by Brenda Drake
The debris rolled under my boots as I climbed over the rubble and made my way to the door.
Kale let go of Lei, and she flew to Arik and cradled him in her arms.
“Where are you going?” Kale said. His eyes were red as he forced his feelings back.
I grabbed my sword from the ground, leaving my shield. I needed to move fast and didn’t need the added burden. “I’m locking Arik in here,” I said. “Something is really wrong with him. He can’t get a handle on his emotions. If he fights in this state, he’ll get himself killed. Are you staying or going with me?”
He glanced at Lei. “I’m going with you. Lei, watch him. Kill any foe that comes through this door.”
She nodded as she wiped her eyes.
We stepped out into the hall and I closed the door. Kale recited a charm to lock the door.
“Only a wizard can release them,” Kale said. “Hopefully, there’s none behind this attack.”
Another agonizing cry from Arik sounded from the other side of the door. I placed my palm on the thick wood, wiping tears from my eyes.
I’m so sorry, Arik.
Chapter Twenty
Running through the destruction around us, I kept seeing the image of Merl’s expressionless face, his body broken under the rubble. I couldn’t lose Uncle Philip, he was my only connection to my mother, and I loved him. It would break me just like seeing Merl dead had broken Arik.
I pushed forward, a machine on a mission, catching up to Kale. “What is our plan?”
“I haven’t one,” he said.
It was growing dark outside. The corridors were silent. Everyone was most likely hiding, waiting for rescue. The Red had to be responsible for the attack. I vowed that before the night was over, I’d kill him.
We came up on the dead horned man on the floor, and I remembered the other Laniar crawling into a hole in the wall. I crouched in front of the opening, aiming my sword at the darkness, and then held up my hand.
“Sia la Luce,” I said. Let there be light. My globe ignited on my palm. I readied myself to crawl inside, but it wasn’t a tunnel, only a cavity.
The Laniar was curled up against the wall. He squinted at the light.
“Tell me where they took Professor Attwood, and I won’t finish you off.”
“I cannot.”
I pressed my sword against his neck.
He winced.
“I’m losing my patience with you.”
He strained his neck back, trying to move away from my blade. “It would be my death.”
“You’re in a very tough predicament, then, aren’t you? Because you can either die now or later.” I nicked his skin, blood beading to the surface. “Or you could tell me where The Red is and hope I kill him before he gets you.” The hatred boiled inside me and it scared me.
He stared at the light, not able to focus on me behind the glare. “It’s not The Red I’m frightened of,” the Laniar said.
“What do you mean? Who are you afraid of?” I glared at him. “It doesn’t matter. Tell me where they took Professor Attwood.”
“You’re getting nowhere with this guy.” Kale brushed me aside and tossed a globe on him. The Laniar froze, his breaths laboring. “You will tell us or I’ll keep stunning you. It feels like drowning, doesn’t it? We’ll keep doing this until you tell us.” He looked to me. “Remove my stun.”
I dropped my globe on him. His stare was eerie looking in the pink glow. He gasped. “I can’t—”
Kale threw another globe on him. He waited a little longer this time before he told me to release him again.
The Laniar coughed and wheezed. “All right, all right,” he said through coughs. “He’s in the village. A tavern. Something about a lonely lamb.”
I straightened and looked to Kale. “Have you heard of that place?”
“I haven’t. There are many pubs in Asile.” He tightened the straps on the leather sheaths attached to his forearms. Blood stained the steel knuckles on his gloves. “We aren’t letting him go, are we?”
“I don’t think he’ll get too far if he runs. Carrig charmed the outbuilding, so no one could come or go from Asile.” I adjusted my scabbard and continued down the hall. Kale’s boots clomped behind me.
...
The city lights that normally bathed the sky just above the hill were dark. The moon lit our way up the path to the Mystik city adjacent to the wizard haven. Werehounds and Sentinels patrolled the cobbled streets. It made me uneasy not knowing what faces to trust.
