by Tina Hunter
“Over there,” Dark Hair said, pointing at a section of the wall not far to their left. It would be the access to the kitchens, the only unguarded door in the entire fort, and for good reason. The smell of rotting food and latrine run-off created a swamp of stink they would have to carefully navigate. But only after the guards standing above the door looking out into the forest left to help with the three-horn alert.
The plans she had seen didn’t include how they were supposed to get through a door that only opened from the inside and was surrounded in a disgusting mess.
“Now we wait,” her uncle said, signaling them to crouch low in the brush that surrounded the tree line. There was nothing between them and the fort wall but a long stretch of grass and the swamp of yuck. It was kept cleared to prevent anyone from doing what they were about to without being seen.
Lynn took in the surroundings, keeping her eyes open for Teodor and Brutus. Mostly she hoped she didn’t see them, because then someone else might see them, too. But another part of her wanted to make sure they were around and hadn’t been caught by the guards. No matter where she looked, though, she couldn’t see anything that might resemble them. She wasn’t sure if she should be relieved or not.
Finally, the three horns sounded out long and loud, echoing off the fort walls and the cliffs it was built into. Lynn watched the guards just as the other did. Sure enough, they left their posts above the kitchen door to head toward the front wall facing the river.
Mister Military was the one to step out first, cautiously walking all the way to the wall, though not directly to the door as she would have assumed he would do. Once he was across he waved them over. One by one they followed as quickly and as quietly as they could. Lynn found herself in the middle of the pack again. The ground under her feet was more solid here than it was closer to the door, and when she got to the wall, she noticed the wooden slats that were lined up against it to make a little walkway above the swap.
Once they were all across they went single file along the walkway to the kitchen door. She was interested to see how they would get in.
“Luca, if you could do the honors,” Benjamin said, motioning Blond Hair up to the front of the line. Luca kneeled down and moved some wooden slats away from the bottom of the door, exposing the gross muck underneath. Then he pulled something out of his pocket and dropped it making a sploosh sound as it hit the mud.
Lynn strained to see what he was doing in the dark but nothing appeared to be happening. She had a hunch he had an Inborn ability since his hands were hovering over the muck, but what could get them through a locked door? And what did he throw in the mud?
She saw movement in the mud just a Luca moved his hands very slowly up the door until he stopped about halfway. After a moment she heard a rusty moan coming from the other side of the door, slow and scraping, and then it stopped.
“We’re clear,” Luca said, stepping back. Mister Military used a knife to pry into the door and pull it open. She couldn’t see what he was doing at the entrance but soon he was waving them inside.
When she walked inside she noticed two things. One, the room smelled of wet mold and Lynn took shallow breaths through her mouth to keep the smell from overpowering her. Two, the long metal bar that would have locked and braced the door shut, was lying on the ground next to a strong-looking vine. So Luca had Plant Magic and had dropped a seed into the muck to grow the vine. That was useful.
When Mister Military opened the door on the other end of the room, the light it let in allowed her to see this was a washing room of sorts, with piles of unwashed dishes in troughs and buckets of half-eaten food lining the walls.
The group of them snuck out of the washing room and into a mess hall of sorts. There were tables all over the place, some with food on them. Seemed like the distraction was going according to plan.
Mister Military waved them into the mess hall while he checked out the room in the opposite direction. Probably the actual kitchen. When they were all bunched up by the main door, James put his ear to the door and held up a hand for everyone to be quiet.
Lynn tried to keep her breathing as shallow as possible. It wasn’t easy when all she could hear was her own heartbeat in her ears.
“There may be one left in the courtyard. I can’t tell for sure. Too much yelling from the dock,” James said.
Lynn kept her surprise to herself. He had Sound Magic manifested as enhanced hearing. So, they were all Inborn? How interesting. She wondered what lie her uncle had told them all to get them to follow him.
“Would opening the door help?” Mister Military asked.
James nodded and, with help from Dark Hair, they pushed the door open just enough to put a hand through and held it there. It was a solid wood door and looked heavy from the way Military and Dark Hair were straining.
James put his head beside the gap and closed his eyes to concentrate. Even she could hear the yelling now.
“Clear,” James said with a smile at her. Lynn rolled her eyes and let him see it. Show off. The problem was he was just her type, and even with his scars, he was quite attractive. Luckily, she was not interested in men right now. Besides, she’d be betraying him soon.
They all fled through the door and followed Military over to the castle. It was the original building that Iridan, with permission from the King, had built the fort walls around.
The main castle doors had been built into the new walls and were impossible to get into, but the side doors on the bottom courtyard level that the soldiers used were open and unguarded. After all, who else would be inside the courtyard?
The jail cells would be on the bottom level while the crystals would be in the middle level, and the officials would be in the top level where the temple was, and royalty used to live. Hopefully, they would stay up there.
Her uncle opened the door and ushered them all inside, shutting the door behind them. Everyone headed up the stairs but Lynn needed to get Malack out of the jail cell.
“I need to make a quick pit stop,” she whispered to her uncle. He raised his eyebrows, and she pointed down the hall in front of them, where the map had said the jail cells were. He still appeared confused, but she put on a reassuring smile with a cheeky wink. “I’ll meet up with you shortly.”
