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Boots pounded on the deck. Four armed Storm Thieves rushed toward him and more poured from the wheelhouse. Valek gestured for Endre, Annika and the two with them to engage the four. He sheathed his sword and raced to the bow.

  Two young men dropped from the rigging. Brandishing daggers, they blocked his path to the magician. Valek tucked the blowpipe into his pocket and drew a knife with a flourish to distract them while he palmed a couple darts. They hesitated for a second, glancing at each other.

  “Come on, boys, let’s see what you can do,” Valek said, sliding his feet into a fighting stance.

  The bigger of the two advanced. He held his weapon in his lead hand. Rookie. Valek used a roundhouse kick to knock the weapon from his opponent’s grasp, then he shuffled in closer, punched the teen in the solar plexus and pricked him with a dart. The boy fell back on his butt with an oomph.

  Not waiting for his friend to gain his feet, the second teen charged Valek. The boy’s speed made up for his lack of finesse. They exchanged a few jabs and parries and Valek would have liked to test the extent of his opponent’s skills, but the sounds of fighting grew louder and, after a quick peek at the ruckus, he saw that Endre and the others were outnumbered.

  Valek blocked the next jab with his left hand, grabbed the teen’s wrist, stepped back and as he yanked the Storm Thief toward him, Valek kneed him in the groin. The poor boy collapsed to the deck. Not very sporting, but time was critical.

  When he neared the bow, another Storm Thief landed in front of him. Valek didn’t bother engaging him. He simply bowled the teen over, jabbed a dart into his neck and continued.

  The magician faced him. A heavy stickiness engulfed him. The waves pelting the dock disappeared. Good. He guessed she couldn’t multitask. Valek waded through the magic, approaching her. Balls of water flew at him, but instead of slamming into him, they veered wide, missing him. She sucked in a breath of surprise. Fear soon followed. The young lady backed up and grabbed the railing.

  Valek had a second to wonder what she planned before the ship lurched violently under his feet. The bubble of calm popped and the storm surged in. Yells and cries of alarm emanated from the fight on deck. He swayed for a moment, teetering off balance, but years of training kicked in and he adjusted to the motion. Smart move, sweetheart.

  The magician clung to the wood rail as if her life depended on it. She stared at him with intense blue eyes. When he closed in, her magic disappeared,

  She sank to her knees and said, “Please, don’t kill me.”

  In that moment, with her wet hair pressed to her head, she looked twelve years old—someone’s beautiful daughter. A vision of Yelena holding a baby girl flashed in his mind. He dismissed the distraction. Valek had no intention of killing her, but what to do with her?

  “Stop the storm, and I’ll think about it,” he said.

  “I can’t. I only control the water.”

  “Then restore the calm.”

  The waves around the boat smoothed and the rain ceased. The ship settled.

  “Is someone controlling the storm?” he asked.

  She bit her lip and gazed past him. Valek glanced at the battle. All his people had reached the deck, and they had the upper hand. No surprise, considering the ages of their opponents. Experience trumped youth in most cases.

  “It’s over,” he said. “Cooperation is the best way for you to stay alive.”

  Sitting back on her heels in defeat, she said, “My brother can call the storms, but he’s not on board.”

  “Where is he?”

  “On the island.”

  Valek kept his stern expression, despite the thrill of having guessed right. “You will take us to the island.”

  Now panic filled her expression. “I...can’t.”

  He waited.

  “I... They will kill him.”

  Not what he expected. “They?”

  She swept her arms wide, indicating the boat. “The people who hijacked our ship and forced us to help them.”

  21

  LEIF

  A searing pain in his head roused Leif to consciousness. Harsh sunlight waited on the other side of his eyelids, so he kept his eyes closed. He cataloged his woes. The dried-out piece of leather that had been his tongue meant he hadn’t drunk any water for a while. The headache meant no food, either. Plus, he suspected a hangover from the sleeping juice. Leif guessed he’d been knocked out for a few days or more. Vague memories rose of being awake for short, blurry snatches to eat stale bread and gulp tepid water.

