I smiled at him. “That’s so sweet of you to ask. It was a minor sprain. Nothing a good night’s sleep couldn’t take care of.”

“Wonderful. Leif tells me you’ve changed your mind about me,” Bruns said.

It about killed me, but I stretched my lips wider and beamed at him. “Yes, I was being so silly. I mean, once I thought about it, I wondered why I would protect the Commander when he fired me as the Liaison.”

“Oh? I hadn’t heard that. Let’s go to my office and have a little chat.”

“All right.”

With his arm linked in mine as if we were old friends, he led me to the main administration building in the center of the garrison. Before entering, Bruns ordered my goons to remain outside. As we climbed to the top floor, I searched my memory for any bits of information that I could give to Bruns about the Commander.

We arrived at a waiting room, complete with a pretty secretary. She handed him a stack of papers and mentioned a number of people who had been looking for him.

“I’ll deal with them later. Can you bring us a pot of tea, please?”

She jumped to her feet. “Yes, sir.”

Opening a door behind her desk, Bruns escorted me into his vast office. It occupied the rest of the fifth floor. The sleek furniture was made of ebony wood. My boots sank into lush carpets, and the opulent paintings had gold frames. Floor-to-ceiling windows covered the entire back wall. Unable to resist, I gazed at the view. Sunlight glinted off the Jade Sea in the distance. Right below were the training yards and armory.

“Did you buy the garrison?” I asked, pressing my hand on the glass.

“No. Councilor Krystal agreed that we needed to prepare for war and offered it to me.”

“How many other Councilors are helping you?”

“I believe I’m supposed to be asking the questions.” Bruns’s voice held a dangerous tone.

Uh-oh. I turned. “Sorry! I shouldn’t ask such obvious questions. Of course all the Councilors support you. You’re going to save Sitia.”

Bruns relaxed. “Sit down, Yelena.”

I sat in one of the leather armchairs. The dark maroon color reminded me of dried blood. Bruns tossed the papers on his desk before sitting across from me.

“Do you know where Valek is?” he asked.

An easy question. “Not exactly. When we parted, he was headed to the coast of MD-1 to deal with Storm Thieves.”

“How long ago was that?”

I calculated. “Twenty-three days.”

“Do you think that’s enough time for him to finish?”

“I don’t know. It depends on how smart the thieves are.”

“Is it possible that he followed you to Sitia instead of going to the coast?”

“Uh...” That would mean he’d lied to me. Valek might not tell me everything, but he wouldn’t lie to me. “It’s possible, but not probable.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you’re still alive.” Even though it was the truth, I regretted the comment as soon as it left my mouth.

Bruns stilled. “I see.”

Thank fate his secretary entered with the tea. She set the tray on the table between us and poured two cups.

“Thank you, Tia.”

She gave him a bright smile and left the room.

“Shall we toast?” Bruns picked up his cup.

I grabbed the other and held it up.

“To honesty, no matter how brutal,” he said.

An odd toast, but I tapped my cup against his and sipped the hot liquid, which tasted strongly of Theobroma. I set it down.

Bruns questioned me about losing my magic and what I’d learned. Again, I didn’t see a reason to lie. “I’ve no idea what happened.”

We discussed potential causes. I’d explored all of them before, but I figured my openness would reinforce my I’m-on-your-side act.

“Is there something wrong with the tea?” Bruns asked.

“It’s a little too hot.”

“It should have cooled by now.”

I picked it up and sipped a tiny bit. “You’re right.” Holding the cup, I rested my right arm in my lap.

Bruns surged to his feet. “Do you really think I’m an idiot?”

“Excuse me?”

“Your guides are very observant. It didn’t take us long to guess why Leif always brought food to your room. I suspected when you first woke. As the Commander’s food taster, you must have a sensitive palate. You can stop the act.” Without warning, he grabbed my left wrist and pain pierced my forearm.

A dart was stuck in my skin. “What...?”

“I believe you call it goo-goo juice. Leif unarmed you while you were sleeping and gave me all your nasty darts filled with Curare, sleeping potion and goo-goo juice.”

My head spun as fear clawed my stomach. I set the tea on the table to avoid spilling it in my lap.

Bruns knelt in front of me. “Now, let’s talk.”

26

VALEK

Valek stared at his father and then at the young man next to him. The one who resembled his dead brother Vincent. Or rather, how he would have looked if Vincent had lived four or five more years. And it clicked why Zohav and Zethan seemed so familiar. His parents had more children after he’d left.

Strong emotions strangled Valek, rendering him mute. He hadn’t seen his father since he was thirteen and left to seek revenge for the murder of his brothers. Since his parents told him never to return.