Chapter 4

"Do we need the horses?" Ari asked. "It'll take longer to get to MD-5, but we won't have to fight our way through a dozen soldiers to get to the stables."

Valek and Ute had reached the barracks without being seen. So far, they were safe, but it wouldn't last long.

"You outrank them," Janco gestured to them. "Can't you just order them to stand down?"

"They're loyal to General Franis," Ute said. "As far as they're concerned, I'm impersonating an officer and Valek is my accomplice."

"Then let's fight," Janco said with a gleam in his eyes.

"There's only four of us," Ari said.

"So? We can handle multiple opponents."

"I'm not injuring our own people," Valek said. "They're only following orders."

"We could do a merry chase," Janco said.

"Do I even want to ask?" Valek looked at Ari.

But the big man looked thoughtful. "It could work."

* * *

With no other good options, Valek and Ute headed straight toward the group of people guarding the stables. As soon as they were recognized, the soldiers pulled their weapons. As expected, ordering the soldiers to step aside resulted in a refusal, followed by a demand that Valek and Ute surrender.

In response, Valek and Ute took off running for the forest nearby. The soldiers gave chase. Valek didn't know how merry it was, but they managed to draw the guards away from the stables. He hoped Ari and Janco would be able to execute their part of the plan.

When they reached the woods, Ute said, "Follow me. I know this area very well."

"Yes, General."

Ute laughed somewhat hysterically. "This is not what I imagined would happen after I'd been promoted."

At least she wasn't out of breath. However, the leafless trees provided minimal coverage and the dead leaves and icy puddles created quite a racket underfoot. Valek had no idea how they would lose their pursuers. A dozen or more soldiers pounded behind them, calling out their position.

The sun hung low in the sky, casting long, thin shadows. They might be able to disappear in the dark, if they didn't run right into a trunk. He considered climbing a tree, but not while they were still visible.

Ute grabbed his arm, pulling him sharply to the right. The ground sloped down into a rocky area. They'd reached the edge of the foothills. Another sharp right and they ran along a gulley which deepened, blocking them from view. While happy to be out of sight, Valek worried they'd get trapped. Ute increased the pace and suddenly, the gulley's walls disappeared as if a giant hand had knocked them down.

"Avalanche," Ute said, panting. "This way. Hurry."

They climbed up along the avalanche's path, keeping low. Skirting big boulders and squeezing through narrow openings, they entered a maze of debris.

"There was…a…village here," Ute said, heading to a pile of timbers.

Underneath the pile was a space just big enough to slither through. Valek realized it had once been a house when Ute opened a hidden door in the floor and gestured him inside.

When he hesitated, she said, "No one remembers this place. The avalanche happened before most of them were born."

Valek dropped into the dark hole and moved aside to give Ute room. She pulled the door and set it back over the opening. The darkness was instant. If they were found in here, there would be no escape.

He explored the space with his hands. The small square room was about five feet wide and had dirt walls. He found nothing but exposed roots. "Storage room?" he whispered to Ute.

"No. A shelter. Every house had one. This area is prone to avalanches and the residents would hide in them until the roaring stopped. Except, the one that destroyed the town came in the middle of the night and killed everyone." There was a long pause. "I was just out of basic training when my unit was sent to help recover the bodies."

Tough assignment for a newbie. At least the cold air and snow would have considerably slowed the rate of decomposition.

With nothing to do but wait, Valek sat down and leaned his back against the wall. As his sweat-soaked shirt turned to ice in the damp shelter, Valek wished he'd kept a few items from his pack. He'd given it and his cloak to Ari and Janco, so he could run unencumbered.

It didn't take long for the muffled shouts to filter through the wood. Valek remained relaxed and considered his options should they be discovered and arrested. Unfortunately, he was well acquainted with the configuration of the jail cells in the generals' manor houses. He had sewn a hidden set of lock picks into the hem of his shirt. If they were found during a search, then he would have to rely on Janco's jailbreaking skills. A scary thought. Or Ari and Janco could return to MD-5 and report Valek's predicament to the Commander. Ambrose would either be amused or angry. Valek would bet money on the Commander being angry at him for not avoiding capture.

The voices died down, but Valek wasn't about to make the mistake of leaving his hiding place too early. Many times, when his prey had gone to ground, he'd lain in wait for them to become impatient or confident that he'd moved on and he'd nab them. Fun stuff. Despite the cold seeping into his bones, he figured they had a couple hours to kill.

"What exactly happened in MD-5?" Ute asked in a whisper. "I don't trust the rumors. Usually, they have a kernel of truth, but there's always more to the story."

