Assassin's Bond (Chains of Honor, Book 3) Read online

  Dak stuck his arm behind his head and gazed up at the ceiling. Yanko had expected him to object promptly and say that he couldn’t deviate from searching for Zirabo, so he found it encouraging that he appeared to be thinking it over.

  “You have any idea how they’re keeping all those mages imprisoned on an island?” Dak asked. “I could see soldiers with rifles being sufficient to keep normal people detained, given the right setup, but it’s hard to imagine one mage not being able to escape from such a situation, much less hundreds.”

  “I don’t know, no, but all it would take is more powerful mages to keep lesser mages imprisoned.”

  “Powerful mages that don’t sleep?”

  “Maybe they sleep in shifts.” Yanko spread his hands. “Maybe they hired a Turgonian engineer to build a prison that even mages couldn’t escape.”

  Dak grunted. “It’ll be my duty to get a copy of those blueprints for Turgonia then.”

  “Whatever gets you to join me in helping break these people out.”

  Dak looked over at him again. “You think your family is there?”

  Er, had he shared that? Or could Dak simply guess at his motivations?

  “I do,” Yanko admitted. “And that does motivate me more to help them, but I genuinely believe we could get a lead on Zirabo if we had access to that many people. I could use your help because, as you pointed out, whatever is keeping a bunch of mages imprisoned is likely to be a problem for anyone trying to break them out. I was joking when I said a Turgonian engineer might have designed the place, but I’m sure a Turgonian engineer could help take it down.”

  “You should be sweet-talking Professor Hawkcrest then.”

  “I have heard that it would only take a few biscuits to win his love.”

  “Do Nurians know how to make biscuits?”

  Yanko opened his mouth.

  “Without rice in them?”

  “Uhm, is rice flour allowed?”

  Dak sighed and shook his head. A couple of long moments passed, and Yanko sensed a rejection coming.

  “I was sent to find a missing royal diplomat, Yanko. I can’t get Turgonia involved in Nuria’s war.”

  “You and piles of your agents are over here now. How is that not getting involved?”

  “I didn’t know that myself and two agents qualified as a pile.”

  “Turgonians are large. You’re a pile all by yourself, Dak. Besides,” Yanko hurried on before he could retort, “can you really tell me that the two agents I’m aware of are the only two you have over here?”

  “No, but our agents observe. They don’t get involved.”

  “Your bruised knuckles suggest otherwise.”

  “There weren’t a thousand witnesses to me bruising them,” Dak said.

  “Dak…” Yanko leaned forward, lacing his fingers together. “If you can’t help with this, I understand. I believe this is the right thing for me to do right now, so I plan to go. If you are willing to come… I’ll take all the blame if we’re caught. I’ll say I used my magic to convince you to assist me. I’m sure my people don’t know about your mage-hunter training and would believe that.”

  “I’m more concerned about answering to my people.”

  “I—oh. I don’t suppose it would sway you if I said Consul Tynlee already agreed to take us.”

  Dak lurched to a sitting position. “She what?”

  “Assuming the captain knows where the island is located.”

  “Yanko, we have no idea which faction is going to come out on top. What if it’s the Swift Wolves? Not only would you be risking her ship, but you’d be risking her career, if not her life.”

  Yanko noticed that Dak was a lot more distressed about the idea of her life and career being risked than his own.

  “I’m willing to claim I manipulated her into helping too,” Yanko said, tapping his temple, “though I might have a harder time convincing people I’m strong enough to control an accomplished mind mage.” He shrugged. He was willing to try his best to sway people.

  “So all that’s required of us is that we hold our tongues and relinquish our honor.” Dak looked like he was sucking a lemon.

  “For the greater good,” Yanko said, though he understood the objection. He would also be uncomfortable lying, even if it was a lie of omission.

  “For your greater good.”

  Yanko could lie, saying that he had heard that the prince was there. But then he would be impinging upon his own honor. Besides, Dak wouldn’t believe him if he only now threw that out there.

