“Yeah, that whole business with the Curare factory and Owen. She’s holding something back.” Janco rubbed the scar on his right ear. “It’s wonky.”
“Wonky? Are you three years old? What kind of word is wonky?” Ari asked.
“The fact that you don’t know what it means shows your limited vocabulary skills,” Janco countered.
“I’ll assign you regular, Commander-approved tasks,” Valek said before they launched into an argument. “Any extracurricular activities must be done on your own time. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” they both said.
Valek then explained about the Commander’s directive regarding Yelena.
“Harsh,” Ari said. “But she’s not going to stay as his adviser.”
“She can’t go back to Sitia,” Janco said in alarm. “Not with that Bumblebee assassin after her.”
Valek didn’t bother to correct Janco. “She’ll come with me to the coast when I investigate those thieves. The Commander doesn’t need to know.”
“Risky. Very risky,” Ari said.
He agreed, but there was nothing else he could do.
*
Exhausted from the long emotional day and lack of sleep, Valek considered bypassing his office and going to bed. Then he remembered he’d asked Maren to stop by tonight. He changed course.
Valek slowed when he turned down the corridor to his office. Flames glowed from two lanterns. The rest remained dark. An oversight or blown out? A pool of darkness covered the area in front of his door. Uneasy, he yanked his knife from its sheath and pulled a Curare-laced dart from his belt with his other hand, pinching it between his thumb and finger. He paused, sniffing. No strange cologne or perfume tainted the air. Magic didn’t stick to his skin.
He approached the door. Nothing happened. Stopping in front, he waited, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. He strained to hear anything that might indicate a person lurking in the shadows. Nothing. The three locks appeared to be untouched. Valek put the dart between his teeth and reached for his key.
An invisible force slammed into him from the blackness, knocking him down. He rolled onto his back as the force tightened around his body, dragging him away from his office and deeper into the darkness. He slid to a stop, but was pinned to the floor. Then it contracted again. He lost his grip on his knife. Breathing turned into an alarming effort.
A black form advanced. Then the shadows shifted and Owen emerged. Rika and Tyen stood behind him. The magician had trapped him in a null shield. A helpless rage built inside Valek as he sipped in tiny amounts of air. Not enough. Light-headed, spots swirled in front of his eyes. Death by hug. He would have laughed if he had the breath.
Owen knelt next to him and the pressure on his chest eased a fraction. “You’re not going to obey the Commander’s orders despite all your yes, sirs and no, sirs. And I can’t have that. So you’re going to have an accident. Poor Valek fell while scaling the castle walls near the guest quarters. The next time you wake, you’ll be flying through the air. Enjoy the ride.”
The null shield compressed around his chest, squeezing the breath from his lungs. A vision of Yelena flashed. With the last of his strength, he spit the dart at Owen. The magician jerked back, cursing. The force lessened. Valek gasped and tried to move, but he remained immobilized.
“You missed,” Owen said, increasing the pressure.
Regret pulsed as Valek fought for consciousness. Sorry, love.
Boots clacked on the stone floor as Maren strode down the hallway. Owen, Rika and Tyen froze. Once again, Owen’s hold on Valek slipped just enough to allow air to revive him, but not enough for him to warn Maren.
Maren muttered something about lazy servants as she used one of the lit lanterns to light another one closer to Valek’s office.
“Rika,” Owen whispered.
The woman closed her eyes. “Done.”
Valek assumed she’d used her magic to create an illusion to hide them. Since the null shield around him blocked magic, he didn’t feel its sticky touch.
Maren knocked on the door, waited and knocked again. Sighing, she leaned against the wall. Valek’s three captors glanced at each other. Then Owen stared at Maren.
She yawned. Her eyelids drifted shut. With a grunt, she shook her head and straightened. But it didn’t take long for her to slide down the wall into a sitting position. Relieved that they didn’t plan to kill her as well, Valek watched as she rested her forehead on her bent knees.
“Okay, I’m here,” Janco called from the other end of the hallway. “Although I don’t know why you need me.” He drew closer. “Valek trusts your judg... Are you sleeping?”
“Mmm?” Maren raised her head as if it weighed a hundred pounds.
“What— Ow.” Janco pressed his hand to his right ear.
Don’t look. Don’t look, Valek chanted in his mind, fearing for Janco’s and Maren’s lives.
But Janco turned and peered into the darkness. He fingered the hilt of his sword while rubbing his scar with his other hand.