Rat's Nest was gone.
“The Warex are trying to corrupt us,” Glantham shouted. The circle and its symbols had shifted into a deep shade of purple. “There's not much time.”
That supporting hand turned into a firm grip. The site of jeweled towers was yanked from her mind, replaced with memories of Rat's Nest shoved into her consciousness.
With the stakes high, anything could happen. If they failed, would they get pulled straight to the city? Or would a band of marauding Warex happen upon their position?
In the midst of such doubt, a surreal memory pierced Snitch’s heart. Her first time climbing through Rat's Nest, attempted without a pocket bulb. She had gotten lost. Shaking it off, she vowed not to be defeated.
Snitch revisited it dozens of times, more than anyone else. It became a special place to her, even if she finally yielded to using a pocket bulb.
A tear formed in her eye.
The color of the magic circle and its shapes shifted to a pale tint of periwinkle. She touched the floating shapes, and the color evaporated into pure white.
The purple rain turned into an avalanche.
Snitch gritted her teeth as a huge burst of white light surged from her hands into the magical circle.
“Ahhhh!”
The magical circle rose off the ground and stood before them, a portal with Rat's Nest on the other side.
“Time to go!” she yelled.
They dove through it, crashing to the ground on the other side.
Snitch looked back.
A huge pack of Warex had breached the cave and were almost on top of them.
She flicked her hands, and the portal vanished.
Chapter Twenty-Two
A Mission
Gavin gathered with the sergeant and Colonel Townsend by the target hatch. Clenching his fingernails into his palms, he waited for Townsend’s signal. The waiting was the worst part.
His thoughts drifted back to Clarel. She had kissed him before departing, for luck. The memory made his fingers relax. He would do everything possible to honor his promise to return.
A hand tapped Gavin’s shoulder before the dials on the hatch started spinning.
Gavin caught a glimpse of the colonel’s darkwatch reading 0500. Curious device. Handy.
Click.
After opening the hatch, light from above crawled into the tunnel, but not much.
Gavin had expressed concern earlier about entering this storage room with darklights. Someone might spot the black field. Townsend had chuckled, showing him it was adjustable. He would make it appear as a dark room to potential passersby.
They crawled up the ladder, closed the hatch, and switched off the darklight. The closet was dusty and covered in cobwebs. They checked each other's uniforms.
Thanks to that Subciv technician, these mock uniforms worked as the perfect cover. Gavin had accepted Townsend’s recommendation to only carry standard issue daggers, but he was still out of his element. Executing a mission this brazen with so little armament put him on edge.
Townsend pulled a tiny map out of his pocket, scanned it, and put it away.
Stepping out of the storage room, Gavin followed the colonel. The hallway had bits of trash and dirt but no footprints. After making a turn, the colonel led them along another hallway, passing two doors on each side. Gavin approached a cross junction and feet stomped past the next corner.
Townsend tilted his ear and motioned toward the door they had passed.
The sergeant opened it and ducked in.
Gavin and Townsend followed, and the colonel shut the door.
Long ago, as a junior officer, Gavin’s palms would sweat. With more seasons of experience, that no longer happened, but his stomach still quivered. His hand moved to the hilt of his dagger.
A couple seconds later, footsteps clunked past the door and kept moving. Deep voices droned along with them.
Gavin exhaled, and his pulse eased. Experience didn’t stop him from getting tense, it just allowed him to act regardless.
The room had cross swords, daggers, and padded vests. An armory. Well, one of the armories. It wasn't stocked to the hilt, so it couldn't be the primary one.
“We can't sidestep every patrol we run into,” Gavin whispered. “Sooner or later, we’ll have to bluff our way through.”
The other two nodded.
“I wish we could have brought Terrell. He would have helped a lot,” the sergeant said.
“And he would have been spotted in five seconds. What's our next step, Colonel?”
Townsend checked his map and pointed out the path before opening the door and leading the way as they navigated through the palace. After turning another corner, they bumped into a team.
“You guys are up a bit early.”
“We wanted to get in some sparring before breakfast.” Gavin slapped Townsend on the back with a garish grin. “I owe him a rematch from our last session.”
“Bring it on.” Townsend scowled back, wagging his finger.
Hairs on the back of Gavin’s neck rose, but he kept his cool. He had learned long ago to not lick his lips. That was the biggest giveaway.
“We'll have to get together some time. Preferably before lunch,” said the other soldier.
Gavin gave them a thumbs up and resumed his pace.
The others continued in the opposite direction.
The sergeant tapped his shoulder and gave a thumbs-up.
Gavin acknowledged him by double tapping his dagger with his knuckles.
That was the hub. Gavin expected to run into more people, but Townsend had picked the right time to infiltrate. There had been only two units so far.
Gavin had roamed these corridors for years in service to King Bainerd, but such knowledge was useless because everything had been moved around. He passed rooms where he had trained men, rooms he had given pep talks in, and even the room where he remembered being alerted to Melicose’s uprising.
His path of escape when his sovereign had died was etched in his memory forever. Gavin shook his head, focusing on the here and now.
