They all looked at me like I had finally lost it. And maybe I had.
Spraggel leaned forward. “Are you all right, my boy?”
I nodded, wiping a tear from my eye. “I couldn’t be better.”
“Then could you share the joke with us?” he asked. “I could certainly use a good one right now.”
I nodded. “I think Abe has somehow been influencing my luck again because this is unbelievable.”
Spraggel looked at me warily. “And how so?”
I shrugged. “I know those people. In fact, I know exactly where they are.”
Captain Milner asked, “And?”
“That’s my stepfather’s house. Those were my sisters.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Homeward
Bound
The next morning, as the sun rose a finger’s breadth above the horizon, we gathered in Zofie’s study where we would begin our trip. Of the five who were traveling, all save one was present. And we expected her shortly.
I fidgeted next to Zofie’s desk resisting the urge to go through the small pack resting on it one last time. I had double-checked it three times, so I doubted a fourth was going to make a difference. I wore my regular clothes but had added a hooded cloak, which was slightly too warm even in the chill room.
Spraggel, one of those traveling with us, sat in a chair against the wall and was hunched over a binder with ink and quill in hand. He claimed to be making an official royal record of our trip. After all, how often did someone from our kingdom visit the Kuiojia Empire? I had told him that it sounded like an excellent idea. But when he turned away, he mumbled something about the minstrels needing new material. I began to suspect I knew where the accursed performers had been getting their information.
Like me, Spraggel had also been given a pack, but he had merely stuffed it in his bottomless pocket. I really needed to see about getting one of those.
On the other side of the room, perched on the edge of a chair, sat Fumiko. I was afraid that she would try to wear her simple dress, but she surprised me by choosing close-fitting pants, a warm shirt, and a hooded cloak. The young woman stared silently ahead with hands clasped between her knees. She had been making a point of not looking my way. I think she was still miffed at me over Cabrina’s interrogation.
Rourke again stood by the window and gazed out across the castle grounds. He had released the myst barrier keeping out the frigid air and basked in the cold sunshine. From the way the young man gripped the window’s ledge, I think he was nervous. He was going to give our journey a head start by opening a portal. He claimed it would be the farthest he had ever attempted. I just hoped he didn’t run out of myst as one of us was passing through it.
And finally, Zofie sat in her chair. Vidonia had dressed her simply, but warmly in a shirt, vest and pants, along with her long cloak. She sat there unmoving with hands in her lap. I couldn’t help but study her face for some infinitesimal showing of expression, but there was none. We had considered bringing Vidonia along with us to help with her but decided against it. I just hoped I’d be able to care for her properly during our travel.
I jumped at the knock on the door. Captain Milner joined us, and with him came the last of our party. Cabrina.
She too had been dressed in practical shirt, pants, and boots, with a heavy hooded cloak. Her expression was wide-eyed. It was like she was going to her first party.
I sighed. It was time.
We decided to go with the smallest number of people we could get by with: Zofie, Cabrina, and myself because of our connected charms, then Fumiko as our guide, and Spraggel... well, because he was Spraggel.
We would also be going in secret. The official story was that Zofie had been injured in an assassination attempt and was in bed recuperating. Fumiko had already canceled all her appointments and forbidden anyone but her council and Vidonia from entering her room. Master Rourke and Captain Milner had agreed to stay back and keep things running until we returned. Which meant we had to travel quickly before our ruse was exposed.
Unfortunately, Xiangwei City, our ultimate destination within the Kuiojia Empire, was roughly a third of the distance around the world. Which meant we had a lot of ground to cover, and the only way to quickly do that was to use portals.
To get us started, Rourke had volunteered to open a portal to Iron Landing—the first major town along our path. I had initially argued against this move based on Lady Merrick’s letter concerning Risten. It could be deadly if we encountered her. But, unfortunately, Iron Landing was the only town along our path that held a correspondor—a specialized myst device that could communicate with another pared with it. Or in our case, it also served as an anchor for the remote end of the portal. Zofie commissioned it to be placed in the town just in case she needed to travel there quickly.
