Kevin nodded.
“They might have already left,” Darrell whispered back. “I would have.”
Kevin nodded, put his finger across his lips in the universal “quiet” symbol, and led the way to the waterfall. As they stood at the edge of the cave entrance, Kevin used his seeing eye to scan inside. No one was home.
“Looks empty, but just in case, I’ll go first.”
“No.” Alek pulled out his knife and a small glowstone he kept in a case in his pocket. He slipped the glowstone out of its case and held it out to the side. “We go first.”
He and Rigel slipped into the cave, one on each side of the tunnel with Kevin and the others following close behind. When they reached the room where the men had been staying, all they found were two bedrolls, a few clothes, and enough cooking and eating utensils for half a dozen people.
“I’d say our vipers have fled the nest,” Darrell said as he slipped his dagger back in its sheath.
Cpt. Lawrence looked around the empty cave. “Do you want me to take some soldiers and go after them?”
Kevin shook his head. “Even if you managed to catch them, we can’t prove they’re part of this crew.”
“I’m sure they stole the buggy earlier today. If we can find out who it belongs to, and if they can identify it, we can get them for that,” Rigel said.
“Might have more luck identifying the horse than the buggy, but I guess it’s worth a try.” Kevin looked at Cpt. Lawrence. “How long would it take to get a couple of men out here?”
“I can have a couple of men ready to leave in ten minutes. Getting back out here will take some time though. We’re a fair distance from Milhaven. We could be here within the hour, but not much faster than that.”
“Do you think you could catch up with them?”
“I don’t know, but we might,” Cpt. Lawrence said. “I imagine they ran that horse pretty hard on the way out here. They won’t be able to keep that pace up.”
“They’ll probably get rid of the horse and buggy first chance they get,” Darrell said.
“Why? They don’t know Marcus spotted them,” Cpt. Lawrence said. “They can travel faster in the buggy than they can on foot.”
“I agree, but horseback’s quicker, and you don’t have to stick to the road,” Darrell said. “They’ll probably steal a couple of horses as soon as they can.”
“I imagine they will, but not until after dark. We might not catch them, but I think it’s worth the effort.”
Kevin took his key back out. “If you’re going to try to track them, you need to get started. I’ll send Marcus with you. His seeing eye might help you find them. He should be back at the castle by now.”
Before he left with Cpt. Lawrence, he looked at the others and said, “Spread the rest of this stuff around and make it look like everyone’s still here. I don’t know when Rolan’s coming, but when he does, I want it to look like business as usual. Let him think they’re still out there doing his bidding. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
~ ~ ~ ~
It was almost dinnertime when Kevin made it back to the office. After he filled Chris in on the empty cave and Cpt. Lawrence’s pursuit, he said, “I gave Marcus the key to Terah in case they find the other assassins. But I told him I’ll need it tomorrow morning. Has Gen. Crandal made it back from Doreen’s yet?”
Chris nodded. “I think he wants to see you. He came by, but when he found out you were out at the assassins’ camp, he said he’d catch up with you later.”
Kevin nodded. “I need to talk to him anyway. Cpt. Lawrence was going to tell him about Trevor, but since he’s busy tracking the other assassins, I guess I need to do it.”
“Do you want me to find him?”
Kevin shook his head. “I’ll go to him. Any idea where he is?”
“Probably out at the jail.”
“Okay. I’ll head out there now. Meanwhile, see if you can find Laryn. I need to warn her I’m picking Shana up this evening.”
~ ~ ~ ~
When Kevin got to the jail, Rhianna was there. “What are you doing here?” he asked.
“Guarding the assassins.”
“Why? Gen. Crandal’s men can take it from here.”
“The last time I threw a knife at someone, he died in this jail and I got blamed for his death. I’m not taking a chance on that happening again.”
Kevin wanted to argue, but he didn’t. “Are you planning to stay here all night?”