Townsend ducked into a side room and pulled out his map.
Gavin appreciated the colonel's ability to track their position and not force them to retrace their steps.
Townsend pointed out their position compared to the duke’s quarters. Not far. Last night, everyone agreed there would be armed troops.
Resuming their course, they approached the junction until Townsend raised a closed fist.
Gavin and the sergeant stopped.
Pulling out a tiny mirror with a handle, Townsend used it to peer around the corner. He held up two fingers, then thumbed the same direction.
Gavin and the sergeant acknowledged the colonel with a salute.
Townsend drew out a small, metallic ball. Crouching, he squeezed it, reached around, and rolled it down the hallway, shielding his eyes.
“What the—” said a husky voice.
A brilliant flash lit up the end of the corridor.
Thump. Thump.
The colonel tiptoed around the corner and clicked his tongue.
Gavin moved in, followed by the sergeant.
The sergeant checked out both of the unconscious guards, giving a thumbs-up.
Townsend retrieved the metallic ball and slipped it into his pocket.
Gavin led the way while the other two each dragged a soldier.
Entering the room, he breathed a little easier. No more patrols to deal with, at least not for the moment. He was amazed they had made it this far.
Townsend wrapped the soldiers’ hands with some sticky paper that appeared difficult to break.
Gavin's eyes narrowed as he scanned the room, looking for the sleeping area. At this hour, he hoped to catch the duke without rousing him. As he snuck up on the man, he opened his eyes, locking onto his abductors.
Gavin rushed in, slamming him with his body. He had his hand over the duke's mouth.
“Townsend, get him,” he whispered.
The colonel came up on the other side and restrained him.
Gavin sat the duke up, drawn dagger held against his chest.
“I assume you know what this means?” Gavin looked at the dagger and then back at the duke, eyebrows raised.
Duke Renault slumped in bed without a fight, but his eyes never dropped.
Gavin released his hand from the duke's mouth, though he still kept the dagger close.
“How did you find out about me? How did you even get in?” He focused on Gavin. “But rest assured, I’ll never forget how you destroyed my plans. You will die a slow and painful death.” His eyes were cold and black.
Snitch’s eyes popped open, her head throbbing. “Crossing dimensions takes a lot of energy. How long was I out?”
“I’d guess an hour and a half.”
She grabbed her canteen and drained it. Her headache subsided. “We need to link up with the others.”
“I've tried to divine where everyone is without using too much purple magic. Though I couldn't figure it out before sensing something wrong above ground. I tried to shake the feeling and refocus on the tunnels, but it was no good. We need to check it out.”
Snitch furrowed her brow as she thought.
“Above ground? You think it's about Melicose?”
“Maybe. What I can and cannot see varies. In the past I could scry a lot, but I fear the Warex are watching every iota of energy with the hopes of catching us again.”
“Maybe I can glean something?”
Glantham's face widened into a smile. “Yes. That could work, but I’m afraid I can’t help you as much as I did to get us through the portal.”
“Just tell me how to do it.”
“Concentrate on the city as if you're listening for something.”
Snitch drew herself into a meditative pose and closed her eyes. Shifting her thoughts to the surface, she let them drift. A slight nudge from behind caught her attention. She turned before realizing it was Glantham’s mental presence behind her.
His nudging pointed her toward the palace. Perhaps that was all he could do.
Snitch’s mind flew in that direction. She saw a wispy hint of the palace. Bits and pieces. The walls and corridors were misty, allowing her to see through them. People inside were a little more solid, each radiating a small spark.
Something caught her attention, and she let it draw her in. A throbbing sensation emanated from within the palace walls. Her mind reached back to Glantham, asking for help.
A tap followed by a more focused nudge brought a certain path into focus. Floating along this path, she drifted into Melicose’s personal quarters. He sat in a chair. And then—he looked at her! His eyes had a piercing stare.
“Ahh!” she cried before losing control.
Snitch found herself back in the tunnels, sitting next to Glantham.
“It was Melicose. And he saw me,” she said, wide-eyed with her mouth open.
“That’s impossible. Nevertheless, something is wrong. I couldn't see what you saw, but you were close to it, whatever it is.”
“What can we do?”
“We have to enter and find him. Can you get us topside, as near to the palace as possible?”
Snitch grinned. “It’s what I do best.”
She pulled out her pocket bulb and lit it before climbing toward one of the exit points of Rat’s Nest.
The sun set as Braknow meandered back to the military compound. What did they know? When had they swapped his forged stamp?
Eyeing soldiers at the gates, he pulled his thoughts into the present. Going in without more knowledge was risky. Glancing across the street, the best place to glean anything would be at The Pony’s Saddle. Setting up a pub across from a military installation might've been good business for the owner, but the colonel viewed it as a prime place to find information.
Considering his garb had fooled an old friend, he entered and sought a spot in the corner. Getting a short ale, he slouched behind it.
A handful of soldiers meandered in, and then some more. Pretty soon, the place was packed.
Braknow scoured everyone until he spotted the vice commander’s aide, his eyes narrowing as they followed the man to the bar.
