The man appeared mighty pleased with himself. Valek took the bait. “Oh?”

“Heli gave us a storm orb. When you’re ready, we’ll blast a hole into one of the walls. Ka-boom!” Janco threw his arms wide.

Smart. With that much energy at their disposal, the possible uses were endless. If they had more—

“Way ahead of you, Boss. While Boy Genius and I were scoping out the garrison, Ari paid Kade a visit on the coast and picked up a few more.”

Yelena jumped up and hugged Ari. “That’s fantastic!”

The big man actually blushed.

“But once we set one of those babies off, there’s no more sneaking around,” Janco said. “We’re committed, big time.”

“Hit and git,” Yelena said.

He grinned. “Exactly.”

“We need to find a location that will limit casualties but is close to the barracks,” Valek said.

“Done,” Teegan said with a flourish reminiscent of Janco. “What we don’t know is what happens after all hell breaks loose.”

Yelena frowned at Janco.

“He didn’t learn that from me!”

“Uh-huh.”

“The next part is easy. We round up the Councilors and escort them to the farmhouse,” Valek said.

“How are you going to convince them to leave?” Teegan asked. “There are eleven of them. I can only influence three or four people at a time.”

Impressive. “We’ll wear uniforms to blend in and tell them we’re taking them to safety.”

“And when they realize we’re not Bruns’s minions?” Janco asked.

“Yelena will convince them to stay with us.” Valek explained his theory.

“I thought babies only sucked their thumbs,” Janco mumbled.

“Our child is exceptional,” Valek said, daring Janco to disagree.

He held up his hands. “Easy there, Papa Bear.”

Yelena laughed. “If it doesn’t work, we’ll fall back on plan B.”

“Plan B?” This was new.

“They’re sure to drink water that first day, so we’ll tell them they’ve been poisoned. They’ll have a week to live unless they get the antidote, which is at the farmhouse. By the time they arrive there, the Theobroma will have worn off.”

“Brilliant plan,” Valek said with a smile. “Wherever did you get that excellent idea from?”

“Shut up.”

“I love you, too.”

Janco glanced at Teegan. “I think we’re missing something.”

“It’s probably one of those lovey-dovey things,” Teegan said. “My parents do it all the time, and it’s gross.”

Laughing, Janco said, “Give it a few years, puppy dog.”

Valek considered. Once they rescued the Councilors, the Cartel would step up their attempts to find them. They would surround the garrisons with soldiers and be extra-vigilant. Therefore, they couldn’t move too soon, or else they’d give the Cartel more time to prepare. If all went well, they needed to rendezvous with the rest of the team by day fifty of the heating season, which was sixteen days away. It would take them at least six days to escort the Councilors back to the farmhouse. What to do in the next ten days?

“Are you up for a field trip?” Valek asked the power twins.

“Always,” Janco immediately replied.

“Yes, sir,” Ari said.

“Good. I think it’s time to have a talk with the Cartel’s Master Gardener.” He listed a number of questions they’d need to ask. “Think you can handle it?”

“Is sand the most horrid stuff in the world?” Janco asked.

Ari swatted his partner on the shoulder. “He means yes. We can. What’s our timeline?”

“Be back here in nine days.”

“Got it.”

“Am I going with them?” Teegan asked.

“No.” Valek glanced at Yelena. “You’re going to work with me.”

* * *

The next day, Ari and Janco set off for their mission. Valek and Teegan rode Onyx and Kiki through the woods north of Longleaf while Yelena remained in town. The scent of pine increased as the air warmed. Birds darted between limbs, cutting through the shafts of sunlight that speared the tree canopy.

When Teegan thought they were far enough away from the magicians at the garrison, they stopped and dismounted.

“What can you do?” Teegan asked.

“I can heal and communicate with other magicians.” He described what had happened with the soldiers.

“Not a flameout,” Teegan said. “You would have been unconscious for longer than a few minutes. Remember when you healed Leif? You were asleep for days afterward.”

True. “Then what was that?”

“You probably overloaded their minds, and they passed out. If you’d knocked them down, they would have been conscious. But we’ll soon discover the extent of your abilities. What do you want to start with first?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“All right.” The boy searched the ground and picked up a thin branch. “Let’s see if you can start a fire.” He held it up. “Concentrate and direct your magic at this. Think heat and fire. I have to get a little angry at it for it to work for me.” Teegan furrowed his brow. Flames erupted on the end of the stick. He extinguished it. “Your turn.”

Valek dropped his mental shields. Gathering a thread of power, he aimed it at the branch as Teegan instructed. Nothing happened.