Valek explained about how Brazell and Mogkan had used Criollo to breakdown the Commander's will so they could use magic to influence him. He detailed the rescue and the fallout.

"This Criollo sounds like a powerful drug. What's to stop someone else from manufacturing it?"

"The factory and all the Criollo were burned. The few people who know the recipe have been arrested. The main ingredient comes from Sitia and it's illegal to import. The border patrols will be extra diligent in searching for Criollo's seed pods. Plus, it smells delicious when manufactured. That was part of its appeal. It tasted good."

"Did you eat any?"

"Yes. But magic doesn't work on me."

"Right." She was silent for a few minutes. Probably processing all the information Valek had provided. "Just how much of a mess is MD-5?"

"Brazell spent most of his budget building the Criollo factory. Finding money to pay for salaries and supplies and the million other things needed to run a military district before the next year's stipend arrives is going to be tricky."

"I suspect I'll be cursing Brazell's name many times per day."

Valek chuckled. "Think of the bright side."

"There's a bright side? Do tell!"

"You can blame everything on Brazell."

Ute laughed. "I think I'll make a big plaque with the words, ‘It's all Brazell's fault,' embossed on it and hang it in my office."

"That's the spirit."

* * *

Frozen to his core, Valek unfurled. His muscles protested the motion. Hard running followed by a few hours of inactivity wasn't a good combination for his body. Ute had fared better since she had her heavy general's jacket to ward off the chill.

The darkness remained the same when Ute lifted the trap door. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust. A thin sliver of moonlight illuminated the narrow opening under the timbers.

"I'll go first," Valek whispered. He pulled his knife before lying on his stomach and sliding under the gap. Once clear, he hopped to his feet and braced for an attack. Nothing happened. He waited several minutes more before sounding the all clear.

Ute joined him. She dusted off her uniform.

Valek glanced at the sky. Clouds skittered across the moon, temporarily dimming the light. "We're in luck."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"We would be too visible in full moonlight, but those clouds will help create shadows to hide us in the forest while still allowing enough light to find a safe path."

"Is this what you do for the Commander? Creep around in the dark?" Her teasing tone mixed with an undercurrent of dismay.

"While creeping in the dark is one of my skills, I also stalk prey, set ambushes, work undercover, climb walls, and am a master of disguise."

"Good to know."

Ute led the way through the foothills. Their rendezvous location with Ari and Janco was north of the manor house. In order to stay warm, Valek kept a fast pace. The wind blowing from the west didn't help.

They encountered a couple of Franis's patrols and used those deep shadows to avoid detection. The run-ins slowed their progress. By the time they reached the meeting point, there were only a few hours left until dawn. Valek almost staggered in relief when he spotted Ari, Janco, and the four horses waiting in a small clearing.

"What took you so long?" Janco asked. "I'm frozen solid."

Valek didn't bother to reply. He pulled his cloak from his pack and wrapped it around his body. In between bouts of shivering, he asked Ari, "Any trouble?"

"The Stable Master wasn't inclined to help us. But I changed his mind."

"Oh?"

"The poor guy had an unfortunate encounter with Ari's fist." Janco tsked. "What a klutz."

Valek raised an eyebrow.

"Other than a headache when he wakes up, he'll be fine," Ari assured him.

Ah. "Mount up," Valek ordered and hoped his stiff and frozen legs would cooperate. He managed to sit astride Onyx, but it wasn't pretty.

"South?" Janco asked as he settled on Lovey.

"No. General Franis is bound to have all those roads blocked. Unfortunately, we're taking the long way. Northwest toward MD-2 and then south."

"Won't that bring us closer to General Tesso's house?" Ari asked.

"Yes, it will."

"At least if we're caught by Tesso, it'll be warmer," Janco muttered.

"See?" Valek said to Ute. "There's a bright side to everything."

She laughed. "I'll add that to my plaque."

* * *

Valek hated to push the horses after only a half day of rest, but they needed to be well away from the manor house before they could stop for longer than the brief breaks to feed and water the horses.

The sun rose behind them as they headed northwest and it wasn't until the sun set that Valek thought they'd gone far enough. They halted at the next travel shelter, and, after taking care of the horses, they built a huge fire in the hearth and crowded around it. Conversation was limited to one-word replies, usually about passing or sharing food.

Everyone was clearly exhausted, but Valek had to set a watch. "I'll take the first shift," he said. "Then Ari and Janco."

