Julius elbowed his way to the front as soon as the portal closed behind us, searching around until he spotted me taking a seat on a bench.
“Did you see her?” he asked. “Do you know how to get her back?”
“One thing at a time,” I said. “Yes, I got into the house where she was, and yes, she seems well. We haven't decided yet how to do the break-in—”
“I don't care how you do it,” Julius interrupted. “You've found her.”
“I could find it if my wings were clipped,” Valerin said.
“Hopefully that won't be necessary,” Julius said, pacing back and forth so fast that I heard the rustle of fabric following in his wake. “It is amazing to me that, after all this time and effort, we might at last be able to bring her home. It's possible, it's going to happen. Instead of chasing after her, we can get there. Assemble and prepare—we'll take them by sheer force if need be.”
“Not a wise idea,” Leif said, standing in front of Julius. “Absolutely not. Even if wrong, this was done under the approval of a legitimate agency. We can file for an unsafe environment, and that will be enough to put her back in your hands—legally and with the blessing of others. If you violate their ruling, think of the consequences which could result.”
“We don't acknowledge their authority. She was taken from us and we're going to get her back. Before they have the opportunity to relocate her again and hide her from even your agency. Don't make the mistake we made when we tried for the same tactic you are proposing. They took her and hid her and we were not able to find her. Now that we know where she is, we are going to go to her.”
“Think,” I called after Julius, who had started to leave to get the others. “If you attack them in force, they'll pack her up and take her away. All that will happen is you'll fight, you'll kill some of them, they'll kill some of us, and Anna will still not be in our hands.”
The sitting area was getting crowded as the entire population of Selestiani tried to witness the excitement. Julius, almost to the door of the main building, spun on his heel to stare at me.
“And you propose we do nothing?” he asked. “That we sit back and watch as your coven does the same thing we did—and failed at doing. Is that what you want? Do you think I could entertain such a notion for an instant? When I speak, I'm speaking for all of us, not only for myself. We would rather fight for each other and take a long shot than to give up and know that we will fail again. We will defend and protect each other through easy times and hard times, and we will never, ever give up on one of our own no matter how terribly the odds are stacked against our favor.”
The listening Selestianis cheered their agreement. But in an instant, all was silenced as I froze the air so no sound could travel. When they were stunned, I released them and said in a clear, piercing voice, “I am the Lady Feraline of the Swift Clan and I can get our Anna back, without bloodshed, without losing her again. But this will not happen unless you hear and obey.”
Even Julius was shocked in mute compliance. I sat upright, tucking my shoulders back as regally as I could despite the way I was worn out from the magic and the day's events.
When I steadied my nerves, all were watching me intently—even Mordon. He had the same shocked look as the rest of them, but there was another emotion playing in his eyes.
He knelt before me, took my hands in his, and said, “I hear you, milady, and I offer my services to be used as you see fit.”
Surprised into reacting, Valerin quickly followed suit, kneeling and repeating Mordon's words. A ripple effect rolled through the drakes in the assembly, each one promising to hear and obey. When I looked up at Julius and the others, they were in clear debate as to if they should do as their comrades had or stay on their feet. Julius held my gaze.
“What about it, Julius Septimus? Will you hear what I have to say?” I asked.
“I will hear,” he said. “But I promise you nothing. If the plan seems feasible, then I will agree to it, so long as we hurry.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
I stood off to the side and waited for the tactical team to return from their mission. The air was frigid. A cloud of fog rolled over our encampment, leaving behind tiny fractals of crystallized frost on my jacket, dew on my skin. The Selestiani were shushed and somber as they waited and waited. There was no reason to be quiet, we had sound-dampening wards in place and we were in no risk of there being people nearby to hear us talk besides, but it was as if by being quiet ourselves we could impart silence to those who needed it.
Julius ducked under the low-hanging door of the supervisory tent, an olive green military surplus officer's tent which had a camp stove inside. He joined me by pressing a hot mug into my hands. For a minute he said nothing. On the hillside opposite us, the log cabin had two lights still on but they were low and I hadn't seen any shadows fall over the windows since the cleaning staff had made their final rounds and gone to bed.
“I am grateful to you for all you have done for us. You have my deepest appreciation,” Julius said.
“The night isn't over yet,” I said. “And I must admit that I have some investment in seeing things ending well.”
“That does not matter, unless it is to give me hope that you will consider joining us when all is done.”
A chill went through my body. “I promised that I would consider it.”
Julius proved to be too good at understanding me. He said, “Perhaps now is not the time for you to make such a change. This being the case, you will keep us in mind for when your circumstances change?”
I blushed, remembering the way that the Wildwoods had asked me the same thing. Was I a likeable person, or was the universe trying to tell me to move on, or was it all test of some kind? In the end, all I knew to say was, “Thank you.”