  “This ship doesn’t even have weapons,” Dak said after several minutes passed.

  Yanko blinked. Did that mean he was contemplating it?

  “It has mages,” Yanko offered, thinking that would be more likely to sway him than mentioning the bronze cannon in the life-jacket cabinet.

  “Wonderful,” Dak muttered and rolled out of his bunk. He walked out of the cabin without another word.

  Yanko had a feeling he’d won his help. Why did it feel more like a loss?

  13

  Dawn saw the yacht sailing out of the bay at Yellow Delta, with Yanko creating an illusion around the craft to keep anyone from noticing. From his position at the stern railing, he could see that no fewer than a dozen watchmen patrolled the waterfront, one carrying that dreaded magic detector. He didn’t know if they had finally figured out he and his artifacts were on the yacht or if some other troublesome mages had sailed into town.

  As the city receded and they entered the choppier waters of the ocean, Yanko let out a sigh of relief. The route ahead was dangerous, but at least he wouldn’t have to worry about hiding what he was and being kidnapped and sent off to that island.

  “No, you’re helping out the enemy by delivering yourself directly.” He snorted.

  Minark’s ship was also gone, he noticed, off to smuggle some new cargo, no doubt. Arayevo was still on board the yacht, sleeping in the cabin she shared with Lakeo. Yanko knew she’d part ways from him eventually, and he had no right to stop her, but for a while longer, she would work with him, and he could keep an eye on her.

  “Or take her into greater danger at my side,” he muttered.

  You’re chatting with my railing a lot, Tynlee spoke into his mind. Is your bird not awake yet?

  He does like to sleep in. Yanko sensed Tynlee coming up to the rail beside him without looking. “I thank you for agreeing to take us to the island.”

  He searched the deck with his mind to see if Dak had come up on deck with her. Yanko had passed the wardroom a few minutes earlier and heard Dak arguing with her about taking the ship, about her safety, and about her career. She’d rather tartly told him to mind his own business and that she didn’t need him to lecture her on consequences she could see perfectly well for herself.

  Yanko had hurried past without hearing more—he hadn’t wanted to intrude—but he regretted that his request was causing further strife between them. He wanted Dak to find someone to make him happy—or at least less dour—not drive that potential someone away. Though Yanko wasn’t sure what could come of a Nurian diplomat and a Turgonian spy falling in love. It sounded like something for Tynlee’s novel rather than anything that could actually work out.

  “While I would like to earn his good opinion, since I do have a fondness for those noble Turgonian warriors, I will not let him tell me what I can do,” Tynlee said.

  Mind snooping, again. Maybe Yanko would ask her later to teach him to better guard his thoughts. He ought to be acquiring all the skills he could during his journey, since he found trouble at every turn.

  “I think he just wants you to be safe,” Yanko said. “And for his country not to be seen as involved.”

  “Yes, I know what he wants. He’s not as hard to read as he thinks he is.”

  Yanko didn’t know about that. He had a hard time seeing past Dak’s stony facade.

  “I assume you know we have some problems to consider,” Tynlee said.

  Yanko sensed Dak’s ap
proach. He’d come up on deck and was heading straight for them.

  “Is Dak one of them?” Yanko asked.

  Tynlee chuckled. “Possibly, though that’s not what I meant.”

  She turned to face him, her chin up and her hand on her hip. “Colonel, as I just told you, I am volunteering my ship for Yanko’s use, and unless you wish to go for another swim, you won’t attempt to stop me.”

  “I have been considering that,” Dak said, his tone far more reasonable than Yanko expected.

  “Your joy of swimming?” he asked.

  Dak gave him a flat look. “No. How I can turn freeing your people to further what Turgonia would wish to see without bringing any blame to my nation, and how to also protect Consul Tynlee’s career, should someone notice she was here and her ship was used. Which seems inevitable. There will be a lot of witnesses there, both among the captors and the captives.”

  Tynlee made an exasperated noise, and Yanko didn’t need mind magic to tell she was tired of him trying to protect her.