Two Sentinels cut us off. “State your name,” the taller of the two ordered.
“I’m Kale and this is Gianna,” he said. “We’re Sentinels of Asile. You’re in our territory, back down.”
We skirted around them.
“Wait.” I turned to the Sentinels. “Have you seen Carrig?”
“He’s leading a search through the streets with the Emeritus,” the more muscular one answered. “The entries into Asile are blocked. Those who attacked the wizards’ castle are trapped in the city.”
“The Emeritus?” I whispered to Kale.
“They’re the older Sentinels called out of retirement after we went into hiding.”
“Have you heard of a tavern with ‘lonely lamb’ in the title?” I asked.
“The Lonely Lamb Tavern?”
That was actually the name? “Yes, that’s the one.”
“Go up three blocks in that direction and turn right, and then it’s five blocks down.”
“Thanks,” I said, and hurried up the road. The crooked cobbles threatened to twist my ankle. The road was steeper than the streets of Beacon Hill in Boston.
“Should we get assistance?” Kale labored beside me.
“It’ll take too long. Uncle Phillip could be dead by then.” My breaths deepened. “And too many guards would alert them to our arrival. I’m thinking we sneak in and surprise attack. You could stun most of them before they notice we’re there.”
“They possibly have him in a room or basement of the tavern. We have to be careful.”
“You think? ’Cause I was just going to bust in and hope for the best.”
He gave me a questioning look. “Are you being sarcastic?”
“Of course I am.”
The streets were narrow. No cars ran across the roads because the havens forbade vehicles. It was a way to keep the havens pure, free of the things destroying the human world. People and creatures walked and pushed carts wherever they went.
We approached a sign hanging over the road. The tavern actually had a sad-looking lamb on the sign.
Kale pushed the buttons on his palms. A silver blade shot out from each sheath and stretched over the top of his encased hand. I eased down the tight alley between The Lonely Lamb tavern and a dress shop, searching the walls for an entry.
I wrinkled my nose. “Gross. It smells like pee.”
“Drunks don’t care where they relieve themselves,” he said, walking backward behind me, keeping his eyes on the entrance to the alley.
Another alley ran behind the buildings. A heavy wooden door dominated the middle of the lean four-story building. Each floor had two windows surrounded by balconies.
Kale stared up at the windows.
“What are we doing?” I whispered. “Should we use the door or go through a window?”
“That’s what I’m pondering. Can you climb?”
“Not sure. I haven’t climbed anything since I was ten or so. Well, that’s not completely true. I’ve rock climbed at a place before, but that was a year ago, and they had ropes and foot thingies.” I was definitely nervous, because I was rambling and my hands shook.
Kale wasn’t listening. “Then we’re going by way of the door,” he said, trying the handle. “Locked.”
I shook my head. “You really thought it would just open, huh?”
We squatted close to the wall.
“Do you have one of those things that opens doors?” I asked. “You know like what Arik has?”
&n
bsp; “I do, but I hadn’t thought to bring it during the mad rush to leave.”
“Guess we have to climb.” I glanced up the wall to windows. “I’m thinking the drainpipe.” The drain looked pretty iffy from here. “I don’t think it’ll hold you. I’ll climb it and find a way to let you in.”
He nodded. “Yes, all right. I’ll stand below you in case you fall.”
“You’re going to break my fall? That sounds like a lovely plan.” I slipped my sword into my scabbard and dried my hands on my pants.
I placed both hands behind the iron drainpipe and a foot on each side of it against the wall. Inching up, I walked the side of the building while gripping the pipe tight and pulling myself up. The pipe shook with each of my movements.
Don’t look down. Don’t look down. Shit. Why did I look down? I froze there for a moment, catching my breath, my muscles burning. It won’t kill me if I fall. I’ll just break all my bones or something.
I continued shimmying up the pipe. One of the clamps around it popped, and I leaned sideways to avoid it hitting me. I glanced down. Kale caught the metal before it hit the ground and alerted someone to our attempted break in.
