eyes. “Ship…”
A chill went through her. “Ship?”
“Why else… Southwick? Ship…”
“Don’t talk.” She pressed a cup of water to his lips. “Drink.”
He swallowed the water. “I am sorry, Marianna. Failed…”
“You couldn’t know this would happen. You could have been killed. It was one man against seven.”
“We were so careful. Should have been safe. Betrayed. I suspected nothing.” He closed his eyes. “But they were waiting…” He drifted off again.
Southwick.
A ship.
Who was waiting?
She was beginning to fear she knew the answer.
Gregor woke twice more during the night and appeared to be gaining more strength with each passing hour. Marianna sat by the fire tending him, waiting.
Jordan did not return until well after daybreak.
“How is he?” he asked as he strode into the lodge.
“Better.” She braced herself. “Where is Alex?”
“On a ship that sailed two hours before I arrived at Southwick.” He paused. “A ship bound for Montavia.”
“Nebrov,” she said numbly.
“Not Nebrov. One of his lieutenants, Marcus Costain. Nebrov is in Poland meeting with Napoleon. Passage was booked for a Marcus Costain and his nephew, James Lakalb.”
“Are you sure it was Alex?”
“I made inquiries on the dock. Costain booked a separate cabin for the boy and told the agent his nephew was ill and would have to remain in his cabin for the entire journey.”
Alex was a prisoner. Alex, who spent most of his waking hours outside, careening joyously around Cambaron, was going to be confined in that small space for the long journey to Montavia. It was too painful to consider. She suddenly recalled something else Jordan had said. “How do you know Nebrov is with Napoleon?”
He hesitated. “I received a message while I was in Sweden.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “You suspected he might be planning to make some move to do with the Jedalar. That’s why you brought me here; that’s how all this started.”
“It wasn’t a suspicion, only a vague possibility,” he said harshly. “We’ve been watching carefully since the moment you arrived at Cambaron. There was not one sign that Nebrov had discovered where you were.”
“You didn’t tell me,” she said dully. “I could have taken Alex and run away.”
“We didn’t
“I wouldn’t have taken the chance. Not with Alex’s safety.” She stared directly into his eyes. “But you chose to do it.”
“I tried to-” He met her gaze and then said wearily, “Yes, I made the choice.”
She stood up and moved toward the staircase. “I’m going to pack my clothes, and then we’re going to go to Southwick. We’re going to board the
“We can’t do that,” he said. “Not yet.”
“Not yet!” She turned on him with blazing eyes. “Alex is alone and afraid. When he reaches Montavia, that monster may kill him as he did my mother.”
“No, he won’t. You’re not thinking clearly. Nebrov doesn’t want Alex; he wants you. He only took Alex to lure you to him.” He added, “I once told you that was the danger.”
“And you still let him be taken.”
“We’ll get him back.”
“Now!”
“We’re going back to Cambaron first.” He lifted his hand as she started to protest. “You don’t take a hostage without leaving terms. No terms will be given to me because Nebrov would be afraid I’d ignore any threat to the boy if it meant losing the Jedalar. He’ll make sure his terms are delivered to you personally. And then we’ll take the messenger.”
“What good will that do?”
“I want him,” he said coldly. “Costain’s men were lying in wait for Gregor and Alex. Someone at Cambaron had to have told them when they left the castle. I don’t like traitors.”
“We don’t have time for you to indulge your taste for vengeance.”
“It’s not only vengeance. He may know something. Nebrov has the advantage, but anything we learn may help.” He added, “I assure you that within a few hours we’ll know everything he does.”
Torture.
His tone was so savage, she should have been sickened, but she was not. She didn’t care what Jordan did to any of those beasts, if it would get Alex back. “And then we’ll go after Alex?”
“I promise you, the moment we have as much information as we can gather, we’ll set sail for Montavia.”
One part of her realized that Jordan’s way was the most reasonable, but she didn’t want to wait. She knew too well the brutality of which Nebrov was capable. She kept remembering her mother’s painracked body and hearing-
“Very well,” she said. “I’ll wait two days and no more. After that, I’ll find my own way to get to Montavia.”
She quickly climbed the steps and closed the door to her room.
Alex. She leaned back against the door as fear and sorrow overwhelmed her. It seemed impossible that only yesterday afternoon she had laughed as she watched him running along the bank.
She would not cry. Tears would do no good. They would not get Alex back. She crossed the room to her armoire and started drawing out her gowns. She had to keep herself busy and not let herself think of what might happen to him.
She must hold on tight.
CHAPTER 11
You could go without me,” Gregor said. He shifted restlessly in the back of the wagon. “I am delaying you. I can follow tomorrow when I have more strength.”
“You go with us,” Jordan told him. “It will take only an hour or so more to reach Cambaron.”
Gregor looked at Marianna, who was waiting on the seat of the wagon. “I think an hour means a great deal to her at this time. Though she is taking this better than I thought she would.”
“Because she hasn’t exploded and torn us to pieces? I wish she would. She’s wound too taut. She may break.” His gaze went to Marianna’s pale, strained face and then quickly shifted back to Gregor. He smiled mirthlessly. “At least you’re safe from her wrath. You’ve already been punished for your sins.”
“Not enough. It was a very great sin.”
“My sin. My responsibility. If he dies, it will be-” He broke off and then said, “But he’s not going to die.” He drew the blanket higher around Gregor. “Try not to move or you’ll start the bleeding again. Besides the inconvenience of having to take your corpse back to Kazan, I’m going to need you.”
He went around to the front of the wagon and climbed onto the seat beside Marianna.
Dorothy was waiting in the courtyard as the wagon rolled through the gates.
She stepped forward. “I’m sorry about the lad,” she said to Marianna. “I’m sure Jordan will get him back.”
“You know?”
“I sent a rider with a message before we left Dalwynd to tell Dorothy the boy had been taken.” Jordan jumped down from the wagon. “I thought it would save you distress.” He lifted her down from the wagon. “God knows, there isn’t much else I can do right now.”
“You’ve probably already done quite enough,” Dorothy said grimly. “I don’t understand any of this. But if it has anything to do with that Corsican, you had no right to involve the child.”
