Two days later, I waited with Ari and the horses while Janco and Onora scouted for an ideal location to make camp. It had to be close enough to the Citadel to keep an eye on traffic flowing to and from the city, but far enough away that we wouldn’t be spotted by the Cartel’s patrols.
Ari burned off his excess energy by grooming Whiskey. The horse groaned in pleasure over the extra-hard rub. I wondered if Ari would rather be out scouting than babysitting me.
“What’s wrong?” Ari asked.
“Nothing, why?”
“That’s t*he third time you’ve glanced at me with your concerned face. That usually means bad news.”
“No. I was just thinking.”
“About?”
“Why didn’t you go with Janco instead of Onora?”
“She’s better.” His tone was matter-of-fact.
“Does that bother you?”
“Well, there’s always that bit of jealousy when some young recruit is faster or stronger or smarter, but she’s part of our herd. And, you know...” He gestured with the curry comb. “Best man for the job, and all that.”
“No bruised ego?”
He laughed. “I don’t have an ego. Janco has enough for both of us.”
True. I fed all the horses a peppermint. Kiki thanked me with a sticky lick. An hour later, Janco and Onora returned.
“We found this sweet little spot at the base of a hill,” Janco said. “We can climb the hill and see the Citadel’s eastern gate, clear as day.”
“So why do you look so glum?” I asked.
He rubbed his right ear. “You know all those rug rats of Fisk’s—the ones who’ve been keeping watch on the roads?”
An uneasiness rolled through me. “Yes.”
“They’re all gone.”
“What do you mean, gone?” Ari asked.
“They’ve disappeared.”
“Are you sure?”
Janco gave Ari a give-me-a-break look. “A couple locals heard rumors that a patrol picked them all up.”
“A random sweep, or with intent?” Ari asked.
“They wouldn’t arrest kids unless the Cartel had information,” Onora said. “The Sitians wouldn’t stand for their children being taken, but the guild members don’t have families.”
They might not have parents and relatives, but they had Fisk. Which meant...
I closed my eyes as the awful news sank heavily in my stomach. “The Cartel has captured Fisk.” The words were barely a whisper.
No one corrected me.
“Now what?” Janco asked.
“We have to get into the Citadel,” I said, opening my eyes. Reema’s comment about needing her help repeated in my mind, but I shoved it down. At least we had the illusion cloak. “Once inside, we’ll need to determine what’s going on, and then rescue Fisk.”
“That’s a tall order,” Janco said.
“I’m aware of that,” I snapped, but regretted my harshness immediately. In a softer tone, I asked Janco to show us the spot they’d found to make camp.
He led us to a small clearing in the forest northeast of the Citadel, nestled between the road to Fulgor and the road to Owl’s Hill. At the base of a hill, the ground was damper than ideal for bedrolls, but as he’d claimed, the view from the top was worth the extra chilly nights and weaker fires.
It didn’t take us long to set up and cook supper. Sitting around the sputtering flames that hissed from the moisture in the branches, I outlined the plan. “We’ll break into two teams and take turns watching the gate and the road from Owl’s Hill. Valek said he’d check the Cloverleaf Inn before traveling to the Citadel. We need to intercept him and Opal before they arrive at the gate. And the same goes if we spot Zitora.” That road also led to the Featherstone garrison. If Bruns decided to move Fisk, that would be the closest garrison. “Ideally we’ll discover a gap in their security so we can enter the Citadel undetected.”
“What if Valek and Opal are already in the Citadel?” Ari asked.
“Then we’ll rendezvous with them there.”
“Or rescue them, along with Fisk,” Janco muttered.
Ari punched him in the arm.
“Ow! Come on. We were all thinking it.”
“What are the teams?” Onora asked.
“The boys and the girls.”
“I suddenly feel like I’m in elementary school again,” Janco said.
Onora opened her mouth, but I shook my head. “Too easy. We all know Janco didn’t graduate from elementary school.”
Janco hunkered down. “I’m not feeling the love.”
“We’ll take the first shift,” Ari said, bringing us back to business.
I agreed. “We’ll do three shifts a day, alternating teams. Also alternating positions each shift. This way, everyone has a chance to study the gate at different times of the day.”
“Smart. What about at camp?” Ari asked me. “Do you want one person to stand watch?”
“No. Kiki will alert us of any intruders. Even asleep, she’d hear or smell them before they can get close. Plus, the person on the hill should be able to hear if there are any problems below, and vice versa.”
“What about the person watching the road?” Onora asked.
Good question. “He or she can wear the illusion cloak for extra protection.”
“But how do we know if he or she is in trouble?”
“The old-fashioned way,” Janco said.
We all waited.
“You don’t know?” He acted smug.