Page 109 of The Study of Poisons
She found her pack and he turned his back while she changed. Then they headed back to the camp. Valek mulled over what had happened in the clearing, putting the pieces together. Star and Rand must have tricked Yelena into coming here alone, where they planned to ambush her. They probably thought it’d be easy.
But Yelena had surprised them. They had underestimated her intelligence. He’d bet that gray fabric on the inside of her cloak must have camouflaged her as she climbed through the trees to approach the clearing. She’d not only arrived armed; she’d become dangerous.
When they passed the second dead goon, Valek said, “By the way, nice work, I saw the fight. I wasn’t close enough to help. You held your own. Who gave you the knife?” He was curious if she’d rat out Janco.
“I bought it with Star’s money.”
He laughed. Her reply had been technically correct. “Fitting.”
They arrived at the camp and Yelena hurried to taste the Commander’s dinner. Valek tucked his hair back into his hat and joined a group of soldiers. His mood had lightened. Yelena was still in danger. He doubted he’d evernotworry about her, but damn, she’d handled herself like a professional.
Fierce, determined, dangerous. No wonder her soul called to his.
* * *
Other than thesearch for Rand, nothing else happened during the rest of the trip to Brazell’s manor house.
Nothing, except the steady increase of magic. It grew impossibly stronger with every step closer to MD-5. Valek could no longer block the magic with his body, it flowed around him as if he stood in the middle of a fast-flowing river.
Nothing, except the Commander losing more and more of his personality. By the time they reached the manor house, his expression was devoid of all intelligence.
Nothing, except the frustration and anger over being unable to stop the attack. Valek needed to wait for the right moment to strike. He fervently hoped such a moment would present itself.
As they neared, Valek detected a faint scent floating in the air. It took him a few minutes to recognize it as Criollo. He exchanged a glance with Yelena. She had stashed her backpack and bo in the forest—a smart precaution. Her long black hair had been swept up into a knot and, on his third glance, he realized she used her lock picks to hold her hair in place. He hoped she kept her switchblade and the antidote.
By the time they arrived in Brazell’s courtyard, the aroma of Criollo fogged the air. An incredible amount of magic pressed on him like a house-sized balloon. Yelena nervously fingered her pendant as she followed the Commander and his advisers into the house. The next few hours would be critical for her. Either Brazell would try to kill her at the first opportunity or wait for his grand plan to be revealed.
Valek had to stay with the soldiers who would be housed in the barracks. For now. He pulled another uniform from his bag and changed into Brazell’s colors before stashing his bag under an empty bottom bunk. He folded the blanket down to mark it as taken. Ari and Janco came in and headed to an empty set of beds. Without Inrick and Hildred as backup, Valek might need them.
“Why do I always have to sleep on top?” Janco complained. “Every time you roll over the whole bunk shakes.”
“I can’t help that they’re built out of cheap materials,” Ari countered. “Imagine what would happen if I slept on top.”
“Janco would be flattened like a sweet cake,” Valek said.
They turned to him. Their expressions were not welcoming.
“Who the hell—oh it’s—”
“Janco,” Ari warned.
“You! It’s you. Oh, hello, you.”
“Real smooth.” Ari glanced around, but no one paid them any attention. “You shouldn’t be here. You’re risking a court martial.”
“I’m aware.”
“Did you see what happened to the Commander?” Janco asked in a loud whisper. “We came back from scouting and now he’s a mindless zombie! This whole place creeps me out! Is it because of the magic you warned us about?”
“Yes, and I’m going to need you two to get friendly with Brazell’s soldiers. Find out what they know about Criollo and Adviser Mogkan.”
“Yes, sir,” they said together.
“And be ready. I might need your help.”
“Yes, sir.”
“What about Yelena, sir?” Ari asked.
