Heli gathered her power. “Let me know when they’re close.” Aiming a powerful and narrow wind gust took a great deal of concentration and energy. She hoped to loop it around the house and strike them all with one mighty gust.

“Almost there...”

The gate squealed open.

Teegan gasped. “Father. Reema.”

19

YELENA

The bright mid-morning sunlight woke me from a dreamless sleep. I yawned and reached for Valek, but his side of the bed was empty. Alarmed, I sat up. It was a few hours past dawn; he should have returned by now. Shoving the blankets off, I dressed quickly and hurried to the small living room.

Onora stood by the window, staring down at the busy market. A pot of water steamed on the stone hearth.

“Has Valek reported in?” I asked her.

She turned. “Not yet.”

“Shouldn’t he be back by now?”

“It depends.” Onora didn’t appear to be worried. “He might be following a lead.” She strode to the hearth and nudged the pot closer to the burning coals with the toe of her boot. She must have been out early, because she only wore her boots when pretending to be a normal citizen.

Her lack of concern only increased mine. “What if he was caught?”

“Not much we can do about it right now. If he’s not back by this afternoon, I’ll visit the Council Hall and see if I can learn what happened.”

I’d planned to go to the Keep today, but I’d promised Valek to wait until he checked it out. Perhaps he ran into trouble there. Too many possibilities. I strode to the window, hoping to spot him among the shoppers.

“Have some tea.” Onora poured a cup. “Sit down. I’ll make you something to eat.”

“Are you bribing me?”

“Would you rather fret until you’re sick?”

“Yes,” I said peevishly.

“And will that change anything?” She answered for me. “No. And it isn’t good for the baby.”

Fine. I flopped down on an armchair like an adolescent and dust puffed up, making me sneeze. My emotions had been erratic lately. I’d accused Valek of overreacting, but I guessed he wasn’t the only one. “Sorry,” I said when she handed me the tea.

“No problem. Besides, you’re doing better than my aunt.”

Strange comment. “What do you mean?”

“My aunt sobbed through her entire pregnancy. Or so it seemed. She’d cry when she couldn’t find matching socks or when a bird flew into the window pane.”

“So I can blame the baby for my mood swings?”

“Yup. And she was absentminded and really goofy at times. She called it baby brain.”

That explained quite a bit.

“And swollen ankles. Hers blew up like melons.” She spread her hands to demonstrate the size.

Lovely. I wondered what other effects the baby would cause. “You know more than I do about this. Were you close to your aunt?”

“I...” Onora focused on slicing an apple. “She raised us after our mother died.”

I realized I didn’t know much about Onora’s past. I knew that she’d trained as an assassin, and she’d been abused by her commanding officer. Valek’s news that Sergeant Gerik was her brother had been a complete surprise. “Do you have other siblings?”

“No. Just the two of us.” She paused. “When my aunt and the baby both died in childbirth, my uncle kicked us out, so we joined the military.” She shrugged. “You know the rest.”

“Sorry to hear that.”

“It’s all in the past.” Her tone remained flat.

She wasn’t fooling me. I’d spent a couple years running from my traumatic past, and I recognized the signs. It would catch up to her eventually. I just hoped I’d be there to help her get through it once it did.

Onora set a plate full of ham and apple slices for us to share on the table between the armchairs. The table had been wiped down.

“You dusted. Thanks.”

She bit into a piece of ham. “I was bored.”

We ate the rest of the meal in silence. I kept glancing at the door, as if my will alone would cause Valek to appear.

“My aunt also had strange cravings for food,” Onora said. “One time, she sent me to the market for eggs—dozens of eggs. We ate omelets and scrambled eggs for a week straight.” She laughed at the memory.

“How long did you live with her?” All humor fled her face, and I wished I hadn’t asked the question.

“About six years. My dad left us a year before my mom died. She sickened with a lung infection, and by the time the medic determined the source, it was too late.” Onora stared into the past. “Same with my aunt. We lived too far from help, and my uncle wouldn’t let her travel to town when the baby was due. He said the midwife would do fine, even though both the midwife and my aunt thought the baby was breech.” Her shoulders stiffened, but then she drew in a quick breath as if she’d realized something. “Not that it will happen to you! Valek will have you surrounded by healers and medics. You don’t have to worry.”

I hadn’t thought that far ahead. Right now my priority was for Valek and me to survive the Cartel’s takeover. Once that happened, then I could focus on our future.

I checked the door. Still closed.

When Valek failed to show up by midafternoon, I decided I wasn’t waiting any longer. I touched up my disguise.