by Cait Ashwood
His brows furrowed and his lips parted slightly. “What do you mean she’ll die? She’s been in Groves plenty of times before, hasn’t she?”
Brana shook her head. “I’d thought so too, but she hasn’t. She’s worked the fields, or the orchards, or even small private plots, but never an actual Grove.”
“And that makes a big difference because...?” Jasper let the thought trail off, waiting for her to finish the thought.
“Because the Groves saved my mother when she was pregnant with the twins. It wants those lives back.” It sounded absurd, saying it out loud like that, but Brana had little reason to doubt its veracity.
“Groves? As in, plural?”
Her lips twitched to the side as she tried to recall Audrey’s words. “That’s where it gets a bit fuzzy, even for me. Only the Grove in Amberfoot was directly involved, but there’s some kind of mark or something on Lily. Just walking in the Grove wouldn’t kill her, but if she ever attempted to connect, they’d sense it somehow and then...” Brana waved her hand in the air, unable to make herself say the words. Lily might be a pain in her ass, but no one deserved that kind of sentence.
“Well, she knows about it, right? So there’s nothing to worry about.” He flashed her a brilliant smile and flopped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
“She doesn’t know. Mom only confirmed it recently, herself.”
Jasper’s breath caught in his chest and he slowly sat back up.
Brana had to say something, anything. “She was going to tell her on the next moon, but Lily disappeared before then.”
He swung his feet off the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees. “So, she’s out there and has no idea that following her birthright will get her killed?” His eyes had darkened, his gaze serious.
All she could do was nod. What else was there?
“Does Hound know?”
“I hadn’t thought to ask.” Where her parents were concerned, Brana usually assumed that if one knew something, the other did as well. They shared so much through the mark without even needing to speak, it was generally a safe assumption.
“Hmm.” Jasper sat in thought for a bit.
Brana leaned against the wall, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. Groves, she understood. People, less so. Jasper was better on that front, so she’d let him think it out. Not that she really expected there to be a solution. The entire Institute was on high alert, trying to find her. The Ravens were searching for her. That it had been so long with no sign...if there was a simple answer, someone would have found it already.
“You should get some rest.”
Brana startled awake to find that Jasper had pulled a blanket over her at some point.
“So much for the coffee,” she mumbled under her breath.
Jasper smiled at her, but it was an empty smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He’s thought of something.
The realization must have shown on her face because Jasper’s lips drew into a scowl. “Don’t ask me tonight, Ana.” His voice was deeper, and Brana recognized this side of Jasper. It was the same side of Ace that she’d seen when Lily’s disappearance had been discovered.
“At least leave me your coin, then.” It wasn’t much of a safety line for Jasper, but it would vibrate if he was in trouble. At least she’d know, one way or the other.
He nodded, padding across the room to her and pressing it into her open palm. He stared down at her with emotion-filled eyes, but she couldn’t put her finger on what he was trying to tell her. He exhaled softly and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Sleep tight.”
She stared after him as he left, and at the door long after he’d gone. Just be safe. Please.
Thank heavens Dad is too busy at the Institute to see me prying into his stuff. The First Seeker kept a number of useful logs about, normally under lock and key. Being his son, Jasper knew where the spare was kept. Not that Ace was aware of this, or he’d have moved it. There were personnel records for all the trainees, after all. Those weren’t what Jasper was after, however.
He hardly needed a map of the world at this point in his career, but he was looking for more specific information than the general layout of Ebonwallowe. He knew Hound had been sent there, so it seemed the most likely place to begin his search. After an hour of sifting through the various tomes, he finally found the information he was looking for. Seekers rarely traveled by horse, but as pregnant Lilies couldn’t be phased, part of the information they kept for every town included various places throughout the city that could care for the horses. Not that many of the women left the tower, much less on horseback, but the Seekers were tired of being the last to the party. They’d made a concerted effort to create a database and as many layers of safety netting as possible. Right now, Jasper was very thankful for that fact. He jotted down the names of the places he’d hope to find his sister, and then a second list of the seedier locations. He tucked the list into an inside pocket of his vest, then searched about for his Tracking mask.
There was much more to the Tracking tattoos that non-Trackers weren’t aware of. Most just thought they were a vanity piece or a way to denote rank. If that were so, then the tattoos would be visible all the time. The ink for the tattoos was a unique thing, a mixture of magnetically reactive metals and natural compounds. They were set not with traditional tattooing methods, but by either a Chosen or a Lily. Jasper’s had been done by Audrey herself, a point of pride for him under normal circumstances. The marks had certainly made Tracking much easier for him, giving him access to an entire sight that most Seekers didn’t even know existed. Can’t have them knowing just how we’d hunt them, can we? The biggest drawback was that they put off a fair bit of light when in use. Especially with it being night time in Ebonwallowe, he couldn’t afford to have the light give him away.
I don’t even know that she won’t run from me, but if they sent Hound, they weren’t following Lily. Someone else has been snooping around, someone else they aren’t expecting. My best hope is to find that person, and see if they can lead me to her.
He tied his mask over his face, snug below his eyes, then phased from the Tower.
