“Take a seat,” she said. “You’re called Flower?”
“That’s what they call me,” Flower said. “It’s as good a name as any.”
And one that won’t lead anyone straight to your family, Emily thought. She remembered the forged chits they’d purchased and scowled. It also means we can’t actually prove that you’re who you say you are.
She studied Flower as she sat down, her face surprisingly composed. Was that an act? Or was she really as calm as she looked? Imaiqah had been taught to keep her emotions under control at all times, even when she wanted to scream. Her father had even insisted that it was better to pretend to lose one’s temper long before one actually did. Flower might have had the same training, once upon a time. Or...she might have been trained in an entirely different school.
“I suppose you’re wondering why we called you here,” Emily said. She carefully–very carefully–cast the first truth spell. It wasn’t strong and the target didn’t need magic to resist it, but it did encourage people to talk. “Why do you think we called you here?”
Flower frowned. “Tam didn’t say. He just ordered me to come here.”
Emily felt a faint trickle of ice running down her spine. Something was...off. It wasn’t proof of anything, not when the truth spell was so light, but it was enough to focus her mind on Flower. She didn’t look particularly dangerous, not when compared to Cat, Jade or even Tam. But Emily herself didn’t look very dangerous either.
She strengthened the spell, carefully. “Do you know what happened at the brothel?”
“Men pay women for sex,” Flower said. “It’s a nice little earner if you get in on the ground floor.”
Emily’s eyes narrowed. It was an accurate answer, she supposed, but it wasn’t the one she would have expected. Flower should have talked about the raid, about Tam’s near-arrest, about the burned-out building...she glanced at Cat and saw her alarm reflected in his eyes. It still wasn’t proof, but...
“Tam was almost caught,” Emily said, tightening the spell still further. “How did they know he was there?”
Flower emitted a strangled sound, then plucked a knife from her sleeve and launched it at Emily. Emily threw herself to the side, landing hard as the knife glanced off the wall and fell to the ground; Cat cast a spell, freezing Flower in place. Emily rolled over and stood, glancing at the knife. Someone had carved a set of very nasty runes into the blade. It might have been able to get through her wards.
“Well,” Cat said. “It looks like we caught the traitor.”
Emily nodded, slowly. A traitor...a willing traitor. She studied Flower’s frozen form for a long moment, wondering just what had driven her to spy on her brethren. Loyalty to the king? Threats to her family? Or personal revenge? Someone might have treated her badly, once upon a time, and she’d set out to get revenge. Emily had heard that story more times than she cared to count.
She pressed her fingertips against Flower’s head and reached out with her senses. Flower had a talent for magic, she noted in muted surprise, but not really strong enough to be worth training. Emily doubted Flower could turn anyone into a frog, let alone anything else a First-Year student could do. And yet, if she’d been given a little training, she might have been a very effective spy indeed. Subtle magic and a handful of low-level compulsion spells would keep people from suspecting her, as long as they had no reason to focus on her.
Nanette would have done a far better job, Emily thought, wryly. And she wouldn’t have been caught so easily too.
“So,” Cat said. “What do we do? Turn her into a snail and step on her?”
Emily shuddered. “We ask her questions,” she said, recasting the truth spell. There was no need to hide it now. “And then we decide what to do.”
Flower jerked as Emily modified the freeze spell, allowing her to talk while keeping everything below the neckline utterly immobile. Emily could sense the girl’s weak magic trying to free her, but she didn’t have either the power or the skill to make it work. A good teacher might have been able to show her how to overcome her limitations...whoever had taught her, clearly, hadn’t had her best interests in mind. Emily rather suspected it had been sheer luck that Flower hadn’t tried to kill herself. Her tutor might have placed a few commands in her brain.
“Well,” Emily said. “You are spying on the Levellers, correct?”
“Yes,” Flower said. Her voice was utterly hopeless. It would have wrenched at Emily’s heart if she hadn’t known just how close they’d come to utter disaster. “I am.”
