by K. F. Breene
With her heart in her throat, Alena inched her head around the doorframe to peer inside. A candle flickered somewhere off to the left, sprinkling the bars and softly illuminating a mess of bodies sprawled out on the floor. She could barely make out chests rising and falling, her army’s men sleeping. Two ankles, one on top of the other, stuck out from the wall. The guard was definitely sitting, and appeared to be relaxing. This was good news.
She inched her head in a little further, glancing around to look down the other side of the row of cells. Moonlight from a few high windows barely lighted the ground where another mess of bodies lay. Since the city didn’t see many captives, the prisons were small and cells few. The Graygual had stuffed as many of the officers in as they could.
She clutched her precious cargo tighter to her chest. Her stomach constricted with fear. She stepped in.
The guard was sitting with his head drooped to the side. His meaty arms were crossed over his chest. She couldn’t see his eyes, but with his head like that, he had to be asleep.
Breath shallow, she inched forward, tingles of fear making her joints tight and jerky. Unwashed bodies assaulted her senses. More than one man lay in an awkward position, pressed up against the bars or other men, limbs jumbled together. The fact that they could sleep like that was testament to the extent of their overall suffering. They were so tired they could sleep anywhere, in any position. They’d grown used to the horrible conditions because they had to. It was that or die.
Alena’s heart ached. Three already had.
No time to think about that now.
She scanned the cell in front of the guard where there was the most light. Gretchen had said Lucius and Sterling were both in that cell, carefully watched. They were the highest-ranked officers in the city.
Dark heads danced in the flickering orange light. Dull blue uniforms, coated with dirt and grime, became a sea. Boots of all sizes stuck out of odd locations within the bodies.
Squinting and shaking her head, she stepped a little closer, her senses on high alert. She caught sight of a head with short hair. Looking closer, she could just make out the strong jaw, perhaps a small cleft in his chin? He seemed handsome enough, but she could barely see him. It could be her mind playing tricks on her.
He had short hair, though. It had to be Lucius. The Hunter kept him relatively well groomed.
He lay near the back, tangled up like everyone else. Tiptoeing, careful not to shuffle, Alena edged toward the cell. She had to get this done.
She bent to the nearest shoulder and touched it gently, belatedly realizing it was a childhood friend—Barus. His eyes snapped open, sighting her immediately. A faint line came into his brow in confusion, but he didn’t move.
Alena put a finger to her mouth. She pointed to the bundle clutched to her chest, and then pointed to the back of the cell. She mouthed, “Lucius.”
Barus’ gaze flicked toward the guard, then back up at her. He shook his head. “Go.”
Oh good, he was going to try and tell her what to do from inside a jail cell. Very helpful.
She shook her head and whispered, “Get Lucius!”
Barus’ eyes flicked to the guard again. The furrow in his brow deepened, but not out of confusion this time. He was disapproving.
The sands were pouring through the hourglass as she stood there, dickering around with the fool. He’d get her caught while trying to make sure she was safe.
She touched the body next to him. The man moved, waking up slower than Barus had. When his head turned, she saw it was Timken, an older army man who refused to retire. He was probably kicking himself for that decision now.
Confusion stole his expression as his gaze fell on Alena. Just like Barus, his eyes then flicked to the guard.
“Lucius.” Alena added a point to her whisper.
Unlike Barus, Timken took note of what she held. His doubt cleared instantly. He gave a curt nod before shifting in order to get his right arm, previously pressed against the bars, into the air. With a wheeze of effort, he gave the man next to him a hard poke.
The wake-up period and following confusion ate more time. Alena could feel the sting of anticipation. She glanced at the guard behind her, only a little comforted by the steady rising and falling of his chest. Someone could come through the door at any minute, though. She needed to speed this up and get out of there.
She made circles in the air with her hand, hoping that they would get the message. Let’s go!
The next man woke up, then the next, each a little quicker now that more of them were awake. Barus shifted position. A button scraped against a bar. Everyone froze.
