by Isabo Kelly
“Friend of yours?” she whispered.
He spared her a glare before focusing on the patrol again.
Neither she nor Althir moved as the minions passed beneath them. They kept still and silent. Despite this, the elf paused and glanced at the chocolate shop. He studied the façade, turning his attention slowly to the second story.
Mina held her breath, not moving even to frown. Seconds passed. The minions stopped in their march to watch the elf. Finally, with a slight shake of his head, the elf signaled them all back into motion, and the group moved on, continuing out of sight.
Mina sucked in a deep breath, filling lungs that were burning from the strain. Then she faced Althir.
“He sensed you, didn’t he?” There was no other reason for the elf to have paused. She’d watched many patrols just like that pass her while she was in hiding, and not one had stopped before, not while she held her silence and stillness.
Althir scowled, his gaze still on the street. “Shouldn’t have. Bastard Liroc. He’s picked up something new from the Sorcerers.” He met her gaze. “I could sense it. He’s been tainted, using blood magic now too.” He shook his head.
“I’m not sure I understand. Isn’t that why you all turned traitor to join the Sorcerers? For more power? For access to their skills? Haven’t you been learning their magic before this?”
He hissed and stalked away, a reaction she hadn’t been expecting. It was common knowledge his excuse for turning traitor was power. Maybe he was upset he’d never managed to receive any of that additional magical strength.
He kept his back to her when he said, “The Sorcerers are jealous with their magics. I’ve mentioned that before. They were protective of it with the traitors too, never giving much, only hinting at more to come. They’ve never given any of the elves access to the kind of taint I could sense on Liroc. Something’s changed.”
“You…regret not gaining access to their magic?” She wasn’t sure she wanted him to answer that question. She knew he must or he would never have turned traitor to begin with. But somehow, hearing him admit it would disappoint her. Odd.
He spun to face her. “You’re not listening. Something has changed. Something I didn’t plan for or anticipate. That will make what we have to do even more complicated. If the Sorcerers are sharing their magic with the elves, after all these many months, they’re worried. They’ve uncovered some bit of information that’s forced them to an extreme I know for certain they never intended to go.”
She tilted her head. “You’re saying they never intended to share their magic with you?”
He gave a sharp nod. “They lied. As they are wont to do.”
“Then… Why do the other elves stay? Why didn’t they defect the way you did if the Sorcerers had no intention of following through with their promises?”
He curled his lip in a snarl. “They continued to believe the lies. As I’ve said before, they’re all idiots. They refused to see through the charm.”
“But you did?”
With a snort, he dropped back onto the bed and lounged against the headboard. But his casual position belied a tenseness to his muscles, a coiled readiness to jump back into action.
“Charm is what I do,” he said with no little bitterness. “No one can charm me, not with lies.”
“If not, why did you turn traitor in the first place? And why did you stay so long?”
“None of your fucking business,” he spat.
She raised her brows and crossed her arms over her chest. “Such venom. So much for charm.” She watched his lips flatten into a thin line but couldn’t tell what emotion he was suppressing. “So, despite the fact that the Sorcerers hadn’t intended to share their magic, they have now.”
He jerked his chin down once.
“That elf could sense you. Does that mean the others will too? Have you just become more of a liability than a help on this mission?”
Scrubbing his hands over his face, he growled something in his own language she couldn’t understand.
“I don’t know,” he said from behind his hands, before dropping them to his lap. “I don’t know what the other traitors are capable of now.”
Mina left her spot by the window and paced across the room, considering this new information. As she walked, she said, “Do you think word of our goal has reached them? Do you think they realize what we might be after?”
“Again, I don’t know. I didn’t expect the Sorcerers to go this far and share their powers. So whatever they’ve discovered, it’s forced their hands.”
Under his breath he mumbled something she didn’t catch. “What was that?”
He stared at her without blinking. “You weren’t told why your people want the List.”
She shook her head. “The less I know, the better. They can’t torture anything out of me that I don’t know.”
“It may be too late for that.”
“Meaning you think the Sorcerers know not only that we want the List but why? How could they when barely any of my people know?”
He didn’t answer as he continued to consider her. She raised her brows in silent question.
“I’m going to need a weapon or two now,” he said, in a seeming change of subject. “If we continue with our plan, we’re not likely to get out of this without a fight. I need a weapon.”
She pursed her lips. The council had very purposefully not armed Althir. She’d agreed with that decision, not wanting to find a dagger in her back. Though she suspected he could kill her without a weapon, given his superior elven strength, she’d at least have a chance to fight off a physical attack.
But things had changed. In an instant an already deadly mission had taken a turn for the worse. Her job rarely involved engaging the enemy in an actual fight, but now a fight might be unavoidable. She sure as hells didn’t want to fend off an entire squadron of minions with only her two short swords to aid her.
“Where?” she asked shortly, her decision made. She just hoped pragmatism didn’t get her killed.
“I know a place where there are weapons stored that’s not too far off the route to the Citadel.”
“It will be heavily guarded.”
