Dawn Study (Soulfinders #3)(94)

“He’s not on horseback,” I said. “Fisk and Onora should be here soon.” Along with Valek, unless he was unable to ditch his pursuers.

Kiki pricked her ears back and turned. Onora and Fisk raced into view. She waved us on. “Go, go! The guards are right behind us.”

Damn. I hesitated. Valek hadn’t appeared. Where was he? I glanced at the kids and at Fisk’s pale face. We couldn’t wait.

“Fisk, mount Onyx. You take Valek’s role.”

Onora helped him into the saddle.

“All right, let’s go,” I ordered. The words sizzled on my tongue and seared down my throat.

The kids raced ahead of us. Just before we turned the last corner and would be in full view of the gate’s guards, we all paused. I hooked my right foot through the stirrup and swung my left leg over. I dropped the reins so they dragged on the ground and shifted until I clung to the side of the saddle, as if I was about to fall.

I signaled. Showtime. The guild members ran straight at the armed soldiers, screaming about a runaway horse just before Kiki burst into view. Onyx followed close behind, with Fisk bravely trying to grab Kiki’s reins and save the damsel in distress. I played my part by screaming for help and carrying on.

There were only a few guards at the gate. Valek had successfully drawn off the extras who had been stationed there. Did they catch him?

The men and women dove to the side when it became obvious they would be trampled by the horses if they didn’t. I tightened my hold and braced as Kiki broke through the gate in one powerful stride. A loud crack split the air, and splinters flew in all directions. Pinpricks of pain peppered my hands and face. I glanced back. Onyx and the kids poured from the Citadel like water breaking through a mud dam. The plan was to scatter once we were free and meet up later. Kiki slowed, and I pulled myself back into the saddle.

While elated that we’d rescued Fisk and the guild members, my heart burned for Valek. I tried not to get too upset. He might still be free but unable to leave the Citadel. Once I rendezvoused with Fisk and the others, I could wait for when Cahil and his group left to escort Zitora. He would have information on Valek’s whereabouts. Or Valek might even be hidden in his posse. A girl could hope.

The trip to Bavol’s farmhouse seemed to take an eternity. Since it was close to the plains, it would be an ideal hideout for a couple of days. Fisk and his people would need to move on in case Valek had been captured. The bitter taste of ashes coated my mouth at the thought.

It was dark by the time we reached the farm. Fisk and Onyx had beaten us there. Since the kids were on foot, it would take them longer to arrive. In the meantime, I lit one of the stable’s lanterns and tended to Kiki’s injuries. Cuts crisscrossed her chest, and thick wooden splinters protruded from her neck and legs. Blood ran down her front legs. Poor girl.

I rubbed a little of the watered-down medical Curare into her wounds first. Finding a pair of tweezers, I carefully tugged the pieces free from the cuts. Fisk groomed and settled Onyx before he joined me.

Limping slightly, he leaned against a beam. Lines of exhaustion etched his young face. Purple bruises stained his skin. His defeated posture said more than his haunted gaze.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”

“It is. I should have—”

“Stop right there. Should haves are a complete waste of time and energy. They can’t change the past. It happened. You learned a lesson. Now you know what not to do. That’s what you focus on for the future.”

He didn’t reply. After a while, I glanced at him. He rubbed his arm but stared into the night as if deep in thought.

I pulled the last splinter from Kiki’s copper coat, then washed her wounds before smearing on one of Leif’s healing salves. Thinking of Leif, I calculated the timing of his trip. My brother should have reached the jungle by now. Had our father started cultivating the spores?

The pain in my chest, which had died down to a smolder while I’d been distracted, flared to life once more. Would Valek divulge that information to the Cartel? He was resistant to goo-goo juice, but not to magic. And Cilly would take great delight in scrambling Valek’s brains as she searched for information. Revenge for killing her brother.

“Thank you.” Fisk interrupted my morose thoughts. “For...” He swept a hand wide. “Rescuing me, and getting my kids to safety. Despite the danger.”

“You’re welcome. Besides, it was my turn.” I touched his shoulder. “Tag, you’re it.”

That surprised a laugh from him. “I don’t know if I can top today. When I saw you hunched over, screaming about the baby, for a moment I actually worried you were going to squat down and pop the kid out right there in the lobby.”

Pop the kid out? If only it would be that easy. “Don’t worry. I’ve about two seasons to go.”

We shared a look as we both acknowledged the unspoken—if I survived that long. If any of us did.

Fisk wrapped his arms around his stomach. “I’m sorry about Valek.”

“Me, too, but he knew the risks. And he’s escaped worse situations. The man doesn’t know how to quit. And we shouldn’t, either.” Energized, I grabbed my saddle bags and headed for the house. “Come on. Your people are going to be hungry and thirsty when they arrive.”