Alena did the motion again. Hurry up!
Finally someone jabbed Lucius. His eyes snapped open. His head came up, and he scanned the men on the ground before his gaze settled on her. Confusion and fear stole his expression, the fear a remnant from when they had punished her for his stubbornness.
Alena looked down at her bundle, and then motioned him forward.
A chorus of breath being released blew through the cell as a message was passed along.
“Pass it through,” Timken said quietly.
“I can’t. I have to explain the plan to him directly.”
“Whose plan?”
Was now really the time to be nosey? “Just pass the message on!”
When the message reached Lucius, the real issue came into effect. For him to get up and get to the bars, they all had to move. Fabric rustled. Bodies scraped against the stone floor. Someone grunted as another let out a muffled “Ow!”
Alena started bouncing in place, that open door pressing at her back. She glanced at the guard, then at that airy void through the door. More grunts and shifting. A groan of pain.
This is a very bad idea.
The guard snorted.
Alena spun, fear crawling through her. Her stomach rolled as his head came up and a grimace took over his face. Eyes still closed, his head bobbed.
Gretchen hadn’t made the sleeping draught strong enough!
Holding her breath, Alena glanced down at her package. Then at the men in the cell, all frozen, staring at her or the guard with wide eyes. Then at Lucius, agony in his gaze. She knew he would rather die than for her to be captured by the guards and put to death. The men of this city hated women being in harm’s way, and the Hunter had made the punishment clear for those defying his rule. She should run!
Without warning, Shanti’s face flashed into Alena’s mind. She didn’t know the foreign woman personally, but she envied her freedom of will, her fearlessness and brash attitude. Shanti had never been afraid of anything. She’d always gotten the job done.
Then Alena thought of Molly slapping her across the face. If she ran now, she would leave a hole in their planning. And with just one hole, the whole thing would unravel.
The Women’s Circle was counting on her. She could not fail.
A new wave of courage washed through her. Hardening her resolve, she continued to wait for Lucius. The guard shifted, moaning once more, before settling back with his chin on his chest. He shifted again, uncomfortable. He’d wake up again soon. Alena didn’t have long.
She turned back to the cell and motioned Lucius forward. “Hurry!” she mouthed.
“Go!” he mouthed back, flinging his hand toward the door.
Timken pushed someone out of the way, the rustling of fabric blaring through the silence like a hammer on an anvil. He grabbed Lucius by the shirt and jerked, making him step forward.
Lucius stepped on someone’s leg. Then an arm. Grunts sounded like popping corn. The guard moaned behind her.
C’mon. C’mon!
“You shouldn’t be here!” Lucius’ words were barely more than a rustling of wind.
“Take this.” Alena passed through the bundled collection of vials. “There are two potions in there. One is a fast-working poison. All you have to do is introduce it into the enemy’s body any way that you can. Mouth, eyes, a cut…”
Lucius nodd
ed with the info, taking the package through the bars.
“The other is a deep sleep draught. It’ll make you appear dead. You, Lucius. Sterling, too. There are three draughts in all, so you can choose one other. Those vials have a red lid. It’ll work within a few hours, and then your heart rate will slow to the point that it is undetectable. You’ll go cold to the touch, you’ll go still—you will look dead. That will last for about a day, maybe less. Do you understand?”
He frowned. That was a no.
“When the Captain comes, and things start to get hairy,” she explained quickly, “swallow the contents of the red vial. Appear dead and they’ll put you in the morgue where there are no locks. You can help from the inside of the city while the Captain is on the outside. Do you see?”
“What about the poison?”
Boots scraped against stone. The guard moaned. Alena’s heart started to thump wildly. She pushed the bundle against his chest, hearing the guard moving again. He was fighting the sleeping draught now.