So I had reluctantly agreed to pass through Iron Landing despite Lilith being there. Going overland by horse, or even upriver by boat, would take several days and expose us to discovery. We would just have to keep a low profile so as not to attract attention.
From Iron Landing, we planned to take a barge up the Nortesy River to Dunomhir. My family didn’t live in the town but were within riding distance.
Fortunately, Dunomhir also happened to host a retired myst user by the name of Master Oddfrid Vandobarre. We were hoping to get him to open a long-range portal all the way to the Kuiojia Empire. However, this might take some convincing, having left the king’s service rather abruptly a few years back. Since then, he had become a recluse and refused to have anything to do with the royal court.
I had asked Rourke why he couldn’t just do it himself and quickly got an indignant lesson on myst portals. Apparently, there are two kinds—short-range and long-range. Rourke could only use the short-range kind, and despite ‘short’ being in the name, it required a huge expenditure to open it. The one he planned for Iron Landing would nearly deplete him and put him out of commission for at least a week.
However, a long-range portal worked differently. It could, in theory, be opened to anywhere in the world. But to do it did require a unique ability called wayfaring—something only a few people had. These wayfarers were highly sought after and generally very well compensated. Unfortunately, the royal one had vanished along with most of the other myst users in the kingdom. That left Oddfrid as our only option other than going overland.
“It’s time,” I announced. Each of the others moved to their assigned positions while I helped Zofie stand and take her place in the circle. I took a deep breath, looked at each one of our small group, and then nodded to Rourke.
He returned my nod. “The portal will be small, barely large enough for you to pass through. I will put it on the floor so you can drop inside, but you must do it quickly. I can only hold it open for less than a minute.” He looked at us levelly. “And if I say to hold, do not enter the portal. You do not want to be caught in it should I have to drop it.”
We nodded. All of us looked nervous, except Spraggel. He unexpectedly slapped me on the back. “Don’t be so serious Coren. It’s only Iron Landing.”
“I know, but this is the first time I’ve traveled like this.”
Spraggel leaned closer. “You have nothing to worry about. Mikney doesn’t know you’re holding Maggie under house arrest... yet. Once he finds that out, you might have something to worry about.”
“What?”
With a grin, Master Rourke closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. I then felt him gathering his myst. On the wooden floor in front of us, a light blue circle began to glow, almost a cyan color, and barely large enough for someone to drop through. It grew in intensity, and then suddenly, the boards beneath it seemed to disappear.
“Now!” he yelled.
I went first. I hopped forward and fell a good five feet onto another wooden floor. I quickly moved to the side, barely avoiding getting hit in the head by my and Fumiko’s packs. I pulled them to one side just before Fumiko dropped through. She wheeled to the side and beg
an to check our surroundings. A moment later, Zofie’s feet appeared. I quickly grabbed them and helped lower her down and away. Spraggel came next and then finally Cabrina. I held the words for her control charm ready, but she stepped to the side and knelt as instructed. She looked around in fascination. Another pack came through with some spare items, and then the portal snapped shut, leaving us in darkness. But it wasn’t total. There were gaps around the shutters letting in a little of the morning light.
The room we were in looked familiar. The exact location of the correspondor was a secret, but if I was right...
We heard steps outside the door to the small room. Fumiko pulled her knife and moved to the side of it. It opened, and her knife went immediately against the person’s throat.
Mikney de’Glougeman’s eyes went wide. I held a curse detection charm toward him. It did not react, and I relaxed. “It’s him.”
She stepped back and sheathed her knife. She gave a short bow. “Apologies, innkeeper.”
Mikney glanced at her warily before locking on me. “I should have known it would be you up to something. When I agreed to allow the placement of that myst thing in my attic, I figured you would eventually show up.” He huffed. “Is my daughter all right?”
I smiled. That would be his first concern. “She is well. One of her friends dragged her into a bit of mischief, but her involvement has been resolved. And don’t worry, it won’t affect her schooling.”
