“Pearls form in oysters.”

“Oysters, clams...” He waved dismissively. “It’s all seafood. You know what I meant.”

I did. Yet, I wasn’t as certain about the gem inside the hard exterior.

Valek and Kiki returned after breakfast. We joined him in the stable. “What’s the buzz?” Janco asked without preamble.

“No sign of Owen.” Valek swung a leg over and dismounted.

“Is that good or bad?” Janco asked.

“You tell me.”

Janco paused. “Bad. They could be anywhere. What about the local patrols?”

“They haven’t encountered anything unusual in the last couple of days.”

Nor had any of the other patrols we’d encountered the past three days. “Maybe Owen hasn’t traveled this far yet,” I said. “That’s a possibility,” Valek agreed. “Are you ready to go?”

We gathered our supplies and mounted. As we traveled, I considered another explanation for no signs of Owen. Perhaps he had used magic to erase the patrolmen’s memories. Could he erase memories without Loris and Cilly Cloud Mist’s help? I remembered that the three of them had each picked one of us to restructure our memories so we’d forget. Which meant he could. And then it hit me. He’d also mentioned inserting new ones.

Then why would he be careless enough to let that miner see him and the others? Why not erase the teen’s memories?

I snagged on an idea. “Holy snow cats!”

The others slowed their horses and turned to me, waiting.

I rushed to explain, “That boy, Lewin, said he saw Owen three nights before we talked to him. What if Owen planted that memory and it wasn’t really three nights, but longer? In that case, Owen, Rika and Tyen might have reached the Commander by now.”

8

VALEK

Alarmed, Valek stopped Onyx. The real possibility that Owen and the others had reached the Commander sent an icy pulse through his heart. “Holy snow cats, indeed.”

“It’s pure conjecture,” Onora said.

“Based on Yelena’s knowledge of Owen,” Valek said.

Kiki moved closer to Onyx, and Yelena put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry I didn’t remember about his ability to plant new memories sooner.”

He covered her hand with his own and squeezed. “Trying to outguess your enemy is all part of the fun, love.”

“Oh, so that’s what we’ve been doing? Having fun? Who knew?” she teased.

“Gee, Valek, you ought to show your girl a better time if she doesn’t even know what fun is,” Janco said.

“All right,” he agreed, getting into the spirit. “Next time, love, I’ll take you along on a raid.”

“Oh my.” Yelena fanned her face with a hand. “Slow down, handsome, or I might swoon from all the excitement.”

Even though she smiled, it did nothing to dispel the dark smudges lining her green eyes and her sunken cheeks. She hadn’t been eating or sleeping well. But once they reached the castle, he’d ensure she got plenty of both.

“The castle, Kiki. As fast as possible. Please,” Yelena said.

He spurred Onyx, following Kiki. Janco and Onora rode close behind him. On horseback, the trip would take two full days if they stopped to sleep, a day and a half if they didn’t. The decision would be Kiki’s. She understood their desire to hurry while she also knew not to exhaust or injure the horses.

Kiki stopped for water around midnight, and Valek decided they should get a few hours of sleep. Nothing good would come from them arriving at the castle completely drained and useless.

“There should be a patrol west of us,” he said to the group. “We can overnight with them. That way we all can sleep.”

“Hoorah.” Janco pumped his fist.

Kiki found the patrol an hour after midnight. Their unexpected arrival caused a considerable stir, and Valek had to explain and soothe the nerves of the young lieutenant in charge. Another hour passed before they spread their bedrolls.

Teetering on the edge of sleep, Valek was roused by Janco’s voice.

“Just for the record, holy snow cats is my line,” he said. “You need to find your own.”

“And you had to tell us this now?” Onora grumbled.

“I thought it was important. I don’t like people stealing my lines.”

“It’s a compliment, you dolt. Did you ever think of that?”

“No.”

“Not quite the boy genius over there. Make sure to put that in the record.”

With Yelena sleeping in his arms, and Janco trading insults with Onora, Valek enjoyed a moment of peace. He suspected he wouldn’t get many more once they reached the castle.

* * *

The guards at the castle’s east gate reported no suspicious activity in the past two weeks. No surprise. If Owen had breached the walls using magic, no one would have spotted him.

After riding all day, the horses needed to be cared for. Yelena and Janco volunteered to take them to the stables while he and Onora checked on the Commander. At this late hour, he had probably retired for the night, but Valek didn’t care.

They raced to the Commander’s apartment. Two members of his detail stood outside his door.

“It’s been quiet, sir,” Private Berk said to Valek. “But he’s probably still awake.”

Valek exchanged a glance with Onora. She held her hands close to her daggers. He knocked on the door and a faint “Come in” sounded. They entered, ready to fight if needed.