, I won't. That way we can both avoid the noose. Deal?"

I jerked my head at Star. "What about her?"

"There's an arrest warrant out for her. Did you even consider taking her to

the Commander?"

"No."

"Why not?" Valek didn't try to hide his disbelief. "Killing isn't the only

solution to a problem. Or has that been your formula?"

"Myformula! Excuse me, Mr. Assassin, while I laugh as I remember my

history lessons on how to deal with a tyrannical monarch by killing him and his

family."

Valek flashed me a dangerous look.

I was on the edge. Changing tactics, I said, "My actions were based on what

I thought you would do if you were ambushed."

He considered my words in silence for an uncomfortable length of time.

Star seemed horrified by our discussion. She glanced around as if planning

her escape.

"You really don't know me at all," Valek said.

"Think about it, Valek, if I took her to the Commander and explained the

details, what would happen to me?"

The sad knowledge in his face said it all. I would be arrested for killing

Star's men, the food taster's job would pass on to the next prisoner awaiting

execution and I would spend my last few days in a dank dungeon.

"Well, then, it was fortunate for both of you that I arrived," Valek said. He

whistled a strange birdcall just as Star made her escape.

She dashed down the trail. I moved to follow, but Valek told me to wait.

Two gray forms materialized from the dark forest on either side of the road.

They grabbed Star. She yelped in surprise and anger.

"Take her back to the castle," Valek ordered. "I'll deal with her when I get

back. Oh, and send a cleanup crew. I don't want anyone stumbling onto this

mess."

They began to pull Star away.

"Wait," she said. "I have information. If you release me, I'll tell you who

plotted to ruin the Sitian treaty."

"Don't worry." Valek's blue eyes held an icy glare. "You'll tell me." He

was about to walk past her, when he paused. "However, if you want to reveal

your patron now, then we can skip a painful interrogation later."

Star's nose twitched as she considered his offer. Even in this situation, she

was still the shrewd businesswoman.

"Lying would only worsen your predicament," Valek warned.

"Kangom," she said through clenched teeth. "He wore a basic soldier's

uniform with MD–8 colors."

"General Dinno," Valek said without surprise.

"Describe Kangom," I ordered, knowing that Kangom was another name

for Adviser Mogkan, but unable to tell Valek how I had come by this

information.

"Tall. Long black hair in a soldier's braid. An arrogant bastard. I almost

kicked him out, but he showed me a pile of gold I couldn't refuse," Star said.

"Anything else?" Valek asked.

Star shook her head. Valek snapped his fingers. As the camouflaged men

escorted Star back toward the castle, I said, "Could it be Mogkan?"

"Mogkan?" Valek looked at me as if I had sprouted antennae. "No. Brazell

was far too happy about the delegation. Why would he jeopardize the treaty?

That doesn't make sense. Dinno on the other hand was furious with the

Commander. He probably sent one of his men to hire Star."

I tried to fathom the reason why Mogkan would endanger the treaty

negotiations when trade with Sitia was to Brazell's benefit. Unable to deduce a

logical answer, I wondered how I could convince Valek that Mogkan had hired

Star.

I began to shiver. Blood soaked my uniform shirt and stained my hands. I

wiped the blood on my ripped pants. Retracing my steps, I found my cloak, but

before I could swing it over my shoulders, Valek said, "You better leave your

clothes here. There would be quite a fuss if you showed up for dinner soaked

with blood."

I retrieved my pack from behind the tree. Valek turned his back while I

changed into a clean uniform. I wondered if he had any more sneaks in the

woods as I wrapped my cloak around me.

We set out for the camp.

"By the way, nice work," Valek said as we passed the second dead body. "I

saw the fight. I wasn't close enough to help. You held your own. Who gave you the knife?"

"I bought it with Star's money." A stretch of the truth, but I wasn't about to

get Janco into trouble.

Valek snorted. "Fitting."

When we arrived, Valek melted into a group of soldiers while I rushed to

the Commander's tent to taste his dinner. The entire Star episode had taken only

an hour and a half, but my battered body felt as if I'd been gone for days.

As I sat by the campfire that night, my muscles trembled in reaction to the

fight. Grief for Rand surprised me as melancholy thoughts filled my mind. The

flames of the fire wiggled accusing red fingers at me. What do you think you're

doing? they asked. Three men are dead because of you. How are you going to

help anyone? Pure conceit, the flames admonished. Go south. Let Valek worry

about the Commander and what Brazell's up to, you silly girl. The fire pulsed,

making shooing motions at me.

I pulled my gaze away, blinking into the darkness. Was it my imagination

or was someone trying to influence me? Summoning the mental image of my

protective brick wall cooled some of the doubts, but not all of them.