Then she walked away without looking back. She couldn’t take the risk of him following her.
The main floor appeared deserted—just a single guard standing next to the window, looking out towards the water. She walked up close to him, her leather-soled feet silent on the stone floor.
“Awww. Did they leave you out of the fun?” Lynn said right behind him. He spun around, right into her arms, and she used his momentum to bash his head against her knee. Then she kicked his legs out from under him and pushed his head towards the floor. He was unconscious before he could utter a word.
With the keys in her hands, she unlocked the door to the jail cells. Inside, the cells were full. She put her finger to her lips when some inmates yelled. They needed to be quiet until she got Malack out. She peered into each cell, many men whispering that they would pay her if she let them out. She didn’t see him in any of the cells, but then a small boy came to the front of the second-last jail cell. His face was bloodied and bruised.
“Hey there,” he said. And suddenly Lynn realized it was Dorothy.
“What in the hells are you doing here?” she hissed, pulling out the keys. “Where is Malack?”
“He had a run-in with Teodor and couldn’t come. Sorry.”
Lynn’s hand froze for a moment as she processed what Dorothy said. “And Brutus?”
Dorothy shook her head. “Didn’t see him.”
The rest of the men in the cell looked ready to pounce as soon as she opened the door. She paused and stared at them all.
“And which of these Harpy Shits bloodied your face,” she said it in her deepest voice. All the men in the cell took a step back, some even raising their hands.
“None of them,” Dorothy said. “It was
the guards.”
Lynn looked back at Dorothy with sympathy in her eyes. Poor thing was just trying to help and got beaten for it. Malack would get an earful for this one. She peered around at the full cells. Might as well make them work for her.
“Well then, I guess I can let you all out... on one condition.” She paused and held their gaze as she spoke to the room. “Bloody up the faces of as many guards as you can on the way out.”
There was a collective cheer, and she opened the gate on Dorothy’s cell.
“Over here,” she pointed to the back wall of the jail area for Dorothy to wait, and the girl obliged. The cells were open within minutes and no one had the decency to wait for the others before running out into the castle. She’d have to hope they weren’t attracting attention to the vault. She still needed to get there before the guards. And how on earth was Dorothy supposed to help her overtake her uncle’s team?
When the last cell was empty, Lynn walked over to Dorothy and took her chin in her hand. Her face was scraped along the left side and her right eye was badly bruised and swollen.
“They do anything else?” she asked quietly.
“My arm,” Dorothy said gesturing to the one she was holding against her ribs. Lynn touched it gently, and the girl let out a painful gasp. A few more pokes didn’t reveal any lumps to indicate a broken bone, but this wasn’t her area of expertise.
“If we’re lucky, it’s just dislocated. Unfortunately, we might have to hope that Brutus came after all.”
Dorothy’s look of shock and fear said more than any words the girl could muster.
“It’ll be ok,” Lynn said, “I won’t let him hurt you.”
And she meant it. No one would hurt Dorothy again without answering to her.
They walked out of the jail and found the guard right where Lynn had left him. No point in letting the opportunity go to waste. She lifted his sleeve to expose his arm, then took out her Balance Beads. It took a moment to pull the points out but once they were all out, she quickly pressed them into his arm. The beads always fed quickly off her but it seemed to take forever with this guard. Maybe because he was already unconscious? Dorothy kept watch, and when the sigil glowed to capacity Lynn pulled the beads off his arm.
“Where to now?” Dorothy whispered.
“Upstairs,” Lynn thought about what had to happen next. “How much can you lift with your ability now?”
Dorothy shrugged. “Enough that I should be able to help with the crates.”
Lynn led the way back to—and then up—the stairs. She was tempted to tell Dorothy to take off her boots for all the echoing clunks they made on the stone steps. When they reached the top, Lynn spotted the guards on the floor. Five in total. All of them lying in puddles of their own blood.
“Do what I say, when I say it, and trust no one but me,” she whispered.
Dorothy nodded her head, her eyes wide.
They followed the trail of corpses to a set of double doors made of iron. Crystal light shone out of the keyhole. This was definitely the vault. Lynn pushed on the door and found it wouldn’t move. So she did the only thing she could think of: She knocked.
“Name?” the voice inside called out.
“It’s Lynn. Now open up.”
She heard clicks and gears moving inside the door before it swung open just enough for James to see her, and Dorothy.
“Who’s the kid?” he asked.
“He’s with me.”
James looked back for a moment, then opened the door wide enough for them to enter. He could move it without too much effort despite its size. Magic was definitely involved. The scene inside, however, was anything but magical.
Crates of smashed and broken crystal littered the floor of the massive room. It was everywhere. How could there have been so much of it, but still leave enough for her uncle to steal? Dark Hair seemed to control a ball of stone, moving it through the air to smash into the crystals. Dorothy raised her eyebrows at the use of magic but didn’t say anything.
Closer to the center of the room, her Uncle and some of his team were stacking crates. She counted ten so far. Just enough for herself. Again, a twinge of guilt hit her in the stomach, but she settled her tummy by thinking of the dead men outside. There would be many more if she didn’t steal from her uncle now.