He nodded before giving the rest of us a brief appraisal. He gasped when he recognized Zofie. “Your highness. I had no idea.” He immediately dropped to one knee. Then he noticed her lack of response.
“She can’t reply,” I said softly. “She was the victim of an attack, and we’re on our way to find a way to remove it. We were hoping to get your help to speed our journey.”
He nodded and stood. “What do you need? I’ll do anything to help her. I owe you both for saving Maggie and myself from those slavers. Not to mention getting my daughter into the queen’s school. I’ll do whatever is in my power.”
“We need a barge going upriver. A fast one. And we need to keep this quiet.”
Mikney rubbed his chin in thought. “Going upriver this time of year will be difficult. So far, it hasn’t frozen solid, but the water level is down, which makes navigating it tricky.” Then he grinned, evilly. “There is someone who owes me a favor, so let me check with them first. Still, it might take a bit to arrange.”
I nodded. “We’ll wait. But the faster we leave, the safer it will be for everyone.”
Mikney turned to leave. “In the meantime, while the attic might not be the nicest room I have, it is the most isolated. Staying here until I return would be best.”
Spraggel smiled. “Then would it be possible to get some of your fine ale while we wait?”
Mikney smiled apologetically. “The last of my ale ran out two weeks ago. All I can offer you is some water.”
Spraggel’s smile faltered. “None at all?”
Mikney shook his head. “Not a drop. I don’t think you’ll find any left in all of Iron Landing.”
Spraggel’s shoulders slumped. He looked like he had just lost his best friend.
I looked from Mikney to Spraggel. I knew my old master took his ale seriously, but they were talking like someone had died.
Mikney patted him on the shoulder. “But there is hope. An old friend of mine is braving the winter seas.”
Spraggel looked up hopefully. “Southern ale?”
Mikney nodded. “The bastard is overdue, but if anyone can get through the storms, he can.”
Spraggel took a deep breath. “I’ll say a prayer for him.”
Mikney gave Spraggel another pat on the shoulder. “As will I.” And they both then bowed their head and paused in silence.
I shook my head in disbelief and glanced at Fumiko. She just shrugged.
A moment later, they both looked up. Spraggel wiped a tear from his eye, and Mikney gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before leaving on his mission.
I knew these two took their ale seriously, but this was just a little much.
We settled down to wait, making ourselves as comfortable as we could in the cramped attic. It seemed like weeks, but Mikney returned in only an hour. Apparently, luck was with us. The innkeeper had found a loaded barge waiting on one last container that was due shortly. The barge-master said if we could come now, he would give us passage to Dunomhir.
We quickly gathered our supplies and went with him out to the river docks. The streets were bustling with people in heavy coats, but the crowd began to thin as we approached the docks. The cold air blowing from downriver was frigid and would tug and pull at one’s coat seeking warmth to steal. I shivered and turned to see my companions had also settled further into their cloaks.
As we rounded the last corner, I paused to make sure Zofie’s clothes were keeping her warm while Mikney and Spraggel went on ahead. Cabrina was so involved with looking at those around us she ran into the back of me. She blushed and looked away.
As I fussed with Zofie’s cloak, Fumiko and I scanned the few people on the streets and the surrounding buildings. The wharf itself was almost deserted, likely driven away by the cold. I saw no barges out in the river itself, but there were quite a few of them covered and tied to the wharf. It didn’t look like they would be moving until spring. Mikney and Spraggel looked to be headed toward the only one with people on it.
Unexpectedly, I felt something hot on my wrist. I looked down and pushed back my cloak. The charm that Cabrina had given me was hot. Not enough to burn, but warm enough to be uncomfortable. This was really odd. The last time a charm had acted like this was back before Abe had introduced himself. Early on, I had been given an amulet to wear that would dampen my curse’s bad luck, and in effect, limit Abe’s ability to protect me. One time, when I was fighting a monster and was just about to be eaten, the amulet got unbearably hot and cracked. And thus breaking the charm so Abe could help me.