“That’s for everyone else. Spread it out. We are trying to get a little to everyone. When the Captain starts the attack, and things are getting more chaotic, you can use this to cut people down. We’ll try to get you knives, but those are harder to hide from the guards. This’ll work if you don’t have anything else. Just a tiny bit will do the job—it’s very potent. Splash it in their face to get it into their mouth or something. It’s all we could think of to give you guys something to use.”
“Have you had word of the Captain?” Lucius asked, his voice dripping with hope.
“No, but he will come. That’s what the Hunter is banking on. And when he does, he’ll bring the foreign women. Molly is positive that together they will cause havoc.”
Lucius nodded slowly. “Wise. And yes, they will.” He reached through the bar and took her hand. The warmth seeped into her, vibrating through her in a long-forgotten way. “Thank you. For your bravery.”
She felt the rush of pride. It was short-lived.
The chair behind her creaked. Alena jumped and spun. The guard’s head lolled before bobbing up. He blinked, dazed, before rubbing at his eyes.
“Get out of here!” Lucius said in a fierce whisper.
The guard rolled his neck and then shoulders, straightening up. Alena didn’t waste any more time. She hiked up her skirt and ran. The soles of her shoes slid as she took the corner too fast. She crashed into the doorframe.
“What—?” The chair creaked again, the guard getting to his feet.
“Move!” she heard Lucius urge. As she swung around the corner, she caught sight of Lucius pushing someone. She could just make out Barus barreling into someone else, drawing the guard’s attention, before she was gone.
She had to tell the Women’s Circle she’d succeeded in her task. There was only one more plan to put into effect, before they were ready for the Captain and the bloodshed to follow.
That was when the real danger began.
Chapter Eight
Sanders refused to feel the ache in his legs and back from their constant riding. The horse under him, as well bred and sturdy as it was, panted from fatigue. But the end was in sight. Already the land was changing, morphing from an acquaintance into an old friend, reminding him of childhood hunts and excursions. They were almost home.
A shock of fear punched him.
Junice.
He gritted his teeth and looked out to the side, clamping down on the stream of worst-case scenarios that rolled through his mind. Junice would be okay. She was a fighter. She had never let Sanders get his way, much less order her around, so there was no way she’d let some stinky Graygual push her around.
“The Hunter will be civil to his captives unless his demands aren’t met,” Rohnan said in his stupid singsong, caressing voice. It had a calming effect.
Being too calm could get a man killed.
“Stop reading my mind, gorgeous,” Sanders said sarcastically. He looked back to the front. He didn’t need anyone seeing how anxious he was. He needed to be the strong focal point of this outfit, backing up the Captain and keeping everyone else confident. That damn twin of Shanti’s was just confusing matters.
Sanders blew out a breath, feeling both relief and fear as they crossed the first landmark identifying the border of their land. His horse’s head started to droop, and his wasn’t the only one. These horses were near the brink. They’d ridden hard over the last week, and if they didn’t give these animals a break, they’d be walking the rest of the way.
Another landmark came and went as they moved deeper into the lush trees. The first sentry post loomed on the right. Sanders could tell it was empty. That was normal. Sanders hadn’t stationed people in that crow’s nest for years. It was too far out for the present time of peace with the surrounding lands.
After this, though, it might be time to stick a Shadow person with mind power up there. Peacetime was over.
In a hundred yards or so, the next sentry post came up. Also empty. After this, they should be manned, assuming the Hunter hadn’t killed everyone.
“Let’s halt,” Shanti said in a faraway voice. Her horse pranced sideways instead of stopping. That horse didn’t like to stand still when it sensed a battle coming. “Bloody horse,” Shanti muttered before sliding to the ground.
She glanced back at Sanders before walking to the Captain’s horse, away from the rest of the men.
“She wants you with them,” Rohnan said as he swung his leg over his mount.
“You don’t have to be a mind reader to catch the obvious,” Sanders said, jumping down.
Daniels joined them, too. The Captain hadn’t gotten down from his horse, though. He looked out toward the distant city with unfocused eyes.
