“I understand…” Browen began but Amri cut him off with a scowl.
“No, you don’t! You’ve never had to work hard for anything in your entire life. These last few weeks have been the hardest you have ever known and, guess what Browen, they don’t even come close to the hardest I’ve had.” Amri crossed her arms tight over her mostly flat chest. “All we have to do is kill one person, that’s it and we can move on.”
“Amri.” Browen’s shoulders slumped at her words.
“I know Buris. That Rat would trade his own children to get ahead. We shouldn’t trust him unless we have no other choice.” Amri concluded then started for the park’s exit. “We should hurry up and find a way inside that mansion before the Commander returns.”
Chapter Nineteen
Ralis
Amri led them back to where they had been told Commander Atton’s home was. Browen and Ralis lagged behind the rest in the wake of Amri’s outburst, while Miri and Ezra followed silently behind her. Ralis hated the tension in the air more than anything but could think of nothing that could be said to dissipate it. Amri had been right, none of her new friends could understand the hardships that he had endured growing up. Miri was likely the closest, but even she had the safety of her Clan and the comforts of the woods. Ralis had certainly known hardship but his day to day life had been mostly safe and content at the isolated cabin.
They kept to the shadows as best as they could in the afternoon sun and returned to the opulent house where the target would be. Ralis felt sick at their plan of action and was glad that at least Browen agreed with him. They skirted around the wrought iron fence and to search for a way in, when Ralis caught up to Amri with a soft frown.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” He asked quietly.
She was clearly still upset from before and frowned at him. “It’s what we have to do.”
“But have you ever…” Ralis tried to ask with a shudder.
Amri looked away from him and back towards the grand home. “Only in self defense.”
Ralis decided not to push the issue. He had discovered in their travels that Amri was a stubborn person and once her mind was set on something it was a challenge to get her to consider anything else. Up until now it had been a characteristic that they had benefited from but now Ralis worried that she was letting herself fall stubbornly into a mistake that she couldn’t come back from.
The bars of the fence were too close together for even Amri’s slender frame to squeeze through. But even if they weren’t most of the fence ran alongside a thick hedge that prevented people from looking into the yard. They circled around to the sides of the property and found that it was well cared for and locked up tight. Ralis felt a moment of relief. If they couldn’t get inside, then they couldn’t do the dark deed.
“How will we do this?” Miri asked as they again found themself creeping through the well-manicured brush on the back side of the house.
The rain had started up again and Ezra shuddered. “Ralis couldn’t you fly us over the fence?”
Ralis had not wanted to suggest the easy answer and shifted nervously as Ezra looked at him. He was spared having to answer as Amri shook her head.
“There are too many eyes on a place like this. Someone would see us.” She then pointed towards the gate in the fence that led down to the Commander’s private dock on the waterfront. “I’ll get in through there. Watch my back while I pick the lock.”
Browen had opened his mouth to object but Amri had already slipped from the shadows of the brush to crouch next to the ornate gate. He sighed and the two men exchanged worried glances. Amri worked quickly and quietly then hurried back towards them with a victorious grin.
“I’m going in alone. There is less of a chance that something will go wrong this way.”
“Amri, I don’t think you…” Browen began but stopped as Amri glared at him.
“Have you decided how you will… do the deed?” Miri asked nervously.
Amri’s face went pale but her expression remained firm. “I’ll try to sneak up behind him and… you know.”
“It’s not too late Amri.” Ralis noted.
She shook her head. “We already agreed that this is what we’re doing. If I’m not back in an hour, then you can come in after me.”
Before anyone else could say anything she snuck towards the building and slipped through the unlocked gate to disappear into the hedged off yard. Browen sighed again and leaned his back hard against a short tree that had been planted amidst the bushes.
Ralis flashed him a comforting smile. “She’ll be fine.”
“Will she?” Browen asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“It is the right course of action.” Miri offered. “We need to enter Esper.”
Browen ignored her and a thick silence fell over them as they waited in the brush. Ezra shivered again as more raindrops cascaded through the sheltering boughs above them and they all held their breath each time a patrol boat drifted past. Ralis was watching the windows of the upper floors intently. They were still dark as if no one was home. He worried that if Amri did encounter trouble inside they would never know.
They all froze as they heard movement at the gate. Ralis hoped that Amri’s return meant that she had changed her mind. But they all became tense as, instead of Amri, a white-haired woman in a servants outfit grumbled as she moved through the gate. She was carrying a heavy bucket and moved towards a large refuse container that had been positioned as far from the house as possible.
“Bloody rotten soldiers.” She cursed to herself. “Not a drop of proper manners between them.”
She dumped out the contents of her bucket and moved back towards the house. Miri suddenly gasped and Ralis turned to look at her with concern. She was clutching her hand over her chest as she shuddered in horror. Ezra slammed a hand over Miri’s mouth as the servant looked towards their direction.
“Someone there?” She called to the shadows. “I’ll have you know that this is Commander Atton’s home and if you don’t want any trouble you’d best move on.”