  “How long have you been contemplating all of that?” Yanko asked quickly, hoping to forestall an argument. He found the direction of Dak’s thinking promising.

  “Since we left dock,” Dak said.

  “So, five minutes? Have you come up with solutions?”

  “You alluded to one last night. I believe we shall have kidnapped Tynlee and her ship and locked her below while we used her yacht for the rescue.”

  That wasn’t exactly what Yanko had suggested. He’d wanted to more or less kidnap both of them to keep both from blame.

  Tynlee lifted a finger to her lips. She appeared speculative.

  “We?” Yanko asked, knowing Dak hadn’t forgotten their conversation.

  “Well, as you pointed out, it would be better for Turgonia if it was simply believed to be you, but I’m willing to take the blame. I’ll pretend to have gone rogue out of jealousy for my uncle and to have my own agenda. Maybe I want to grab power in Nuria by helping put my preferred candidate on the dais. I don’t know. I’ll think of something.”

  “Your honor doesn’t object to you lying if it’s to protect someone else?” Yanko asked.

  Dak clenched his jaw, only his eye moving when he glanced at Tynlee. “No.”

  She lowered her finger, appearing more disturbed than flattered by his desire to protect her.

  “You’re already potentially in trouble at home, Dak,” Yanko said quietly, not wanting him to sacrifice himself further. Nor could he see how any Nurian would truly believe he’d gone rogue. Not when he was related to the president. Family didn’t betray family, not in Nuria. Maybe it was different in Turgonia, but Yanko’s people would believe the Turgonians had ordered Dak to take his actions. “I suggest first off that we not get caught so that it’s not an issue we have to deal with, but if we do, we should do as I discussed. I should take the blame as the mastermind behind everything.”

  “Mastermind?” Dak asked mildly.

  Yanko spread a hand, not insisting on that adjective. “Or the brutish mage who forced you all to work with me. People may be more inclined to believe I tricked you somehow rather than overpowered you though.”

  “Uhm, no,” Tynlee said. “The other way around, I think.” She looked at Dak and raised her eyebrows. “Given who your mother is, Yanko, I think people will believe you have the power to force a lot of Turgonians and Nurians to do your bidding.”

  “Not any people who know I failed my entrance exam to Stargrind,” he muttered.

  “You have received tutelage from your mother since then,” Dak pointed out.

  “I was only with her for three days. Nobody’s going to believe I have any power.”

  “Yanko,” Tynlee said. “You’re maintaining an illusion of our ship as water even now in the midst of arguing with us. That’s not normal. Most mages can’t do that, even warrior mages who graduated from Stargrind.”

  “I…” Yanko blushed. He hadn’t realized he’d been keeping the illusion going with a tendril of subconscious concentration. A month ago, he wouldn’t have been able to do that. What had happened? Was it that he’d gotten so much practice using his magic in these past weeks? Or had those few days with his mother truly helped him gain power?

  Gain mastery, perhaps, Tynlee spoke softly into his mind. You have the power. When you’re willing to use it.

  “You don’t mind the idea of being kidnapped?” Dak asked Tynlee warily. Maybe he’d thought that would be the sticking point.

  “I don’t mind appearing to have been kidnapped,” Tynlee said. “If you truly chain me up, well, I hope it’s in your cabin rather than down in the bilge room.”

  Dak almost fell over. Which was alarming to Yanko since he was standing next to him.

  “You, ah, mentioned some other problems, Honored Consul?” Yanko asked.

  “Yes, there are a couple. The first is how to gain access to the island in the first place. I was thinking that, since this is a known Nurian diplomatic vessel, we may be able to sail into dock under the guise of wanting to negotiate on behalf of one of the other rebel leaders. I can go in to speak with whoever is in charge while you, Yanko, slip away with your team, preferably for a stealthy incursion. I’m assuming they will have mages as part of the guard staff, so keep working on your illusions.”

  Yanko nodded. “I will.”

  Dak grunted. In agreement for the suggestion? It was always hard to tell with his grunts.

