Loren put a hand on her shoulder. “Yet you yourself said that we must accept the things we cannot change, the things we are blameless for. We can vow to ourselves that we will do better in the future, but that does not mean we must stew in the darkness now.”
“How do you do that?” said Kerri. “How do you keep the sorrow away?”
Loren paused to think. She had wondered much the same thing, back in Northwood. She had sought comfort in Chet’s company, but that had been little help. Only leaving the town had begun to lift her mood, even though that had been a dark enough day on its own. It seemed to her that taking action had been the best thing she could have done. That, and …
“Look at him,” said Loren. She pointed at Gem. The boy was fiddling with a small knife from his boot. He flipped it back and forth across his fingers. It might have looked impressive that he did so without cutting himself, but Loren happened to know the blade was incredibly dull.
“Gem and Annis have been my solace through many dark times. Gem is always cheerfully arrogant—excessively so—and Annis always seeks to throw herself into whatever bit of work is before her, not to mention the fact that she has a brilliant mind. When I am unsure of what to do, or when I feel a dark mood coming over me, I only have to be around them, and they bring me out of it. And when they are frightened in turn, or mournful, I do my best to return the favor. Sometimes they want reassurance of safety or some plan of action. But most of the time it is enough simply to be with them, to tell a story and share a laugh. Alone, any one of us would likely have fallen into sorrow. But we all look after each other.”
“Friends,” said Kerri. “I had few enough of those, even before the city was in turmoil.”
Loren smiled at her. “Well, you have some now.”
Kerri returned her smile, and Loren had to look away to keep herself from blushing.
Chet soon returned, and they ate the bread and drank the water. Then they waited, huddled in their cloaks against the cold, while the street beyond their alley gradually cleared. Before the sun had long cleared the tops of the mountains, Loren poked her head out. There was hardly anyone about, and the few stragglers would soon be out of sight. She looked up at the wall. There were no guards patrolling, but only some standing guard in the towers. If they climbed the wall right beside a tower, they should be able to avoid detection.
She turned to the party. “It is time. Ready yourselves.”
They stood, shaking off the snow that had dusted them while they sat. Once the street was clear, Loren led them across it. She climbed first. The wall was as easy to scale as she had thought it would be, and soon she scrabbled over the top. She fell to her knees on the other side of the ramparts.
The courtyard beyond was empty. She could hear the soldiers above her moving about the tower, but their gazes were turned up and outward. Loren did not doubt that the army was on alert since her appearance a few days ago, but clearly no one expected her to infiltrate the palace directly, for the guard seemed to be lax.
Loren leaned back over the ramparts and motioned to the others. One by one they came up after her—all but Kerri. She would remain behind, for she would be of little help once they were in the palace.
Using Jo’s map, they had very carefully chosen the place to climb up. Here, a smaller wall joined the palace to the main outer wall, forming a barrier between the front and back halves of the courtyard. This little blockade was less than a pace wide, and not designed to be walked on, but if they were careful they could use it to reach the palace itself. Loren glanced up one last time to ensure the guards were looking outwards, not towards the palace, and then she led her party across it. She had to control her speed—it would not do to slip on the snow and fall into the courtyard. But they reached the palace without incident. Just above them was a balcony. Loren leaped up and seized the handrail, pulling herself atop it before helping the others make the climb. Once they were all up, Loren tried the door. It was unlocked.
“Wojin is arrogant,” said Shiun once they had slipped inside. “This was almost easy.”
“It is to be expected,” said Loren. “He only lets his most trusted guards watch the palace, and those are very few.”
“They could at least check the locks,” said Uzo.
“What if it is a trap?” said Chet. “What if Damaris guessed this is our aim?”
That gave Loren pause. It seemed unlikely that Damaris could anticipate such a plan as quickly as they had come up with it. Yet their entry did seem almost too easy.
