A shopkeeper from across the road noticed them and called out, “They’re not opening up for anyone. Can’t say I blame them.” He went back to examining the boards he was using to cover his shop’s windows and ignored them.
“There are secret ways in,” Grey told her, “but they are best used under cover of darkness. Let’s go.” He turned his back on the temple, and they resumed their walk to Celeste’s. The city around them was quiet, but its citizens were on edge. Patrolling guards eyed them, but observed their weapons and didn’t stop them.
When they arrived at Celeste’s, they saw that it had been boarded up, and Kala worried that something had happened or that Celeste had moved again. They made their way around to the side street, and Kala knocked a coded knock on the boarded-up door the way Celeste had instructed her. After a moment, a hinged portion of the wall near the door opened, and Celeste peeked out.
Kala and Celeste both sighed deep sighs of relief, and Celeste waved her in furtively before anyone could spot the clandestine entrance.
“I hoped it was you,” Celeste said. “I changed that code three times since you left.”
“It’s just us,” Kala replied. “We secured allies, but they tell us that they’ll make their own way here.”
“That’s welcome news. Speaking of which – Lily has some for you too, but I’ll let her tell you herself. She’s been here ever since they banned her from the wall. That girl is lucky she’s not in prison.” True to her word, Celeste didn’t elaborate.
Kala and Grey entered the main room following Celeste. They heard Lily singing in the kitchen, a heartening sound that Kala hadn’t heard in moons.
Grey excused himself to go wash up, and Kala made her way into the kitchen. She stood in the doorway, marveling at a reanimated Lily.
Lily felt she was being watched and looked up to see Kala. She dropped the bowl she’d been mixing, raced over, and took Kala by the shoulders. “She’s here! Cera’s here! I saw her!” she exclaimed excitedly. Even before Kala could acknowledge this information, she added, “We have to rescue her. I know where she is.”
“It makes sense that if Soren’s here, Cera’s here, but so is his army,” Kala pointed out.
“They’re irrelevant. There’s nothing you can’t do,” Lily declared with a conviction that shook Kala.
She actually believes that, Kala thought in shock. How can I tell her that there are some things beyond my ability?
Lily looked into Kala’s eyes with an eagerness and unconditional belief that ensnared her.
“Okay. Tell me what you know,” Kala capitulated.
“Thank you, thank you!” Lily exclaimed, hugging her and bouncing her around the kitchen.
Kala had to grip a countertop to keep from getting dizzy. “Slow down, Lily. We have the matter of the ten thousand soldiers to work out.”
“Of course,” Lily sobered. “I saw her leave a tent near the water. It is the biggest one along the shoreline. I’ll describe it to you so you can take a look at it from the wall. I sort of got myself banned for life from the parapets,” she admitted sheepishly. “Totally worth it, though.” She added as she began making Kala a cup of kai. “You have time to wash up. You sort of smell.”
“Unvarnished as usual, my dear,” Kala rolled her eyes and ducked out to see about a shower and a change of clothes. She returned to fresh kai and a hot scone. “I only had enough ingredients to make one,” she admitted. “I hope it’s okay.”
“I’d march through the gates of hell for one of your scones,” she replied, scooping it up with her kai, and collapsing into a chair tucked in a corner near the pantry.
Lily drew maps in flour on the counter and recounted every detail she could. A plan began to take shape in Kala’s mind. It could even work, she thought.
“We’ll need absolute darkness. We’ll wait for a moonless or cloudy night. In the meantime, we’re going to move to a more secure location – tonight.”
Grey emerged, and he and Kala found Celeste and told her of their plan to relocate to the abandoned temple. “Your reinforcements here are great, but the temple has more space, and it’s better fortified. Plus, with any luck, the monks left behind whatever was still in the gardens that wasn’t ripe enough to harvest.”
Celeste reluctantly agreed to the move. She was attached to her hideout, but she saw the wisdom in their plan.
