Night Study (Soulfinders #2)(111)

I set the pot down quietly, slid from the bed and crept closer to the open door in order to hear them better.

“...new information about the Commander,” Bruns said. He repeated all the intel he’d stolen from me. “Seems the Commander might make his move after the Ixian Fire Festival.”

“How did you learn all this?” Cahil asked.

“From a reliable source.”

Ah. Interesting.

“That means nothing. Valek has spies all over Sitia. I wouldn’t trust—”

“Yelena Zaltana provided it,” Bruns said with an annoyance that bordered on anger.

“Now I know it’s fake. She’d never—”

“She’s in my custody.” Again the clipped tone.

Silence. “Is it true? About her magic?”

“Yes, and that makes her just as susceptible to Theobroma as everyone else.”

Cahil huffed. “She won’t ever be like everyone else. Don’t ever underestimate her.”

“She is in our control,” Bruns almost growled.

And then I realized, I’d left the bed despite Loris’s order. His command pulled at me, but it’d been reduced to an uneasy feeling, as if it was starting to wear off.

“Then I suggest you don’t wipe her mind.”

“Why not? She’s dangerous. You said so yourself.”

“If she’s cooperating with you, then use her. There isn’t another person in Sitia with her unique knowledge of Ixia’s security and the Commander. I’d bet she’d have good ideas about how the Commander plans to attack. Think about it. She’s been working as the Liaison for years. Plus dating Valek.” Cahil spat Valek’s name as if it tasted rancid in his mouth.

“Not anymore,” Bruns said.

A pause. A long pause. “What do you mean?”

“They’re married and are going to have a baby.”

I bit my thumb, waiting for Cahil’s reaction. At one point in our relationship, he’d hoped for more than friendship.

“I see.” Cahil’s flat tone said more than his words.

“Now there’s more at stake than her own life,” Bruns said. “Which ensures her continued cooperation.”

“Is there anything else?” Cahil asked.

“Yes. Where are we with the other garrisons?”

“We have taken over control of the ones in Moon, Featherstone and Greenblade. Master Magician Bain Bloodgood and the Councilors have been relocated to safety in the base in Greenblade’s lands. Master Magician Irys Jewelrose is at the Featherstone Clan’s, along with the stronger magicians. We believe the Commander’s army will head straight for the Citadel.”

“Have the magicians along the border with Ixia reported any activity?”

“Not yet. They each check in at dawn via the super messengers.”

“Send them orders to keep an eye out for Valek.”

Another longish pause. “You don’t know where he is?”

“He’ll be coming here regardless. I’d just like some notice on the timing.”

“From my experience, he’s probably already here, hidden among your soldiers with a dozen of his corps. And if he isn’t, he can cross the border without alerting anyone. If I was you—”

“You’re not. We have the situation well in hand.”

“All right. Then I’ll go check in with the garrison commander.”

Boots shuffled on the floor.

“Cahil,” Bruns called.

I imagined Cahil looking over his shoulder with his hand on the door.

“Yes?”

“What would you do in my place?” Bruns asked.

“I’d put a big bow on Yelena and deliver her to the Commander. It would keep both her and Valek in Ixia. Plus she’d hinder the Commander’s efforts. Yelena wouldn’t want war, and she’d do everything she could to stop him from invading.”

Actually, that was rather smart. Cahil had matured since I’d seen him last.

“I’ll think about it,” Bruns said.

The door clicked shut. I returned to the bed, sliding under the covers. After that charged conversation, I suspected Bruns would want to peek in and make sure I’d remained asleep and under his control. I lay on my side, facing the wall with my eyes closed, just in case.

A heel scuffed the stone nearby. I kept my breathing deep and even, only relaxing once Bruns’s office chair squeaked under his weight.

I mulled over all I’d learned as I nibbled on the ham. It had a glaze that tasted Theobroma-sweet. It didn’t sound as if Cahil was being influenced by Theobroma and magic. He might have volunteered, or he could even be a member of the Cartel. I wondered if Bruns kept a list of the Cartel members in his desk. Probably not—he didn’t strike me as someone who made stupid mistakes. No, he was smart enough to ask Cahil what he’d do about me.

And I would be happy to go to Ixia. But Cahil also said to use me first. Not that I really knew the Commander. Other than his secret, I hardly knew him at all. The man was intelligent, cunning and had the brilliant strategy and forethought to plan and then execute the takeover of Ixia.

The takeover of Ixia. I clutched the sheets as I repeated those words.

The.

Takeover.