Miri blinked in confusion as the influence of her vision faded. Ezra kept her hand firmly over Miri’s mouth and everyone held their breath. The servant glared a moment longer into the shadows then returned to the gate with a sigh. They all heard the loud click of the lock as it was sealed up again.
The four of them sighed in relief and Ezra carefully removed her hand from Miri’s mouth.
“It’s a trap.” Miri whispered anxiously. “I had a vision. The Boatman is hoping to catch us, he made a deal with the city’s soldiers. They would leave him alone if he gift wrapped us for the Commander.” Miri’s face wrinkled in disgust. “What a loathsome man.”
Ezra cursed and Browen’s hand instinctively moved to his swords hilt.
“Is it too late?” Ralis asked as he again turned to look at the house. There was still no evidence of any trap or of Amri hidden inside.
“I do not know.” Miri shook her head. “The house is filled with soldiers waiting for us.”
“I’m going after her.” Browen started to move towards the building but Miri grabbed his hand and held him back.
“We will all be caught if we storm in. There are far too many to fight.”
Browen’s shoulders slumped. “And the gate is locked.”
“What do we do then?” Ralis worried.
Ezra had been looking pensive as the others spoke and then nodded her head as she finalized a plan. She then looked to Ralis. “You need to go inside and get Amri.”
“What?” He gasped. “I’m not as sneaky as she is.”
“No but you can fly over the fence and you have an advantage if you get caught.” Ezra smirked.
Ralis frowned as he realized what she was meaning. “What about the Commander? My charms don’t work on Na’tyr remember.”
�
��We should not separate any more than we have.” Miri agreed.
“But if Amri hasn’t been caught yet we don’t want to attract the soldier’s attention.” Ezra noted.
“Ezra’s right.” Ralis nodded with a sigh. “I can at least buy myself some time with my charm if something goes wrong. And if Amri is already caught then I might be able to convince one of the soldiers to let her go. Although I don’t feel good about using my ability to manipulate people like that.”
“Amri said that it would be too dangerous to fly in though.” Browen reminded.
“Do you know how to pick a lock?” Ezra challenged. When Browen remained silent she continued. “If you take too long, I’ll burn our way in.”
Everyone begrudgingly agreed and Ralis handed Ezra his cloak. He flexed his wings and felt the heavy rain on the sensitive membrane. He wouldn’t be in the air long, just enough to be up and over the fence. Ralis took a deep breath and looked between his friends before rocketing into the air. The rain made his brief flight uncomfortable and he was already soaked when he landed on the other side.
He found himself on a rain slick patio that sat at the edge of an immaculate garden. Statuary followed a meticulous path that coiled towards the back entrance of the home. Ralis imitated Amri’s stealthy crouch as best he could as he snuck through the trimmed bushes and over plots of rain drenched flowers. He kept his tail and wings as tight as he could but worried that his extra bulk would make his secret passage through the house a challenge.
The polished brass doorknob was unyielding and Ralis cursed at the locked door. He stepped back and regarded the house again. The windows were still dark and even with his ability to see through the shadows he did not see any movement. He flexed his mighty wings again and hopped that Commander Atton and his staff neglected to lock the second floor windows.
He felt exposed and vulnerable as he flew up towards one of the larger windows. Rain pelted both him and the glass as his fingers worked to pry open the frame from the outside. After a few failed attempts he managed to get a firm grip and pulled the window. To his relief it stiffly swung open and carefully he climbed into the room beyond.
Ralis had brought the rain in with him and there was a telling puddle of water on the floor where he had entered. After a quick scan of the room told him that he was alone he turned to close the window shut. Rain pattered restlessly against the glass and a new sound joined the ambient orchestra. It was a steady ticking sound that echoed out from somewhere within the room.
The window closed again Ralis crouched low and looked around the room. The space was dimly lit by the dwindling remains of daylight. It was some sort of sitting parlor with a cold fireplace set in one wall and an ornately carved bookshelf in the other. One door led from the room and the center was cluttered with velvet lined couches and chairs.
Curious, Ralis moved towards the clicking sound and found an odd piece of furniture that rested between the bookshelves. It was as narrow but as tall as he was. At the top a round piece of polished brass had been set with numbers from one to twelve circling around it. A pair of decorative arrows had been set at the center of the circle. The shortest of the arrows was nestled between the three and four, while the longer was nearing the twelve. As Ralis looked closer at the strange device he noticed that the longer arrow was moving ever so slightly with the rhythm of the strange ticking sound. It reminded Ralis of the description Miri had given of the massive object in her vision.
Ralis recalled Ezra calling the device described a clocktower and realized in an epiphany that the strange contraption was keeping track of the time. He wondered how it worked briefly before pulling himself away from the mystery. He needed to find Amri before the trap was sprung. The incessant ticking now reminded Ralis of the precious seconds he had left to find Amri.
He heard nothing when he pressed his ear to the door and opened it slowly to peek into the dark hall beyond. Without his dark vision he would have been blind in the absolute darkness of the corridor. He wondered if Amri was likely to have passed through this way with her inability to see in such dark spaces. The door clicked closed behind him and shut out the sounds of the rain and the ticking clock.
