Magic Below Paris Complete Series Boxed Set (Books 1 - 8): Trading Into Shadow, Trading Into Darkness, Trading Close to Light, Trading By Firelight, Trading by Shroomlight, plus 3 more

by C. M. Simpson

“We can’t execute them all.”

  Marsh gave him a look that said they very much could, and he sighed. “You forget that some of these folk are loved by the very people they harm. By harming them, we risk replacing one threat with another and turning allies into foes.”

  That gave her pause, and she subsided. She didn’t like it, but she could see it happening.

  “Still, if we could warn Liam of those most likely to turn...”

  “We would probably find he already suspects them and doesn’t want to admit what they are. That he is more ready to forgive than we are.”

  “Then how do we keep them safe?”

  “We warn him anyway and let him decide. In the end, it’s his risk to take.”

  “It is ours, too.”

  “Not if we remove the real threat.”

  “You mean the raiders?”

  “Who else?”

  “So, we’re not just going to get Gustav back?”

  “He’s the first. We retrieve him and the people of Ariella’s Grotto, preferably before they are taken to our enemy’s home, and get them to safety. Then, we return and destroy every last one of them.”

  “What about the ones who are raiding to keep their families safe?”

  He pursed his lips, and Marsh suppressed a smirk. It was a relief to see that even Master Envermet had difficulty with that question. Maybe he wasn’t as forgiving as he’d like to be.

  He caught the thought and shook his head. “I truly don’t know, but even you grieved the loss of a life that could have been turned to good.”

  Marsh blushed. “That was before they took my children and my friend.”

  Master Envermet’s teeth flashed in amusement. “Interesting how our experiences change our points of view, isn’t it?”

  His voice softened and Marsh caught a flash of memory, too quickly hidden for her to understand. His face hardened. “There are some things you do not need to know.”

  “I’m coming too.” The tiny voice from the shelter’s entrance drew their attention, and they looked over in time to see Aisha emerge from under the bush.

  “You’re supposed to be in bed,” Brigitte reproved.

  “Not sleepy,” the child retorted. “Scruffy is heavy.”

  Marsh supposed the pup was and wondered how Aisha had managed to move him.

  The child caught that thought and smiled. “I poked him.”

  “Uh-huh.” Marsh didn’t believe a word of it, and it showed.

  Aisha rolled her eyes. “I talked to him.”

  Realizing the link between them was wide open, Marsh looked. “Talked to him” had involved a combination of threats and a bribe Marsh wasn’t sure the little girl could fulfill.

  “Can so, too.”

  “A whole deer?”

  “I’ll ask Dan.” She looked around the campsite. “Where is she?”

  “Following our visitors.”

  “They woke me up.”

  Marsh didn’t see how, but she didn’t argue.

  “I’ll come too,” the child repeated.

  “No.”

  Aisha stamped her foot. “I know good and bad. I’ll tell you. I’ll come too.”

  Marsh opened her mouth to deny her, but Master Envermet interrupted.

  “You and Tamlin are both coming with us. You will help us see if someone is going to do a bad thing, and Tamlin will keep you safe.”

  “I will?” Tamlin asked, clearly annoyed at not being asked.

  Master Envermet fixed him with a stern stare. “Yes, Apprentice, you will.”

  Tamlin blushed and frowned, but Master Envermet wasn’t finished. He was about to say something more when they heard running footsteps and saw a lantern bobbing through the dark.

  9

  A Necessary Theater

  They rose from around the fire and turned to face the man running toward them. He reached the entrance to the campsite and skidded to a halt, noting the shadow weapons in their hands.

  “Liam!” Marsh was relieved when Mordan bounded up alongside the man but seemed more concerned for him than about him. The big kat looked at Marsh.

  He fears for the cub.

  The cub? Marsh wondered, and Liam began speaking.

  He was out of breath and his speech was halting, but he got his message out as fast as he could.

  “They...know about...the boy,” he panted. “Rocko sent word. Macey was waiting for him when we got back to the kitchens.”

  His face twisted. “I didn’t know it was...Mace.” His voice cracked. “Of all...”

  “That’s not important now. What’s important is what you want to do about it.”