Emily sucked in a breath. “Tell me everything.”
Flower jerked again, then started to talk. Emily listened carefully, occasionally asking a few questions. Flower had grown up in a merchant family, apparently, but she’d been recruited by the Black Daggers two years ago. Her handlers had taught her a little magic, then given her a few tools and ordered her to infiltrate the Levellers. One of the things they’d given her was a chat parchment, one designed to look like a harmless scrap of paper. Flower had heard that Tam was going to meet with someone–she hadn’t known who–and she’d tipped off her superiors. And then Tam had escaped...
“So she’s basically spying on us for money,” Cat said, disgustedly.
Emily shrugged. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had betrayed their people for money and it wouldn’t be the last. She wouldn’t have to feel sorry for Flower, at least. The girl was an outright traitor, not someone who had been forced or blackmailed into betrayal. It would make it easier to deal with her when the time came.
And what, she asked herself, are we going to do with her?
She eyed Flower’s neck for a long moment. Tam would want Flower dead–and it would be hard to blame him. Jade would feel the same way too. Emily...wasn’t so sure. She didn’t want to be responsible for slitting Flower’s throat. And yet...she suspected she didn’t have a choice. Flower could not be allowed to report back to her superiors.
Cat took over the interrogation, asking for more and more details. Emily wasn’t surprised to know that Flower knew very little, beyond what her superiors wanted her to know. She hadn’t been encouraged to ask questions. Emily knew she would have asked questions, but maybe it was different for a traitor. Flower merely wanted to be rich. It didn’t matter how she got the money.
“She left the chat parchment in her apartment,” Cat said, finally. He froze Flower again. “It will be easy to destroy.”
“We might be able to use her,” Emily said. She picked up the knife and examined it for a moment, turning the blade over and over in her hand. Flower–or whoever had carved the runes–had done a very good job. “And besides, Tam will need to know what happened.”
“I’ll put her on ice,” Cat said. He levitated Flower into the air, then directed her out of the room. “We can decide her fate later.”
Emily sat back down, thinking hard. There were two more people to interrogate, both young men. She had a feeling that neither of them would be traitors–men were generally taken more seriously than women–but it was well to be sure. Flower wouldn’t be the only spy. The Black Daggers would try to get as many spies as they could into the Levellers. She’d heard stories about hate groups that were almost completely populated by government and police agents. The Purge had made it easy for someone to claim they’d been a Leveller all along and get away with it.
Cat returned. “She won’t be getting free in a hurry, if at all. And if she does, I made it clear to her that she won’t survive the experience.”
“Understood,” Emily said. She felt...she wasn’t sure how she felt. “When are we supposed to see the other two?”
“Tomorrow,” Cat said. “I thought we could both do with a break.”
Emily snorted. They’d spent the last two days in the apartment, rather than going back to the inn. Their stuff was safe, she thought, but...she shook her head. The innkeeper wouldn’t ask questions as long as he was paid. And besides, anyone who tried to enter the room without permission would g
et a very nasty surprise.
“There’s nowhere to go,” she said. Jade had warned them to stay indoors. Apparently, the streets were even less safe than usual. “And nothing to do.”
Cat smiled at her. “Well, I do have a few ideas...”
Emily felt herself flushing, helplessly. “I...”
She stared into his eyes for a long moment, unsure of herself. She’d enjoyed making love to him. There was no point in trying to deny it. Her body wanted to do it again and again and again. But...Jade’s reaction had reminded her that they did have a mission. She was no longer a student. She could no longer afford to please herself...not, she admitted wryly, that she’d had much time for anything other than work at school. Imaiqah might enjoy the thought of having enough short-term boyfriends to man an ocean-going ship, but Emily didn’t. She wanted some degree of emotional commitment from her...
