The Midnight Spy

by Kiki Hamilton

  THEY STOPPED FOR the night back among the trees, not far from the frozen riverbank. Nica started a small fire burning while Shanks set up camp and Sebande went in search of dinner. He returned with two rabbits which he quickly skinned and set to cook over the fire.

  “So, what’s the next letter of the quatrain we’re looking for?” Shanks asked after they’d finished their meal. Nica had already looked it up earlier and memorized the lines.

  “We’re on the second ‘E’ of Getheas now.” She recited from memory.

  “What once had been exists no more

  What is solid now was once a door

  A veil of prisyms casts a brilliant light

  But remains unseen in the dark of night.”

  “What’s a veil of prisyms?” Sebande asked. “Isn’t that what the row of letters from the clock tower in Berjerac spelled out?”

  “Yes, exactly,” Nica said. “But I have no idea what it means. It sounds like a piece of fabric to me.”

  “A glittery piece of fabric,” Shanks mused. “I guess that might make sense.”

  “None of it makes sense to me,” Sebande muttered.

  Darkness settled quickly and Shanks and Sebande agreed on how they would split the watch during the night. They positioned themselves in a circle around the fire again, hoping to absorb the heat from the flames. Exhausted from the many days of travel, Nica quickly fell asleep.

  THE HOWL OF a carpidi woke her. Nica sat up and looked around. Shanks slept across the fire from her and Sebande stood with his back to them, on watch. He turned and added a chunk of wood to the fire, glancing at her through the sparks that flew up into the sky before turning around again to face the dark woods that surrounded them.

  Nica shivered against the bite of the night air and pulled her blankets close as she settled on her back. She looked up into the sky and traced the patterns of several familiar constellations.

  “Are you wishing?” A voice whispered low in her ear.

  Nica turned with a start. She hadn’t even heard him move. Shaun laid down on his side next to her and propped his head on his elbow to look at her. With his free hand he spread his blanket over both their bodies.

  “I don’t know what to wish for,” she whispered back, pleased to have him so close and all to herself.

  “Everybody wishes for something.” Shanks reached out a finger to trace her eyebrow and the curve of her cheek.

  “I wish for your side to stop hurting, then.”

  “Well, thank you very much.” He leaned close. “But what do you wish for yourself?”

  “Counte, you mean,” Nica said with a sly grin. “Sebande taught me that that ‘counte’ means thank you in Corsosh.”

  “Oh—” Shanks raised his eyebrows— “aren’t you the clever one. Sebande’s been giving away our secrets, has he?”

  Nica stared up into the night sky. “Sebande and I have agreed to no more secrets.”

  Shanks’ lips twitched then he buried his head in her neck and laughed out loud, the sound muffled by her hair. Nica couldn’t resist running her hand through his soft hair. He finally stopped and leaned back on his elbow again. “Perhaps you’ve agreed to no more secrets,” Shanks said, still grinning, “but I suspect if Sebande agreed to anything, it was to not tell his secrets.”

  Nica looked up at the stars and pretended to ignore him. “How many constellations can you find?” she asked. “I can see five.”

  Shanks reached over to tuck in the blankets on the far side of her and left his arm there, balanced on her stomach as he shifted so he could see the sky. The weight of his arm felt intimate and oddly comforting. “I can’t see any—show me.”

  She tilted her head a little closer and the strands of his hair against her cheek as she pointed out the different constellations.

  “There’s Glandar, the golden knight waiting to battle the Fire Horse who is just arriving over there—” she pointed across the horizon. “And up over there is Belinda the Beautiful, a syrene who sings men to their deaths. And in that direction you can see the Casiledes Cluster, which is said to be a king and his knights frozen in time by a witch.”

  “You’re a very clever girl, Nica Jacoby,” Shanks said in a low voice. “I’ve never seen the stars quite like I’m seeing them tonight.” He leaned close and Nica’s heart pounded in anticipation. His lips brushed hers—gentle and searching, his hand cupping her face. Nica returned his kiss, savoring the sweetness of his lips.