I was puzzled. Did this mean that Abe was trying to break the charm? I certainly hoped not since that could kill us. I looked to Cabrina and was surprised to see her staring at two people farther down the wharf. One wore a deeply hooded cloak, while the other had a broad-brimmed hat pulled tightly over their head.
Up until a moment ago, the youth had been smiling, but now she looked disappointed.
“One of them has been perfected,” she said quietly.
My eyes went wide. Abe was trying to warn me.
“Fumiko, the two people approaching on the left.”
She nodded but didn’t look in their direction. She nudged me toward the barge. “I’ll guard Zofie. See if you can get them to follow you. Just walk slowly until the fighting starts.”
“Fighting?”
But in reply, she just gave me another nudge.
I took Cabrina’s hand and pulled her after me. “Don’t stare,” I admonished the girl. I expected resistance, maybe an attempt to escape, but she came willingly and simply looked down at her feet. Side by side, we walked leisurely toward the barge.
The two people approaching didn’t change their course but continued to walk at a steady pace. I could hear their measured steps scraping on the cobblestones as they drew near. One was quite a bit taller than the other, but the taller’s hood and the shorter’s hat hid their identity. I couldn’t even tell if they were armed. I released Cabrina’s hand and laid it on the hilt of my sword.
While still several paces away, we passed in front of them, and I thought they might rush us at that point. But they maintained their maddeningly steady pace and passed behind us.
Just as I thought perhaps we had made a mistake, I heard the rustling of a cloak. In one motion, I started to pull my sword and wheeled to face—a knife inches from my chest. From beneath her hat, Lilith smiled wickedly up at me.
Her companion threw back his hood and slowly drew his rather large sword. My eyes went wide when I recognized him. Lord Wort Dilyston. The cloak’s sleeve
s were large but seemed to strain to contain the man’s massive arms. I’d once thought them the size of small trees. Last we met atop Mount Eternal, he had been in Wynn’s employ and very nearly killed us.
“Hello, Coren,” said Lilith. She put a hand on the arm holding my half-drawn sword and tugged downward until the sword rested back in its scabbard. She leaned closer. “You’re too slow. You’ll never be a match for me in a million years. So be a good boy and don’t do anything stupid. I’m here for Zofie, but I’ll take you too if you insist.” She leaned forward. I could feel the point of her knife even through my clothes. “Now where is she?”
I grinned back. “Do you honestly expect me to tell you?”
Lilith shrugged. “One could hope.” Then she smiled. “But there are other ways.”
Her other hand shot out and grabbed Cabrina.
“NO!” yelled Cabrina. Suddenly, her shoulders slumped, and her head fell forward.
“What did you do to her?”
“She is of low cothe. Easily readable and will do everything I say.” She glanced in Cabrina’s direction. “Now why don’t you tell me where Zofie is? Or perhaps you’d like me to dig through your host’s brain to find it. I probably wouldn’t have to damage her too much.”
Cabrina shook her head and slowly raised an arm, pointing to the corner we had left Fumiko and Zofie. Lilith smiled and glanced over her shoulder. I followed the gaze—only they weren’t there.
Wort suddenly pointed with his sword. “She’s already on the barge. How did she sneak past us?”
Lilith cursed. She released Cabrina and shoved me hard to the side. I stumbled about to fall when Cabrina, of all people, caught me and steadied me.
“Sorry,” she whispered. Then she shoved me after them.
I broke into a run. Cabrina would likely take the opportunity to escape but saving Zofie came first. I ran after them. But to my surprise, the youth ran just behind me.
Up ahead, the bargemaster and his two crew were frantically casting off ropes. Zofie stood in the center of the barge, and Spraggel was helping her to sit. With wide eyes, he noticed Lilith and Wort running toward him and began to dig in his special pocket, no doubt looking for his long lost sword.
Assassin of Curses: (The Coren Hart Chronicles Book 3) Page 11