No. Don’t. Look away.
Janco turned his attention to Maren. “Guess the servants decided to take off early tonight.” He pulled Maren to her feet. “Come on. Valek probably went to bed.”
“No.” Maren resisted. “He said to meet him.”
“Yeah, well, he didn’t get any sleep last night. We can talk to him in the morning. Besides, dark hallways give me the creeps.”
He guided her back down the hallway and out of sight. Thank fate.
“Let’s go, before someone else comes along,” Owen said. “Tyen, pick him up. Don’t use your magic. Rika will keep us hidden.”
“He’s conscious,” Tyen said.
“But he can’t move. Hurry up.”
The big man hoisted Valek up over his shoulder. As they traveled though the castle, Valek contemplated his very short future. Was being awake when they pushed him from the window better or worse than waking up in midair?
Worse, because now he had time to think about how easily Owen had captured him. How stupid he’d been to think Owen would wait. How Yelena would react to his death—badly. How he’d promised her forever and he didn’t last a day. How he always assumed he’d die fighting and not trapped and utterly helpless, slung over a brute’s shoulder like a rag doll, unable to curse or rage at Owen. Or at the Sandseed Clan, for teaching the magicians how to form those blasted null shields in the first place.
A whirlwind of emotions spun, making him dizzy. Or was that the lack of air?
The trip to the guest wing took much longer than necessary. Owen and company made a few wrong turns and wasted time arguing about the right way. Their lack of knowledge reminded Valek of Janco’s comment about having the home-court advantage. Too bad it really didn’t make a difference for his current situation.
When they finally reached the guest wing, Owen opened the door and they hustled inside. Rika closed and locked it behind them.
“The window,” Owen ordered. He unlatched the shutters. They banged on the stone walls, letting in a gust of coldness.
Tyen propped Valek on the window’s sill. A four-story drop loomed below. Valek’s heart squeezed in triple time, pumping liquid fear through his immobilized body.
The tightness around his chest eased as Owen put his hands on Valek’s shoulders. Valek braced for the shove, but instead, Owen asked, “Any last words?”
Oh, yes. About a million. And all for Yelena, but this might be his only chance to strike a blow. “I’ll...tell Ben...hello.” Valek panted, trying to fill his lungs.
Owen’s grip turned painful. “Did you murder my brother?” Anguish and anger creased his face.
So much for the theory that Owen ordered their deaths. “Not me...another...assassin.”
“What about Loris and Cilly?” Rika asked.
“Them...too.”
“He’s lying. He killed them all. They were a threat to Yelena,” Rika said. “Finish him.”
“If I’d assassinated Ben...I’d be bragging about it...especially now.”
Owen shook his head. “He’s just delaying the inevitable. It’ll be easy to learn if he’s telling the truth. Goodbye, Valek. Oh, and here’s something to think about during the few seconds you’ve left to live. Yelena’s next.”
12
JANCO
“What’s your rush?” Maren asked.
Janco hustled her along the hallways of the castle. The need to hurry pulsed in his veins. “Something’s not right,” he said.
“What are you talking about?”
“Outside Valek’s office. That darkness was...odd...weird. I felt strong magic. And his knife was on the floor. Didn’t you see it?”
“No. I was—”
“Too busy sleeping. And that was strange, too.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Maren remained quiet for a while. “Do you think something happened to Valek?”
Did he? He considered the clues. “Yes.”
“But he’s immune to magic.”
Janco forgot that Maren didn’t know about null shields. No time to explain it to her. “Yeah, well, Owen could have shot him with a dart of Curare.”
“Where are we going?”
“To get Ari. We need reinforcements.”
“You need a couple magicians to fight them.”
“Ari’s got the best aim with the blowpipe. Curare works on magicians, too.”
“But can’t that one guy move objects with his magic? A dart wouldn’t reach him.”
Janco skidded to a stop. “Oh, hell.”
“And I’m sure they’re gone by now.”