She shook herself. “We will be cautious,” she said. “If we see the jaws of a trap closing around us, we run. But we will carry out our mission. Let us go.”
They had entered the palace very close to the apartments where they guessed Damaris would be. The hallway outside their room was empty, and Loren turned right, creeping down it. She feared that at any moment, she might recognize a location from her dreams. That could be disastrous, if the dreamsight struck her as it had when she met Duris. But nothing happened, and soon they had reached the last corner before the apartments. Loren peeked around it. There were two guards there, dark of skin and wearing green clothing. Yerrins.
Loren ducked back out of sight. “We have the right place,” she murmured. “I see two guards.”
“Easy enough,” said Shiun.
“Gem, go back to the last turn in the hall and keep watch. I do not think we can take them silently. If more soldiers come, we will need your warning.”
Gem looked up in shock. He had already begun to draw his sword. “I thought I was supposed to fight!” he whispered.
Loren gave him a hard look.
He gave an exasperated sigh. “Very well.” Quickly he ran back the way they had come.
At Loren’s signal, they charged around the corner. She, Uzo, and Chet ran wide, hugging the left wall to give Shiun a clear shot. Her arrow sank into the thigh of one guard, who grunted as she went down.
Before the nearer guard could draw his sword, Uzo was there. The butt of his spear cracked the man in his forehead. Finally, Chet pounced on the second guard. He struck her senseless with his staff—but not before a defiant yell burst from her lips.
“Well, someone will have heard that,” said Uzo evenly.
“Then let us be quick,” said Shiun, running up behind them.
Loren opened the door and leaped inside, one of her knives held before her. For a heart-stopping moment, she feared to find herself in the room from her dreams. But it was not the same room, and Gregor was nowhere to be seen. For just a moment, relief washed through her.
Then she saw the figure in the chair. It faced the window, and the sunlight cast it in silhouette. But Loren could see that its hands were bound behind the chair. It did not move.
Loren straightened, her throat going dry. Behind her, Chet and the Mystics hesitated.
She knew what she would find when she turned the chair around. She had seen it in her dream already. Loren shook her head, forcing her thoughts back to the present.
“Uzo and Shiun … search for a chest. A lockbox. Search the cupboards if you must. Find the magestones.”
They went to do as she had bid. Slowly, Loren approached the chair. Chet went with her but remained a half-step behind.
“Loren?”
She waved him off. Step by step, she came around the chair, finding exactly what she knew she would.
It was Duris. She had been tortured to death. In the end, her throat had been cut, just as Loren had seen in her dream. But it was obvious that she had been dying for a long, long time before that. Bruises covered her face, and one of her severe-looking eyes was almost swollen shut. There were other wounds that looked far more painful, cuts all over her body that left blood running down her dress to soak into the carpet. Loren shuddered as she realized it must have been done overnight—they had met with the senator only yesterday.
“Nightblade,” said Shiun. She had approached while Loren was distracted. “The room is empty. There are no mag
estones here.”
Nothing but the corpse, thought Loren. Duris, dead, just as I saw in my dream. What else among my visions is fated to pass?
“Loren—” said Chet.
“Damaris outwitted us,” said Loren. “She learned somehow that Duris had met with us, and she plied her for information. That means …” She looked up, working it out. “That means she could have traced us back to our hiding place. Somehow.”
Uzo’s eyes widened. “This was not a trap for us. The guard here is light because the soldiers are out scouring the city to find us.”
“Or they have found the others already,” said Shiun.
Loren met Chet’s gaze and saw the same fright in his eyes that must be in her own. “She could not have learned from Duris about Yushan’s manor,” he said. “Duris did not know. We took precautions.”
“She knew about Duris before our meeting, and she followed us back from there,” said Loren. “It is the only possible explanation—it is the only reason Damaris and Gregor would not be here. We need to leave, now.”
Footsteps pounded in the hallway outside. Uzo turned, hefting his spear, and Shiun drew an arrow. But they put up their weapons as Gem appeared in the doorway.
