Page 31 of The Study of Magic
Relieved, the Stable Master grasped it. “Ouch.” He jerked it away. “What was that?”
“The answer to both our problems,” Valek said, tucking the used dart into his left sleeve. It only took that one awful time, when he mixed up the empty darts with the full ones, for him to develop a system of keeping track.
The man wobbled and then slumped to the ground as the sleeping potion took effect.
* * *
By the time Valek finished getting Onyx ready, the day shift was awake, and the garrison hummed with activity. Did General Tesso really expect the Stable Master to stop Valek, or was the man a diversion? Interesting that none of the stable boys had reported to work yet. Was there a unit of soldiers lying in wait for him? And did Valek really have a choice? It was hard enough to sneak out on his own. Almost impossible with a horse. Unless…
Valek stared at the sleeping Stable Master as an idea formed. Pulling clothes off an unconscious person was awkward, difficult, and time consuming. However, Valek managed to change into the Stable Master’s uniform. It stank like sour milk and Valek had to tighten the belt.
He gathered Onyx’s reins and walked beside the horse as they left the stables. Striding with purpose and confidence, Valek headed toward the gate. He tried to keep Onyx between him and everyone else in case someone actually looked at him and not at the uniform. The requirement that everyone who lived in Ixia wear a uniform indicating their job was both a bane and a boon to Valek.
This time, it appeared to be working. No one stopped him or called a halt. Valek strode up to the gate and reached his first obstacle.
The lieutenant from last night stood in front of the gate with his arms crossed. “Nice disguise, but I’ve orders not to let you leave, sir.”
Valek sighed for many reasons. First, the man didn’t have his weapon drawn. Big mistake. Second, the ring of soldiers behind him also did not have their weapons out. Third, there was no one behind Valek. Fourth, no archers. Who trained these people? Did they just expect him to give up?
Since sneaking out was no longer an option, Valek mounted Onyx, turned him around and took off. Shouts followed. Valek waited a few seconds, then spun Onyx back toward the gate.
The shocked expressions of the guards, who had spread out in their pursuit with the faster ones in front, was comical. Valek charged them. Not many people were willing to block a two-thousand-pound animal running straight at them at full speed. Instead, they scattered, diving out of the way. Fun.
Onyx reached the gate and Valek held his breath. Would the horse balk at jumping over it? Heck of a time to find out. Without breaking his stride, Onyx launched, sailed over the barrier, and landed with a slight stumble. Valek grabbed his mane to keep his balance as Onyx righted and galloped away from the garrison.
Valek imagined General Tesso telling the other generals that a man without guilt wouldn’t have run. More evidence for his campaign to get Valek fired. He didn’t care what the generals thought. If Valek didn’t destroy the remaining Criollo, the Commander would kill him.
Which meant he needed to go to Tesso’s manor and confiscate the Criollo. Had the general warned his people at the house about Valek? Normally, he’d march right in and take what he needed. No questions asked. However, if the general said Valek wasn’t to be trusted or should be arrested, then the direct approach wouldn’t work. Valek would have to sneak in and contact his agents. Together, they’d have to steal and then dispose of the Criollo. Time consuming and difficult, but not as hard as swiping it from a garrison.
At least, Valek wouldn’t have a general countermanding his orders when he confiscated the Criollo from MD-5’s garrison. By then, he hoped to know who had sent those wagons and where else the cargo had been delivered.
Engrossed in his thoughts, Valek didn’t notice the three other riders heading for him until Onyx slowed. He groaned when he recognized Ari, Janco, and General Ute. If they truly wanted to be a part of his team, they needed to follow his orders. Both men looked properly terrified of Valek’s reaction. Good.
When he reached the group, Ute held her hand up. “I take full responsibility.”
Valek bit back a growl. “What happened?”
“When we reached the border of MD-4, it was guarded by soldiers. Captain Ari’s idea to scout ahead saved us from an ambush. We headed west to test a few more roads leading south, but all have been blocked. The new plan was to travel into MD-6 and then turn south, but Captain Janco found Onyx’s tracks and I decided we should attempt to rendezvous with you.”
“How did he know they were Onyx’s?” Valek asked her.
“It seems that horses’ hooves are not all identical.”
Valek glanced at Janco. The captain fought to keep his serious expression as a smirk twitched his lips.
“The border guards indicated that General Franis was able to get a message about us to General Tesso,” Ari said. “We didn’t think we had the…clout to get through their barriers.”
And Valek learned another lesson in not jumping to conclusions. They had avoided trouble and found him. Their skills as scouts certainly proved to be an asset to the mission. “You did the right thing,” he said to the trio. “And now you can help me run an errand before we head to MD-5.”
“Uh, what about the border patrols?” Janco asked.
“Don’t worry, I’ve plenty of clout,” Valek said, patting the side of Onyx’s neck.
Janco leaned close to Ari and whispered, “I think his definition of clout is different than yours.”
Valek raised an eyebrow.
Janco straightened. “What is the errand, sir?”