“I have a plan.”
Her stomach dropped at the look on his face. When he smiled, she groaned. “Great. You’re going to get me killed, aren’t you?”
“We were never likely to survive this anyway,” he said, almost cheerfully.
Even better, she thought with a growing sense of doom. She was paired up with a suicidal ex-traitor elf she couldn’t trust but found herself having to while in the middle of enemy territory.
Wonderful.
She was not looking forward to tonight.
Chapter Four
They left the small shop once full dark took the city, Althir leading the way this time. He still had questions for the lovely Mina, things about her he wanted to know, but he’d left off teasing her after Liroc had sensed him in their hiding spot. Instead, he’d shifted to his wartime vigilance, and even when she’d dozed, he’d continued to keep an eye and ear on their surroundings, watching for the appearance of any other elves.
Not that she realized he’d kept watch too. He’d pretended to sleep. And because he couldn’t resist some level of teasing, he’d “slept” in the room she’d claimed for the day. A part of him wondered if she’d go to the other bed. A very specific part of him hoped she might even crawl into bed with him—though he really didn’t see that happening. Yet. But he had wondered how she’d handle his continued insistence on remaining in her company.
To his surprise, she simply dozed in the chair by the window. She couldn’t have possibly been comfortable. Yet she didn’t complain or even comment. He could tell by her breathing and position in the chair, she never did fall asleep deeply either.
Her watchfulness reminded him of other soldiers, other spies, other wars. Over the course of the day, his fascination with her increased.
As they crept through the streets toward the
small building housing an emergency store of weapons, he found himself hoping to spend time with her when this mission was done. If they survived. If she’d allow it. Though, he didn’t really intend to give her a chance to refuse his company. He was certain he could charm her at least that much before they returned to Sinnale territory.
The real trick would be surviving. That possibility had just gotten worse.
They reached the building without encountering more than one patrol, which passed them without incident. He kept them hidden in a narrow space between two buildings just across the street from the weapons hold, watching the guards and their movements. Mina remained motionless and silent behind him, not even murmuring a question as they waited.
They stayed that way for a long while. Finally, Althir heard the incoming fresh guard approaching. Exactly what he’d been waiting for. Five minions marched up to the main door, their attention on their goal and not the surroundings. When the door opened, they filtered in. Several moments later, five minions filtered back out again and turned in the general direction of the Citadel.
He didn’t move even after the off-duty group had disappeared and he could no longer hear the sharp ring of their boots on the cobbles. He continued to watch the building in silence. He was sure Mina must be growing restless behind him, yet there was still no hint of any impatience in movement or talk from her.
Finally, when he was sure the new guards had finished their check of the building and were settling into their posts, he turned to face Mina. The tight confines meant he was forced to press up against her. The feel of her full breasts against his chest was a pleasure he wasn’t about to refuse.
She stiffened, attempting to put some space between their bodies, but there wasn’t enough room. All she ended up doing was rubbing her breasts against him. As he stared down at her, her breathing increased, just enough to continue the torture of movement, and he felt the stirrings of real lust begin to rise. Despite what they were about to attempt, he smiled.
With a hand on the wall beside her head, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, “We’ll go around to the side of the building, to an entrance hidden from the street. It will be monitored by one of the five minions that just entered the building.”
“And how do you intend to get past the guards?” she murmured in a brush of hot air against the sensitive lobe of his ear.
He took a deep breath, and their bodies pressed tighter together. Though he enjoyed the position immensely, he was realizing this might be too much of a distraction. He hadn’t recognized just how very susceptible he was to the lure of her body. He didn’t want to get either one of them killed before he had a chance to thoroughly enjoy her.
Yet he didn’t attempt to move away from her. “If you’ll allow me the use of one of your swords, I can silence the guard on the door without raising an alarm. That will give us time to retrieve a few more weapons and get back out before anyone notices.”
She pulled back to look up at him, holding his gaze. “You’re sure?” she mouthed.
Did she realize he could still hear her, even when she spoke so quietly? He nuzzled against her ear again and murmured, “They have a pattern. They won’t change the position of their watch unless an alarm is raised. Not for the next hour. We’ll have enough time.”
She remained still and quiet for long enough he wondered if she’d trust him with the sword. He didn’t absolutely need it. He could overpower the minion without it. But that might create more noise, and they were attempting stealth.
Finally, she nodded, her hair brushing against his cheek with the movement, and he eased far enough away for her to pull one sword from its scabbard on her hip. She handed the weapon over reluctantly. When he touched it, he realized why. It was an elf-made short sword. An old one, not one of the more recent additions sent into Sinnale after the Glengowyn king and queen resumed trading weapons with the humans.
Did she know this particular sword held more than the usual elven magic? Did she know exactly how old it was? He glanced at the base near the guard and spotted the telltale elven signature. He raised his brows, momentarily stunned. Not just old, then. Something even rarer.
