“He’s safe, too.” Another hour passed as he filled her in on their efforts to thwart the Cartel and Teegan’s role. “We need to figure a few things out first, but I hope we can stop them before they take over all of Sitia.”

“We need to warn Nic and Eve and—” She gasped. “Zitora!”

His heart banged against his chest. “Did you find Zitora?”

“Yes, and she’s on her way to the Citadel. We had no clue what’s been going on with this Cartel. If we don’t stop her, she’ll be caught by them!”

15

JANCO

Yelena jerked as if slapped. “My cousin Nutty? Are you sure?”

Janco hated to be the bearer of bad news. He swallowed the sour taste in his mouth. “Yeah. I never forget a face.”

“Except the guy you saw in the Greenblade forest,” Ari muttered.

Esau leaned forward in his saddle. “Why is that bad news? Nutty is more than capable of caring for the plants.”

“It’s bad because she might be working for the Cartel or for the Master Gardener,” Yelena said.

“She’s not working for them,” Esau said with conviction.

“We can ask her,” Onora said. “She’s alone, and there are six of us.”

True. Although they only needed two of them. He and Onora would have no trouble sneaking up on her. The tall grass of the Avibian Plains made an effective camouflage.

“What if there are others hiding behind an illusion?” Ari asked.

Janco brandished his null shield pendant. “No chance.”

“How about hiding inside the glass hothouse?”

“It’s too small for more than a couple. And we can handle more than a couple.”

“How small?” Esau asked, sounding disappointed.

Janco opened his mouth to reply, but Yelena said, “All right. Let’s go ask.”

Janco mounted The Madam and guided her to the clearing in the plains. A small hut sat next to the glass hothouse. The door to the hut creaked open. He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. Both Onora and Ari also braced for action.

Nutty glanced out. Her maple-colored hair had been pulled back into a ponytail. She scanned the riders, and with a whoop of joy, she sprinted straight for them.

“Yelena! Uncle Esau! I’m so glad to see you.” Nutty beamed at them. She skidded to a stop next to Yelena and bounced on the balls of her bare feet. “I’ve been so homesick.”

“What are you doing here?” Yelena asked.

Confusion dimmed her smile. “Helping Bavol. Didn’t he tell you?”

“No.”

“Didn’t he send you? He said he would send someone...but that was a while ago.”

“No. He’s been...preoccupied. Why don’t you fill us in?”

She bit her lip and gazed at Onora and then Ari and Janco. The girl—well, not technically a girl, as she was about twenty-three years old—had freckles sprinkled over a small nose, which she crinkled as she peered at Yelena. “Um...they’re from Ixia.”

Considering both he and Ari had been in Sitia for a while and had tanned in the southern sun, she was rather observant. Janco approved.

“They’re trustworthy,” Yelena said.

But she still appeared uncertain. Janco didn’t blame her. They all sat on their horses, staring down at her. If it’d been him, he’d have barricaded himself in that hut by now.

As if reading his thoughts, Esau dismounted. “Come on, Nut. Show me what’s growing in that fabulous glass hothouse of yours.”

Nutty perked right up. “Isn’t it grand?”

“Whose idea was it to build it with glass?”

“Bavol’s, I think.” She shrugged her thin shoulders. “It was already built when I came here to help.” Nutty led him to the hothouse and they disappeared inside.

“Should we follow them?” Onora asked Yelena.

“No. Esau will find out as much as possible. Let’s take care of the horses.”

Esau and Nutty remained in the hothouse while they groomed horses and set up camp. The late afternoon sunlight reflected off the glass, and Janco strained to see any movement inside.

“Do you think she jumped him?” he asked Onora in a whisper. “Should we go in there?”

“Leave them be,” Mara said, talking for the first time since they’d arrived. “Esau gets distracted when surrounded by plants.”

“And you’re not getting out of your turn to cook supper,” Onora added.

Janco suppressed a sigh over the lack of action. Filling a pot with water, he set it on a few hot embers to boil for Yelena’s tea. He knew how to make one meal—rabbit stew. He sorted through their meager travel rations. Ugh. Nothing even resembling meat. His stomach growled just thinking about fresh, juicy—

“Here.” Ari handed him a bow and a small quiver full of arrows. “Make yourself useful.”

Janco sprang to his feet. “You know me so well.”

“I’ll help,” Onora said, joining him.

“I’m quite capable of hunting on my own.” He slung the quiver onto his back.

“I’ll flush prey into the open. It’ll go faster.”

“The prey in this case are rabbits, not humans. Do you even know how to hunt animals?”

Her expression turned flat. “The Commander isn’t the only person who has killed a snow cat. I’m sure I can handle a couple rabbits.” She strode into the tall grasses without looking back.