  She slid her fingers behind his neck, his hair silky against her skin and pulled him closer. In response, his kiss deepened and he shifted his weight to slide his arms beneath her shoulders to hold her tight.

  His tongue found hers and Nica returned his passionate kiss as they laid beneath a blanket of stars.

  hanks was gone when Nica woke. She lay back and thought of the last few days. They were the happiest of her life. She’d never had anyone love her before. It was a wondrous feeling. In her half-waking state she basked in the memory of Shaun, the feel of his lips on hers, the words he’d whispered to her.

  “You look happy this morning.”

  Nica opened her eyes to find Shanks smiling at her.

  “I am,” she said as she threw back her covers and climbed to her feet.

  “Now that you’re finally awake, come with me.” He grinned. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”

  Nica ran her fingers quickly through her hair and re-braided it, leaving the strands hanging long behind her back. Shanks led her toward the riverbank and around a point of land before he came to a stop.

  “All right, close your eyes.”

  “What?” Nica started to protest, but she could see the determined look on his face. She snapped her eyes shut. “I have no idea what you’re up to, but I …”

  “Just hold my hand. It’s only a short distance.”

  “But why can’t I have my eyes…”

  “Shhh,” Shanks said. But Nica could hear the smile in his voice. She stumbled the first few steps, but his grip held her steady. She relaxed as she allowed him to lead her.

  “All right,” he said, grabbing her shoulders and positioning her. “Open your eyes and behold a veil of prisyms.”

  Nica opened her eyes and gasped, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. Before them stretched the magnificent frozen waterfall. In a dazzling display, brilliant sunlight reflected off the ice in a rainbow of colors like the most fantastic diamond. What had been hidden by the darkness of night now sparkled in the light of day in a spectacular display of refracted light.

  “That is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Nica whispered.

  The waterfall appeared to have ceased in an instant, one minute pouring over the cliff above—the next, frozen solid. Jagged spears of ice vaulted off the cliff’s edge, suspended in midair at such a dramatic angle it was easy to imagine the water thundering over the falls. The underlying ice held a hint of glacial blue that provided a cool accent to the ice crystals sparkling in the brilliant sunlight.

  “Pretty spectacular, isn’t it?’ Shanks said as Sebande joined them.

  “It’s unbelievable,” Nica whispered.

  Sebande looked down at her. “Cleur marisa,” he said in Corsosh. “Breathtaking.”

  “Cleur marisa.” Nica repeated with a nod, then looked back at the prisyms of light. “Wait a minute,” she gasped. “What once had been exists no more,” she said slowly. “The waterfall, or a fall of water, doesn’t exist anymore. “What is solid now was once a door.” She raised her eyes to the top of the frozen waterfall. “You couldn’t get any more solid than that.”

  “What’s the next part?” Shanks asked.

  “A veil of prisyms casts a brilliant light—” Nica smiled up at him excitedly— “but remains unseen in the dark of night.” She turned back to stare at the sight before them. “This is it. This is what the verse is talking about. It has to be.”

  “But didn’t the clue on the clock tower in Berjerac say we were supposed to go through the thing?
” Sebande asked.

  Nica sobered. ‘You’re right. It did say to ‘go through the veil of prisyms’.” She gazed at the waterfall perplexed.

  “Let’s take a closer look.” Shanks walked along the bank above the river as Nica and Sebande followed. As they drew closer, it became clear the waterfall was frozen solid right up to the rock cliff from which it used to tumble.

  “I don’t see anything,” Sebande said. “Not a hole, or a nook, or cave that will let us pass through a frozen solid waterfall.”

  Puzzled, Nica watched the fabulous movement of color play upon the shards of ice. She was sure they’d deciphered the cypher’s box correctly. What else could the message possibly mean?

  A slow-moving shadow passed over the group.

  Nica looked up. Above them stretched the large black shape of a massive bird in flight. The animal had spotted them and was coming back for a second look. She tugged hard on the sleeve of Shanks’ jacket, her eyes turned skyward.

