Poison Study (42 page)

  Comprehension widened the woman’s golden eyes. She gazed at the slain cat, then morphed into the Commander. Her shoulder-length hair shortened into his buzz cut, fine lines of age growing on her face as he emerged. The white furs dropped to the ground as his wrinkle-free uniform materialized. He stepped away from the skins, kicking them dismissively.

  “You shouldn’t do that,” I said. “She’s a part of you. You might need her again.”

  “And do I need you, Yelena? Can I trust you to keep my mutation a secret?” the Commander asked with a fierce intensity.

  “I came here to bring you back. Isn’t that answer enough?”

  “Valek swore me a blood oath of loyalty when I carved my initial on his chest. Would you do the same?”

  “Does Valek know about Ambrosia?” I asked.

  “No. You haven’t answered my question.”

  I showed the Commander Valek’s butterfly. “I wear this against my chest. I’ve pledged my loyalty to Valek, who is faithful to you.”

  The Commander reached for the butterfly. I stood still as he removed it from my necklace. He took a knife from the skins and sliced it across his right palm. Holding the pendant in his bloody hand, he extended the knife toward me. I held out my right hand, wincing as the knife bit into it. Our blood mixed as I shook his hand with the butterfly wedged between our palms. When he released his grip, Valek’s gift was in my hand. I returned it to its proper place over my heart.

  “How do we get back?” he asked.

  “You’re the Commander.”

  His eyes rested on the dead cat. Looking around at the ring of soldiers, he drew his sword. “We fight,” he said.

  I pulled the spear from the cat’s side, and wiped the blood on the snow. Feeling the weight of the weapon in my grip, I swung it around in a few practice moves. It was lighter than a bow, and a bit off balance by the metal tip. But it would work.

  We charged the men. The circle of guards tightened immediately around us. Back to back, the Commander and I fought.

  The men were skilled, but the Commander was a master swordsman. He had bested Valek and killed a snow cat. It was like fighting with five more defenders by my side.

  When I sunk the spear’s tip into one guard’s heart, he exploded into a shower of snow crystals that floated away with the wind.

  Time slowed as I hacked at one man after another, until finally time snapped to the present. I whirled around searching for an opponent only to discover that we had dispatched all the men. Snow swirled around us.

  “Nice work,” the Commander said. “You helped me rediscover my true self, killing off my demons.” He took my hand and pressed it to his lips.

  The wintry scene melted, and I found myself back on the bed, looking into the Commander’s powerful eyes.

  That night, Valek and I briefed the Commander on all that had happened since the Generals’ brandy meeting. Valek had Brazell interrogated, and discovered that Brazell and Mogkan had been planning a coup for the past ten years.

  “Brazell told me that Mogkan showed up at his manor with a group of children,” Valek said. “He was looking for a place to hide and he struck a deal with Brazell to help Brazell become the next Commander. Once Mogkan achieved enough power to reach your mind from MD-5, they started feeding you Criollo, Sir.”

  “What about the factory?” the Commander asked.

  “We have halted production,” Valek said.

  “Good. Salvage what equipment you can, then burn the factory and any Criollo to the ground.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Anything else?”

  “One more interesting item. Brazell said that once he and Mogkan had control of Ixia, they planned to take over Sitia.”

  The next day the Commander held court with Valek standing at his right side. Brazell was brought before him to face charges. As expected, Brazell was stripped of his rank and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in the Commander’s dungeon.

  Permitted a few last words, Brazell shouted, “You fools. Your Commander’s a deceiver. You’ve been lied to for years! The Commander’s really a woman dressed as a man!”

  Silence blanketed the room, but the Commander’s neutral expression never faltered. Soon laughter echoed off the stone walls. Brazell was hauled away amid cheers and jeers. Who would believe the ravings of a madman? Obviously, no one.

  I thought about their jeers. They laughed not because the idea of a woman in power was so ridiculous, but because Commander Ambrose had a powerful presence. His frank and abrupt dealings were so honest and forthright that the thought of him deceiving anyone was laughable. And due to his beliefs and convictions about himself, even though I knew the truth, I could not think of him in any other way.

  Later in the day, I went to visit the orphanage. I found May in the dormitory. This time, happy memories followed me as I walked through the rooms used by the orphans. When she saw me, May bounced off the bed and wrapped herself around me.

  “Yelena, I thought I would never see you again,” she gushed.

  I squeezed her tight. When she pulled back, I smiled to see her crooked skirt and messy ponytail. As I braided her hair, May chattered about what had happened since I had left. Her excitement faded when she talked about Carra. And it was then that I could see how much she had grown.

  When I finished her hair, she said, “We’re going with you to Sitia!” May spun in a circle, unable to remain still. She waved toward a suitcase on the floor.

  “What?”

  “That lady from the south told us that she would take us home. To find our families!”

  A brief pang clenched my heart. Family had a different meaning to me. Valek, Ari and Janco felt like my family, and even Maren seemed like a grumpy older sister.

  “That’s wonderful,” I said to May, trying to match her enthusiasm.

  May stopped her dance for a moment. “There are so few of us left,” she said in a sedate voice.

  “Valek will make sure Carra and the others are taken good care of.”

  “Valek! He’s so handsome.” May laughed, and was so delightful I couldn’t resist hugging her again.

  Janco, on the other hand, greeted me with a gloomy face when I stopped to say goodbye. Irys, anxious to head south, wanted to be on the road in the morning.

  Ari had taken over my role of nurse, and was sitting next to Janco.

  “Whatever happened to ‘Sieges weathered, fight together, friends forever’?” I asked him, quoting his message on my switchblade.

  Janco’s eyes lit up. “You little fox. Figured it out already, have you?”

  I smirked.

  “As soon as Janco’s better, we’re coming south,” Ari said.