The hall was lined with many more doors but Ralis had decided that he should check the downstairs first. He continued along until he came across a narrow landing. Light spilled out from an open door on the floor below and Ralis could hear the faint murmur of voices. He swallowed his fear and carefully crept down the stairs. The floorboards creaked in protest and he winced with every step. He briefly considered if just flying down the stairs would be better but decided against it.
Carefully he positioned himself so that he could peek into the one lit room. It looked like a dining room but appeared to act more as an office. The table was covered in papers and standing around it Ralis could barely make out a handful of uniformed Human soldiers whispering to each as they looked over the papers. He tried to lean closer. If Amri had been captured she would likely be kept in there.
The click of heeled footsteps echoed down the dimly lit hall and Ralis looked for a place to hide as the sound neared. He spotted another doorway but hesitated as he had no idea what danger possibly lurked inside.
The same white-haired woman he had seen outside rounded a corner then. She was carrying a heavy looking tray laden with a silver tea kettle and several ornate teacups. The woman gasped as she spotted Ralis and then her expression softened as his charms took hold.
“Who...?” She began to ask but Ralis moved towards her with a finger on his lips.
“I’m… a friend of Commander Atton.” His face became flushed as he lied, and his heart raced so hard he feared that it would burst free of his chest. “I’m here to surprise him. Can you keep me a secret?”
The woman nodded at the request and fluttered her eyelashes at him as she answered in a low voice. “Of course, my Lord. Anything else, my Lord?”
Ralis considered for a moment then boldly asked. “I came with a friend, but I seem to have lost track of her. She is about this tall and has short brown hair.”
The woman shook her head with a frown. “I haven’t seen anyone like that my Lord.” Then she narrowed her eyes at him, and he feared that she had somehow broken free of his influence. Then she noted with suspicion. “You’ve picked an odd night to visit Commander Atton. He’s on a special mission you know and doesn’t wish to be disturbed.”
Ralis feigned disappointment as he continued the ruse. “Oh, well I guess I’ll have to come back some other night then. Don’t tell him I was here; I still want it to be a surprise.”
The woman scrutinized him a moment longer than nodded her head obediently. “Of course, my Lord. Now you saw yourself in so I presume you can see yourself out. I don’t have time to mess about. Not tonight.”
Ralis nodded and she hurried passed him then into the well-lit room. She closed the door behind her, and the room was once again plunged into relative darkness. He sighed in relief and continued deeper into the house. At least he now knew that the woman had not seen Amri, and presumably that meant that the soldiers had not seen her either.
The only light that permeated the dark building was that from the occasional window but that was no trouble for Ralis. He peeked into the first door that he came across and found a tidy kitchen with another servant who was scrubbing at the counters. They didn’t seem to notice Ralis as he hurriedly closed the door again. He opened another door and found a long storage room but still no sign of Amri.
He continued deeper into the large building and opened a door into what looked like another parlor when he heard the stomp of boots behind him. Panic took over and he ducked into the room. He stepped back from the door and watched it fearfully as the sound, now muffled, came nearer. A hand then clasped tightly over his mouth preventing him from releasing a terrified scream. Another arm looped around his waist and he was pulled into another room seconds before the door
opened.
Ralis breathed hard against the hand over his mouth and looked through the narrow gap in the door as soldiers poured into the room he had just been in. Fabric brushed against his face and he realized that he was not in a new room but in a closet.
The soldiers stomped around the room for a moment then returned to the hall. Ralis heard a sigh of relief behind him and the hand around his mouth and arm around his waist loosened slightly.
“It’s me Ralis.” Amri whispered quietly as she pulled her hands away slowly.
It was Ralis’s turn to take a deep breath. He turned and saw Amri squished against the back of the closet, her wide eyes blind in the darkness.
“What are you doing here?” She asked with a frown.
“Miri had a vision.” He began. “The boatman must have figured out who you are and made a deal with the soldiers.”
“That explains why this place is crawling with them. I can barely go anywhere without having to stop and hide.”
“I came in here to help get you out. We were worried that you were already caught.”
She cursed. “I guess this isn’t an option anymore.”
“Honestly I’m glad that it isn’t.” Ralis smiled forgetting that she couldn’t see it. “Killing someone… especially like this, is wrong. That’s something you can’t come back from.”
Amri bowed her head as a dark memory crossed her features. “That’s how I first met Miri. She was being attacked by a Na’tyr soldier. It was during that last big raid on Verta... a lot of good people died that day. She would have been one of them if I hadn’t…” Amri paused and looked up at Ralis despite her inability to see him. “I don’t regret what I did.” Her stern expression softened then. “But maybe you’re right. This is… different.”
They both froze as they heard voices in the hall. As the sound passed Ralis shook his head.
“How are we going to get out of here?”
“Slowly.” Amri noted. “We can’t rush, or we’ll get caught.”
Sunken Wind Page 19