“Lynn, my dear. Who have you brought us?” her uncle said, coming to towards her.
“Allow me to introduce my runaway, Douglas.”
Dorothy bowed slightly, still holding her arm to her chest.
“I leave him alone for a few minutes and he gets caught for picking pockets. Again.” Lynn said with only a little disappointment. “But I suppose if he is here he can help us out.”
“Not with that arm,” her Uncle said with a tisk. “Victor,” he called over Dark Hair who produced a blade from his bag. A small thing, but the healing symbol was clear enough. Dorothy looked to Lynn with a look that seemed to ask for permission. Lynn nodded.
Victor was quick about healing her, and even without something to bite into Dorothy didn’t cry out. Lynn was very proud of her.
“Much better,” her uncle said, walking over to look at her arm and face. Lynn saw that the blade was spent and would have to be fed again to heal anymore, but Dorothy’s eye was back to normal size and there were only a few minor scrapes left on her face. Dorothy smiled as she moved her arm up and down.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Not at all, my young man. Any friend of Lynn’s is a friend of ours. Now how about you help us out with the last couple of crates, we could use some young muscle.”
Dorothy almost giggled. It was a strangled sound, but she covered it with a cough. She held up her hand and pointed it in the direction of the last crates against the wall and concentrated. A single crate lifted from the ground and flew slowly over to the pile in the center of the room.
Her uncle patted Dorothy on the shoulder in an approving manner. He gave Lynn a proud smile, too. Lynn had to quell the happiness it brought her. She had to hate him, it would be easier.
“Don’t use up all your strength now, though. We might need some of that for our escape,” he told her. Dorothy nodded and walked over to the remaining crates. Victor and Renaldo were over there to help her carry them. Ugh, she knew too many of their names now. She was starting to like these guys; well maybe not Renaldo. He still creeped her out.
Lynn walked over to the center where the crates had been stacked. “Looks like you will have more than enough,” she said, looking over the piles. She tried to lift one, just to see how heavy they were. It would be awkward but doable with her balance beads. She put it down gently. She figured each crate was about half the weight of Dorothy, which made the girl’s feat even more impressive. The crystals in each varied from the size of her fist to the length of her forearm.
“Yes,” he uncle said coming up behind her, “Twelve crates are more than enough, but it’s always better to have extra. Did you happen to get everything you needed to get?”
She smiled up at him. “Don’t worry. I’ll be leaving here with everything I need. Plus something I wasn’t planning on picking up.” She gestured her head at Dorothy.
Benjamin laughed. “He seems like a good kid. And us Inborn need to stick together.” He winked at her, and suddenly she was falling down a pit of guilt again. This had to stop.
“Why did you kill the guards outside?” she asked quietly. “Surely knocking them unconscious would have been enough?”
Her uncle let go of her shoulder and tisked at her. “And who was to say how long they would remain unconscious? No, it’s much safer to kill them and be done with it.” He ran his fingers over the crystals in the crates, and she was reminded of Darkan. Yes. That was a much better person to associate her uncle with. “Once we are out of here, Lynn, we are going to change the world.”
There was the monster again. Much better. She smiled at him and then walked to the door where James was standing guard.
“So h
ow does this magical vault door work? I assume you need a key or two?”
James laughed at her quietly. “Yes. Two turned at the same time. Want to see?” He gave her a teasing smile and held up two iron keys the length of his hand. “So...how come you disappeared on me?” His upturned lips and intense gaze made her cheeks flush. No time for attraction.
“I had more important things to worry about.”
“Like picking up your friend there?” he pointed at Dorothy who was helping carry a crate with Victor.
“Yes. Just like that.” She put her hand on the vault door, admiring it. “You can even lock it from the inside so that no one outside can get in?”
“Yup. Otherwise, this plan wouldn’t have worked. Without the keys, the door won’t open. Inside or out.” James tucked the keys back into his pocket.
“Well then, let’s not lose those keys,” Lynn said with a smile and a wink.
At least now she knew where the keys were. She left him and walked over to her uncle again, trying not to notice James’ eyes on her back.
“How are we getting them all down the stairs? Like a bucket line?”
“Exactly like a bucket line,” her uncle said with a laugh. “You can help here at the front or at the stairs if you don’t mind the risk?”
“When have I ever minded the risk?” she said with a grin and he laughed again. “You should know,” she continued, “that I let the prisoners out of the jail cells to provide a bigger distraction for us.”
“You did?” Benjamin raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Mister Military came over to whisper at them. “That may actually cause more problems than good. I suggest we speed things up.”
“Oh,” Lynn said in surprise and fake dismay. “I’m sorry.” She whispered to them. Her uncle just waved his hand to dismiss her comment.
“Don’t worry about it, my dear. No plan is ever perfect once it’s off the paper.” He turned around and motioned for everyone to come to the middle of the room with him. “I think we’ve done all we can do in here. Time to pack up and move out,” he said once they were all gathered. He rattled off names and placements, but she only cared that Dorothy would be with her at the stairs, and tried not to hear that Mister Military’s name was actually Philip.