  “Is that a…?”

  Shanks tilted his head back to follow Nica’s gaze.

  “A Harpy hawk.”

  As they watched, the lone hawk circled lazily around, his giant shadow brushing over them again. Nica had heard of the giant hawks. Mosaba had a stuffed Harpy hawk hanging from one of the walls in Ravensfell, its giant wings outstretched. The birds were meat eaters and were said to be strong and vicious enough to attack and kill men.

  “We’ve got to move,” Shanks said. “He’s seen us and they hunt in packs. It won’t be long before there are others. We need to hide.”

  Shielding her eyes against the glare of the sun, Nica watched the giant hawk fly off over the trees. “But what about the clue?” she asked.

  Shanks squinted up at the magnificent frozen waterfall. “All the signs suggest this is where we need to be. I’m just not sure if we can figure out how to get through the thing before the hawks are back.” Frustration was etched on his face. “I don’t know that we can take the chance.”

  “Shaun, we have to try,” Nica replied. “If we can get through the veil, it might be the best way to hide from the hawks.”

  Sebande made a disgusted noise at the back of his throat. Shanks propped his hands on his hips. “Nic, you are too brave for your own good.”

  “I was thinking you and Sebande could look over here and I could go over to the other side and see if there’s a way through the veil over there.” Nica pointed to the far side of the river.

  Shanks stared up at the frozen waterfall. “That won’t work. You’d have to backtrack for hours to get over to that side.”

  “No I won’t,” Nica said. “I’m going to walk across.”

  Shanks eyed the treacherous expanse of slippery, uneven frozen riverbed. “Are you kidding? To climb down the bank is enough of a challenge. But walk across? If you crack through the ice and fall in—that would mean certain death.”

  “It’s no different than climbing the turret ledge. You didn’t seem too concerned then,” she said.

  “That was different.”

  “How?”

  “The ice on the river may not support your weight. If it doesn’t hold your weight, it certainly won’t hold mine.” He lifted an eyebrow at her. “And I’m not going to stand here and watch you drown. So think carefully before you offer up our lives.”

  Nica blinked to hide her surprise at his gallantry. Would he really risk his life to save hers?

  “We’ve got to try. It’s our best chance against those hawks. I’ve heard they hunt in the forest as well as in the open.” She walked over to the edge of the riverbank and looked down the steep slope. She’d faced more difficult climbs within the castle in Berjerac.

  “Nica, wait.” Shanks followed her.

  But Nica didn’t stop. She clutched a nearby shrub and turned her back to the river, slowly inching her way down the steep, rocky bank.

  “Focus,” she whispered as she carefully picked her way down the rocky slope. At the bottom, the slope dropped away to the frozen riverbed. With great care, Nica set her feet on the frozen ice. Above, Shanks and Sebande watched.

  Nica stepped on the frozen water, her arms spread wide to keep her balance. For a moment she thought of crawling, but one glance at the sharp edges of the frozen surface convinced her to stay on her feet. She half slid, half stepped further onto the river. The ice was much slicker than she’d anticipated and she curled her toes tightly in her boots, trying to grip the surface.

  She took one small step after another, sliding her feet rather than lifting them up and down. So far there’d been no cracking noises that would suggest the ice was going to give way.

  After what seemed like hours, she risked a glance up to see how far she was from the other side. It was with a jolt of relief she realized she was less than twenty feet from the far bank. Carefully counting the steps she made it to the other side. She placed her foot on the snow covered ground and scrambled up the rocky bank.

  She shot a quick glance back over her shoulder. Shanks and Sebande stood watching her across the river. She hurried to the edge of the waterfall, searching for any possible way through the frozen wall from this side. After several minutes of scanning the brilliantly colored surface Nica’s heart sank. Solid. Everywhere she looked, the wall in front of her was unyielding ice.

  “There must be a way,” she muttered. Desperation raged through her. The hawks could return at any moment. Every beat of her heart ticked away another chance to escape. The cypher’s box had said to go through the veil of prisyms. But how?