A few more steps and I’d made it to the first balcony. I reached for the railing, my fingers barely brushing the metal. As I stretched for it, more clamps holding the pipe to the wall snapped, and I swung backward. I leaned my weight toward the balcony, causing the pipe to crash back against the wall.
Yeah, that didn’t just wake the dead. This was going to end badly, I was certain. I grasped the railing and swung my leg over.
When I released the pipe, it fell away. Kale darted under it, taking a blow to keep it from chiming against the ground. It hit him hard, and I held my breath until he moved and waved at me that he was okay. I grabbed the railing with my other hand, boosted myself over it, and eased onto the balcony.
I got down low, crawled to the nearest window, and peered through the drapes. A few men I recognized from The John Rylands Library in Manchester, England with The Red when they’d tried to murder Antonio sat around a table, drinking and arguing over some game. They were so loud no one heard the ruckus I’d made getting up there. A couple of them flanked the far door. I didn’t see Uncle Philip in the room. The ceiling shook with heavy footsteps on the floor above me. The Red’s gang could be scattered throughout the tavern.
Making my way past the other window, I decided I had to get to the next balcony up. When I reached the small strip of wall between the window and the railing, I slid up to my feet, mounted the railing, and balanced on the thin handrail, wrapping my fingers around the bars of the balcony above me. I towed myself up, hand over hand, to the next balcony.
The room was empty, so I raised the window and stepped inside. Blood stained the grungy sheet covering what looked to be a body on the bed, and the room stunk like death. My heart collapsed.
Please, no. Please don’t be Uncle Philip.
I held my breath, dragged the sheet off the face, and stumbled back. The air punched from lungs, relief rushing over me. It wasn’t Uncle Philip but a werehound, caught between forms—he was half man and half hound. The stench hit me stronger and bile rose in the back of my throat. I replaced the cover and crossed the room to the door. Easing it open, I peeked through the crack.
The place was active. A woman dressed in Sentinel gear walked by, and I leaned back. Kale had to get up here with me. I closed the door with a soft click.
I couldn’t find anything in the room to use as rope. The dead body gave me the willies. There was nothing else. I tugged off the sheet, ripped it into thick strips, and tied the ends together, checking to make sure the knots were tight. It wasn’t long enough.
The drapes. I yanked one down, tore it with my sword, and fastened the pieces to the sheet rope.
I crawled out the window, tied one of the ends to a railing at the far side of the balcony, and tossed the other end over the side. Kale latched onto the makeshift rope and scaled the wall to me. I helped him over the railing and he rested there, catching his breath.
“What’s with the blood?”
I shrugged. “I took it off a dead guy. There wasn’t anything else.”
“Splendid,” he said with acid in his voice. “What’s the situation?”
“There’re too many of The Red’s gang wandering around to sneak out.”
He slipped through the window and edged to the door, cracking it open and peering into the hall. He waved me over.
“There are two stairs,” he said barely audible. “The main one directly in front of us and the back stairs to our right. When the chance arises, we’ll make our move and go down the back one.”
I waited behind him, keeping my breath steady. Minutes passed before Kale eased the door open just enough for us to slip out of it. I crouched low and stepped carefully after him to the back staircase.
He looked over his shoulder at me and mouthed, “Where?”
I pointed up. It was my best guess. Since each floor only held one large room, a bunch of The Red’s pack occupied the second floor room, and a dead guy occupied the one we were in. By the sound of it, the rest of the pack was on the street level, probably on alert for an attack from the road. I only wanted to find Uncle Philip. That was, if he was still alive. We climbed the stairs as quietly and swiftly as possible to the fourth floor.
Kale stopped at the landing before moving into the hall. A baldheaded man who resembled a bat with thick dark skin and a flat nose with slotted nostrils stood guard by the door. A purple swirl appeared on Kale’s palm, and he launched it at the man, stunning him. The man slumped to the ground.
