Page 46 of The Study of Poisons
Valek jogged to catch up. It was easy to follow the caravan. The men talked and laughed as the wooden wheels rattled over the stones. Small saplings and bushes thwacked the sides, adding to the din and masking his footsteps. All that noise meant they’d either bribed the border patrol guards or knew this section of the forest had been cleared of guards for the exercise.
Or it could be a shipment for Sven, which would explain their ease. However, the caravan was too far east to be for his agent. Valek guessed they were headed to MD-5. Almost all the major cities of Ixia had black markets, so that wasn’t a surprise.
The merchant’s ease also aided him, since the men didn’t bother scanning the surrounding forest for border guards. Nor did they glance behind them. Perhaps they had scouts, checking the route ahead. In that case, the scouts hadn’t seen Yelena and Valek in the trees. Then again, Valek hadn’t detected them either.
Regardless of why, Valek jogged up to the last wagon filled with those strange yellow pods. He plucked one from the moving wagon and examined it. It was roughly oval shaped, like an egg that had been elongated. Bigger than an egg, it was about eight inches long and four inches thick in the middle, with the ends tapering down to one inch. Valek hefted it—solid. It weighed about a pound.
He set it on the side of the road and hurried to pick four more, placing them along the route. Looking inside the burlap sacks would be trickier. Valek kept pace with the caravan until they stopped to water the mules. Fortunately, the drivers took buckets to a nearby stream. While they crashed through the bush, Valek cut open one of the sacks.
Brown rocks spilled out. Odd. He picked one up. It was a…bean? Perhaps a root vegetable. Only about the size of the top of his thumb, they smelled earthy and slightly acidic. Valek checked a bunch of the bags in the wagons. All carried the same thing. He found an empty sack and quickly scooped a handful of the mystery beans before the men returned.
Then he picked up the pods on his way back to Yelena, dropping them into the bag. He’d have to figure out what the items were and their purpose. And he needed to follow the caravan to learn their destination.
Yelena waited for him in the tree. He waved her down. As she descended, he noted her earlier grace had fled, and, when she dropped beside him with a thud, it confirmed her physical state. After spending almost an entire day climbing, the woman must be exhausted. She’d need to hold on a little longer.
He handed her the sack. She opened it, peered inside, and removed a pod to inspect it.
“How did you get these?” she asked, sounding a bit amazed.
“Trade secret.” Valek grinned, enjoying that he’d impressed her. “Getting the pods was easy, but I had to wait for the men to water their mules to look in the burlap sacks.”
She returned the pod to the bag and then dug deeper, drawing out a handful of the beans. “What’s this?”
“They’re from the sacks,” he explained. “I want you to take these back to Commander Ambrose. Tell him I don’t know what they are or where they came from, and I’m following the caravan to see where they’re going.”
“Are they doing something illegal?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. If these pods and beans are from Sitia, then yes. It’s illegal to trade with the south. One thing I do know, those men aren’t traders.” He waited to see if she’d ask how he’d known.
Her brows crinkled in that adorable way before they smoothed. “Their uniforms don’t fit. Borrowed maybe? Or stolen?”
Smart. “Most likely stolen. If you’re going to borrow a uniform, I would think you’d find one that fits.” Valek considered. The sun would soon set, and just the thought of Yelena alone in the forest at night sent a finger of dread down his spine. Then he remembered Ari and Janco. They should be nearby.
“Yelena, I want you to find those two men you saw this afternoon and have them escort you back to the castle. I don’t want you alone. If the magician plans on attacking you again, she’ll have to deal with two more, and I doubt she’d have the energy. Don’t tell anyone about your tree climbing, the magician, or the caravan. But give a complete report about everything to the Commander.”
“What about my antidote?”
He thought she’d be more interested in where the lieutenants were, but, then again, she was thinking further ahead, and perhaps she already knew their location. “The Commander keeps a supply handy. He’ll give it to you. And don’t worry about your incentive. You’ve earned every coin. When I get back, I’ll make sure you get it. Now, I need to keep moving or I’ll spend the rest of the night catching up to the caravan.” Although, he doubted he’d get any sleep. He turned to go.
“Valek, wait,” she said. “How do I find the others?”
Ah, there it was. “Just follow this path.” He pointed in the direction the wagons had come from. “I managed to shake them off my tail before I caught up with you. The soldiers were heading south-west; they’re probably staking out this trail. Technically, that’s the best strategy.”
Valek jogged away, but, once he was out of sight, he just couldn’t go further until he knew Yelena was safe. He looped back around and melted into the forest. With all the noise she made stamping on the gravel, he didn’t worry about his own. He closed the distance just as Janco shouted, broke cover, and tackled her.
“Got you!” Janco said.
Valek took a deep breath. The desire to chastise the lieutenant for being too rough, preferably with a smack to the back of the man’s head, pulsed in his heart.
“Isn’t that a bit much, Janco?” Ari asked.
Relieved Ari would be kinder, and that Yelena was safe, Valek retreated. He had to catch up with the caravan before it left the trail. Yet another puzzle to solve.
Valek finally reached the wagons late into the night. They had pulled off the road and stopped in a clearing. The six men sat around a campfire, talking. A campfire, whichshoulddraw the attention of the border patrols. Even with scouts, that was a bold move.
Using Yelena’s trick, Valek climbed a nearby tree and found a sturdy branch to sit on while he watched. He calculated the distance he’d traveled—roughly eight miles—and determined they were just far enough east to be out of the exercise zone.
As the night grew colder and the fire died, the men fell asleep wrapped in blankets. Valek chewed on half a piece of jerky and wished he’d brought more food and clothing along. At one point in his life, he’d carried everything he needed and owned in his pack. Ah, how times had changed. He hadn’t expected the exercise to take all day, let alone lead to an overnight mission, but that was no excuse for not being prepared.