Rhianna nodded. “I’ve already talked to Gen. Crandal about it. I don’t think he likes it, but he understands how I feel. He agreed to let me stand guard inside.” After a moment, she asked, “You are planning to do something with them tomorrow, aren’t you?”
“To be honest, I haven’t gotten that far yet. Right now I’m still trying to get them all rounded up. Have you seen Gen. Crandal lately?”
“He’s inside, making sure the prisoners are settled. He should be back out in a minute. And then he’s going back to his office to make a duty roster for tonight.”
“Good. That’s what I need to talk to him about.”
Right at that moment, Gen. Crandal walked out of the jail. Kevin told Rhianna he’d see her later and rushed over to catch up with the general before he got busy with something else. “General, could I see you for a few minutes?”
The general nodded. “Where? Here? Or in the office?”
Kevin looked around. “Maybe it would be better if we talk in your office, unless you’ve got something else you need to do.”
Gen. Crandal shook his head. “I was headed up there anyway.”
As they walked, Kevin told the general about the cave and that Cpt. Lawrence had taken a couple of soldiers to see if he could track down the other assassins. When they reached the general’s office, Kevin followed him in and shut the door. “You know we have spies here, at the castle, right?”
Gen. Crandal frowned. “Common sense tells me we have to, but I don’t know who.”
Kevin explained about the trap they’d set back in December and told him who the spies were.
“Cpt. Lawrence knows one of my soldiers is a spy and he hasn’t said one word to me about it?” Gen. Crandal asked angrily.
“Don’t blame him,” Kevin said. “He was following my orders. I considered telling you, but to be honest, there wasn’t anything you could do about it at that point.”
“I could have arrested him!”
“And if you had, Rolan would have replaced him with someone else. At any rate, it was my decision, not Cpt. Lawrence’s.”
“So why are you telling me now?”
“Because I’ve decided to pick up the spies tonight too, and I wanted you to know before we arrested him.”
“He’s one of mine,” Gen. Crandal said. “I’ll be the one to arrest him.”
Kevin nodded.
“Do you want to question him?”
Again, Kevin nodded. “But I won’t get to it until later this evening.”
“When you’re ready, he’ll be right out back, sitting in a jail cell.”
~ ~ ~ ~
Laryn was sitting in Kevin’s office petting Nikki when he got back from Gen. Crandal’s. “If this is about what happened at Doreen’s this afternoon, I’ve heard. It looks like Nikki’s recovering all right.”
Kevin smiled as he sat down beside Laryn and rubbed Nikki’s ears. “She’s looking a lot better than she did an hour ago.”
Laryn leaned back in her chair. “So, was that it?”
Kevin shook his head. “I wanted to let you know I’m going to pick up the spies this evening.”
“Good. And are you going to get to the bottom of how they became spies?”
“That’s the plan, but it depends on whether or not they’ll open up with me.” Kevin stood up and leaned back on his desk facing his aunt. “Freddy overheard Rolan and Trevor talking not long ago. Trevor’s in it for money. I have no idea about Shana and Darius though.”
“Shana’s at the chapel. She hasn
’t been herself lately. This morning she looked like she hadn’t slept in days, and she was worse after she saw Rhianna. She blamed it on a bad headache, but I’m convinced she’s been worried about something. I couldn’t get her to talk to me though. Neither could Sister Agnes, so she gave her some tea to make her sleep and put her to bed. I doubt she’s awake yet.”
“Think she might have known their plans?”
“I don’t know, but that thought did cross my mind when I heard about the attack.” Laryn shook her head. “I still think Rolan’s threatening her to get her to spy for him. She likes Rhianna. If she knew about this, that would explain what’s been wrong with her lately.”
Kevin nodded. “I’ll see when I talk to her.”
“You’ll have to talk to her at the chapel. From what Sister Agnes said this afternoon, she’s planning to keep her overnight.”