Mindful of sleeping potions and the variety of ways Lilly had managed to drug me into resting, I didn't take a sip of the drink Julius had given me. Just in case he's doped it up with something. Julius didn't seem to be paying attention but neither did he leave. He stood there beside me, his hands folded in front of his body, watching the dark shapes under the trees. The tactical team consisted of seven volunteers. They'd been gone long enough that they should be returning now—but if we saw them it was because they were allowing us to do so. I'd hate to think that Mordon or Barnes would be so sloppy. Only a warning of wind and the briefest trace of black pepper and nutmeg warned me that they'd returned.
“Slight problem,” Mordon's voice said over my shoulder.
Julius jumped, swinging to face the man who'd startled him. I grabbed Julius's hands before he could start a spell of some kind and said, “They're back.” I glanced at where Barnes was starting to unshadow the party, leaving Mordon's upper body visible. “What's the hitch?”
“The part where the nursery maid is the only one allowed into the nursery, and that's enforced by a golem who compares the maid with a chalk outline on the wall. Unfortunately, not even Barnes is her-size.”
Barnes grinned. “Too wide about the middle.”
“Too much homemade brandy,” I said, smiling despite the obvious failure of the first plan. If I let myself think on it, the tightness of my throat threatened to overtake ability and reason. “I assume, then, you have plans for a substitute?”
“Regrettably, yes,” Mordon said and tossed a folded-up uniform at me.
Valerin scowled. “Fera's too tall. She's no where near wide enough, either.”
At this, a smug expression crossed Mordon's face. “I think I know her dimensions better than you do.”
To cut off any reaction that comment was bound to unleash, I stripped off my own jacket and shirt and thrust them at Mordon. Julius, Valerin, and Barnes immediately turned away or hid their eyes or cleared their throat. Mordon did not do any of that, but he did stare down at my clothes instead of at me. The night air made my skin tighten and I hurried to replace the clothes I'd taken off. Within a couple of minutes I was dressed in the uniform.
“Done,”
I said, winding my hair up into a bun. “Fits like a glove. Just a bit large about the middle. Does she wear flat shoes or heels?”
“They're similar to what you are wearing,” Mordon answered.
“Do you know if the golem has any passphrases or anything of that nature?”
Valerin said, “According to the runes on his arm, he's deaf. I assume that there's no verbal communication, but he has eyesight so there's a possibility that the maid has to give a hand signal of some kind. If we discover this the hard way, it's going to be loud.”
“And very bad,” Barnes continued. “He has that place so wired up with enchantments, wards, and goodness knows what else that even putting a toe into a room where you are not permitted will set them all off.”
“That's an alternative,” I said. “Find a way to trigger everything simultaneously and escape in the aftermath.”
“We'd need time to organize it. Swapping you for Valerin is the best thing to try for now,” Leif said. “Bear in mind I would never consider it unless I thought you could do it.”
“Sneak in, rob the cradle, sneak out. Done and done,” I said, feeling both relieved and anxious to have something important to do.
I took my place amongst the team, adding to their number. Within Barnes' cloaking spell, it was bright enough to see the path easily. Outside the boundaries of the spell, everything appeared in an odd burnt-orange hue. I moved with the group. Within a few minutes we had left behind the camp and were within the confines of the cabin's lawns and gardens. We branched off, everyone going to different places, so it was just Valerin and me who went to the screen door at the end of the kitchen.
“The hallway is full of things which can get in your way,” Valerin said. “The servants seem to like to put their shoes there for some reason. Be careful. The nursery is up the stairs, second door to the right.”
I hadn't climbed any stairs using the puppet, but then I'd entered the house on the other end. I nodded, Valerin opened the door for me and passed me an earbud linked to a small battery-sized pack.
“I have one, too. Best communication given the circumstances,” he explained and clipped a tiny microphone onto my lapel. “We can hear whatever you say and some of whatever is close to you, but I'd advise you not to speak.”
With a nod, I stepped inside the house, advancing slowly as my eyes adjusted to the filtered light and distant glow of a low-lit lantern on a desk in a study. Aware of what Barnes said, I stuck to the trampled carpet as a guide for where to put my feet. As I went forward bit by bit, my breathing seemed so very very loud.
“Remember up the stairs, second door to the right,” Valerin said, the signal a little staticy.
This hallway was a different one than the one the puppet had gone through, more roundabout, and the stairs that Valerin referenced wasn't a full set, only four steps. The house creaked. I froze, trying to locate the source. It could have been someone turning over in bed and making floorboards creak, or hot water cooling in pipes. I'd been in enough spook houses that this shouldn't alarm me.
Outside the nursery stood the golem, a clay figure well over seven feet tall and three times as wide as a standard man. It didn't look like anything except a roughly-made statue, lacking in certain details such as ears and a nose. But it had eyes, and it was staring at a chalk outline of a person on the wall opposite it.
