Kiki woke me when she stopped for a rest. The plains stretched in all directions. Clumps of small scrub trees dotted the landscape. A few rocks littered the sandy soil. Kiki sipped water from a narrow depression—all that was left of a streambed.
Despite the desolation, I felt safe. Or was that because of it? When she finished drinking, I fed Kiki grain and then I groomed her. In two days, the warming season would officially start and, halfway through, shedding season would begin. The amount of hair raining to the ground would triple in another month’s time. Every year I’d been amazed that Kiki didn’t turn bald by the warm season.
After I washed the horse hair from my hands, I ate a quick meal. Quick because I didn’t have much food with me and it would soon be gone. My bo staff and switchblade were useless for hunting, but I might be able to use my Curare darts. Or could I? If I ate the meat of an animal frozen by Curare, would I also be affected? Perhaps I should stick to edible plants and roots. If I found them.
While I waited for Kiki to reenergize, I searched for recognizable vegetation. My thoughts drifted, wondering how Leif and the others had reacted to my sudden exit. Were Leif and Hale chasing after me? I hoped not. Just being near me would endanger their lives. And while my heart ached to see them, I refused to give in to such selfish desires.
I poked around the sparse clusters of greenery. Nothing matched my limited list of safe plants. Perhaps I’d find some at the next stop. Wrapping my cloak tight around me, I lay on the ground near Kiki. The sun warmed the dark fabric, lulling me to sleep.
Kiki nudged me awake a few hours later and we resumed our journey. Did she know where the reedwither plant grew or was she searching for it? For the thousandth time, I longed for my mental link with her. Finding souls and guiding them to their final destination had been satisfying, healing others had been rewarding and even examining a person’s soul served a purpose. But my ability to communicate with Kiki, Irys, Bain, Leif and even Valek had been such a deep part of me for so long, I felt disconnected. Adrift. Lost.
Recovering my magic, however, didn’t elate me as much when I realized I still wouldn’t be able to see them or they’d die. At least I’d have Kiki and I could resume helping souls and others in need. The hardest part would be avoiding Valek. No doubt he’d hunt for me. No doubt he’d find me eventually. I dreaded that time.
We stopped two more times before I located a few edible berries and roots. At our fifth rest break on the second day, instead of moving away to find water to drink, Kiki pawed at a patch of crabgrass. Odd. I moved closer. Long thin leaves grew from red stems. The reedwither plant.
“Kiki, you’re brilliant!” I hugged her and fed her a peppermint. Then I knelt next to the cluster and considered. Should I dig around the plant to harvest the roots or pull it out like a weed?
Perhaps I shouldn’t touch the leaves or roots. I dug into my pack for a pair of gloves and returned. I would try yanking out a small section first, and if that didn’t work, I’d dig around the base.
I grasped a handful.
“Stop,” a male voice commanded behind me. “Let go of the reedwither.”
I hesitated. A dagger slammed into the ground near me.
“Let go or my next knife will not miss.”
21
VALEK
With Wilona safely tucked into a bunk next to her friend Cewen in the women’s barracks, Valek returned to the private’s room. Not wishing to alert anyone to his presence just yet, he’d had Wilona tell her friend that she’d decided to take action on her own.
Extinguishing the lantern, Valek stretched out on Wilona’s bed. He longed for a blond wig. It would add to Timmer’s confusion. However, the captain failed to visit her room that night.
In the morning, Wilona reported to training, acting as if nothing had happened, and Valek spent the day investigating Timmer’s network of supporters. The layout of the base matched all the other military complexes in the Territory of Ixia—the Commander insisted the bases and the General’s manors be identical, which aided Valek and his corps.
It didn’t take long to spot the officers who were truly corrupt, like the captain in charge of personnel transfers, and those that had been bullied by Timmer, like the lieutenant overseeing all outgoing messages. Valek noted each of their names. After he dealt with Timmer, Valek planned to make major changes for the command structure of the base. And he’d retrain the soldiers in spotting intruders. Even dressed as a servant, Valek shouldn’t be able to move around the base with such ease.