"And I'll take the last," Ute said. When he looked at her, she added, "I've plenty of experience on watch. You don't get to become a general without doing a ton of grunt work."

"See, Janco?" Ari asked. "All those hours of grunt work that you complain about might just get you promoted."

"Still won't stop me from complaining."

Ari shrugged. "Worth a try."

"All right," Valek said. "We'll do three-hour shifts. That way everyone gets at least eight hours of sleep, and it'll give the horses ample time to recover.

Valek pulled on his hat and gloves before wrapping his cloak around him. He did a perimeter check and scouted the road from the southeast—the direction their pursuers would use. Everything remained quiet and still. He returned to the horses in their mini stable. They dozed fitfully and he trusted their sensitive hearing.

He sat on the stack of straw bales in the corner and, thankfully, out of the wind. To stay awake, he thought of Yelena, wondering where she was and what she was doing.

Yelena and Fourth Magician Irys Jewelrose had taken the children Mogkan had kidnapped from Sitia with them. They planned to find the kids' families. However, the magician had locked up their memories prior to their kidnapping, so it would be a difficult task.

Adding to the complication were all the children Mogkan had reduced to mindless vessels so he could steal their magic, enhancing his own. Those unfortunate victims remained in MD-5 and their families would not have a happy ending. Anger coursed through Valek over not knowing this beast was in Ixia for the last fourteen years, and for not killing Mogkan as soon as he confirmed he was a magician.

It would probably take seasons for Yelena and Irys to figure out which child belonged to which family. As one of the children kidnapped, Yelena would eventually discover her own family. Mogkan had mentioned Yelena's connection to the Zaltana Clan. They lived in the Illiais Jungle, which was at the southern end of Sitia—as far away as a person could get from Ixia. Yelena liked to climb into the treetops. Perhaps that was another clue to her heritage.

Hopefully, Yelena would end up at the Magician's Keep—a school that taught young magicians how to control and use their magic. The school was located in the Citadel, and they officially started classes at the beginning of the cooling season. The Citadel was only a two-and-a-half days' ride from the Commander's castle. It was the capital of Sitia, and where the Sitian Council held their sessions.

It didn't matter where Yelena was located. Valek planned to be with her exactly one year after she left Ixia. By waiting a year, he would have fulfilled his promise to Irys to not be a distraction.

Valek checked the perimeter every thirty minutes or so to keep warm and for peace of mind. When his shift ended, he went inside to wake Ari. He, Janco and Ute had opted not to sleep on the bunks. Instead, they had spread their bedrolls right next to the hearth. Already awake for his shift, Ari fed a few logs to the fire. It blazed merrily, beckoning Valek closer.

Ari gestured to his bedroll. "Use mine."

"Thanks." Valek pulled off his boots but kept his cloak on. By the time Ari left the shelter, he was fast asleep.

* * *

The morning dawned clear and bright. Ute boiled water for tea and Janco fed the horses. All had been quiet during the night—the good news. Valek calculated their location and estimated it would take them seven days to reach MD-5's manor house—the bad news. They would have to stop for supplies, as they hadn't wanted to burden the horses with the extra weight of feed bags during their escape.

Word would eventually reach Franis and Tesso as they traveled south. There was no avoiding it. Instead of worrying about the generals' responses, Valek concentrated on making it difficult for anyone to find them. Having traveled all over Ixia on missions for the Commander, both before and after the takeover, Valek was very familiar with the landscape.

As they journeyed, Valek bypassed the main roads, and overnighted in little used travel shelters. They stopped in small towns where Valek had assigned agents who could purchase supplies for them.

On the second day after leaving Franis' manor, they crossed into MD-4, and on the fourth day, a few hours past noon, they encountered a caravan of eight wagons. It was unusual since most merchants avoided riding over the rutted, bumpy secondary routes. But they exchanged a friendly hello with the drivers, and all went on their merry way. Except, Valek couldn't stop wondering why they weren't on the main roads.

"Oh no. He's got that look," Janco said.

"What look?" Ari asked.

"The one where someone is about to get into trouble."

Valek glanced at Janco.

"Not me. I haven't had to take the pain powder in days."

"Something's not right about that caravan," Valek said. "I'm going to circle back and see what they're transporting."

"In broad daylight?"

"If I get the chance. If not, then when they stop for the night." He turned to Ute. "This road will take you to our next shelter. I'll meet up with you there."

"You need backup. Commander's orders," Ari said. "We always travel in pairs."

Except Valek rarely worked with a partner. And look how that turned out in Sitia.

"I'm quiet," Janco said.

