by M. J. Scott
"I'm sending Elarus to check," she said softly.
"Ikarus can't see anything," Imogene said.
Ikarus then, had also returned. Sophie blew out a breath. They had the sanctii. Or two of them.
"I'd like Elarus to check as well," Sophie said. "She has some familiarity with Anglion magic through me. She might see something Ikarus would miss."
But within a minute, Elarus was back in her head, reporting no sign of humans anywhere.
Cameron made a dash for the building and unearthed a key from a hiding place below one of the windows. The door opened easily, and he slipped inside. Sophie held her breath while he was hidden from view, but he reappeared quickly, beckoning for them to join him.
It didn't take long for all of them to make the trip from trees to the lodge. Once everyone was inside, people set to their assigned tasks with practiced efficiency. Wards were reinforced, the fireplace in the main hall put to work—the Imperial mages promising no smoke would be detectable from outside, and bedrolls rolled out wherever there was space.
Sophie was assisting one of the water mages to hang a kettle of water to warm over the fire when she spotted Cameron drifting into the corner with Jean Paul and Imogene.
She wasn't going to be left out of any decisions and went to join them. "What's going on?"
"I was telling Jean-Paul that I should go ahead to make my way down to Alec's house. See if it's safe," Cameron said.
Oh no. He wasn't going anywhere without her. She shook her head vehemently. "You're not going alone."
"I know the way," Cameron argued. "I know how to blend in, and besides, if I do encounter anyone, they will likely be loyal to my family. They won't raise an alarm."
"You don't know that," Sophie said. "For all you know, Eloisa has Alec's house surrounded and there are Red Guard waiting to pounce on you. I should come. That way Elarus can scout ahead. She will spot anyone long before we can."
"Perfect," Jean-Paul drawled. "That way they can take you both, and the rest of us will be in Eloisa's dungeons before we know it."
"You have sanctii. You can make it back to the navire and leave," Cameron said.
"Return to the emperor and let him know that I let the two of you be taken and that we didn't accomplish his orders? That is not an option, Lord Scardale. I am in charge of this mission after all."
"But Sophie and I are not part of your chain of command," Cameron retorted.
"Perhaps not. But I am here to keep your safe and help you succeed in what you came here to do. Do not be so quick to reject the assistance we offer." The duq's voice was sharp. He, like the rest of them, looked tired and rumpled. Not as drained as the mages but Sophie hadn't seen him go below deck at all during the journey. The last thing they needed right now was for him and Cameron to fall out.
"Not just the two of us then," she said. "We can take one or two others." She ran through the faces of the mages aboard the navire in her head. There were a few among them who shared Cameron's northern coloring. Even Imogene with her darker hair and pale skin would fit in. Better than Sophie herself who was more clearly a southerner. "Who speaks Anglion best?"
"Possibly me," Imogene said. "And I have Ikarus. If we take another of the blood mages, then we would look like two couples off to do whatever Anglions would be doing here in the woods, perhaps."
Jean-Paul glowered at her, clearly not liking this proposal. Imogene shook her head at him. "We cannot stay together all the time, my dear. I can send Ikarus back to you easily once we know that the way is safe. Even a full squad of Red Guard would be hard pressed to defeat two sanctii. I can't imagine Eloisa would have set more than that to watch Cameron's brother if she has sent men at all."
Jean-Paul looked as though he wanted to argue, but apparently the military man won over the husband and he nodded reluctantly.
Half an hour later, after more hastily drunk tea and warmed soup, Sophie was back in the woods with Cameron, Imogene, and Michel, one of the Imperial blood mages who could have passed for Cameron's cousin. Tok swooped ahead, for once flying silent and intent, as though he understood the seriousness of what they were doing.
The journey down the mountain took them close to two hours before the woods opened up onto a field that was clearly cultivated.
Cameron stopped them inside the tree line once again while he studied the field. There was no one working it, but she got the feeling he was listening for something more.