A chill ran down his spine that had nothing to do with the temperature and everything to do with just how creepy the city of black stone appeared at night. Huge bonfires surrounded each of the statues, but otherwise, there was little in the way of lighting for the city proper. Jasper moved into the shadows and pulled his list out of his pocket. He had a lot of places to visit tonight.
Well, only one left on the good list. Then we’re into the even seedier part of town. Jasper stared at the name on the list: Saffron Shores Inn and Stables. Here goes nothing.
He hoofed it, passing the Maiden with a wide berth. He was cloaked in all black and wearing a mask; firelight wasn’t exactly his friend at the moment. He’d traded out his usual boots for something softer and quieter, and it seemed to be serving him well in the city so far. He adjusted the mask as he got closer to the inn and let the sight come over him.
“What the hell--” he cursed under his breath. The area around the inn was lit up, surrounded by phase points. This place had seen a ton of activity, that was for sure. Jasper ducked into a nearby alley where he could still see the majority of the phase points.
It took him the better part of two hours to analyze everything he saw and force all the data into some kind of sense. There was only one pattern he knew, and the man had only phased once. That one was easy: Hound. The other two were unknown to him, which was unsettling in and of itself. As a Tracker, he had to be familiar with every Seeker in service’s unique trail. If someone went rogue, the Trackers already had a head start on finding him. But to find two traces he didn’t know? That was unheard of.
One of them had only phased in a few times, and the most recent one was a few days old. The other guy was all over the place, different days, different times, though most commonly at dawn and dusk. That means he’ll be here again in a few hours.
Jasper t
ried the handle of a door near him. The hovel appeared to be abandoned, and the knob turned easily. He slipped inside and stationed himself next to the jagged remains of the window. At least here he had a decent view and some cover if someone came knocking. Interestingly enough, there was a phase mark even in here, from the less frequent visitor. What in the hell is going on out here?
Jasper didn’t have to wait long before he got his answer. A glimpse of red hair from a window of the inn captured his attention immediately. It can’t be that simple. There’s no way. Sure enough, when the person passed by again, he caught a glimpse of his half-sister. He rolled back onto his heels, exhaling slowly. It was tempting as hell to phase right to her, but whoever had been here could have easily warded her room against phasing. Jasper wasn’t a fan of being forcibly repelled from a room. Calling it unpleasant would be like calling a grizzly bear cuddly.
I can’t very well stay here and wait for the man to come back, though. Jasper slipped out into the night, canvasing the entire area around the inn, searching for any other sign of the unregistered Seeker. Finding nothing, he made his way back to the inn, approaching from the front. Some might call it foolhardy, but if anyone was watching Lily, they’d expect him to try and sneak in to get to her, not walk through the front door. It might just catch them off guard.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” The voice with a heavy artesian accent sounded from above the covered porch. Jasper backed up quickly, trying to get his eyes on the speaker.
He was barely able to separate the man from the shadow, but he was there. “You want to come down here and tell me why, then?” Saffron Shores wasn’t the worst place in town, but Jasper wasn’t sure the porch roof would hold them both, either.
The shape seemed to consider the request for a moment. “Climb up to the main roof. There’s hand-holds around to the south.” The dark form separated from the porch roof and seemed almost to float up onto the roof of the main building of the inn.
She’s right there. I should just risk going in and getting her. Something stayed his hand though, and he had a feeling it was the fact that there was another man that had been all over this place. Playing by their rules for now might allow him to get home. He went around to the south side of the structure and found the hand-holds. He wasn’t the best climber in the world but he made it up to the top without getting too out of breath. The figure was waiting for him, hiding in the shadow of the chimney.
“We need her to stay in place for the time being. She’s safe, and that’s all you need to concern yourself with.”
Jasper hunkered down, dropping to his belly on the roof. He didn’t have a chimney handy to lean against, and someone could easily spot his silhouette on the roof. “I don’t normally converse with shadows. Do you have a name, stranger?”
The man chuckled softly. “Your father knows me, boy.”
Jasper’s mind raced. There was one man his father rarely spoke of, but everyone knew who he was and what he’d done. He’d stolen Lily’s twin brother at around a year old. By all reports, he was a deadly assassin, master of disguise, and once led the Ravens. And surely any male child of Ace and Audrey’s would be able to phase.
“Can I assume that the other Seeker that’s been all over this place like white on rice is my half-brother, then?”
“You’re a sharp one.” The voice sounded more annoyed than impressed.
Jasper shrugged, shifting so that he could pull his shirt back down. The sandpaper-like texture of the roof was rough against his stomach. “And your watch pattern is much too predictable.”
The shadow snorted. “Says the boy who didn’t even know where I was.”
“Point is, any Tracker visiting the city is going to know exactly where she is, with as much as he’s been phasing in and out around here.”
There was a pause before the shadow responded. “Is that so? Funny that Hound never mentioned it.”
Jasper pulled down the mask long enough to let his glowing tattoos show before putting it back. “If Hound didn’t come back on his own to investigate, then that’s on him. We try to be polite about our searching, after all.” Walking around with your face glowing tended to alarm people for some strange reason.
