“Yeah, better to do something constructive with your time,” Janco said.
Janco exercised by grasping the highest crossbar with both hands and pulling his body up off the floor. He’d taken his shirt off, exposing long, lean muscles rippling with the effort. Scars crisscrossing his back, arms and chest resembled a street map of a dense city. And he’d named each scar in remembrance of where and when he’d sustained the injury. The healed gash on his stomach and the matching mark on his back, he’d named “Yelena,” for the time he’d been run through with a sword and almost died. Janco swore I’d healed him.
“Pacing is also a form of burning off excess energy,” I said to Janco.
“I’m not burning. I’m keeping in shape. While Ari’s muscles turn to fat, mine will remain strong and ready for action.”
Ari shot to his feet. “I’ll show you ready for action.” He reached through the bars and clamped his huge hands around Janco’s narrow waist. With one yank, Ari pulled Janco off the bars and held him suspended over the floor.
Janco sputtered and tried to break his partner’s hold. Tried being the key word. Without warning, Ari released him. Janco landed with an oomph. He recovered, but before he could squawk in protest, a clang echoed.
We turned to the main entrance of the jail. Irys strode in with two guards on her heels. One glance at her pale face and her fingers fretting at her sleeves, and I braced for bad news.
“Unlock the doors, now,” Irys ordered the guards.
They moved to obey, starting with Janco’s.
Perhaps bad was an understatement. I gripped the bars. “What happened?”
“Rusalka showed up at the Citadel without Leif,” she said.
I pressed my forehead against the cool metal. Concentrating on not panicking, I drew in a few steadying breaths. “My father? Is he missing, too?”
“No. He remained behind to finish his investigation.”
One good thing. I focused on the positive. “What’s being done to find Leif?”
“As soon as I heard, I gathered Kiki and your other horses, along with Rusalka. They’re waiting for you. Rusalka’ll guide you back to where she...lost Leif. Janco, you will be able to track him, right?” The desperate hope in her voice almost cracked my composure.
“How long ago did Rusalka arrive?” Janco asked her.
“This morning. About three hours ago.”
“Then we need to hurry.” Janco grabbed his hidden sword from under the metal cot.
We joined Irys in the corridor. If the guards were surprised by the sudden appearance of the weapons, they didn’t show it.
“Do you think the Cartel has him?” I asked her.
“I suspect they’re behind it, but I’ve no proof.”
Sprinting after Irys, we exited the building. Bain Bloodgood argued with a handful of Councilors at the base of the steps. A few shouted at us to stop, but we ignored them and mounted our horses.
“Let’s go,” I said.
Rusalka turned. We followed. The loud clatter of hooves over cobblestones vibrated in my ears. I let the sound drown out the voice in my head. Being very familiar with that voice, I knew it would list all the horrors that might have befallen my brother, remark on the slim chance of successfully finding him alive and comment on every other terrible scenario. That voice was rather creative when stressed and worried.
After a day and a half of hard riding, we reached the location of Leif’s disappearance. A few hours of daylight remained.
Janco dismounted and examined the ground. Ari and I allowed him to do his tracking mojo while we walked the horses. They had set the brutal pace. Patches of sweat stained their coats. Their nostrils flared as they caught their breaths. Once their breathing smoothed, we watered and fed them. By this time, Janco had finished his investigation. He stood in the middle of a number of scuff marks on the right side of the road, scowling.
“What did you discover?” Ari asked him.
“It wasn’t a typical ambush.” Janco pointed to clumps of grass and dirt between two trees. “Somebody went to considerable trouble to stage an accident. They overturned a wagon and made it appear as if it was stuck.” He strode closer and crouched down. “And here’s evidence of a freaked-out horse.” Janco straightened. “They knew their mark.”
“Janco,” Ari warned.
“I’m trying to be dispassionate. Leif’s my friend, too.”
I concentrated on the information and ignored my emotions, which threatened to let that voice of doom speak. “Why do you think it was set specifically for Leif?”
“’Cause of the elaborate setup. Being a Sandseed horse, Rusalka would have alerted him of people hiding in the woods.”
“Unless they were waiting downwind,” Ari added.
“Not this time of year. The prevailing wind direction is from the west.”
Ari and I exchanged a glance. Impressive.
Janco huffed. “Ya know, it’s not all...tracker mojo. There’s a lot that goes into it. And there’s some good news.”