  “And what would you do there?” I asked.

  “Work on our tans,” Janco said, smiling. “I could use a vacation.”

  “Protect you,” Ari said.

  “I don’t need protection in the south,” I said. “And I seem to remember that not long ago, I bested two of my instructors.”

  “She’s cocky already.” Janco sighed. “We can’t go with her now, she’ll be swaggering and boasting and generally obnoxious. It’s bad enough I have to deal with that from Ari, I could never handle two.”

  “Besides,” I said, “you’ll be bored.”

  Ari grumped and crossed his massive arms, looking sour. “First sign of trouble, you send us a message and we’ll be there. You got that?” Ari asked.

  “Yes, sir,” I said. “Don’t worry about me, Ari. I’ll be fine. And, I’ll be back.”

  “You’d better,” Janco said. “I want a rematch.”

  But I had spoken too soon about returning. Valek, Irys and I had discussed my future, but the Commander seemed to have other plans. Commander Ambrose called for a formal meeting that evening. With just Valek, Ari and Irys in attendance in Brazell’s old office, the Commander agreed to honor the trade treaty, even though it had been enacted under Mogkan’s influence. Then he told me my fate.

  “Yelena,” he began in a formal tone, “you have saved my life and, for that, I thank you. But you have magical abilities that are not tolerated in Ixia. I have no choice but to sign an order for your execution.”

  Valek placed a warning hand on Ari’s shoulder to prevent him from charging the Commander. Ari stayed still, but his outrage was evident in his face. When the Commander held a paper out to Valek, coldness crept along my skin, leaving behind a numb feeling of dread.

  Valek didn’t move. “Sir, I’ve always believed that having a magician work for us would be beneficial and could have prevented this particular situation,” Valek said. “We can trust her.”

  “A valid point.” The Commander drew back his arm, resting it on the desk. “Even though we trust her, even though she saved my life, I must follow the Code of Behavior. To do otherwise would be a sign of weakness, something I can’t afford right now, especially after this business with Mogkan. Plus, the Generals and my advisers will not trust her.”

  Once again the Commander extended the execution order to Valek. In my frantic mind I heard Irys telling me to flee. She would attempt to slow Valek down. No, I told her. I would see this to the end. I would not run away.

  “I won’t take it,” Valek said in a flat voice. He betrayed no emotion.

  “You would disobey a direct order?” the Commander asked.

  “No. If I don’t take the order, then I won’t have to disobey it.”

  “And if I make it a verbal order?”

  “I will obey. But it will be my very last task for you.” Valek pulled a knife off his belt.

  The ring of steel sounded as Ari unsheathed his sword. “You’ll have to get through me first,” he said, stepping in front of me. Ari had a better than average chance of beating Valek, but I knew he wouldn’t win. And I didn’t want him to try.

  “No, Ari,” I said. I pushed his sword arm down, and stood next to Valek. Our eyes met. I understood that Valek’s loyalty to the Commander was without question. His blue eyes held a fierce determination and I knew in my soul that Valek would take his own life after he had taken mine.

  The Commander gazed at us with a quiet consideration. I felt time freeze under his scrutiny.

  “I’ve signed the order, per the Code,” the Commander finally said. “I will assign someone else to carry it out. It may take a few days for me to find a suitable person.” He looked at me and Irys. A hint that we needed to get on the road as soon as possible. “This order is valid in Ixia only. You’re all dismissed.”

  The office emptied in a hurry. I was giddy with relief as Ari swept me into one of his bear hugs and whooped with joy. But then my heart seized with pain as I realized that I would be parted from Valek so soon after we had joined. After Irys and Ari left to organize the “escape,” Valek pulled me aside. We kissed with passion and a desperate urgency.

  After we drew apart to catch our breaths, I said, “Come with me.” It wasn’t a plea or a question. It was an invitation.

  Valek’s blue eyes closed with pain. “I can’t.”

  I turned away, feeling like one of Valek’s black statues, but he drew me back.

  “Yelena, you need to learn, you need to find your family, you need to spread your wings and see how far you can fly. You don’t need me right now, but the Commander needs me.”

  I clung to Valek. He was right, I didn’t need him, but I wanted him to be with me forever.

  We left that night. Irys led our ragtag group. Eight girls and two boys from Brazell’s orphanage followed Irys through the forest toward the southern border. I took the rearguard position to make sure everyone stayed together, and to make sure no one tailed our group.

  We hiked for a few hours until we found a suitable clearing to camp for the night. More than adequate provisions for our journey had been provided by Ari. I smiled, remembering his lecture to me about staying out of trouble. Just like an over-protective brother, he wasn’t content until I promised to send him a message if I needed help. I would miss him and Janco dearly.

  We set up six small tents in a circle. Irys amazed the children as she set fire to the kindling with a magical flourish. After everyone had gone to sleep, I sat by the fire, stirring the dying embers. Unwilling to join May in our tent, I gazed at the single flame that erupted when I poked at the fire. It danced by itself for an audience of one. I wondered for the hundredth time why Valek hadn’t come to say goodbye, fingering my pendant.

  I sensed movement. Jumping up, I drew my bow. A shadow detached from a tree. Irys had created a magical barrier around our tents. According to her, the barrier would deflect a person’s vision, so all he would see was an empty clearing. The shadow stopped at the edge, unaffected by the magic, and smiled at me. Valek.

  He held out a hand. I grasped his cold fingers with both hands as he led me away from the tents and deeper into the forest.

  “Why didn’t you come before we left?” I asked him when we stopped at the base of a tree. The roots of the massive oak had broken through the ground, creating small protective hollows.

  “I was busy making sure the Commander would have a hard time locating someone to carry out his orders.” Valek grinned with vicious delight. “It’s amazing how much work there is cleaning up after Brazell.”