Her thoughts ran in ever-widening circles. From her...from her what? What was Cat to her? A boyfriend? A friend with benefits? A one-night stand? The latter was disgusting, entirely unworthy of her. She couldn’t move from man to man, even if there was no danger of pregnancy or catching something unpleasant. She thought she needed more.
“I enjoyed myself,” Cat said, gently. “I thought you had a good time too.”
“I did,” Emily said, hastily. She had had a good time. “I just...”
Cat sat back on his chair. “I’m a live for the moment kind of guy,” he said, frankly. “You know that, don’t you?”
Emily nodded. She’d never associated that much with Cat, outside classes, but she’d heard stories. Cat had done things that, he’d admitted later, had seemed a good idea at the time. He had been forever in trouble for one thing or another, coming within a hairsbreadth of being expelled. If he hadn’t been such a good student, she suspected he would have been expelled long before they’d met. The previous Grandmaster hadn’t been the sort of person to put up with bad behavior for long.
“We could die tomorrow,” Cat said. “You know that too, Emily. And if we don’t die tomorrow, we will grow old soon. We have to seize the day before the sun sets and the night falls.”
“Eat, drink and be merry,” Emily said. “For tomorrow we may die.”
Or catch some disgusting skin disease, her thoughts added.
“Exactly,” Cat said.
He shrugged, expressively. “I don’t promise to marry you. My family...would probably not approve of me marrying anyone. They...can be quite old-fashioned about that sort of thing, Emily. And I don’t promise a long-term relationship either. You probably don’t want me as a partner for the rest of your life. If you find someone else, I will let you go without hesitation.”
Emily wasn’t sure she believed him. She’d learned more about male psychology than she’d ever wanted to know. Men...didn’t like sharing women, certainly not in the long term. One man and several wives was fine, one woman and several husbands was not. And yet, there was a bit of her that wanted to believe him. Caleb had talked of marriage before they’d even shared more than a kiss. She’d allowed herself to be lured into a courtship because she’d thought it was a guarantee of his good intentions...
And yet, she had enjoyed herself. And...
Her mind raced. She wanted to make love to him again. And he was offering her a relationship without strings attached, without obligations, without guilt. She wanted it and that made her careful. Someone offering her something she wanted was not always a good sign. Lady Barb had warned her that con men normally caught their victims by giving them what they wanted, or telling them what they wanted to hear. Cat wasn’t like that, was he?
“No obligations,” she said, slowly. How easy would it be to give him up if he found someone else? She doubted it was possible to be...friends with benefits without some degree of feeling for each other. “Are you sure?”
Cat nodded. “I just want to have fun. And I don’t want to tie you down.”
“And you don’t want me tying you down either,” Emily said. He was being honest. She appreciated that, even as she worried about the future. She did want kids, one day. Cat...would Cat father them? Or would they separate a year or two in the future, allowing her to find someone else? “I...I understand.”
She rose, slowly. “No obligations,” she repeated. “I’ll hold you to that, you know.”
“I’m telling you the truth,” Cat said. He watched as she walked towards him. “I don’t want you to assume that I am anything other than what I am.”
Emily nodded, torn between a wry admiration of his brutal honesty and a droll concern about the future. She’d heard too many horror stories about relationships that had fallen apart when one party wasn’t clear about their intentions, or where they saw the relationship going. And too many others about people trapping themselves because they couldn’t find a polite way out of the match. Cat wasn’t hiding anything from her. He was, at heart, a simple soul.
She leaned down and kissed him, gently. He kissed her back, his arms reaching up to enfold her. Emily didn’t tense, even as he pulled her down for another kiss. His arms were strong, but she trusted him...
“We probably shouldn’t do it here,” she said, drawing back. “Tam and Jade will be here soon.
Cat winked. “Don’t want to shock them?”
“No,” Emily said. Casual nudity had never been her thing, ever. It was bad enough that Jade had seen her. Tam wouldn’t know what to make of it if it happened again. No, that wasn’t true. She knew, all too well, precisely what he’d make of it. “I think we should wait.”
