Page 67 of The Study of Fire
But it wouldn’t help if she was captured. Sudden heat scorched his heart. Yelena needed him, but not his strength. Odd. Regardless, he couldn’t wait until the room emptied. Valek climbed higher, reaching the windows. He opened one, climbed out, and hung from his fingertips until he found a couple toeholds.
With the cold wind whipping and his fingers turning numb, Valek mostly slid down the side of the building. He hit the ground hard, and pain jolted through his ankles. A few beggars gaped at him, but he didn’t care. He spun, getting his bearings. The Citadel’s guest quarters were about a block away. Despite the pain, he ran.
Except, he didn’t know which one was Gede’s. When he neared the row of buildings, he spotted a person. Valek just about tripped over his own feet when he recognized the stout man. Thank fate!
“Things went south at the council meeting,” Valek said to Leif. “Where is Yelena?”
Leif just stared at him in shock. But then a nearby window of one of the quarters lit up with a blazing firelight.
“Come on,” Valek ordered, running to the entrance.
Locked. He yanked his picks out and opened the door. Inside, a six foot tall fire roared. And standing too close to the flames were Moon Man and Yelena. She yanked on his shoulders, but Moon Man moved deeper into the fire, dragging Yelena with him.
Sitting cross-legged in front of the fire was Gede and two Sandseeds, but they made no move to help Yelena and Moon Man. Instead, they stood and blocked Valek and Leif from the fire.
Oh no you don’t.“Leif, save Yelena!” Valek tackled the closest Sandseed, knocking him into his friend.
“No, Leif!” Gede yelled. “Leave her alone. She’s in no danger. Yelena needs to learn.”
Leif ignored Gede and darted toward the flames. Valek fought the three men, using all his dirty fighting moves, slamming heads into the floor, and aiming for eyeballs. This wasn’t a friendly bout in the training yard. This was back alley brawling. He needed to keep them occupied.
Between punches, he checked on Leif’s progress. It seemed to take forever for him to pull Yelena away from the fire. She went limp, and Leif picked her up and headed for the door. Valek continued to fight, giving Leif time to find a safe hiding spot.
Valek tripped one of the Sandseeds, who went flying into a table. Only now did he notice all the furniture had been pushed to the edges of the room. He spotted a pewter candlestick, grabbed it, and promptly used it to bludgeon the remaining two men. They crumbled. Knocked down but not out, Gede pressed a hand to his temple and moaned.
Taking a moment to catch his breath, Valek scanned the room. The fire had returned to a normal size. Moon Man had disappeared. Yelena’s cloak and pack sat near the door. He picked them up and left.
It didn’t take long to find Leif and Yelena. Leif had only gone a few blocks before hiding in an alley. He sat next to Yelena’s prone form.
“Is she all right?” Valek asked, crouching next to her. He smoothed a strand of black hair from her face and checked her pulse. It beat against his fingertips.
“Yes, she’s breathing. I had to cut off her air. She wouldn’t let go of Moon Man, and he was being sucked deeper into the fire. What the hell is going on?”
“You tell me. Was that the Fire Warper in the fire?”
“I think so. He must have been pulling Moon Man. No way he’d go into the fire on his own.”
Valek set down Yelena’s pack and cloak. “Leave the Citadel as soon as Yelena wakes. Meet me two miles south of the Citadel.”
“But we need our horses and?—”
“Donotreturn to the Keep foranyreason. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” Valek had much to do before the night was done.
He returned to the Keep. The stables were located in the northwest, right next to Irys’s tower. He had hoped to beat the search for Yelena, but guards filled the campus. Dodging and avoiding the patrols, Valek managed to gather some supplies from Yelena’s room before he headed to the dark stables.
Two guards stood in front of the double barn doors. Pulling out his blow pipe and darts, he shot them in their necks. After a count of ten, they wobbled and fell asleep. He dragged them into an empty stall.
Taking a risk, he lit one lantern. The light woke the horses, and they peered over their stall doors.
Valek spotted Kiki right away. Janco called her the magic horse. And for once, he wasn’t exaggerating. Intelligence shone from her blue eyes, and he had witnessed her do extraordinary things.
“I need to saddle you and Rusalka,” he said to her. “Yelena and Leif needed to leave the Citadel in a hurry. Will you help me?”
Kiki dipped her head and opened her stall door with her teeth. Guess that was a yes. With her help, he saddled them both, filling their bags with feed and supplies for a five-day trip.