Kevin stood up. “I’ll go down after dinner. Right now I’m going to take Nikki outside and let her walk around some. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
~ ~ ~ ~
Shortly after dinner, Kevin knocked on Darius’s front door. When Darius opened it, he nodded. “I’ve been expecting you.”
Kevin raised his eyebrows. “You were? Why?”
“Because I knew you’d figure it out eventually.”
“Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?” Kevin asked as he nodded towards the living room.
Darius led the way into the room and motioned for Kevin to have a seat in one of the two chairs. Kevin sat down and leaned back. The place might be sparsely furnished, but it was clean.
“I’d offer you something to drink, but I don’t think this is a social call.” Darius sat down opposite Kevin. “How long have you known about Rolan?”
“Do you mean how long have I known you’re spying for him?”
Darius’s face turned dark red. “I’m not a spy.”
Kevin leaned forward. “Yes, you are. You tell Rolan and his men what’s happening at the castle, who’s there, and where they’re going. That’s spying.”
“I did what I had to.” Darius stared at the floor and sighed. “I like it here. I wanted to stay.”
Kevin frowned. “Then why are you helping Rolan?”
“I don’t have a choice!”
“Of course you have a choice! You could have told him no. You could have told me what was going on. I could have helped you!”
Darius shook his head. “No you couldn’t. It’s against the law.”
Kevin’s frown deepened. “What do you mean?”
Darius’s face went a shade darker. “I’m his slave. It’s against the law for anyone to interfere between a slave and his owner.”
Kevin leaned back and looked at Darius. “How long have you been a slave?”
“All my life. I had several owners while I was growing up. One of them was a blacksmith. I helped him in his shop. That’s where Tsareth found me. He bought me and took me back to his castle so I could work in his stable. It wasn’t so bad while Tsareth was alive. I knew I was a slave, but he didn’t treat me like one. Then he died. Things changed after that.”
“So how did you end up here?”
Darius shook his head. “I’m not sure why, but one day Rolan gave me some new clothes and boots and brought me to Milhaven. He told me to get a job at the castle and see what I could find out. He said as long as I answered his questions and proved I was worth the trouble, I could stay, but the first time I held anything back, I was done.”
“Done?”
Darius shrugged. “I’m not sure what he meant. Sometimes he said he’d kill me but other times he said he’d take me back to Trendon and put me to work there, so I tried to give him enough information that he’d let me stay. And those men of his told me they wouldn’t hurt the girl if I told them where to find her, but now I’m not so sure.”
“Which girl?”
“Your apprentice. They told me all they wanted to do was take her home.”
“You didn’t figure out they were assassins after they shot Marcus?”
“I asked them about that. They said they only wanted to distract him long enough to get the girl, they weren’t aiming to kill him.” Darius frowned. “This afternoon, out at Doreen’s, was that them?”
Kevin nodded. “They tried to capture Rhianna.”
Darius let out a long sigh. “So what happens now? Are you going to kill me?”
Kevin shook his head. “No, I don’t do that, Darius.”
“I didn’t much think so. Are you going to put me in jail?”
Kevin paused and shook his head again. “How would you like to stay here, as a free man?”
“I can’t. I’m a slave.”
“Not here you’re not. I don’t own slaves, and you work for me.”
Darius shook his head. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but it won’t work. He’ll find me, and when he does, he’ll either kill me or take me back.”
“Not if he can’t find you.”
Darius frowned. “Huh?”
“What would you say if I could find you another place to live, one where you could be a free man and run your own blacksmith shop?”
Darius’s frown stayed put. “Why would you do that?”
“Because Rolan tricked you into doing what he wanted. From the moment he brought you here, he gave up his claim on you, and he knew it. You were no longer a slave, no matter what he said.”
“I wasn’t?”
Kevin shook his head and stood up to go. “Get your stuff packed. I want you gone before Rolan finds out his plan didn’t work. Welcome to life as a free man, Darius, and welcome to Camden.”