The door flew open at the sound of the body hitting the floor. Kale tossed another stun globe that slammed into the woman I’d seen downstairs. We dragged the two into the room and quietly closed the door.
“Oh, thank God.” I wanted to cry at the sight of Uncle Philip sitting bound to a chair with ropes. A rubber bar was stuck between his teeth, secured around his head with a leather strap, preventing him from talking.
I rushed over to him and pulled at the rope. The knots were tied tight. “Should we tie them up?” I said, nodding toward the two bodies on the floor. “If we don’t counter the stun, they’ll die.”
“I don’t care if they die.” Kale’s face held no emotion. “They chose the wrong side.”
I removed the dagger from my boot and cut Uncle Philip free from the ropes and the leather strap around his head. He spit out the bar and coughed. I practically tackled him with a bear hug.
Kale kept watch through the crack of the door.
“Thank God, you’re okay.” I released Uncle Philip. The leather strap had left rashes on his cheeks. “Man, they really tied that gag tight.”
“It was to keep me from using my magic.”
“Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“Not badly.” Soot and blood covered his face. “Merl?” His eyes looked hopeful.
I shook my head, not able to say the words, not wanting to hear them. Merl was gone. They’d killed him. Uncle Philip hung his head, breathing heavily as he tried to recover from the news. Tears burned the corners of my eyes, and I busied myself returning my dagger to my boot.
I sucked in a breath and released it before asking, “Can you walk?”
“I believe so.” His arms shook as he pushed himself up from the chair.
“Do you know what they did with the Chiavi?” I said.
He looked at the table. “In that bag.”
“Are you kidding me?” I laughed. “These guys are dumb. Who keeps their loot with their prisoners?” I inspected the bag for the four Chiavi—crown, scroll, cross, and sword—all there.
Uncle Philip opened his mouth, stretching out his jaw. “They probably thought no one could get by them to this level.”
I crept out onto the balcony and looked through the railings. Two men were skinning an animal just outside the back door, and I wanted to vomit on their heads. I spotted his long, scraggily hair—its colo
r like fire—as The Red stepped outside and spoke to them. He took out a pipe, lit it, and leaned against the doorframe. A small woman hobbled down the alley. The Red straightened and watched her approach.
The Red’s voice vibrated up the building to me. “Hurry and finish up; the guide is here. We must eat before we leave.”
“Crap.” I blew my bangs out of my face. “We can’t climb down. The Red and some of his men are in the back. There’s a woman with them who has a long nose and feeler things wiggling from it.”
I glanced over my shoulder at Kale and Uncle Philip. “What is she?”
“A Talpar,” Kale said. “They probably hired her to escort them to the secret tunnels.”
“Secret tunnels?” I repeated.
“Yes. The Talpars had dug those centuries ago. Only their tribe knows how to locate the entries into them.” Kale turned for the door. “We’d better move. What’s our strategy?”
“I don’t know.” I pulled my sword out of the scabbard. “While The Red is kicking back outside, we should blast his men in the lobby with our globes and get out the front. We don’t stop. We just keep going, and they won’t have time to react.”
They both stared at me as if I’d just grown wings.
I frowned. “Okay, what’s your plan, then?”
“I’m processing this thought,” Kale said.
I slid the Chiave sword into my scabbard.
Kale eyed me curiously. “What are you doing with the Chiave?”
“It cuts metal. Plus, if they end up with the bag full of Chiavi, they won’t actually have them all to gain world dominance.” After putting my sword in the bag, I tied the drawstring and handed it to Uncle Philip. “You stay behind us. Just do what you can to help, but don’t lose the bag.”
Kale inspected the hall. “I haven’t approved this plan.”
“We don’t have time for you to process it,” I said. “The Red is distracted now.”
“Gia’s right,” Uncle Philip said. “We have to act now.”
“All right, if one of us falls, the others keep going.” Kale opened the door wider. “We can’t hesitate, just keep moving. Don’t even stop for a second.”
If he stalled any longer, my nerves were going to catch up with me. “Got it. Can we go already?”