That night, well after curfew, they gathered together Celeste’s wards and headed out. Grey took the lead, followed by Celeste, Petr, his girlfriend, Twill, Lily, and the children, with Kala bringing up the rear. Grey’s sixth sense kept them from encountering any patrols. He led them to a quiet street, then down through a grate to the city’s sewers. Kala replaced the grate and hurried to catch up. Grey chanced lighting a torch to guide them. To their credit, the children seemed utterly unperturbed by their surroundings.
Grey led them down a maze of tunnels. Kala marveled that he either remembered the way or had an impressive sense of direction. He finally led them to a shaft and guided them upward inside the temple walls. As expected, the temple had been deserted. Grey lit some torches and gave instructions to the children on where they could find rooms to sleep. They raced to fight over who would get the ‘best’ room. Twill, Petr and his girlfriend, and Celeste followed after the children, leaving Kala, Grey, and Lily alone.
“Let’s check out the kitchens,” Lily suggested.
“Why not?” Kala replied, smiling.
Grey led them through the dining hall to the kitchens at the back. They peeked into the walk-in pantry, but it was sadly but predictably empty. They returned to the kitchens, where Kala picked up a discarded cup, scooped some water from a barrel, and raised it to her lips.
“Don’t drink that!” Grey stopped her. “Your path flickered dark for a moment.”
Kala lowered the cup slowly to the counter, staring at it.
Roml stepped silently from the shadows behind her, dagger upraised.
Grey shouted a warning, but Kala had sensed his presence too late to evade him and barely turned to face him before he was upon her.
Roml stiffened, a look of surprise on his face.
Kala looked at the point of his dagger pressing against her chest.
The assassin’s eyes clouded, his knees buckled, and he collapsed. Brinn stepped from the shadows behind him, wiping his blood off her blade on his cloak.
“He was good,” she said, looking down at his body. “You have formidable enemies.”
Kala looked down at his body and felt her chest, relieved that his dagger had not pierced it. “I’d say it’s good to see you, but that seems like an understatement, considering present circumstances,” Kala replied.
“It’s good to see you, too,” Brinn acknowledged.
“What are you doing here?”
“Scouting a base for our forces. I see we think alike.”
“I’m guessing that if you hadn’t needed to intervene to save me, you wouldn’t have let us know you were here.”
“Probably not,” she admitted.
“Where’s Tamara?”
“Running an errand of her own.”
Seemingly at once, Kala, Brinn, and Grey noticed Lily standing open-mouthed in the doorway.
“It’s okay, Lily. The crisis has passed, thanks to Brinn here, and to Grey earlier, I’ll wager,” Kala said. “Brinn, this is my dear friend Lily. Lily, Brinn.”
The two women acknowledged each other.
Grey looked about. “I’ll get rid of the body and dump that barrel before the children rise,” he said and set to work.
Kala turned to Brinn. “I’m doubly glad you’re here. I could use the help of someone with your talents, if you don’t mind.”
Brinn shrugged. “What were you thinking?”
Kala filled her in on her plan to rescue Cera, and to her surprise, Brinn agreed to play a part.
A dense bank of cloud rolled in a couple of days later, and Kala decided it was the right time for their gambit. She, Grey, and
Brinn dressed in the darkest clothing they could find. Kala felt good to be back in her black leathers. She and Brinn tied their hair back, and Twill furnished them with black paint for any exposed skin. The three of them were each heavily armed with their preferred weapons.
They headed out under cover of darkness through the tunnels beneath the city. They moved by feel with no torchlight that would compromise their night vision. They arrived at the broken grate facing the ocean and squeezed through. Grey had some trouble getting through, but he managed with just a few scrapes.
They crept along the rocky shoreline, avoiding sentries and patrols. They all had a sixth sense that told them when to freeze and blend into their surroundings and when to move. They continued until they were even with Soren’s tent. It was ringed by his most loyal guards, hardened men. Two men guarded the back entrance, they assumed at least two more guarded the front, and there was a man stationed on each of the sides. The six or more men were only the closest. The camp never truly slept, and hundreds of soldiers sat around fires or moved about the camp just beyond Soren’s tent.