  “Nica,” Shanks called.

  Nica ignored him. She needed just a few moments more. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to center her thoughts. She relaxed her shoulders and exhaled slowly before opening her eyes to focus again. Her eyes scanned the sparkling cascade of ice, but there was nothing. No passageway. No clues to guide her. Her shoulders sagged, a sigh of defeat escaping her lips. She couldn’t delay any longer. It was too dangerous. She looked over at the others and shrugged, holding her palms up.

  Shanks waved her back.

  Nica traversed the bank’s edge, looking for an easier path down. She glanced up to check for any sign of the Harpy hawks and a dark shadow within the brilliant spectrum of colors in the frozen ice caught her eye. Nica squinted, shading her eyes with her hand.

  There was a sliver of an opening forty feet up the waterfall. Tucked behind one of the huge teardrops of frozen water, the opening could only be seen from a certain angle. But how could they possibly get up there? Her gaze traced the flow of frozen water down to the riverbed and realized there were steps of ice within the waterfall itself that could be used as stairs. Unless one was looking for a way to climb the frozen torrent, the steps would remain undetected.

  It also became clear, however, they could only access the “door” through the veil of prisyms from the middle of the frozen river. They would have to climb up the center of the icy waterfall.

  Nica waved to Shanks and Sebande. “I found it!” She pointed to the waterfall. “It’s in the center, about forty feet up.” Before she finished speaking Sebande had already reached the riverbed and Shanks was right behind him. A movement in the distance caught her eye and a chill ran down her arms. On the horizon she could see the faint shadow of giant, dark wings headed in their direction.

  Moving as quickly as possible, she worked her way down the shorter bank and stepped onto the icy flow again. She took one small step after another, her arms spread wide, working her way toward the middle of the waterfall.

  A loud crack! split the air.

  “Sebande!” Shanks called. Nica looked up in alarm to see Sebande in the center of the river. As she watched, his arms started flailing as the ice beneath his feet splintered loudly and then gave way under his heavier weight. She watched helplessly as he descended through the ice into the frozen river.

  Nica screamed as the dark haired young man began to disappear into the icy water. He clawed at the slippery, uneven frozen chunks of ri
ver bed trying to stop his downward momentum. Nica thought he was going to disappear under the surface when at the last minute he caught hold of a chunk of ice and stopped himself. She could see the strain on his face and his muscles flex through his shirt as he fought to pull himself up. With an immense effort he got one knee up on the edge of the hole in the ice and inched his way onto the surface. Spread-eagled, he pulled with his hands and pushed with his waterlogged feet to move himself away onto thicker ice.

  A large dark shadow swept over them. Nica looked up at the Harpy hawk and shivered. The bird was low enough this time that she could see the white markings on its head feathers and the malevolent set to its beak. The hawk circled twice as though inspecting his prey before heading back the way it came. In the distance, other dark shadows were getting closer.

  Sebande rolled on his side to look at the huge bird, then turned his head toward Nica. “Keep going,” he called.

  She continued to inch her way to where the frozen waterfall met the riverbed.

  A few minutes later Sebande stood next to her, cold and shivering and Shanks began his trek across the icy riverbed taking a different route than Sebande had chosen. Nica turned back to eye the ‘steps’ she’d seen from a distance. Though not an easy passage, there were depressions within the jagged spears of frozen waterfall. If they used their daggers to dig into the ice as handholds, they could balance on the modified steps to climb up to the opening.

  “You go first,” Sebande said.

  Nica nodded. They didn’t have any time to lose. She pulled knives from each boot and stepped up to the icy stairway. Gripping the handle of each knife she slammed the first dagger into the ice then placed her right foot on a depression in the wall. While gripping the dagger, she pushed down to make sure the ice step would support her weight, then stood up and slammed the other dagger into the ice a little higher up the wall, stepping up the icy stairway. It was a slow process as she tried to hold tight to the cold leather of the knives while keeping her feet balanced on the slippery steps. The cool air coming off the frozen ice chilled her. It wasn’t long before she was shivering.