  When the sharp pulses in his temples dulled to a loud throb, Leif opened his eyes. Bright side—not a cell. He lay on a bed in a small, neat room. One window, one night table, no decorations on the white walls and one door currently shut. Dark side—his arms had been pulled up over his head and his wrists were secured. Probably to the headboard, which would match his feet, since his ankles were tied to the footboard. Also a null shield surrounded him, blocking his magic.

  A steady hum of unease vibrated through him. Not outright fear. At least, not yet. He still wore his own clothes. The lock picks hidden inside might come in handy. His captors would have to let him up at some point. Right?

  As the hours dragged by—each one slower than the previous—Leif worried they’d forgotten him. Or they planned to let him die of thirst. No. If they’d wished him dead, they could have ensured he’d never wake up. This was all part of their scheme to drive the point home that they were in control. Leif kept his thoughts positive. His main objective—stay alive until an opportunity to escape arose or rescued arrived. No doubt Yelena would search for him.

  The scrape of metal jolted Leif from a light doze. The knob turned and the door swung inward, admitting a tall man in his late forties. Two bruisers entered behind him. One carried a chair, the other a tray of food. Swords and daggers hung from their belts. The wonderful aroma of beef caused Leif’s head to spin. An effective way to torture him would be to withhold food.

  The man studied him while Leif assessed his captor. Short black hair combed back with streaks of gray at the temples, and sharp features that would be considered appealing by the ladies. His posture oozed confidence, and, if the jewels in his rings and the monster ruby hanging from his neck didn’t tip a person off, then the expensive silk clothes tailored to enhance his muscular build indicated the man had money—lots and lots of money.

  Leif waited for the man to speak.

  “Aren’t you curious about what’s going on?” the man asked.

  “I am.” The words croaked from his dry lips. “But I figured I really wasn’t in a position to demand answers.”

  The man laughed. “Refreshing. You’re the first to realize that so soon. The others hollered and blustered, thinking their status as magicians had any influence over their situation.” He gestured.

  Bruiser One placed the chair next to the foot of Leif’s bed. Then he pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the restraints around Leif’s wrists before stepping quickly back. His meaty paws hovered near his weapons. Everyone in the room tensed, waiting for Leif’s reaction.

  He sat up and rubbed his arms, working the feeling back into his hands. Weak from days without food or water, and with his ankles still secured, he had no option but to play nice—for now.

  The man approached and held out his hand. “Bruns Jewelrose.”

  The name sliced through Leif, igniting anger. This was the son of a bitch who had hired an assassin to kill Yelena. He drew in a breath to calm down, reminding himself to play nice and stay alive. He grasped Bruns’s hand. “Leif Liana Zaltana.”

  They pumped once and released—just like a couple of businessmen meeting for the first time. Weird.

  “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Bruns said, sitting in the chair. “Your résumé is quite impressive.” He snapped his fingers.

  Bruiser Two brought the tray over and placed it on Leif’s lap. It contained a bowl of stew, a hunk of bread, cheese, a spoon, napkin and a large glass of water. No knife.

&n
bsp; Bruns said, “Go ahead and eat. I’m sure you’re starved.”

  Leif hesitated. “And in exchange?”

  “All I ask is that you hear me out. That you don’t form an opinion until I’m finished.”

  Glancing at his bound ankles, Leif said, “What if I’ve already formed an opinion?”

  Bruns inclined his head. “That is an unfortunate necessity. I’ve learned that a demonstration of my abilities and resources is far more convincing than a discussion. You cannot deny that my network was able to neutralize a powerful magician such as yourself rather easily.”

  A protest over the word easily pushed up his throat, but he swallowed it down. The ambush had been expertly set to appeal to his instincts and bypass Rusalka’s abilities. “Did you neutralize my sister?”

  “No. My sources say Onora, the Commander’s new assassin, did.”

  He scoffed, “Your sources are wrong.”

  “Unlikely.”

  “Why would the Commander do that?”

  “That’s all part of my explanation.” Bruns waited.