“Guards are coming,” he said breathlessly.
“Time to go,” said Loren. “Out of the palace, and then back to Yushan’s home. We have to save the king.”
They ran down the hall, back the way they had come. Loren heard the cries and bootsteps of soldiers in all directions. Just before they reached the room by which they had entered, they came upon four palace guards.
Loren’s party launched themselves into the fray. She herself downed one guard with a punishing blow from the hilt of her dagger. The rest fell before they could recover from their surprise. Gem got his chance to fight, fending one off with desperate swings until Uzo could pierce the man with his spear. Loren winced as she saw the spearhead sink into the man’s chest.
The hallway was clear again, and their door was only a few paces away.
“Quickly!” said Loren.
They leaped from the balcony to the barricade and ran along it. Guards in the tower were looking inward now, but there were only two. Shiun paused, shooting one in the throat. His companion fell to the ground, taking cover. That gave them the time they needed to reach the wall, and they heaved themselves over it. As soon as they reached the ground, Kerri waved them over to the alleyway. On her face was a look of stark terror.
“I heard the alarm and feared the worst,” she said. “Were you successful?”
“No,” said Loren tersely. “And King Jun is in danger. Take us back to Yushan’s manor, and do not stop for anything.”
BY THE TIME THEY ARRIVED, the manor had already been attacked.
They paused a street away, surveying the place. Soldiers wearing palace uniforms swarmed in and out. But they did not move with any great hurry. Whatever fight they had found within Yushan’s home, it was already over.
“We could try to sneak in,” said Shiun. “Mayhap the walls can be climbed.”
“If we attack quickly, we could fight our way through,” said Uzo.
“No,” said Loren. “Until they abandon Yushan’s home, we cannot safely approach. We … we must find another place to hide. An inn, or …”
A boot scuffed on a cobblestone behind them. As one they turned, weapons out. But Loren froze when she saw Jo.
“Come with me,” said the bodyguard. He had a bandage around his forehead, and blood stained the left side of it—a new scar to go with the larger one across his scalp. “His Grace is alive. We got him out in time.”
Without a word he turned and headed off down the street. Loren motioned the others forwards to follow him and quickly stepped up beside Jo. “What of the others? Annis? Is Annis all right?”
“The Yerrin girl is with us, and His Excellency escaped,” said Jo gruffly. “But Yushan … she fell.” He bowed his head for a moment.
Loren’s steps faltered, and she had to force herself to resume Jo’s rushing pace. Yushan had taken them all in at great risk to herself, but she had gone further: she had shown them kindness and hospitality like few people Loren had met in her travels. It was only by her bravery that Jun had survived this long.
Then Loren realized that the area they were in looked familiar. She peered around, trying to place it. At last it came to her: they were near the warehouse where they had met with Duris.
“The warehouse …” said Loren. “Jo, it is not safe here. That is how Damaris found us in the first place.”
“We guessed that,” said Jo. “There was a guard nearby, watching the place to warn her master if we returned.” His scowl deepened. “But I found her. And now she will deliver no warning.”
Soon they found the warehouse, and Jo led them around to the back door. He knocked, and a guard opened it. Loren entered to find them all there: King Jun, sitting on a crate like it was his new throne, and Senlin at his side like always. But there, too, was Annis. She leaped up from where she had been sitting on the floor against a barrel.
“Loren!” she cried.
Loren leaped forwards, wrapping her arms around the girl. She said nothing, only holding her close for a long moment.
“I was afraid … I was afraid you would not return.” Annis’ voice was thick with tears.
“I always will,” said Loren. “Are you all right? Were you hurt?”
Annis pulled away, shaking her head and swiping at her eyes. “No. We were able to get out in time. Some of Yushan’s guards held them off while we made our escape.” She turned to Gem. He stood back for a moment, unsure. Annis waved her hands impatiently. “Oh come here, you idiot.” She dragged him into a hug.