She thought they were at the rear of the estate. The first time she'd come here, they had approached the entrance to Alec's estate up hill. That time they'd been on foot and unsure about what sort of welcome awaited them and what was happening in the capital too.
"Do you want me to send Elarus ahead?" Sophie asked. "She doesn't know what a Red Guard looks like of course, but she understands the idea of uniforms."
Cameron hesitated a moment. "I was wondering if Alec might be at the distillery. They would have brought the barley in a few weeks ago. It would be drying. He often checks it alone." He looked back at Imogene. "It seems safer than the main house until we know if there are guards."
"It's your family," Imogene said. "Your land. You know best." She pushed stray hair back off her face, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. Her cheeks, like Sophie's, were flushed from the exertion of the journey. The sun had climbed higher, and the air drifting toward them from beyond the trees was warm. She ran a hand over her own hair, checking the braids and ribbons hiding the black streaks in her hair. Time enough to reveal what she now was once they knew they were safe.
"What does the distillery look like and what direction is it?" Sophie asked. "We can send the sanctii there to check if you prefer."
Elarus and Ikarus were scouting ahead still. She could sense Elarus vaguely at the other end of their bond and the sanctii seemed curious but not alarmed.
"It might be better for them to check the house," Cameron countered. "I can make my way to the distillery and back quickly from here."
"We already had this discussion about you going anywhere by yourself," Sophie countered. "It's not safe."
"She's right about that, brother. These woods are full of peril."
Chapter 21
The four of them whirled.
Alec Mackenzie stood on the path, his gray and green clothing blending into the dappled light. He held a pistol in one hand and two large daggers were pushed through his belt.
At least the pistol wasn't pointed at them and he was smiling, although the expression was strained. The large red-and-black bane hound sitting at his feet was silent but straining toward Cameron, Alec's hand on his head keeping him in check.
"Alec!" Cameron embraced his brother. "You're safe."
The two men hugged for a minute before stepping apart. Cameron bent to pat Ludo, who was now dancing around the brothers.
"What in the name of ashes are you doing back here?" Alec said. "You're supposed to be safely out of the country."
"We were. Until Eloisa decided to inform us that she had gotten into the hostage business."
"Don't tell me you've come back to turn yourself in?" Alec's smile vanished.
"No. We're here to make sure everyone goes free. I can't tell you more than that," Cameron said.
Alec studied his brother for a long moment, through eyes of the same steady blue. Then he turned to Sophie. "It's good to see you, Sophie. But it might have been smarter to stay away."
"My family are also hostages. Besides, your family is my family now," she said, raising her chin. "I'm not letting anyone suffer on my behalf."
"Have you heard from Liam?" Cameron asked. "He wasn't on the list of hostages that Eloisa sent to Illvya."
"No," Alec agreed. "We had a letter about a week ago. He's essentially under house arrest, but she hasn't outright declared him hostage. I don't think she wants to antagonize the other erls."
"She shouldn't want to antagonize me," Sophie said fiercely.
Alec's brows lifted. "Perhaps not. But apparently she wants you here any
way." He studied her a moment. "What exactly have you done to the queen, lass? We couldn't get any explanation that made sense when the two of you disappeared. They found a dead man in your rooms, and at first it seemed you were most likely dead too. But no bodies were found. Liam was informed that you were both in Illvya after a few weeks. He said Eloisa was in a rage about it. He has been working around the edges at court to try to find what happened. He got James onto the delegation and then we heard nothing. Their ship returned to harbor, and the next day Eloisa took her hostages. What happened?"
"Someone else tried to kill my wife," Cameron said. "He was no more successful than the first."
"The first being the dead man in your rooms?"
Cameron nodded.
"Which rather brings me back to the question of what exactly Sophie has done that people are trying to kill her."
"That's a long story. And not one we can explain now. Not all of it anyway." Cameron looked at Sophie. "But we should explain one part. Sophie, perhaps you should ask Elarus to join us for a minute." His gaze slid to Imogene and he said, in rapid Illvyan. "Not Ikarus. Two might be overwhelming."