Grey signaled that he would provide a distraction for Kala and Brinn. They had previously agreed to avoid violence when entering because of the heightened risk of detection but accepted that it might be necessary when the time came to flee.
Kala and Brinn took up positions at opposite sides forty-five degrees from the shoreline and the tent’s back entrance. Grey whispered something unintelligible and both men guarding the back flap turned to each other.
“What did you say?” one asked the other.
“I didn’t say anything. What did you say?” the other replied.
During this brief exchange, Kala and Brinn slipped silently to the edge of the tent, quickly cut ropes that secured it to stakes, and rolled inside. Grey watched nervously as Kala pulled off the maneuver undetected, but even though he was looking for her, he hadn’t seen Brinn do the same. He worried that she had missed the cue, but had to have faith that she was a consummate professional. He ducked down, pulled a pair of daggers from their sheaths, and waited for Kala and Brinn to return, hopefully with Cera.
Kala rolled inside the tent and looked around. The interior was faintly lit by coals smoldering in braziers. A large council table and chairs dominated the room. There were two single beds toward the rear of the tent, positioned near each other. Kala rose to her feet and silently approached between the beds. Brinn hung back, ready to deal with any guards that might enter.
Kala could tell from Cera’s mane of hair on her pillow in which bed she slept. Kala crept closer and looked down at her friend. She looked so peaceful that Kala watched her for several heartbeats before finally putting a hand over Cera’s mouth and shaking her shoulder gently. Cera’s surprise was muffled by the leather of Kala’s glove. Cera glanced about in a panic. Kala quickly raised her free hand to her heart and tapped it to send the message of friend, not foe. Cera relaxed slightly before her eyes went wide with shock when she registered that it was Kala who had come for her. The look was quickly replaced by one of confusion as she wrestled with whether her rescue would put Lily at risk, and if so, whether she should refuse it. Gradually, she came to accept that Kala would never ask her to trade her safety for Lily’s, and she relaxed completely. Her eyes darted to Soren, sleeping soundly nearby, to confirm that it was okay for her to rise quietly from her bed. Kala nodded that she could.
Cera glanced at the wardrobe, but Brinn shook her head in warning – Cera would have to leave in the clothes she wore to bed. Anything else was too risky. Luckily, her modesty at sleeping near Soren and sharing a tent had accustomed her to wearing more than just undergarments to bed, so she nodded her acceptance.
Kala stared over at Soren, and she wondered how many people had died because of him. She drew a dagger. Brinn shook her head again, and Kala read the meaning in her eyes. Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t. There was no telling what manner of monster might succeed Soren if Kala were to kill him in his sleep. She laid the dagger on Cera’s pillow instead. You traded my life for Cera’s once; now I return the favor with yours for Cera’s.
Kala led Cera toward the back flap of the tent and paused. Brinn strode forward and pulled two long daggers from her belt. She stood in the doorway, just inside the flap, closed her eyes, and visualized the men standing guard outside. Her hands darted outward, driving her daggers through the canvas and the base of each of the men’s skulls. She stood for a moment, with the men impaled on her blades, waiting for the rhythm of the waves to release them. They crumpled to the ground as the next wave masked the sound.
Brinn held open the flap, and the three of them ducked through it and outside. They sheltered against the tent, needing to sneak down the rocky shore without being spotted by the men that guarded the tent at its sides. Kala opened herself to her surroundings and imagined herself standing guard outside the tent. In her mind, she looked side-to-side in a steady scan. She heard a sound from inside the camp and turned her head toward it. Now, she thought, and rushed Cera forward, no attempt at concealment. They raced along the grass and flattened themselves among the rocks that lead down to the water. They lay for a moment to allow their breathing to calm. No alarm was raised, so Kala took Cera’s hand and guided her over the rocks toward the grate.
