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"You could be"

Fisk smirked "You couldn’t afford me" But then he sobered "I can send a tea them on board if they’re able"

"Good And?"

"And you will visit the Keep and see if you can find anything that will help us"

"What about us?" Zethan asked

"Stay here for now" He held up a hand, stopping the protest "I’ to need you both e implement the rescue"

"You have a plan?" Zethan asked

"I’ on it First I need to see what resources are available Tweet, can you find out if Mara is still in the Citadel?"

He nodded in agreement and left with Fisk, who planned to check on his helpers Fisk pro session

Valek instructed Zethan and Zohav to remain inside while he visited the Keep

"What if you don’t come back or are captured?" Zethan asked

"Fisk or one of his people will take care of you"

"And if Fisk is caught, as well?" Zohav asked, ever the pessimist

He handed her a pouch of coins "Then stay here I will send one of my Citadel spies to keep you safe until I return"

"But--"

"Don’t worry, Zo," Zethan said

She jabbed hi when those pirates boarded our ship"

He spread his hands wide "And look how it turned out! We’re in Sitia!"

"And in the middle of awhatever this is"

She had a point As Valek left, he tried to put a na only worked for those who hadn’t been coerced, or for those ere too scared to say no As for those being drugged to obey, they didn’t have a choice--more like a hostile takeover

He paused A takeover Under the guise that it was in order to protect Sitia from the Commander’s army But a takeover all the sahts led hi an army had never made sense to him, and he suspected Owen had influenced that decision What if that was all a show? What if Owen had made a deal with the Cartel? The Coicians ran deep, but what if Owen and Bruns conspired to deicians, er had any free will?

But they wouldn’t be content to rule Sitia Once they’d earned the Coic to hijack him, it’d be just a matter of time before they removed him from power Then Oould rule Ixia, and Bruns’s Cartel would be in charge of Sitia

His sto bile up his throat Valek tried to disic However, the inner intuitive sense that hadn’t ever let hireed with his conclusions

A wave of despair washed through hiainst a wall He didn’t have the people or the resources to stop it Plus, his life had been turned coone, and he had no idea how to use the power But Valek knew if Owen and the Cartel won, there’d be no family for him Yelena, the baby, all the people he cared for would be eliy