“The sentries aren’t yours,” Shanti said to the Captain. “I don’t know how good their range is. I don’t want to risk moving any closer yet.”
“How many can you sense?” Daniels asked.
“Two. The first two, and just barely.” Shanti matched the Captain’s distant look. “I’m at the very edge of our range, and there is no one in the land who can match us. But those two are strong, and if they have more and they are all merged, they could come close to being able to reach us. Very close.”
“We’re a long way out,” Sanders said, eyeing the men. They all sat rigid in their saddles with clenched jaws and severe expressions. It was all coming to a head. “We can’t do much from here.”
“We need a plan,” Shanti said.
“The Hunter probably expects us to have an army of Shadow at our back.” The Captain sat straight and tall, steady as a rock. His eyes were vicious. “It would make sense for him to put his best men up front.”
Sanders ground his teeth again. Instead of the army of Shadow, they had a team. That team was still a week behind them, at least. If the Graygual took an interest in them, though, they might never get there at all.
The Captain’s knuckles went white on his reins. “The wise thing to do would be to wait.”
“The wise thing to do would be to get an idea of what we’re up against.” Shanti fingered the knives on the holster around her upper thigh. “My problem is, I don’t know how to do that. There’s no sneaking in when someone with the Gift is watching for me. As soon as I’m in their range, they’ll have me.”
“They’ll have you in more ways than one,” the Captain said, his voice getting harder. “They’ll vastly overpower you with the Gift. You might as well just offer yourself to them. It’s you the Hunter wants.”
“And you, now.” Sanders braced his hand on the hilt of his sword. “He must know it was the two of you that made the wave of mind-death. He’ll want you both.”
“Sir…” Daniels’ expression was one of contemplation. “The Hunter has no idea you know what’s going on. He will be expecting you to come home, and then find these foreign Inkna in our sentries’ positions. I think he’ll make allowances for your reaction, don’t you?”
The Captain and Shanti both looke
d at Daniels. Neither said anything, probably thinking that through.
“He doesn’t know Shanti is here,” Daniels continued. “He knows less than you, actually. Creating a diversion with a large release of power, and a few deaths if we can manage it, may open the way for Shanti to sneak in. And maybe one or two others. The question will be, can she get into the city? And if so, can she hide once she does?”
“That raises a lot more questions,” Sanders said, hating the situation they’d been forced into. “If she gets in, how does she communicate with us? She’d be right under the Hunter’s nose. All he’d have to do is scoop her up.”
* * *
Shanti felt a whirl of nervousness as what Sanders had said sank in. But underneath that there was nothing but fire and determination. Aside from Xandre and his guards, the Hunter thought he was on top of the food chain. He thought his plan to come here and hold Cayan’s people hostage would grant him an easy capture.
Shanti wanted to see the look on his face when she proved him wrong.
“I can communicate with Cayan, after a fashion,” she said, glancing up to meet those burning blue eyes. “I’ll get inside, I’ll figure out what’s going on, and then I’ll find a way to relay news. We’re connected. You’ll feel me the whole time.”
“If you can actually get in,” Sanders said. “If they catch a whiff of you, the jig is up.”
Cayan shook his head in small jerks, his jaw clenching. He didn’t like this—she could feel the uncertainty and possessiveness raging through him—but there was no other choice. He couldn’t go—he’d be spotted immediately—and no one else, not even Rohnan, could sneak in the way she could. She was the person for this job.
“Daniels is right,” she pushed. “The Hunter is blind right now. And he knows we work well when surprised. He’ll expect our hard reaction, but then he’ll expect to capture us. He’ll also expect us to stick together.”
“Not to piss on the parade, but what about the Inkna in the city?” Sanders asked.
“He’ll have the strongest out here,” Cayan said, staring off into the distance. “He needs a strong first line of defense to keep us out. Within the city, he probably only needs to maintain order. We didn’t leave anyone with the Gift behind. Keeping order in a city of non-Gifted won’t take much.”