It was much harder to avoid sentries and patrols with Cera in tow, and they made painfully slow progress, but they eventually arrived at the grate undiscovered. Kala squeezed through and bade Cera follow her. Brinn and Grey followed them. They walked the length of the tunnels in silence, with Kala holding Cera’s hand. Cera’s feet were cut and scraped from scrambling over from the rocks, but she didn’t complain.
They climbed up a shaft to the temple grounds. Cera didn’t know if it was safe to whisper her questions to Kala or not, so she stayed silent.
Kala led Cera toward a building lit from within by torches. Kala entered first, prompting Lily to rise from her seat, trembling with anticipation. She looked at Kala expectantly, and Kala simply stood aside to let Cera enter. Seeing Cera broke Lily, and she swayed slightly. She stepped forward, bumping into the table that she’d forgotten was there, and skirted it to move toward Cera.
Cera raised her hands slowly, and Lily took them in hers and intertwined their fingers, careful not to spoil the dream. She felt Cera’s solidity beneath her fingers and drew her into an embrace of silent tears. Cera stroked Lily’s hair, and Kala ducked out of the room to leave them in peace.
35
Soren
Soren woke in the middle of the night to shouting. He jumped out of bed just as his guards burst into his tent, swords drawn.
“You’re alive, sir?” one of them asked, surprised.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Soren asked in answer.
“We found the guards outside your tent slain,” the man replied, and began searching the tent for intruders.
Without being aware of it, Soren felt his body for injury and found none. He glanced over to Cera’s bed, only to find it empty, save for the dagger on her pillow. “There’s why,” Soren informed the guards, gesturing to the knife.
“Why didn’t they kill you?” the guard asked, then paled and quickly added, “No offense, sir.”
“I guess they wanted her alive more than they wanted me dead,” he replied. Can’t say that I blame them, he thought, recalling the sunshine that she had briefly brought into his dark world. He finally noticed the men searching his tent. “They wouldn’t have stuck around,” he admonished them. “You’re dismissed.”
“Sorry, sir,” one of them said on his way out.
Soren nodded absentmindedly.
The men filed out, and Soren got up to light a candle. He picked up the dagger from Cera’s pillow, sat down, and stared at her empty bed, turning the blade over in his hand. You’ve stolen my conscience, he thought ruefully, recalling how Cera would temper the harshest advice of his war council with a look of disdain. This will not be the victory you believe it is. He blew ou
t the candle and lay back down, clutching the dagger to his chest, but sleep did not come.
When hints of daylight peeked through the flap of his tent, at last, he rose, washed, dressed, and stepped out into the dawn. His personal guard had been replaced by men he didn’t recognize, other than the captain of his former guard, who stood waiting for him.
“This was my failure,” he told Soren, handing him the hilt of his sword, his stoicism masking his nervousness.
Soren pushed his sword back to him. “What’s done is done. Correct whatever deficiencies made this possible,” he told him and waved him away. Soren saw Lennox approaching. Now there’s someone who’ll be disappointed that I’m still alive, he thought.
“Glad to see you alive and well,” Lennox called out, looking anything but glad.
“Thank you,” Soren replied, feeling obligated to return one falsehood with another.
“Not to worry, I have it all taken care of,” Lennox assured him.
“I wasn’t worried until now. What do you mean, ‘you have it taken care of’?”
“I rounded up everyone with knowledge of what transpired last night, and I had them executed.”
Soren was aghast. “Why would you do that?”
Lennox looked annoyed at having to explain himself but did so anyway. “We couldn’t very well have it get out that the enemy spirited your consort away, right under our noses, could we?” He didn’t wait for Soren to answer his rhetorical question before continuing. “I’ve had the rumor spread that she ran away, with help from a guard. Then I made it publicly known that you had the man executed, along with those who should have stopped the plot but failed to. I debated spreading word that you had her killed too, but that wouldn’t do if she turns up later,” he concluded, proud of himself.
“Lennox, I don’t need you to manage my image.”
“Apparently, I do,” he disagreed.
“Okay, never mind. How did the actual perpetrators do it?”
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