Whether she realized the true value of her swords or not, her reluctance proved the weapon was important to her. Or maybe she simply didn’t like the idea of him having a sword. Though if that were the case, she wouldn’t have agreed to this detour to arm him. Either way, he acknowledged her trust with a slight bow of his head and then led the way back down the narrow gap so they could approach the weapons storage facility from a more covert angle.
As they neared the building again, Althir stopped where he could see the door through which he intended to gain entrance.
Leaning near enough to speak into Mina’s ear, he said, “Wait here. If you hear anything at all, I’ve drawn too much attention. Get back to Sinnale territory.”
She pulled away and looked up at him with her eyebrows raised and her eyes wide. “No,” she mouthed flatly. Then closer to his ear, “I go in too. That’s why I’m here, to make sure you don’t return to your former colleagues.”
Irritation bit deep into his gut, even though he recognized her logic. Her distrust made sense. She was here to keep an eye on him. He knew that. The Sinnale council had made it very clear. So he wasn’t entirely sure why her lack of faith in him grated against his pride so sharply. He didn’t expect her trust. In fact, he’d probably think less of her if she did trust him too easily.
Still… His logic didn’t seem to be communicating with his instincts, and his instincts were annoyed beyond measure that she refused to listen to him.
“Fine. But keep quiet. Let me do what I need to do. We’re finished if we’re discovered.”
She released a mostly silent breath that sounded suspiciously like a snort and turned back toward their goal.
He led on silent steps to the door, then motioned her back against the wall while he turned the knob. A minion stepped through with his sword pointed at Althir. Althir stared down his nose at the thing that used to be a human man until the minion lowered his sword and bowed his head. With a quick nod, and an even quicker flick of his wrist, he swept the short sword upward and sliced neatly through the minion’s throat. He didn’t even have a chance to gurgle a dying breath before collapsing face first onto the cobbles.
The stench of rotting meat, which permeated all minions, increased as the man bled out. Althir curled his lip at the noxious smell and moved inside, not waiting to see what Mina did.
She followed as silently as he could have hoped. For a human, she moved with a great deal of control and stealth. Years working as a spy had obviously trained her well.
Once inside, he went to the smaller of the two weapons rooms. Rather than take from the main stores, he raided the watches’ supply, knowing those weren’t monitored as closely, or counted as accurately, as the main collection in a much larger room deeper in the building. A further advantage of stealing from the guards’ supply—the room was very close to the door they’d entered through and not secured with a complicated locking system.
He concentrated on listening to his surroundings as he moved, waiting for any sign the other minions were moving from their stations. The house remained eerily, but blessedly, quiet. At the door to the weapons room, he dropped to one knee to study the simple key lock. He could force the door easily enough, but doing it without making noise would take some finesse. As he studied the knob and frame, Mina dropped down to her knees next to him and shouldered him over a few inches.
She put her mouth against his ear and said, “Any spells?”
He shook his head.
She pulled two long, thin needles from inside one of the sleeves of her tunic and proceeded to pick the lock with a dexterity that both surprised and impressed him.
“Thief,” he mouthed around a smile as the door clicked open.
“Spy,” she corrected in the same near-silent tone.
They scooted inside and Mina pulled the door nearly c
losed, leaving an inch of space so she could watch the hallway. Althir went right to the rack of swords, bows and arrows.
He fingered the arrows, thinking of his cousin and her special arrows just delivered into Sinnale hands. He could use some of those about now. But, then again, they made a lot of noise when they exploded. Better the stealthier, if less elegant, human-made arrows.
He picked up a full quiver and bow, dropping both over his head so they rested at an angle across his back. Then he turned to select a sword. Just one. He didn’t want to weigh himself down, and he also didn’t want to take so much that it made the theft obvious.
The swords weren’t nearly as well made as Mina’s, but they were sturdy and would do in a fight. They weren’t elven either, of course. During the neutrality, Glengowyn hadn’t traded weapons with either side. And now that the elves had gotten involved in the human war, they sent weapons only to the Sinnale.
He hefted one blade, checked its balance, replaced it and selected another. Satisfied that the second would do, he went in search of a scabbard to hold it. Unfortunately, none of those were in the storage room.
Damn. Well he’d have to make do with his belt. He slipped the naked blade gently through the belt looped through his trousers and hooked the guard on the edges of the leather to keep it in place. Maybe the dead minion had a scabbard, he thought as he joined Mina.
She glanced back, noted his weapons and nodded once, then she eased the door open as quietly as the hinges allowed. Althir continued to listen intently for any possible noise from the others, and it was that attention that kept him hovering in the door a beat before following Mina into the hall.
The minion that came up behind her moved much more quietly than most of them did, though he wasn’t as silent as an elf—or even a human spy. Mina must have assumed the noise came from Althir, however, because she didn’t turn to face the threat immediately. Her hesitation was only seconds, but those were preciously long seconds that nearly cost her her life.
The minion raised his sword, Mina turned just as the sword speared toward her. She leapt back awkwardly, unprepared for the attack. The sword caught one of her sleeves, slicing through material and drawing blood, though not actually piercing her. She was quick to reach for her sword but not quick enough.