Page 43 of The Study of Poisons
Valek finished paintinghis face with the colors of the forest. He adjusted the tight hood on his head, tucking a few stray hairs underneath the fabric. Except for the blue of his eyes, his entire body was covered in green camouflage.
The one-piece outfit clung to his skin, revealing his muscles and almost everything else. Thank fate Dilana had sown extra material to cover his groin and overlapped the fabric so there was…er…access when nature called. She’d also added a number of pockets for his smaller weapons. Today’s exercise involved traveling through the thick woods. Loose clothing and big weapons like a sword would only impede his movements.
Satisfied with his camouflage, Valek headed out the south gate and jogged to the Snake Forest. It formed a natural border with Sitia, extending from the Soul Mountains in the east all the way to the Sunset Ocean in the west. As an added precaution, the Commander had the forest cleared an extra hundred feet on the Ixian side to make it easier for the border guards to spot anyone trying to leave Ixia or Sitians trying to illegally sneak into the country.
The predawn air was cool and crisp. Dew had condensed onto the grass. Valek looked back. There was just enough light to illuminate his boot prints across the damp field. He wondered if Yelena would notice them on her way into the forest.
As the fugitive, Yelena would naturally head to Sitia, which was why he found a comfortable spot among the underbrush directly south of the castle to await her arrival. It was warmer among the trees. Their leaves trapped the day’s heat and the air cooled slower than out on the grassy plain. The scent of pine, moist earth, and living green filled the air. Night insects buzzed. Valek enjoyed the peace.
It didn’t take long for shafts of sunlight to pierce the tree canopy. Sunrise marked the beginning of the exercise. Yelena would have one hour’s head start before the two teams began their hunt. Captain Etta’s dog team would include Porter, the kennel master. Lieutenants Ari and Janco would be a part of Captain Parffet’s team. From what he’d learned about Yelena, Valek believed she’d outwit the humans, but wouldn’t be able to lose the dogs. Time would tell.
Yelena’s arrival in the forest fifteen minutes later was far from stealthy. Disappointed, Valek amended his earlier predictions about her abilities. Her heavy footsteps thudded. Branches snapped. Bushes shook. Leaves crunched.
He followed the obvious trail she created without an attempt at furtiveness. Any noise he caused was drowned out by all her commotion. After three quarters of an hour, the ruckus stopped suddenly. Valek slowed. The gurgle of water filled the silence. He eased around a bend and froze. Yelena knelt next to the stream.
Moving deeper into the brush, Valek crept closer. She dipped her hands into the water, pulling out handfuls of mud. He had a couple seconds to wonder what she planned, when she smeared the brown goo on her face, ears, and the back of her neck. Ah. That explained why she’d twisted her hair into a tight bun. But what of her bright red uniform shirt? Would she cover that in mud as well?
No. Instead, she stood and stamped a couple of boot prints into the stream’s bank and then retraced her earlier route. That was unexpected. He’d thought she’d walk into the stream in order to trick the dogs. It wouldn’t work for Porter’s dogs, they followed both air and ground scents, but she probably wasn’t aware of their unusual dual training.
Intrigued, Valek inched through the bushes and spotted her red tunic in the middle of her trail. Crouched over her backpack, she removed a few items. Too far to discern the objects, Valek waited. Soon enough, she tossed something up into the tree canopy only to catch it on the way down. He moved closer. She tried again. On her third attempt, Valek realized what she’d been doing. He pumped a fist, silently celebrating with her as her grappling hook snagged the branch of a Velvatt tree. A rope tied to the hook hung down from the thick limb.
Then he watched with growing admiration as she grabbed the cord and climbed about fifteen feet onto the branch with a lithe grace. He’d been far too quick to judge her this morning. The trail she had laid was a decoy for both teams. No one would suspect she had climbed into the trees. Because she used a rope, there would be no marks on the Velvatt’s smooth trunk. Smart. Very smart.
But what of her red uniform? Valek remained on the forest floor as she turned downwind and navigated through the treetops. He tracked her by the noise and by the flashes of red between the leaves. Yelena still had a head start so the rustling branches shouldn’t give her away, but it was only a matter of time before the others caught up.
After about a half hour, she stopped. Perched high above in a Cheketo tree, she was very hard to spot due to the large green circular-shaped leaves. About eight inches wide and spotted with brown, the leaves created an effective cover. All remained quiet and he approved of her hiding place. He would have liked her to be farther from the castle, but her current location would be hard to find unless the dogs managed to pick up her scent. Valek scanned the area. He’d need a comfortable spot to wait.
A ripping sound from above punctured the silence. Valek shifted to get a better view. Yelena stripped the big Cheketo leaves. Why would she expose her position? Confused, he watched.
As the reason for her actions became clear, his heart confirmed what the confusing emotions he’d been experiencing since the night of the fire festival meant. Confirmed what he’d been pushing away and denying. Confirmed that there was someone else besides the Commander that he would gladly die for. That a world without Yelena would be a world not worth living in. That he’d fallen in love with her.
Of course, he couldn’t confess to her any of his emotions. Loving her would only make her more of a target to his enemies, and he knew she didn’t feel the same way about him. Besides, she was too smart to fall for him. She’d just camouflaged her bright red uniform shirt with Cheketo leaves. Amazing.
Then she set off through the trees, heading east. This time, she moved slowly, keeping the noise to a minimum. Valek remained on the forest floor, tracking her. She spent the rest of the morning climbing from tree to tree. At times, she used her grappling hook to bring branches closer together. Others, she swung from tree to tree. Whenever he spotted her through the leaves, a wide smile always lit her face. Good for her. It made him happy to see her enjoying the exercise.
By lunch time, she reached a well-used road and stopped to eat. The east-west trail was one of the trading routes between Ixia and Sitia before the takeover. It should have grown over by now, but, by the recent ruts and broken branches, smugglers and black market dealers had been using it. Valek sighed. It never stopped. Never. He’d have to dispatch a team to lay in wait and arrest the caravans.
Valek munched on a piece of jerky as he considered the logistics of stopping the illegal activity. A subtle rustling noise sounded to his left, followed by a faint rasp. After a few more quiet swishes, Valek suspected Parffet’s trackers had caught up to Yelena. He waited.
“See anything?” a man asked.
Valek recognized the voice—Lieutenant Ari. Nice.
“No. All clear,” Janco said, sounding annoyed.
Both were closer to Valek than he’d suspected. Impressive skills, but not good enough to figure out their quarry sat just above their heads.
Eventually, they broke cover and stood in the middle of the road.
“Stupid idea, coming east. She’s probably at the southern border by now,” Janco grumbled.
“That’s what the dog boys figured, even though the hounds lost her scent,” Ari said.
Pride swelled in Valek’s chest. She’d confused the dogs.
“I don’t know if I follow the logic of going east,” Janco said.
Ari sighed. “You’re not supposed to follow the logic. The captain ordered us east; we go east. He seems to think she’ll head deeper into MD–5. Familiar territory for her.”