  “Will you be on my team?” he asked quietly, not wanting to assume.

  “Yes.”

  Yanko was still surprised that Dak was willing to deviate from his mission to help with this, but he said, “Thank you,” genuinely relieved to know he would walk at Yanko’s side.

  Maybe he truly had figured out some way to spin a prisoner rescue in Turgonia’s favor. Or—Yanko sucked in a breath as a thought came to mind. Had Dak learned something last night while getting his knuckles bruised? Could he have gained access to a list of prisoners? Was it possible he knew someone on the island would lead him to Zirabo?

  “Now that that’s settled,” Tynlee said, looking pleased at Dak’s agreement to help Yanko, “allow me to bring up another problem.”

  Dak sighed. “Yes, even if we are somehow able to free the prisoners, we would be dealing with hundreds or thousands of people.”

  Tynlee nodded and spread her hand. “We couldn’t get more than fifty or sixty on this small yacht, even for a short trip.”

  “We should have a plan to transport those people to the mainland,” Dak said. “Unless our powerful young mage can levitate them across the sea?”

  Yanko arched his eyebrows. “Is that me?”

  “So Tynlee tells me.” Dak, as always, was underwhelmed by magical power. He had, after all, steered his underwater boat all about under Yanko’s mother’s ship and avoided her wrath.

  “Maybe there will be ships docked there,” Yanko said, “that we can… liberate.”

  “Liberate?” Dak asked. “That sounds like a word Lakeo would use. Misuse.”

  “That’s possible.”

  “If it truly is a prison island, I wouldn’t expect there to be ships docked there. That would be too convenient for captives hoping to escape.” Dak looked expectantly at Yanko. “We’ll only be able to use the ruse of a visiting diplomatic ship once. We can wait until we see the island to figure out the details of getting people out, but we need to arrange transport for them ahead of time.”

  “What do you suggest?” Yanko wasn’t certain why Dak was looking at him. He certainly didn’t have access to extra ships.

  “We’ll need a fleet to carry that many people,” Dak said.

  “I don’t suppose your Admiral Ravencrest would like to come ferry Nurians home?”

  Dak snorted. “Even if I had a way to contact him, I’m positive he would not. I was thinking of Snake Heart.”

  Tynlee’s jaw dangled open.

  Yanko leaned his back against the hard railing. “Oh. Uhm, I don’t have a way to c
ontact her either. And the last I saw, she had a throwing star sticking out of her neck.”

  “I assume she’s since had it removed,” Dak said.

  Yanko hesitated. That had to be true—Gramon had said she lived.

  “You think she didn’t make it?” Dak asked. “Her Turgonian carried her off that beach. I remember that distinctly since you wouldn’t let me shoot him.”

  “I’ve heard she’s alive,” Yanko admitted. He hadn’t told Dak or anyone else about Gramon, and he didn’t mention it now. He doubted he had done the right thing in letting the pirate—a known killer—go. It had been an apology of sorts to his mother more than a desire to see the man, a man who’d been among those to kill the villagers on that island, roaming the world again.

  “The captain has a communications orb,” Tynlee said. “He would let you use it if you think it wise to ask a pirate to help us.”

  “A pirate with a fleet,” Dak said.

  Tynlee pressed her lips together and kept further thoughts about the wisdom—or the lack thereof—of this idea to herself.

  “I don’t know if she has a communications orb.” Yanko thought of how they had stormed Pey Lu’s ship in the search for clues to finding the lodestone. “There wasn’t one in her cabin when we visited.”

  “She’s done mercenary missions before,” Dak said. “Potential employers must have a way to contact her. Maybe she keeps it by the helm or elsewhere on the ship.”

  Yes, Yanko remembered she had claimed that someone had hired her to find the lodestone. He’d never figured out who that was.

  “Is that what we would be?” Yanko asked. “Employers? Because I don’t believe she’d help Nurian people—or anyone—for free.”

  “What about as a favor to her son?” Dak asked.