"Who is Elarus?" Alec asked. "For that matter, who are these two?" he nodded his chin and Imogene and Michel who were sensibly staying silent.
"I'll explain all of that in a minute," Cameron said. "But there's something more important you need to understand." He held out his hand. "But first, pass me that pistol."
Alec's brows shot up again. "You want to shoot something?" His voice was faintly uncertain, as though he was perhaps concerned that the something might be him.
"No. But I don't want you to overreact to what's about to happen, either." Cameron said. "Trust me, brother. No harm will come to you, you have my word."
Alec's mouth twisted, but he reversed his grip on the pistol and passed it to his brother. Then stood, his thumbs tucked into the front of his belt where, Sophie realized, it wouldn't take him long to reach for a dagger. But she didn't think a dagger would hurt a sanctii even if Alec could move fast enough to actually reach Elarus.
"I'm about to ask Elarus to join us. She's a friend." Sophie said. "Focus on the friend part. Stay calm."
"She must be a formidable woman, this Elarus," Alec muttered.
Cameron grinned. "You are right about that, brother."
He nodded at Sophie and she called Elarus.
When she appeared, Alec stumbled backward, cursing and reaching for his daggers. Ludo began to bark but went silent when Elarus looked at him. He stepped between Alec and the sanctii, teeth bared, making it clear he would defend his master.
"She's not going to hurt you," Cameron said, his voice soothing. "She's on our side."
"That's...that's a demon," Alec said, half choking on the word.
"A familiaris sanctii," Sophie corrected. "It's not polite to call them demons."
"Goddess be damned to politeness," Alec said. He swallowed hard. "That's..." His gaze swiveled to Imogene and Michel. "Illvyans. One of you is controlling that-that creature?"
They both shook their heads, expressions wary.
"Elarus answers to me," Sophie said.
"Water magic," Alec said. "That's forbidden. Cursed." His eyes were wild.
"Not in Illvya," Sophie said. "I've had a long talk with the domina of the temple there. She has no problem with sanctii."
Alec looked like he didn't know whether to try and kill Elarus or run away screaming. She had some sympathy for his reaction, understanding the fear that the sight of a sanctii must be rousing in him. But they didn't have time to coddle his reaction for long.
"Alec, I love your brother, and I love his family," she said. "I would never hurt any of you and neither will Elarus or anyone else we've brought with us. We wouldn't have come back if we didn't value your safety over our own. We could have stayed in Illvya. Aristides would have protected us there."
"Aristides?"
"The emperor," Cameron said gently. "I understand you have questions, brother, and that this is a lot to take in. But we don't have time to waste. I need to ask you some questions, and then we need to make a plan about how we proceed."
Alec scrubbed a hand over his chin, his gaze raking over Sophie, eyes still wide. "Am I right in thinking your hair isn't all red underneath those ribbons, lass?"
She nodded.
"And you, little brother?"
"I'm no water mage," Cameron said. "I only have my blood magic."
Not strictly true, of course, but Sophie understood why Cameron didn't want to push his brother further.
"You can disown us later if you must," Cameron said. "But if you want to see James and Jeanne safe, if you think Sophie's parents deserve to be safe too, then you need to trust me now."
Alec took one slow shuddering breath and then raised his hands. "All right. I trust you. What do you need to know?"
"Are there Red Guard around your house?"
Alec shook his head. "No. I'm not supposed to leave the grounds, and they've sent a few men up a time or two to check that I'm still here, but nothing more than that. A patrol came yesterday and poked around for hours. I don't think they'll be back for a few days."
"Are they watching the portal near the village?"
"Not that I know of," Alec said. He clicked his tongue and Ludo moved back to his side, though the dog's gaze stayed fixed on Elarus. Alec's fingers curled into Ludo's fur. "But it's possible, of course. We haven't tried to go anywhere. We didn't want to make matters worse, and the harvest still needed to be completed." He lifted his chin defiantly.
"Of course," Cameron agreed. "You've done the right thing. Lucy and the children are safe?"
"Yes."