Rand's disappearance wasn't noticed until the next morning. Thinking he

had run away, Major Granten sent out a small search party, while the others

continued deeper into Brazell's district.

The rest of the journey was uneventful except for the disturbing fact that the

closer we drew to Brazell's manor house, the blanker the look grew on the

Commander's face. He had ceased to give orders or to take an interest in the

events surrounding him. The intelligent, piercing glint that had made his gaze

lethal faded with each step, leaving only a vacant, dull expression in its place.

In contrast to the Commander, I was beginning to feel rather warm. My

hands left slick prints on my bow as we neared Brazell's. I scanned the woods

for an ambush as dread hovered behind me like a pair of hands waiting to wrap

around my neck. The ground felt soft and sucked at my boots so that each step

required an extra effort. Big mistake, big mistake, coming to Brazell's, I thought

as my mind whirled on the edge of panic. To calm myself I imagined my brick

wall, and focused my thoughts on survival.

An hour away from Brazell's, the rich aroma of Criollo hung heavy in the

air. As a precaution, I slipped into the forest off the main trail and stashed my

backpack in the crook of a tree, hiding my bow nearby. Taking only my picks

from the bag, I pulled my hair into a bun, using the thin metal tools to hold it in

place.

At the outer buildings of Brazell's manor our pace slowed. A collective

sigh of relief rippled through the soldiers. They had safely delivered the Commander. Now they could rest in the barracks until it was time to return

home.

I experienced the opposite of the soldiers' ease despite my mental

protection. I found it difficult to breathe as I followed the Commander and his

advisers to Brazell's office. I heard the liquid slamming in my heart, and felt

light-headed.

When we entered, Brazell rose from behind his desk, a large smile adorning

his square face. Mogkan hovered behind Brazell's right shoulder. With my

mental shield in place, I remained near the door, hoping to be inconspicuous. As

Brazell recited a formal greeting, I surveyed his office. Lavish in its decoration,

the room had a heavy, brooding feel. Black walnut wood framed hunting scenes,

and crimson and purple velvet draped the windows. Brazell's oversize ebony

desk seemed a barrier between his high-backed leather chair and the two

overstuffed, velvet seats facing it.

"Gentlemen, you must be tired from your trip," Brazell said to the

Commander's advisers as a tall woman entered the office. "My housekeeper will

guide you to your rooms."

She motioned for them to follow her. As the advisers exited the room, I

tried to slip out with them, but Mogkan grabbed my arm.

"Not yet," he said. "We have special plans for you."

Alarmed, I glanced at the Commander, sitting in one of the chairs. The

abundant purple fabric of the cushion exaggerated his pale face and slight build.

No expression touched his features; he stared into the distance. A puppet waiting

for his master to pull the strings.

"Now what?" Brazell asked Mogkan.

"We put on a show for a few days. Take him to see the factory as planned."

Mogkan gestured toward the Commander. "Keep his advisers happy. Once

everyone's hooked, then we don't have to pretend."

"And her?" Satisfaction bent the edges of Brazell's mouth.

I kept the picture of the brick wall in my mind.

"Yelena," Mogkan said, "you've learned a new trick. Red brick, how

mundane. But…"

I heard a faint scraping noise like stone grinding on stone.

"Weak spots. Here and here." Mogkan pointed a finger in the air. "And I do

believe this brick is loose."

Mortar crumbled. Small holes appeared in my mental wall.

"When I have a moment, I'll smash your defenses into dust," Mogkan

promised.

"Why waste your time?" Brazell asked, drawing his sword. "Dead. Now."

He advanced with murderous intent blazing in his eyes. I flinched back a step.

"Stop," Mogkan ordered. "We need her to keep Valek in line."

"But we have the Commander," Brazell whined like a child.

"Too obvious. There are seven other Generals to consider. If we kill the

Commander while he's here they would be suspicious. You'd never become his

successor. Valek knows this, so any threat to the Commander won't work."

Mogkan turned his calculating eyes on me. "But who cares about a food taster?

No one except Valek. And if she dies here, the Generals will agree that it was

justified."

Mogkan leaned over the Commander, whispering in his ear. The

Commander opened his briefcase, withdrew a flask and handed it to Mogkan.

My antidote.

"Starting now, you'll come to me for your medicine," Mogkan said,

smiling.

Before I could react, someone knocked on the door. Two soldiers entered

the office without waiting for permission.

"Your escorts are here, Yelena. They'll take good care of you." Mogkan

turned to the guards. "She doesn't need a tour. Our infamous Yelena has come

home."