The remaining four figures waited out of range. Confused, Valek peered at them. Why hadn’t they joined in the fight?

“Excellent,” a man’s deep voice said. “You fought despite the odds.”

“Which could have been worse,” Valek said, gesturing to the four.

“That would have been unfair.”

“And attacking me in the middle of the night wasn’t?”

“No. You are trespassing on our lands.” He stepped closer. A foot taller than Valek, his onyx-colored skin was bare. Glancing at Ziva’s prone form, he frowned and magic pulsed in the air. Ziva stirred.

“We thought we would have to fight both of you.” Powerful muscles sculpted the Sandseed’s body. “Why are you here, Ghost Warrior?”

“Ghost?”

“Magic does not see you, therefore you cause a dead space in our protective web. Tell me why we should not exterminate you?”

“Because he is on a Jaydai Quest,” Ziva said, coming to and sitting up.

“He is not Sandseed,” their leader said. “It does not apply to him.”

“The quest is for a Sandseed cousin,” she said.

“Is he worthy of the honor?” The big man closed his eyes. A bubble of magic exploded from him.

Knives rained from the air, all headed toward Valek. With a combination of instinct, skill and luck, he dodged, ducked and deflected the blades. His arms stung with multiple cuts, but he suffered no major injuries.

The Sandseed smiled. “A true warrior. Go with our goodwill and save our Zaltana cousin.”

The visitors left without sound. Valek waited for the return of the protective magic, but the air remained clear.

“Do I want to know what a Jaydai Quest is?” Valek asked Ziva.

“No. It’s better you don’t.”

“Interesting people.”

“You have no idea.”

They encountered no more trouble as they finished their journey to Delip. The immense snowcapped Emerald Mountains formed a gorgeous backdrop to the tiny town. A quick survey revealed Tam hadn’t arrived yet. They rushed to set their plan in motion.

* * *

His disguise in place, locals paid off and Ziva on lookout, Valek mucked out the stables with no qualms. All was ready.

When Ziva slipped through the side door and hid, he continued to fill the wheelbarrow with soiled straw. The drumming of hooves grew louder and stopped. A creak of leather and a jingle of metal indicated the rider dismounted. Valek scooped another shovelful.

“Boy, come get this saddle,” Tam ordered. Annoyance laced his voice.

Valek turned. His disguise was adequate, but wouldn’t hold under close scrutiny. “Sorry, sir. Busy day.” He rushed to loosen the straps.

Ignoring him, Tam scanned the almost-filled stables. “Got some visitors, I see. Anything new?” His tone was casual, but Valek could sense the tension.

“Yes, sir. You missed the commotion.”

Tam’s gaze snapped to him. “Really?”

“Yes, sir. The infamous Valek was spotted nearby last night. Caused a panic.”

The assassin’s confusion lasted a mere second before he drew his sword. “Are you sure it was him, boy? ”

Tam’s skills with a sword were formidable. Valek didn’t care to engage him in a sword fight. And he held far too much respect for his old colleague not to allow him a fair match. So Valek stared past Tam’s shoulders and let fear show on his face as he backed up.

Too smart to turn his back on Valek, Tam smirked. “Come on, give me a little credit.”

“Why should I, Tam?” Ziva said in Valek’s voice. She stood behind the assassin. Tam shifted to the side so he could see both of them. Ziva’s magic thickened the air. She looked and sounded exactly like Valek. Her special skill.

“You ambushed me with twelve locals. I figured your one-on-one skills have gotten rusty.” Ziva brandished a sword.

Tam immediately forgot about the “stable boy” and stepped to meet her attack. Valek moved. Coming from behind, he pressed his knife into Tam’s throat.

“Drop your weapon,” Valek said.

Tam’s sword clattered to the ground. Ziva picked it up and released her disguise. The assassin grunted with surprise. Valek pushed him away and threw a knife at him.

Snatching it from the air, Tam grinned. “Cocky aren’t you? Considering I taught you everything you know about knife fighting.”

They circled each other, searching for an opening. Well matched, Tam countered his thrusts with ease. Then Valek stepped up the pace, increasing the speed of his attacks. Tam scrambled to block.

“Yelena has taught me a few tricks,” Valek said as he followed a jab with a spinning kick, knocking Tam’s knife from his hand.

“Wait,” Tam panted. He pulled a folded paper from his pocket. “Yelena’s execution order. Take it. I won’t go after her again.”

“I know you won’t.” Valek’s arm blurred as he threw his knife into Tam’s throat.

The assassin gurgled once and collapsed.

“Ziva, could you take the paper and put it in my saddlebags?”

She shot him a questioning glance, but he wasn’t about to explain his unwillingness to touch the order.

“Time to go,” he said. “We should be well away before Yelena’s group arrives.”

Shock bleached Ziva’s face. “Don’t you want to see her? Tell her…?”