  Playing nice meant listening to his captor’s crazy theories and perhaps pretending to agree with him.

  “All right, Bruns. I’ll listen to your...pitch.” Leif picked up the glass and gulped half the water. Ahhh. Welcome back, tongue.

  “The Commander is preparing to invade Sitia. We know this because he has gone to great lengths to secure Curare, stockpile null shields, nullify the Liaison and is harboring Owen Moon, a known rogue magician.”

  Stockpiling null shields? That was news to Leif. Filling the spoon with chunks of beef and potatoes, Leif shoveled it into his mouth. Not bad. Not the best he’d ever tasted, but up there in the top five.

  “The Commander ordered the hit to block the Liaison’s magic so she would no longer be an asset to the Sitian Council. Without her magic, the Commander could invite her to be one of his advisers and, with the added appeal of being with her heart mate, it would be a tempting offer. Valek would also be happy. And it’s important to the Commander to keep him happy. He’s vital to their security. That’s also why Onora didn’t kill Yelena. That would have sent him on a quest for revenge.”

  Bruns crossed his legs. “With me so far?”

  “One question. Why did you hire The Mosquito to assassinate Yelena?”

  “To cause strife in Ixia by sending Valek on that quest for revenge. We hoped he’d assume the second attempt was connected to the first and discover the Commander sent Onora. Plus Yelena has classified information about Sitia. The last thing we wanted was for her to give it to the Commander. We’re trying to protect Sitia.”

  Protect Sitia by murdering Yelena? That was very twisted logic. “Who’s we?”

  “I’m getting to that. Considering the Commander’s hatred of magicians, Owen Moon’s presence is harder to explain. He must have something rather significant that the Commander can use when he attacks Sitia.

  “The Sitian Council has almost all this information, yet they still argue and discuss and get nothing done. Yes, I know they tasked your Councilman to increase production of Theobroma, but that will take years. We don’t have years. We have a year at most.”

  Leif stopped chewing. A year? Even with the grafting technique, they’d never be ready in time.

  “Frustrated with the Sitian Council’s refusal to accept the facts and act, I contacted a number of friends and colleagues. We formed our Cartel and brainstormed ideas on how to protect Sitia from being invaded. First we listed our assets. Our army doesn’t stand a chance—we lack discipline and numbers. But we have magicians and super messengers.

  “Except the magicians don’t know how to fight or work with an army. Some of them can’t be counted on to help because they’re selfishly pursuing their own agendas, which is why the Commander can stockpile null shields. It’s incomprehensible to me why a magician would create something that can be used against him. It’s like giving your sword to your previously unarmed enemy, and then being surprised when he stabs you with it!”

  Bruns stopped his tirade. He drew in a deep breath then continued in an even tone, “We decided to stop the randomness and the stupidity. The idea is to gather all the magicians into one unit, train them how to fight and use their magic to gain information. Organize them to maximize their efforts during a war and stop them from selling null shields to the enemy. It’s the only way we will prevent the Commander from conquering Sitia.”

  “The Council does use magicians—”

  “Only a handful compared to how many there are. And how many like Owen Moon have caused us trouble over the years? Dozens?”

  Names sprang to mind, but Leif resisted the temptation to list them. Instead he considered Bruns’s idea. He gestured to the bruisers. “And this is your way of gathering all the magicians? Ambush and imprison them until they hear your speech? Then what? Join or die?”

  Bruns smiled, revealing a row of straight white teeth, but no humor shone in his gray eyes. “Those who have been recruited by the members of the Cartel had no need for a demonstration of our resources. They recognized the danger and agreed to train.”

  “And the ones that don’t agree?”

  “They’re persuaded. I can be very convincing.”

  Leif imagined Bruns’s persuasion techniques involved threats, torture and isolation. Good thing he’d finished the food, or he would have lost his appetite. “How about the four who were assassinated? Are they the ones you couldn’t sway?”

  “No. They were the troublemakers. No amount of logic or appealing to their patriotic sense of duty would ever entice them away from being selfish, greedy problems. We didn’t bother to waste our time with them.”