~ ~ ~ ~
While Kevin was talking to Darius, Shana woke up at the chapel. When she realized it was dark outside, she jumped out of bed and dashed towards the door to the hall. It opened right as she reached for the doorknob, smacking her in the face.
“Oh! I’m so sorry!” Sister Agnes said as she set the tea she’d prepared for Shana down on the bedside table and uncovered the glowstone in the lamp. “Are you all right? Here, let me see your eye.”
Shana shook her head. “I’ve got to talk to Myron!”
“Well, dear, I’m sure that can be arranged, after you’ve had your dinner.”
Shana shook her head harder. “No! I need to warn him!”
Sister Agnes put a hand on each side of Shana’s face and gently turned her head so she could examine her eye. “Take it easy, Shana.”
Shana twisted out of Sister Agnes’s hands. “I need to see him now!”
“Is this by any chance about Rhianna?”
Shana’s eyes shot wide open. “It’s already happened?”
“If you mean have the men tried to capture her, yes. If you mean were they successful, no. They’re locked up in jail and everyone at Doreen’s house is fine. Now hold still and let me look at your eye.”
Shana’s shoulders slumped in relief. “I’m so glad everyone’s all right, but don’t worry about my eye. It won’t matter where I’m going.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before I’m in jail, too.”
“Why?”
“Because I knew about the attack and I didn’t tell anyone,” Shana said. “And because I’m a spy.”
Sister Agnes stopped fiddling with Shana’s eye and put her hands on the younger woman’s shoulders. “Is that what you’ve been so upset about lately?”
Shana nodded.
“I’ll go with you to see Myron. But you’ve got to eat first. Laryn said you didn’t eat one bite at lunch.”
Shana shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.”
“I’m not letting you talk to anyone on an empty stomach. Now, come on. Blair left some soup out for you.”
Shana was nearly finished with her second bowl of soup when Kevin arrived at the back door. Sister Agnes cornered him on the porch. “Shana woke up in a panic to get to you so she could warn you about the attack on Rhianna. I don’t
know what’s going on, but I’ve known that child since she was born. There’s not a deceitful bone in her body. You keep that in mind while you’re talking to her.”
Kevin followed Sister Agnes into the kitchen and pulled out a chair across from Shana. “I understand you want to talk to me.”
Shana took a deep breath and nodded. “I should have a long time ago, but I was so afraid.”
“Of...?”
“Rolan,” Shana whispered, staring at her empty bowl. Then she told Kevin the whole story from the day Rolan broke into their house up to the conversation she overheard in the cave.
Kevin didn’t ask any questions or say anything while she talked. During that time, Sister Agnes poured Kevin a cup of coffee and brewed a fresh cup of tea for Shana. Then she fixed herself a cup of tea and sat down at the table with them.
When Shana finished, Kevin nodded. “That’s pretty much what we thought.”
Shana frowned and looked at him. “You knew?”
Kevin nodded again. “We figured it out last fall.”
“So, what happens now? Are you going to put me in jail?”
“For trying to save your parents? No, Shana. I wish you’d come to me sooner, but I understand why you didn’t.” Kevin looked at Sister Agnes. “When will she be strong enough to leave?”
“I was planning to keep her overnight, but I guess she could leave now as long as she gets a good night’s sleep tonight.”
“That’s all right,” Shana said. “I slept all afternoon. I’m fine.” Then she looked at Kevin and asked, “What do you want me to do?”
“Go home and pack everything you can, all your clothes and your parents’ clothes. If your parents are still alive, I’ll get them back, but he’s going to be pretty angry by the time I’m done, so I want you out of here.”
Shana frowned. “But we don’t have anywhere to go.”
“I’ll take care of that.” Kevin looked at Sister Agnes. “Can someone take her home in the buggy? I’m not sure she should walk.”
“I’ll take her, and I’ll stay with her until you come for her,” Sister Agnes said as she fingered her pendant. “Sister Hayley can handle the chapel.”
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