Asassin Study - Study 01.5

Chapter Four

Valek considered the woman’s offer. He’d been in worse situations over the years, but now time was a critical factor. He couldn’t wait until the perfect opportunity to escape arose. Not when an assassin hunted Yelena.

“I promise,” he said.

The magician’s tight expression eased, and she flashed him a smile of relief. Moving quickly, she unlocked the metal cuffs on Valek’s wrists and ankles. He rubbed his arms as a stinging pain rushed through them.

“Here.” She handed him a set of lock picks. “Wait about ten minutes before you use them. I’ll distract the others when you get to the guard room, and rendezvous with you on the road to Fulgor.”

“Hurry up, Justus,” a guard yelled. “My tea’s getting cold.”

She turned to go.

“Hold on. What’s the promise?” Valek said.

“No time. Later.”

“At least tell me your real name.”

She paused by the cell’s door. “Ziva.” Her voice was a whisper. “Ziva Moon.” Slipping through the door, she pulled it shut behind her. The loud clang echoed in the stone cell, followed by the distinct click of the lock.

Valek spent the next ten minutes stretching to return flexibility to his stiff muscles. His stomach rumbled with hunger, and he tried to ignore the pangs. Instead, he focused on the task at hand—escaping.

The cell’s lock popped without trouble. Easing open the door, he glanced down the prison’s hallway. Empty. For now. One of the disadvantages of being brought in unconscious, Valek didn’t know the layout of the building. However, most prisons had the same basic design—cells underground and a guard room between them and freedom.

Valek turned left and moved without sound. A few cells were occupied; soft snores floated on the damp air. The hallway ended at a staircase. Lantern light flickered through iron bars that blocked the top of the steps. A thick metal plate covered the locking mechanism, leaving only a slender hole for the bolt’s key. He heard murmured voices and chuckles. The guard room.

Valek listened for a while. He counted six separate guards. Climbing the rough stone staircase, he calculated how quickly the guards would notice him working on the lock. With luck, Ziva would divert their attention long enough for him to open the door. He peered through the bars. Five heavily armed men occupied the room, which appeared to be the office, as well.

Ziva remained in disguise. She met Valek’s gaze and nodded. Walking over to the window, she glanced out. Magic pulsed in the air. She grunted with effort. After a few moments, she cried out in alarm, “The gallows are on fire.”

The men rushed to the window, and Valek opened the lock during the commotion. He waited. Orders shouted, three men raced from the office, leaving two men and Ziva behind. She slumped under the window. The sticky feel of magic vanished as the illusion disguising the magician disappeared.

“Justus, what’s the matter?” One of the guards hurried over to her.

Valek eased through the door.

“What the—”

Using the guard’s shock over discovering Ziva wearing Justus’s uniform, Valek rammed into the man and pulled the guard’s club from his weapon belt as he fell. A temple strike later and the guard ceased to move. Valek turned in time to engage the remaining guard.

Club against sword would be horrible odds if the guard had any refined skills. Fortunately for Valek, only two quick moves were required to render the man unconscious.

Without thought, Valek scooped Ziva from the floor and rested her slight weight over his left shoulder. He grabbed a sword, then dashed outside.

Bright orange lit the night sky as fire consumed the gallows. Crazed activity surrounded the blaze as the townspeople tried to organize a bucket brigade. Valek smiled at the scene before slipping unnoticed into the shadows.

Once the sky began to lighten, he stopped to rest. He had traveled west through the forest, paralleling the road to Fulgor.

Ziva stirred when he laid her on the ground. Long brown strands of hair had escaped from her tight bun. She pushed them aside and squinted at their surroundings. Her pale blue eyes widened as she made a realization.

“Not the rendezvous location you’ve hoped for?” he asked.

“Why didn’t you leave me there? If I was arrested, you…” She swallowed.

“Wouldn’t have to keep my promise?”

She nodded.

“A tactical decision. I’d already managed to get into enough trouble without having a backup plan. I hoped perhaps you could help me again.”

“How?”

“Your knowledge of Sitia for one. And your magical abilities.”

“Limited,” she said. “I thought I could light a fire and keep my disguise, but the effort exhausted me. You might want another partner.”

When Valek didn’t reply, she continued, “So I help you in exchange for my rescue? And your promise?”

“Still valid. Although I am curious what I have promised to do.” He waited while she fidgeted with the buttons on her uniform.

“A very powerful magician has taken my child, and I want you to get her for me.” His surprise must have showed because she rushed to explain. “He is…was my husband. His love and affection for me ceased and transferred to her the moment she was born. After that day, he viewed me solely as a breeding mare, coming at night, demanding…” She drew in a steadying breath. “Eventually I ran away.”

“The authorities?” Valek asked.

“I had no legal recourse. He accused me of abandoning the family, being a bad mother. No one believed me.”

“You want me to kill him?”

“No! I just want my child.”

“But he’ll come after you. You said he was powerful.”

“I’ll figure it out. I just can’t pierce the magical protection he has surrounding her, but you can.”

Valek mulled over the situation. The rescue of her daughter would be relatively easy and would honor his promise, but he doubted she would know how to disappear properly so her husband couldn’t find her. It would be a challenge. One that he would enjoy.

Ziva had been watching his face. “You’ll help me, right?”

“Of course. Let’s go.”

“Where?”

“To Fulgor. I have an assassin to stop.” He pulled her upright and they followed the main road to Fulgor.

They arrived in town near dusk. Once he had ascertained Tam hadn’t caught up to Yelena, Valek rented a room at Staffa’s Star Inn and ordered a large meal. After eating, Ziva went in search of information on Yelena’s group while Valek contacted his spies. He had assigned three members of his corps to every major city of Sitia and had six members living inside the Citadel. The spies kept an eye on the cities and reported any interesting news to Valek.

One of the Fulgor spies had seen Tam near dawn.

“I recognized him from the old days,” Lysa said. “Thought he might cause trouble and tailed him to see what his plans were. He bought a horse and had asked the stable owner for directions to Delip. Then he left town.”

“Where’s Delip?” Valek asked.

“In the foothills of the Emerald Mountains. A small Cloudmist Clan village.”

“How do you get there?”

“The best way is to follow the border of the Avibian Plains east until you reach the mountains, then head south. It’s faster to cut through the Avibian Plains, but no one goes that way.”

“Why not?”

“Sandseeds. They live on the plains and don’t like strangers. Their protective magic attacks are unwelcome to travelers, confusing their sense of direction until they die of thirst.”

Lysa gave Valek a map, and he thanked her. He met up with Ziva at the inn.

“Fourth Magician and Yelena are headed for Delip,” she said. “They left around midmorning. Seems one of the girls may have family there.”

Interesting. Tam had left ahead of the group. He told Ziva about Tam’s actions. She thought for a moment and said, “Yelena will be nicely protected on the road to Delip. It’s not well traveled and no towns are along the way. Fourth Magician will know if a stranger is within a mile of them.”

So Tam planned to ambush them in Delip. On horseback he would arrive in plenty of time to prepare.

Unless Valek used the shortcut through the plains and set his own ambush for Tam. Or he could catch up to Yelena and warn her.