Cameron left out a breath. "Good. That's all good. Alec, there are others with us. More Illvyans. They're waiting at the hunting lodge. Can we bring them here? Not to the house if you don't want them that close, but we could house them in some of the farm buildings. Only for today. We'll move on tonight, but we need rest first."
"You're going to the capital then?" Alec asked.
"We're going to try," Cameron agreed.
"Using the High Rest portal?"
"It's the closest," Cameron said.
Alec nodded. "But that makes it more predictable." He looked down at Ludo, stroking the dog's head. "There's that old portal in the temple in the village."
Cameron looked confused. "That hasn't been used since they stopped sending a domina here. No one's been maintaining it, have they?"
Alec's mouth quirked. "Well, maybe we've sent it a little power now and then. The temple doesn't pay it any attention. They wouldn't notice it was still working unless one of them tried to use it, and why would they?"
"I thought the temple portals only connect to other temples," Sophie said.
"Mostly," Cameron said absently. "But the ones in the remoter parts of the country tend to grow a branch or two over the years. Understanding priors and dominas turn a blind eye. They know it helps people to be able to travel more quickly if there is need and, in truth, there aren't that many people around here with the power to use one unaided. It's not much risk." He frowned, turning his focus back to Alec. "Does that one have a connection to Kingswell?"
"Yes," Alec said. "Though I've never used it, and I can't tell you where it comes out. I don't think anyone has actually used that connection in years and years. We've only used the portal a time or two to take things to Innersleigh when it was needed."
Innersleigh being the largest city here in the north. Sophie wondered if the things Alec were talking about included the odd barrel of iska destined to miss being recorded for the queen's tax collectors. Well, she wasn't going to blame Alec for that. Most estates kept a small portion of their earnings back for themselves when it was necessary. The crown mostly ignored it as long as they received roughly their share. Stefan hadn't needed to clamp down on his tax base during the last decade of his reign, because the country had been largely peaceful.
"Risky to emerge somewhere unknown,
" Cameron said.
"What choice do we have?" The portal will also be linked to public portal points, won't it? No easy cover that way, either." Sophie considered the problem. She didn't remember much of the details of the first few portal jumps that she and Cameron had taken out of Kingswell, but she did know where most of the public portals in Kingswell were. There were a few in places that might be safe enough to use if they left their journey until after dark. Another thought struck her. "We could try for Chloe's portal."
"Chloe has a portal?" Imogene, who had been silent up until now was apparently too startled by this piece of information to continue to hold her tongue. Her Anglion was clear but faintly accented, and Alec looked at her sidewise.
"Yes, beneath her store. No one knows it's there. Refugees aren't supposed to have such things," Sophie said. "Cameron, do you remember the symbol for it?"
He shook his head. "I wasn't paying attention. We were leaving both times. I wasn't thinking to return the same way. Do you?"
Sophie wracked her memory, trying to call to mind the small portal room tucked away in Chloe's basement and the symbols on its walls. She frowned. "Let me think."
Imogene looked around, then bent down and picked up a stick. She drew a quick symbol in the dirt, a cross with a circle at the end of each of the horizontal arms and a wavy line beneath it. "Was there a symbol like this?"
Sophie studied it. "No, I don't think so. What is that?"
"The symbol for Vert de Cite, where the Matins live. I thought she might have used something that reminded her of home."
Sophie stared down at the symbol. Tok suddenly swooped down out of nowhere and started pecking at the stick.
"Another friend of yours?" Alec asked, staring at the raven.
Sophie nodded absently, still thinking. "Yes." She smiled at Tok wondering what Mestier Allyn would think of one of his charges being loose on Anglion ground. Then blinked as the memory came clear in her head. Not the symbol that Imogene had drawn but there had been one unfamiliar symbol on the walls of Chloe's portal. Or rather, unfamiliar at the time, but now Sophie knew what it was. A stylized flying bird. A raven like the one Mestier Allyn wore on the collar of his robes. Imogene had been right. Chloe had chosen something familiar.