"We both are," Ari added. "Comes with being a scout."

"All right. Janco, you're with me."

"Yes, sir." Janco wisely kept from gloating.

"How long do we wait for you?" Ari asked.

"If we're not at the shelter by morning, keep heading southeast. You'll run into the main north-south route and that'll take you into MD-5."

Ari and Ute exchanged a glance that clearly meant they wouldn't be following his orders.

"It's imperative that General Ute reaches the Commander," Valek said. "I doubt we'll have any trouble that we can't handle."

Their expressions didn't change, and Valek didn't have time to argue. He spurred Onyx into a gallop and Lovey followed right behind. Valek estimated how much distance the caravan would have traveled by now. They couldn't cover as much ground as a horse carrying a single rider.

When Valek thought they were getting close, he eased Onyx into a trot until he caught a glimpse of the last wagon, then he slowed to a walk. Hopefully none of the drivers would turn around. Plus, the noise of the wagon wheels rumbling, in addition to the jingle of harnesses and clip clopping of hooves, should cover any sound Onyx and Lovey made.

Unfortunately, the caravan did not stop to water or feed their horses. Valek and Janco followed them until they reached a travel shelter a few hours after sunset. Hanging back, Valek and Janco guided their horses into the forest and dismounted.

"We'll have to wait until they settle in and are asleep for the night," Valek said.

"If they don't post a guard, we could check the wagons while they're eating their dinner," Janco suggested.

Tempting. Valek didn't want to waste too much time on this side jaunt. After they cared for Lovey and Onyx, Valek and Janco crept closer to the shelter. Janco's near-silent progress over half-frozen ground, debris, and fallen limbs surprised Valek. Although it shouldn't have. The captain had proven his skills when they'd implemented the fugitive exercise in the Snake Forest. Yelena had been their mock escapee, and she had impressed the hell out of Valek when she covered her bright red uniform with green leaves and then proceeded to climb into the treetops to avoid detection. Ari and Janco had tracked her despite her cunning. If Valek hadn't distracted them, they would have found her.

Finding a comfortable and not too damp spot to wait, they watched the activity. The drivers rubbed down the horses, who munched from feed bags. Buckets were filled with water and set nearby. One man tested the tarps covering the beds of the wagons, ensuring they remained secure and keeping whatever was inside dry. Or perhaps just keeping it from blowing away.

After the chores were finished, everyone went inside the building. Janco, who'd been lounging against a tree, raised an eyebrow. Even though his expression was a clear communication, if Valek planned to keep working with Ari and Janco, he'd have to teach them his corps' signals. Valek shook his head and motioned to wait. One of the drivers might have forgotten something. When no one appeared after thirty minutes and voices drifted from the building, Valek pointed at the first four wagons and then at Janco.

He gave a thumbs up and melted into the shadows. Valek counted to ten before he approached the second set of four. Lifting the tarp, he exposed a pile of burlap sacks—the universal carry all. They were tied closed with twine. He loosened the knot on one and peeked inside. Skeins of wool.

If these were the same merchants that traveled through Pelator, why would they head east instead of north? All the dyeing and wool processing happened in MD-3. Unless a new business had set up shop in MD-4, which would be legal but might upset their neighbors in MD-3. That might explain the early shipping and surreptitious route.

Checking the next three wagons, Valek found the same cargo. Janco appeared next to him.

"By the amount of wool I found, there are lots of cold sheeps around," Janco whispered.

"Sheep is plural."

"Then what's the singular? Shoop?"

"Sheep is also singular."

"That can't be right. There's a horse and horses. Cow and cows. Goat and goats."

Janco continued to list all the farm animals, but Valek stopped listening. He considered the wagons. The wheels had sounded as if they'd carried a heavier burden than skeins of wool. Ducking down, Valek looked underneath the bed of one. It was hard to tell in the darkness, but the bottom of the wagon appeared deeper than the sides.

"Keep watch," he told Janco. Valek pulled the tarp half off and climbed into the bed. He shifted the burlap bags to the side, exposing a row of wooden boxes. Ah, the real cargo.

He counted. Seven rows of five boxes equaled thirty-five. The square-shaped containers were about a foot wide and unremarkable. Lifting one, he strained with the unexpected weight and size. Not square, but more of a rectangle, extending about three feet. Odd. The lid came off without trouble, revealing a stack of dark brown blocks inside. Bricks?

Valek picked up one block. Its surface was greasy and softer than expected. Once he held it up in the moonlight, the smell reached him. A cold dread rolled through his stomach as he recognized it.

Criollo.