Not yet.
One positive. I moved on, and Janco gave me a halfhearted smile. And he might have said something, but my attention focused on Valek. His complexion made the color white look dingy. He clutched the bars, and from the purple bruises on his face and the gash on his forehead, I wouldn’t be surprised if they supported his weight, as well. The desire to wrap him in my arms and heal him pulsed deep within me.
Unable to do either, I stood frozen while my heart dissolved. Valek kept his expression flat, but a blast of emotion pierced me when he met my gaze. I thought his voice sounded in my head, saying, Sorry, love. But I dismissed it as just my imagination. He wore a Sitian uniform like the others. Blood stained the fabric in more than a few places.
“Believe me now?” Bruns asked.
“Yes.” Time to put on a show. I turned to him. “Why didn’t you just prick him with goo-goo juice to make him talk? He has vital information about the Commander we can use.”
“I did. It failed to work and so did torture.”
It took all my self-control to stay put and not kick Bruns in the nuts.
“Next up. Threats.” Bruns turned to Valek, who faced him. “Yelena, tell your husband what you’ve been doing these last few days.”
“Helping you.”
“Why?”
“Because we need to prepare for the Commander’s attack,” I said, while I signaled with the hand Bruns couldn’t see—but Janco and Leif could. Because I’ve no choice, you prick.
“You follow my orders. Is that correct?” Bruns asked.
“Yes.”
Bruns pulled a glass vial from his pocket. “Hold this.” He handed it to me. “Don’t drop it.”
A pretty, deep purple liquid filled the container.
“It’s an extract from the amethyst flower,” Bruns explained. “It will kill the baby.”
My grip tightened. All I could do. It was still early, and Loris’s magic controlled my movements. But it didn’t stop the panicked screaming inside my head.
“Drink it,” he ordered me.
Terrified and unable to resist, I pulled the cork from the bottle and raised the rim to my lips.
“Stop,” Valek growled.
“Stop,” Bruns echoed to me.
The vial paused a few inches from my mouth. My blood slammed through my body as if I’d run for miles.
“You’ll cooperate fully?” he asked Valek.
“Yes.”
“Good. Yelena, put the stopper back in and keep that vial with you at all times. Understand?”
“Yes.” Happy to comply, I shoved the cursed liquid into my pocket and out of sight. Purple was now an evil color.
“Eat,” Bruns told Valek. “We’ll have a chat when you’ve had some more time to recover. Any hint of trouble, and I’ll order your wife to drink the extract. If I’m not happy with your answers or if I discover you lied, I’ll—”
“I said I’d cooperate.” There was a hard edge to Valek’s voice.
“You better. The life of your child depends on it.” Bruns strode away.
I stepped close to the bars, reached through and lightly pressed my hand to Valek’s bruised cheek. He covered my hand with his own. His gaze showed his love as he turned his head and kissed my palm.
“Yelena, come,” Bruns barked.
Leaving Valek caused me physical pain, as if my heart had been ripped from my chest. I followed Bruns, but glanced back when we reached the door. Valek watched me, and so did my brother and the rest. Their defeated postures and pained expressions matched. Unable to resist, I flipped them a thumbs-up sign.
*
No time left. I waited until Loris’s magic ebbed, then I rushed to prepare. I could no longer be subtle. Tonight was my only chance to collect the rest of the supplies I needed for tomorrow night’s rescue attempt.
Using Bruns’s name netted me a number of items I normally would have stolen piece by piece to avoid detection. I hoped no one talked to Bruns.
All the next day, I tried to focus on the tasks Bruns assigned me. If I looked too distracted he’d inquire about my thoughts. That had led to embarrassing revelations, but today a disclosure would be far more than just humiliating.
As I worked in the armory that afternoon, testing the Weapons Master’s new ultralight sword for female soldiers, Bruns arrived.
“Put the weapon away. We need to talk,” he said.
My pulse skittered through my body. I wondered who or what had tipped him off. Or if he’d spotted the blowpipe hidden in my uniform.
On the way to his office, he said, “Captain Geffers tells me you’ve been asking questions about the training sessions outside the garrison.”
Oh no.
“Why the interest?” he asked.
I chose each word with the utmost care. “They’re our first line of defense, and I’m curious how well trained they are.”
“Why are you curious?”
“A company of soldiers is trained to fight an enemy army of similar size, and I know from experience that a small group or just one person can cause havoc with a larger group that’s not prepared.”
“You mean guerrilla tactics? Or someone like Valek?”