  Harsh. “And you sent The Mosquito to Lapeer to assassinate Ben Moon and Loris and Cilly Cloud Mist.”

  “Yes. They were easy–to-solve problems.” Bruns’s tone remained reasonable, as if they discussed business.

  That brought the total number of murdered magicians to seven—playing nice might be harder than Leif had thought. He switched to a safer topic. “Why didn’t you try logic and reason on me?”

  “I’m doing that right now.”

  “No. I meant why the ambush, the...demonstration?” At least Bruns hadn’t called it a kidnapping. He detested that word.

  “Ah. I see. In your case and in a few others, we determined that your loyalty to the Council would make it much harder to convince you. That it would take us some time to demonstrate our sincerity in protecting Sitia.”

  “A few others? Like Hale?”

  “Yes. And those who work closely with the Council and Master Magicians on various operations.”

  “Is Hale...?” Leif couldn’t say the word. He’d grown fond of the stiff—quite the surprise.

  “He’s fine. Another reason for the extra measures is so you don’t warn the Council until we’re ready.”

  “But they already know about the Cartel and the missing and dead magicians.”

  “Yes, but they don’t know who is involved or where our base of operations is located.”

  So The Mosquito hadn’t informed his boss about revealing Bruns’s name to Yelena when he failed to assassinate her in Fulgor’s jail. That little detail might just save Leif’s life. “If they do find out who’s involved, they’ll know to search Jewelrose lands.”

  “I believe you’re fishing for information. And I’m insulted that you’d think I’d be fooled that easily.”

  “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”

  “If you wanted a tour of the compound, all you had to do was ask.” Bruns stood and smoothed his tunic. “First, some safety information. These two gentlemen are armed with blowpipes and darts filled with Curare. Their aim is remarkable, even at a distance. They will be accompanying us. Understand?”

  “That they’ll shoot me with Curare if I try to escape? Yes, that’s quite clear.”

  Mister Business frowned at him as if he’d used crass language. But he gestured to Bruiser One. The broad-shouldered man unlo
cked Leif’s ankles. Leif noted which pocket the key disappeared into. Valek’s lessons on how to pick a pocket just might come in handy. Leif rubbed feeling back into his feet. His boots had been placed beside the bed. He wondered what had happened to his cloak and machete as he tied the laces.

  When Leif stood, a brief spell of weakness flushed through him. He’d need more than one meal to return to full strength. Bruiser Two opened the door and, with Bruns in the lead, followed by Leif, the four of them entered a hallway. The null shield remained around him. Too bad. He’d hoped it was attached to the room.

  The hallway’s white walls held no decorations, just a series of closed doors on both sides. Leif counted a total of forty.

  “This is the barracks for the magicians,” Bruns said.

  Did he expect to fill the entire building? That would be quite an accomplishment. At the end of the corridor, they descended two flights of stairs and walked into the sunlight. Leif squinted until his eyes adjusted. The warm air smelled of wood smoke and leather. A green fuzz lined the tree branches, but he’d have to examine the buds closer to see where in Sitia he might be. Bigger buds would mean he was farther south. Of course, that only narrowed down his north/south location. East/west would be harder to discern without more geographical information.

  Bruns strode around the compound, pointing to the various buildings—stables, armory, infirmary, dining hall—with pride. Leif memorized the layout. It resembled a military base and even had a three-story-high marble wall surrounding it. Leif wouldn’t be surprised if Bruns had commandeered the Jewelrose garrison.

  Soldiers marched in unison, wearing olive-colored fatigues. Others practiced a variety of fighting techniques in a large training area.

  Bruns showed him the armory. “We’ve been developing new weapons.” He picked up an oversize bow. “We’ve discovered the bigger the bow, the farther an arrow will fly, giving us an advantage.” Placing it back on the table, he drew Leif over to a pile of leather. “This is going to be made into protective clothing. It resists punctures and will stop a dart of Curare from reaching a soldier’s skin!”