Cat stood, holding her gently. “I understand,” he said. “We don’t want to frighten them too much.”
“And we need to sort out what we’re going to tell them,” Emily said. The urge to kiss him again was almost overwhelming. She told that part of her to shut up. The last thing she needed was Jade and Cat to start fighting again. “We need to find that chat parchment and see if we can hack the spellware...”
She broke off as a thought crossed her mind. A chat parchment...it was linked, by blood, to its user. There were parchments designed for multiple users, but they simply weren’t as secure. The Black Daggers wouldn’t have risked something noticeable...something nagged at her mind, something she’d forgotten. Something obvious, something she’d seen before...somewhere.
“Chat parchments,” she said, slowly. “Why...”
Cat looked at her. “Emily?”
“Hang on,” Emily said. She followed the thought, recalling everything she’d learnt since Aloha had invented the original chat parchments. They weren’t exactly difficult to make, as long as the maker didn’t mind fiddling with blood magic. It wasn’t quite forbidden, if the users donated their blood willingly. “I’ve had a thought.”
Her mind almost stopped, dead, as the thought snapped into focus. The chat parchments had been improved over the years, with dozens of magicians adding their contributions. And it hadn’t just been magicians. Others had improved on the design too...
She couldn’t help herself. She started to giggle, helplessly. It was simple, so simple. And Randor would never see it coming.
Cat frowned. “Emily?”
Emily smiled at him. “We need Jade here at once,” she said. The idea was falling into place, piece by piece. It would need some refinement, she was sure, but the basic idea was solid. “I think I know how we’re going to break into the Tower.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“WELL,” JADE SAID, ONCE THEY WERE back in the inn. “You said you had an idea.”
“I did, and I do,” Emily said. “I think we can break into the Tower of Alexis.”
She took a sip of Kava, hoping–devoutly–that she had stumbled across something they could use. The desperation in Jade’s eyes bothered her more than the cold, vindictive anger she’d seen in Tam’s when they’d told him about Flower. She could only pray that he’d listen to them when they urged using the woman to feed false information to the king, instead of killing her as brutally as possib
le. Tam had every right to be angry. Flower had come far too close to getting him killed.
“The Tower has three lines of defense,” she said, after a moment. “First, it has the outer wards; second, it has the armed guards, which presumably include a few magicians; third, somewhat indirectly, its interior is a complete mystery. We don’t know where Alassa and Imaiqah are being held, let alone what internal defenses and security wards might be holding them in place. They will either be drinking potions or be held under very strong wards.”
“Or both,” Cat put in, unhelpfully. “I’d do both if I ran the Tower.”
Emily nodded at him, wondering how he managed to look so relaxed when she felt so stressed. Jade was sitting down, but he looked as though he was going to jump up and start pacing at any moment. His hands were clasped tightly in front. Emily had the feeling that, if she was wrong, Jade would do something drastic very soon. He just wasn’t the type of person to wait while his wife was in danger.
“And so would I,” Jade said. His voice was harsh. “Get to the point. What do you have in mind?”
“The wards, from what we’ve been able to sense from the outside, are actually relatively simple,” Emily said. “They are nothing more than solid walls, magically speaking. They’re designed to keep magicians out, and to sound the alarm if they’re weakened by an outside force, but little else. They don’t have many weak points that we can exploit without setting off alarms.”
“If indeed they are weak points,” Cat grunted. “They might be bait in a trap.”
“Sergeant Miles was fond of that trick,” Emily agreed. She didn’t think Randor’s wardcrafters would take the risk, but with a bit of work they’d be able to rig up a set of traps–or simply force any attackers to waste their time–that would be very difficult to spot until it was too late. “Either way, we need a great deal of brute force to break down the wards...which we wouldn’t be able to muster without them stopping us.”
Jade glowered at her. “We know all this, Emily.”
The Princess in the Tower (Schooled in Magic Book 15) Page 20