Before settling in Wilona’s room for the evening, Valek changed back into his adviser’s uniform and prepared for a late-night visitor. He lounged on her bed in the dark, considering what he’d learned that day. It had been a couple of years since he’d organized surprise inspections of the bases, and his agents here had missed a number of illegal activities, which probably meant the same lackluster reporting must be going on for the other bases, as well. It was well past time for another shake-up, but the idea failed to excite Valek. He had more important things he’d rather do. Like discover who had targeted Yelena.
A creak of metal interrupted his musings. Lantern light from the hallway outlined the door as it swung inward. A dark figure entered the room and shut the door. Valek smiled as the man banged his shin on a chair.
“Damn it, Wilona, I told you to leave your light on,” a gruff voice said.
Valek pulled the metal slide of the bull’s-eye lantern open an inch. A beam of light illuminated Captain Timmer. The tall muscular man cut an impressive figure even in his robe. Clean-shaven with short black hair and brown eyes, Timmer held up a meaty hand to block the light.
“That’s not funny, Wilona.” Menace rumbled deep in his throat. Timmer stepped closer. “Move the light or I’ll—”
Valek stood. “Careful, Timmer. You don’t want to get into any more trouble.” He yanked the slide all the way open, flooding the rest of the room with light.
Timmer grunted in surprise, pulled a knife from the pocket of his robe and froze when he met Valek’s gaze. Recognition flashed. He straightened, but didn’t put his weapon away. “Sorry, sir. I thought you were an intruder.”
Smooth recovery. Impressive. “Since these aren’t your quarters, Captain, I could say the same about you.”
“I...was invited. Wilona and I have been dating for a couple months.”
“You’re dating a soldier in your company? That’s unethical.”
“Her transfer—”
“Has been denied by your buddy Captain Maitol twice. Don’t lie. I already have enough reasons to kill you, Timmer.”
Timmer’s grip on the knife tightened along with the muscles in his jaw, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. Good.
“You’re going to cooperate,” Valek said. His matter-of-fact tone warned there wouldn’t be any arguments. “Give me your knife.” He held his hand out.
Timmer hesitated.
Valek waited. A part of him hoped Timmer would attack. The feel of his fist ramming into the man’s gut would be sweet. Too bad the captain handed his knife to Valek.
“It’s her word against mine,” Timmer said.
“I believe her. Case closed. Now you’re going to tell me about another private who came through here about four years ago. Private Onora. Do you remember her?”
“I’ve hundreds of privates come through my company.” Timmer shrugged, trying to act casual.
“Yet according to the base records, very few who transfer into your company are women. In fact, I memorized all their names and plan to interrogate all of them. Well, the ones who didn’t go AWOL on your watch.”
“There’s not much to tell.” Timmer almost growled the words. “Onora showed such promise, but she couldn’t keep up with my rigorous training schedule and she left.”
“Were you dating her?”
Timmer clamped his mouth shut, but his gaze darted to the bed. And that would be a yes. Valek twirled the knife, deciding if this man deserved to walk out of here with his balls still attached or not.
“Do you know where she went after she left?” Valek asked.
“No. We sent the military police to search for her, but they lost her trail in MD-1. Why are you so interested in her?”
“She has reappeared. And she has honed that potential into a new occupation.”
“Oh?”
“An assassin.”
“Oh.” Timmer swallowed. “Is she any good?”
“She managed to reach the Commander’s suite. Unprecedented.”
The captain relaxed. “You took care of her.”
“I did more than that.”
“Good. She was willful, disrespectful and unable to follow orders. No one will mourn her.”
Valek raised an eyebrow at his outburst and waited.
The captain finally put it together. “You didn’t kill her?”
“I recruited her.”
“Oh.”
“It should be a fun reunion between you two.”
“You can’t—”
“I can.”
Valek escorted Timmer to the base’s MPs and gave them strict instructions to transport the captain to the Commander’s castle. He reported the lax security and other infractions to the colonel in charge of the base. Valek wished to stay longer, but he had only two days left to return home.