A couple others joined the soldier, cheering and talking.
Pulling down the brim of his hat, Braknow slid out and approached, his glass near empty. He waved at the barkeep, gesturing to the glass while assuming a new seat near his target.
“No, no, no. That is not what happened.” The aide laughed.
“That's not what you said this morning.”
“Forget about it. Why do I even try?” The man shook his head, smiling.
The men carried on like any other soldier. What went through this aide’s mind? Did he not believe the horrors Melicose had carried out? Or was he so committed to the man that he just agreed?
The colonel had once been a believer. How excited he had been to be part of this revolution, from a man that had risen from nothing and accomplished so much. The rumors sounded outrageous, but he knew better now.
“By the way, you never told me how it went down.” The aide’s eyebrows scrunched together at his friend’s question. Then his eyes darted back and forth. They paused for a moment on the colonel, slumped at the bar behind his filled glass, but moved on.
In a softer voice, he said, “I haven’t heard yet. She was supposed to get it three days ago. I told her to keep it with her at all times, but no one knows where she is. Hasn’t reported for duty in seventy-two hours. A unit searched her apartment and found nothing.”
Braknow’s eyes looked down before stopping himself from exhibiting any other tells.
“You don’t think—”
“This isn’t the place to talk about it.” The aide shook his head.
“Right. So, tell me about that lieutenant you started dating.”
Colonel Braknow waited a few moments, laid a coin on the table, and moved toward the exit. Stumbling out the door, he moved into the cool evening, keeping up the act of being drunk for several more blocks. His desire to circle back to the last place he’d seen Everdell flooded his thoughts, but he pushed it aside knowing how foolish it was.
He should have searched her more thoroughly. He wanted to chalk it up to frayed mission nerves, but it had been pure panic.
Changing direction, his eyes lit up. The key he’d snatched from her. His stomach trembled as he thought of something that might work, but he had to move fast while the aide and his friends were still at the pub.
After changing back into his uniform at home, the colonel stomped back to the compound. He relished being his old self.
There was still a chance someone was looking for him, but he pushed those thoughts aside, hopeful the people targeting him were still hanging out at the pub. That might give him a chance to burn more of the trails they were investigating.
Walking through the gate, the colonel didn’t even acknowledge the sentry on duty. It wasn’t polite, but curt military actions were common fare.
He approached Everdell’s desk, and seeing no one around, he sat.
A tingle rose up his spine. The thought of whose chair this was prevented him from sliding all the way in. Instead, he remained perched.
Braknow opened various drawers. Ruffled files signaled someone else had been here. Or was Everdell just messy? Closing his eyes to think back on how she presented herself, his mouth opened. He couldn’t remember her face. His stomach sank.
Shaking his head, he dug through the files but found nothing. That didn’t bother him. He knew he wouldn’t find anything easily, but he had expected at least one drawer to be locked.
Braknow stood and inspected the rest of her workspace, which wasn’t much. His mind wandered over all of Everdell’s duties, settling on a hunch.
The colonel entered his office and turned toward the file cabinets. Things that were his responsibility yet managed by his aide. Kneeling in front of the lowest one, he tugged. Its resistance gave him a
wide grin. Holding his breath, he inserted Everdell’s key and sighed as it clicked.
His forged seal lay inside. Looking back, it made sense. Everdell must have needed to hide it. What better place than ten feet from where it had been taken. He dropped the key into the drawer and closed it.
“Colonel, are you all right?” boomed a man’s voice.
Braknow shot to his feet, palming the seal as he clasped his hands behind his back.
“Of course. What makes you say that?”
“The front gate sentries saw you enter and assumed at this hour, you were headed to Ops. But you never showed, so they asked me to check up on you.” The soldier’s eyes moved all over the room, his right hand three inches from his cross sword.
Another one of the vice commander’s henchmen, sent to flush out the colonel?
Sliding the seal into the back of his pants, he slowly pulled his hands out. “The vice commander asked me for a report, which I assumed Everdell would take care of. Strangely, no one has seen her for three days. I planned to check in with the watch officer after delivery.”
Looking back at the cabinets, Braknow grabbed the first folder on top. “Here it is. I swear I’ve looked everywhere, and here it is.” He faked a laugh.
The soldier’s eyes didn’t flinch, but the muscles in his right hand relaxed.
Braknow headed toward the hallway, and the soldier backed out of his way. Closing the door and locking it, he raised his eyebrows, giving the soldier the opportunity to ask more questions. Hearing none, the colonel walked away.
Turning the corner, he let out a breath. Bending his ear, no stomping feet followed. He continued on past the mess hall, stopping to pitch the file in the fireplace.
Aware of how sentries and compound patrols filed reports, he sought out the watch officer and reported Everdell’s missing status. He prayed this man wasn’t part of the vice commander’s inner cabal on the hunt for The Raven.
After twenty minutes of navigating tunnels and ladders, Snitch led Glantham to her desired exit point. Shutting off the pocket bulbs, Snitch cast a spell of invisibility with a brief glow of light. She dialed in the codes on the hatch and opened it.
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