He’d faced ten. Nothing left to do but surrender. Fear was a pale shadow compared to the regret that pulsed in his heart for failing to rejoin Yelena. Except Onora had appeared from nowhere. She ambushed a couple guards, and Valek couldn’t let her have all the fun.

He ignored Yelena’s squawk of protest and continued the story. It hadn’t taken long to realize five armed opponents exceeded his fighting skills. “A blow to my ego.”

When the knife had sliced into his back, he’d yanked power, flinging his magic away from him in a blind panic and flattening the guards to the ground.

“A mini flameout?” Yelena asked him.

“No idea, love. By the time I came to my senses, Onora was gone. I clutched magic to my chest and ran until I couldn’t.” He reached for her. And since he no longer relied on his magic to heal, she laced her fingers through his. “Then the nagging started.”

She huffed and tried to yank her hand from his grip.

He tightened his hold. “It saved my life. Thank you.” Valek kissed her knuckles.

Fisk laughed. “Power nagging. I love it.” He paused. “Don’t tell my mother.”

“Where’s Onora?” Valek asked. “I need to thank her, too.”

Both Yelena and Fisk sobered. He braced for bad news, but Fisk’s report wasn’t all doom.

“She’s quite capable of avoiding capture,” Valek said.

“What if she tries to assassinate Bruns?” Yelena asked.

“She’ll probably succeed. Why are you upset? It would derail the Cartel’s plans.”

Yelena sat on the edge of his bed. “I’m worried about her soul.” She looked down at their clasped hands. “Killing another changes a person.”

He squeezed her fingers. “I know. Onora will have to decide what to do. If she kills Bruns and manages to escape, then it’s a good thing most of her friends understand exactly what she sacrificed in order to save others.”

Yelena’s expression grew thoughtful. He wondered what she mulled over. Before he could ask, she released his hand and stood.

“You need to rest.” Yelena pulled the blankets up to his chest. “You have to regain your strength.”

“I sleep better when you’re with me, love.” He patted the bed beside him.

“And that’s my signal to go.” Fisk paused in the threshold. “My kids are bored and want to help. What should I tell them?”

Valek exchanged a glance with Yelena. She nodded.

“Send them to the three northern garrisons. When the Theobroma starts to wear off, they’ll be in position to help spread the word,” Valek said.

“Spread the word about what?”

“To listen to the Master Magicians and follow their orders.”

“What will be their orders?”

Valek tried to shrug, but it still hurt too much. “I don’t know. We haven’t figured that out yet. Let me know if you have any ideas.”

Fisk just muttered as he left.

“Can you contact the Masters?” Yelena asked.

He touched the super messenger. It sat on the bedside table, just in case he needed it. Magic hummed inside, but how much was left? “I hope so.” Valek considered. “Bruns told Zitora that all these had been destroyed, but we know he’s been using them—and he has Quinn, who can recharge them.”

“You want to steal one?”

“Or two or three or—”

“I get it.” She perched on the edge of the bed and pulled off her boots. “We can see if there are any in the Greenblade garrison when we free the Councilors.”

That reminded him. “How long have I been out of it?”

She stripped down to her underclothes. “It’s close to the middle of the heating season. We’ve been here for ten days.”

Shocked, he sat up. “Ten...” But his head spun, and his muscles shook.

Yelena tsked and pushed him back down. “You almost died. Even with using magic, you can’t recover that fast.” Sliding into bed with him, she snuggled close.

“We need to leave soon.” There wasn’t much time left.

“When you’re healthy.” Her tone implied it was not up for discussion.

He lay there, staring at the ceiling. A few dusty cobwebs hung in the corners. Depending on how well-guarded they were, it could take days or weeks to plan and then execute the Councilors’ rescue. Then they would need at least a week for the Councilors to recover their free will.

“Stop fretting,” Yelena said. “Rest.”

When he didn’t relax, she took his hand and placed it on her slightly bulging belly. Even through her undershirt, he felt the baby’s movements. Amazing.

“A little over halfway,” she said.

That scared him. So much to do before they were safe. He tensed again.

“What do you think? Boy or girl?” she asked.

Ah. A classic distraction technique, but he played along. “Girl.”

“Why?”

“Because she already takes after you, love.”

“How’s that?”

“From the very beginning, she’s been in the middle of the action, causing trouble.”

“Ha. I think it’s a boy, because of all your brothers. Your parents had six boys and one girl. The odds are good for a boy.”

“And for twins,” he said.

She pushed up on her elbow, looking a bit panicked. “No. Teegan said ‘two healthy heartbeats.’”