“So, they sent some green-ass tracker to cover his tracks?” The scorn was obvious in the man’s voice.
Jasper rolled his eyes, thankful the darkness would cover his action. “Hardly. But Audrey’s other daughter has a very important message to get to our half-sister. I had a feeling she might be here.”
The silhouette shrugged. “She’ll be back home before you know it.”
Jasper frowned. “Right after you finish using her to bait the other jumper, right?” It was a gamble, but he had a feeling he might be right.
The man moved away from the chimney and approached him in a crouch. “Just what do you think you know, boy?”
Okay, tough guy. Calm down. “I know that I could phase off this roof and have half the Institute here in minutes if you don’t give me a damned good reason to keep quiet about this.”
The man rolled back onto his heels, crossing his arms over his chest. He regarded Jasper for a few minutes, then seemed to reach some kind of decision. “The ‘jumper,’ as you called him, is heavily tainted. He’s not registered, as I’m sure you’re aware, and we’re not sure why he’s sniffing around Lily. Thing is, where there’s one, there’s normally more.”
Jasper took a moment to digest that information. He knew they hadn’t gotten rid of the taint when they’d raided Zaddicus’ compound, an event that happened before his birth. They’d been lucky to not have this be a problem before now. “So, you’re trying to lure him in with Lily, then spring a trap on him? Because you sure as hell aren’t going to manage to follow him back without a Tracker.”
“Indeed.” The voice was dry and heavily laced with sarcasm.
Jasper risked rising in his crouch, crawling across the roof to better distribute his weight and hopefully not alarm anyone in the rooms below him. He got over Lily’s room and cursed under his breath. The shadow of a man had followed his progress, though he hadn’t moved to interfere.
“You haven’t even warded her room. What if he found a way in past your eyes? At least Rowan would be aware of it if there were wards set.” I don’t know who these two think they are, but if they think for one second I believe Lily is secure with them, they’re sorely mistaken. He’d grown up with her and knew her well. He wasn’t sure if that would work for or against him if he revealed himself to her now, however.
“Wards would let him know we’re guarding her.”
Jasper looked around and found the house he’d sheltered in earlier. “You mean, taking him down in that hut over there didn’t get the message across just fine? And he managed to get away from you. That’s why you called Hound out, right?”
The man rocked back on his heels again. “They’ve trained you better than I’d have expected.” Was that a hint of respect in his tone?
“Better than you’ve done with Rowan. Have you ignored his Seeker abilities entirely in your training?” Jasper said the words without a hint of condemnation. How could a non-Seeker train a man who possessed talents he did not?
“I’d watch your tongue, outsider.”
The pair on the roof of the inn turned, surprised to see a shadow on the roof of the stables. Jasper strained his eyes in the dark, curious to see the half-brother he’d only ever heard the rare story about.
“Fine way to greet family, brother,” he called back, testing the waters.
The shadow stiffened before moving to join them.
His older brother was huge, but an extra two years of growth tended to have that effect at their age. For as big as he was, he moved quietly, lessons obviously well-learned from his assassin trainer.
“You called me ‘brother’?” The voice was deep and unimpressed.
Jasper shrugged, a grin tugging at his lips. “Half-brother, if you want to be technical about it. I’ve been annoying your
twin down there for the past fifteen years, at least.”
Rowan stepped up into his personal space, inspecting him closely despite the darkness. “I can’t say I see the resemblance.”
Jasper looked down at himself, a deprecating smile on his face. “My mum was a bit darker. I took after her more, I guess.”
His half-brother seemed to relax. “So, you’re Ace’s son, not Audrey’s.”
It was weird, hearing them referred to by name, but not by title. “That’s me.”
“And I have a feeling we’re not getting rid of him anytime soon,” the assassin drawled, his annoyance clear.
Jasper shrugged. “Someone has to clean up your mess.”
Zeche, for that is the only person he could be, coughed. Rowan looked at his master, waiting for the man’s reaction.
“Look, you guys need Lily to stay here. I can’t say I’m okay with my sister being used as bait, but if it leads us to a problem that we can identify and eliminate before it comes after the rest of the Tower, then I’m down with that plan. Right now, her defenses have some serious holes in them that I can’t ignore. We get those patched up,” he paused, shifting his attention to Rowan, “and we get you some training, and then hopefully this will all blow over and she can come home.” He shrugged, a sly grin playing across his face. “Besides, seems to me like you need a Tracker on board, anyway.”
Rowan’s gaze flicked to Zeche. “Does he really have to stay? He’s kind of annoying.”
The assassin scoffed. “You’re the one that’s been begging for a Seeker to spar with. Why not your brother?”
“Half-brother,” Rowan corrected.
Jasper cleared his throat. “Fun team you guys have going, here. I’m just gonna check in with someone back home and grab a ward-stick, then I’ll be back.”
“I’m afraid I can’t allow--” Zeche began, but Jasper stopped him with an outstretched hand.
“She’s the only one that knew I was coming tonight. If I don’t check in with her, she’ll send up the alert and everyone will be scouring the city for me by dawn. But if that’s cool with you, then I guess I could stay.” He sat back down on the roof, making no further moves to leave.