The physical amount of space the golem took up made it so the only way by him was to turn my body so I faced either towards or away from him. When I sidestepped to fit into the chalk outlines, I was left staring at the clay monstrosity with my hands by my sides and his earless, noseless face leering down at me.
“Here we go,” I muttered under my breath, steeling myself as my skin prickled with anticipation.
The golem teetered towards me, lidless eyes glaring down. My heart skipped, I wondered if it was falling and if I'd be trapped. It stopped moving and I relaxed a fraction, shifted my weight to go. Two arms shot out on either side of me and I jumped, forcing myself to stand still. Bits of clay and dust fell from its joints as it stared at me at eye level, bringing its face so close to my own that I could see the pits from a tool marking its cheek. I didn't dare to breathe.
“Fera, what's happening?” Leif asked in my earbud.
I almost didn't dare to speak with the way the golem was scrutinizing me, but I spoke on a soft breath, “Inspection. Wait.”
The golem had no expressions, it was physically impossible. But that only amplified the uncertainty in my gut, the way that I wanted it all to be over and to never have to face the creature again. Seconds passed like minutes, it doing nothing, me doing nothing.
Then there was the audible scraping of joints as it resumed its stationary stance. Inspection had been passed. I walked away.
“All's good,” I breathed into the mic. “Heading to nursery now.”
“Take it easy,” Barnes said. “Act relaxed and authoritative if you see anyone. Acting guilty is the first sign that a suspect is doing something they shouldn't be.”
My inner cheek was bleeding where I had bit it. I released my cheek and swabbed the hurt area with my tongue. The door to the nursery opened at a touch—it had not been latched. When I closed it, I did not shut it all the way, thinking there might be a reason for it having been open.
Remembering the places the woman had walked when I had spied on her with the puppet, I made it to the cradle and peered in. A slow breath escaped me.
“What is it?” Valerin asked, his voice cracked in the earbud. That he would be nervous was no surprise to me—they'd probably all be listening intently to the slightest sound I made.
“She's fine,” I said. “Picking her up now. Sleeping.”
“Wait, check the area first,” Leif warned.
I did so, to the best of my ability, but detecting spells wasn't a talent I'd taken a lot of time to develop yet. Barnes talked me through it, and by the time I was done, she was awake and squinting.
“Hello, there,” I said to her and she made a grunting noise which made my blood run cold fearing someone else had heard it. Still, I picked her up and held her. For a few seconds, I let myself adjust to her weight in my arms. “How do I get out?”
“Back the way you came,” Barnes said.
“The golem?”
“Better than what waits for you in the other hallway.”
Thrilling.
I left the nursery, walked by the other door, and stepped in front of the golem again. I wasn't sure if it would do another inspection or just let me by, so I remained stationary. The golem didn't move, for better or for worse. I hoped it was for the better.
Then it leaned downward again, releasing the scent of wet rocks and dry, dusty wind. Once more its expressionless face leered down at me, triggering a nervous flutter in my stomach. This time, I thought for sure there was something wrong, something menacing in its countenance. Precisely how this time was any different from last time, I couldn't say.
The golem was as stiff and unchanging as it had been before, and its behavior was not out of the ordinary. And yet, I felt the tiny hairs across the back of m neck stand upright, and I resisted an urge to shudder. That's when I saw a faint light emanating from behind its eye as it stared unblinking at Anna.
As an arm came up, the honeysuckle pin began to glimmer beneath her blanket and a strong florally aroma released. When the arm moved for her, I felt a jolt cut through the air the split-second before the golem's arm jerked and fell off at the shoulder, the cut as clean as if a master swordsman had severed limb from body.
The golem stood upright and the pin faded.
Slowly, I continued on my way, putting first one foot on the other side of the golem, then the next. I glanced over my shoulder, but it didn't move. Anna was beginning to fuss. I hated to think what would happen if she pitched a fit, but certainly the household was accustomed to her sounds by now.
I was walking down the worn path to the back door when a door clicked open.
“Going somewh
ere?” an oily voice asked, smooth and silky and all too familiar.
I faked a yawn while saying, “Outside. Burping.”
“While I appreciate your consideration for not disturbing my sleep, you would accomplish this if you were to instead follow the rules outlined in your contract and remain indoors.”
I nodded, patting Anna on the back while not facing Gregor Cole. “I thought … “
“Your job is to perform as agreed and nothing else.”
I nodded again.
“Turn around.”
Releasing a breath which wanted to freeze me up, I turned around, Aunt Linnia's lessons about illusions foremost in my mind. Gregor Cole's high cheek bones were illuminated in the light from the study he had just left, and in his hand was a notebook. His brow wrinkled in confusion. He gave me a dismissive wave.
Lost Magic (The Swift Codex Book 3) Page 25