“I am alive as well, though it pains me that you did not care enough to ask.” Wyle’s voice surprised Loren, and she looked up to see him waving from one of the room’s corners. He gave her a wide smile—but Loren thought it looked somewhat forced.
Loren went to him. He stood, and she extended a hand to grip his wrist. “I am glad to see you whole.”
“I am glad to be so,” said Wyle. “And I suppose it is good as well that you made it back safely. Good business partners are hard enough to find.”
She smiled and then left him to go to Jun. The king inclined his head gravely at her approach.
“Nightblade,” he said. “Were you successful?”
“No, Your Grace,” said Loren. “Damaris predicted our plan. We could not find the magestones, and when we realized you were in danger, we left.”
Jun frowned. “You should have remained and carried out your mission. My soldiers saw me to safety, but now we will have to make another attempt on the treasury. It will be harder next time.”
Loren shook her head. “This warehouse is not safe, Your Grace. It is a half-measure, and we must get you out of the city at once.”
The king’s face grew stern. “I have told you I will not leave my capital.”
But Jo stepped forwards to stand beside Loren. “You must, Your Grace. My duty is to keep you safe, and I can no longer do so in Danfon. Finding Yushan was a stroke of luck. But she is gone now, and we have nowhere else to hide. The Nightblade is right—though I slew one guard, it is only a matter of time before more come.”
“Then let me reveal myself,” said Jun, standing suddenly. Jo and the other bodyguards dropped to one knee, though Loren remained standing. “The people will join me.”
“They will not, Your Grace.” Loren spoke flatly, keeping all anger from her voice, no matter how great a fool she thought the king was acting. “Not before Wojin musters his army—which he is paying, not you—to have you cut down. Some loyal soldiers may rally to your side, but they will die.”
Jun opened his mouth as if to reply. But before he could, Senlin shot to his feet. “Listen to her, Father. You have made your play, and it was brave. It might even have worked. But Wojin knows you. He knows you will—forgive me—but you will use more bravery than wits when you fight him. He
is counting on it. You must survive, or there is no hope for the kingdom.”
The king stopped short, turning to look at his son. Loren saw his expression soften, and his eyes looked almost mournful. After a long moment he turned back to them. “Take my son,” he said. “You can remove him to safety, even if I fail.”
“You will fail,” said Loren. “Forgive me for speaking so plainly, Your Grace, but I serve the High King, not you. It is vital to her war effort that you are alive and on her side. You have no army, and now that Duris has been caught and murdered, none of the senators will join you.”
Jun turned to look at Senlin once more—and Loren saw the fight leave him all at once. He sat back down, seeming to sag on top of the box. But the moment of weakness passed. He straightened his back, lifting his head to regard her. Slowly, Jo and the other guards got back to their feet.
“Very well, Nightblade,” he said. “I will yield to your counsel. The High King is my liege lord, and I will do what is best for her. And I will see my son to safety as well.”
Loren sighed with relief, though she tried to hide it. “I am glad to hear it, Your Grace.” She turned and beckoned Wyle forwards. “We need to get out of the city at once. Can you lead us?”
“Sky above, yes,” said Wyle. “I only wish you had asked me sooner.”
Loren nodded and turned to Jo. “Ready yourselves to leave. We will be out of the city before the day’s end.”
IT WAS A SORROWFUL AND bedraggled party that followed Wyle into the sewers. There were only two royal guards left, aside from Jo, and that put their number at thirteen. Loren had traveled many lands with only her friends beside her, and so it should have felt like a large group. But they walked beneath a city surrounded by enemies, one of whom had an entire army at his command. Against so many, thirteen felt useless.
At least thirteen is a number of fortune, thought Loren. Mayhap that is a good omen. But she could not quite make herself believe it.
Yerrin: A Book of Underrealm (The Nightblade Epic 6) Page 21
