Owen grinned. “I agree. And this time, he doesn’t have any friends to come to his rescue.” He straightened his arm, spread his fingers and thrust his palm toward Valek.
Valek reacted as if a force had slammed into him. He shuffled backward until his legs hit the windowsill. Blood slammed in his heart. He met Owen’s triumphant gaze.
“Goodbye, Valek,” he said, once again extending his arm.
Seeing no other way to escape, Valek fell back through the window. Twisting at the last moment, he hooked a hand on the ledge to slow his momentum and swing his body close to the wall. But his fingers slipped off. Butterflies spun in his stomach as he hung suspended in midair for a fraction of a second before gravity pulled him down.
Air roared in his ears as he fell. Then the unmistakable thwack of a crossbow sounded a second before an iron bolt slammed into the stone right next to him. When a second bolt appeared on the opposite side, Valek realized the significance. He grabbed the shaft as he slid past, slowing his descent. Another bolt materialized, and he seized it with both hands. With a jerk that sent a throb of pain through his arms and shoulders, Valek stopped his fall. He dangled two stories above the ground.
A couple more bolts arrived below him, and he quickly used them to reach safety. The guard assigned to watch the wall must have recognized him. Valek waved a thank-you and then dashed away before Owen could retaliate. Valek hoped the man or woman had a believable story to tell Owen about why he or she shot the bolts.
*
After Valek reached Onyx in the Snake Forest, the day-long trip to the cottage was easy in comparison. As he groomed and cared for Onyx, his mind whirled with the information he’d gained from Signe. Owen had an ace up his sleeve, and it was vital that the resistance discover what it was. Valek needed to check the Keep’s library for Ellis Moon’s notebooks. Ideally there would be a mention of something that was more powerful than Theobroma.
Valek had two days until his meeting with Onora near the Featherstone garrison. And then... Valek would either be a prisoner, or he and Yelena would be free to rejoin Fisk and the efforts to stop the Cartel. If the worst happened, he’d give the intel about Ellis Moon to Onora before surrendering.
Exhausted from two nights without sleep, Valek trudged up to bed. After a day of rest, he’d travel to the garrison and find out if Yelena’s gamble had worked or not.
*
The morning of the ninth day since Yelena made her deal with Cahil dawned clear and cool. Onyx trotted into the main district of Starling’s Egg a few hours after sunrise and headed for the market. Onora was probably hidden among the stalls, waiting for Valek. He slowed Onyx to a walk once they reached the busy heart of the small town. Sure enough, Onora appeared next to them within a few minutes.
“Report,” he said.
She scanned the shoppers. “Not here. Meet me at the Lucky Duck Inn on Cherry Street.” Onora disappeared.
Dressed in dark brown pants and a light tan tunic to blend in, Valek dismounted and asked a local where Cherry was located. The woman barely glanced at him as she pointed to the northeast. He led Onyx through the streets, letting the horse cool down. He wondered if Onora had been staying at the Lucky Duck while keeping an eye on Yelena. Had his wife spent the last seven days locked in the stockade? Valek hoped not but wouldn’t be surprised if she had.
He found the inn on Cherry and approved of its unremarkable appearance and out-of-the-way location. Onyx headed straight to the small stables behind the building. Valek left his horse with the stable boy but instructed him to leave the saddle on, just in case he needed to make a quick exit.
Onora waited for him at one of the tables in the back corner of the common room. It was a typical inn, with a tavern on the ground floor and rooms on the higher stories. He scanned the other occupants—two men and an older woman. The sweet scent of molasses lingered on the air. When he’d left the cottage yesterday, he hadn’t had much of an appetite. The prospect of turning himself over to Cahil had soured his stomach.
Valek joined Onora. A young server appeared and he ordered breakfast, despite still having no desire to eat. He’d need energy to deal with the next step. When the girl left, he asked, “Yelena?”
“She’s perfectly fine. She was staying here until yesterday,” Onora said.
He straightened. “Not what I expected.”
“Me, neither, but it was smart.” Onora filled him in on what had happened. “It took Cahil and his crew a week to wake up, but they all came around, just like Yelena predicted.”
Yelena had done it. The crushing pressure around his chest eased.
“You owe her an apology,” Onora said.
He owed her much more than a mere apology. While Fisk and Onora had faith in her, Valek had believed her agreement with Cahil had been yet another betrayal and bound to fail.