  “Rocko sent me back out to here. Said he’d seen a campfire, but that it could have been travelers. Sent me to check.”

  “Good man,” Master Envermet observed, and Marsh wasn’t sure if he meant Liam or Rocko. Liam waved the compliment away.

  “Said I could handle one small child if there was one.”

  “Not small!” Aisha stamped her foot, and Tamlin snorted.

  “He meant me.”

  Aisha stared at him in surprise. “You’re not small either.”

  Tamlin pulled her against his side and ruffled her hair. “I am to a grownup.”

  Liam watched them, a small, sad smile playing over his lips. “I’m not sure if I was followed,” he warned them, “so I can’t stay long.”

  Tamlin looked at Master Envermet. “What do you want to do?”

  The shadow captain looked troubled, but he sighed. “This is one way to flush out any mind mages,” he observed, and Marsh scowled.

  “Don’t even think about it.”

  Master Envermet raised an eyebrow, and Marsh subsided. She was going to have to trust his judgment, and she didn’t like it. He turned to her.

  “Knowing the kind of backup you can offer and the abilities he has, what would you do if he wasn’t your responsibility?”

  Her shoulders slumped. “Deeps damn you.”

  Tamlin started smirking, and Master Envermet looked at Liam. “Would he still be there in the morning?”

  “Yes, and I’ll offer to give him a room with my boy. They’re about the same age.”

  “You know you’re going to have to leave after this.”

  “Yes, me and Rocko and Marius and our families. They’ll hit back pretty hard if you do what I think you will. If the three of us flee, they might spare the rest of the town.”

  “Or they might not. I’ll speak to Sulema and see what she can arrange, but first—"

  “I should go with him,” Tamlin broke in. “If they saw me, then they saw how much food I took, and they’ll want to know who else is out here.”

  He looked at Aisha. “Can I borrow Scruffy?”

  She gave him a suspicious look. “Why?”

  “So I can say the food was for him.”

  Her eyes widened. “That’s a lie!”

  He nodded, his face solemn. “Yes, it is, but I want to keep you safe.”

  She scowled at him, her face pinched with worry.

  “Please, Aysh? Master Envermet and Roeglin and Marsh will come and rescue us, but I need to know you are safe.”

  She regarded him with worried eyes and then nodded, but the scowl remained, and she pressed her lips together, sidling over to Brigitte. The shadow mistress draped an arm around the child and pulled her close.

  “Scruff, go with Tams,” Aisha ordered, and the pup bounced over to the boy’s side.

  Liam indicated the basket. “You got a pack as well?”

  Tamlin nodded. “We can pretend I was camping alone, and you offered me somewhere to stay. Say I was scared of wolves or something, that you told me they’d eat my dog.”

  Liam laughed. “That they might buy...and they wouldn’t want you suspecting what was going to happen next, so they might let you stay with me.”

  “If they do,” Master Envermet told him, “it will mean they don’t suspect you of other things.”

  “Or that they’ll be watching you
to see if you do try to save him,” Roeglin added. “Be careful tonight. We will come for you if something goes wrong.”

  Liam’s smile faded and he nodded.

  “I’ll be right back,” Tamlin told them, disappearing under the bush. He reemerged moments later with a hastily stuffed backpack.

  He stopped to hug Aisha as he passed. “Be good,” he told her, and she nodded, tears in her eyes.

  “Don’t wanna be good,” she whispered, and he hugged her again.

  “I know, but you can’t help them rescue me if they’re mad at you.”

  She frowned as she thought about that, then nodded again. “’Kay.”

  With Aisha settled, Tamlin turned to Master Envermet. “What do I do?”

  “Act the lost child,” the shadow captain told him, “and use the shadows if you need to escape, but try to learn as much as you can...especially who the mind mage is, and which traitors we might need to deal with, as opposed to those you think we can leave.”

  Tamlin nodded, and Liam’s eyes widened.

  “Leave?” he asked, and Master Envermet gave him a solemn look.

  “Some folk do stupid things when they’re scared, especially when their families are on the line. They’re not all like you.”

  Liam gave a sigh, and some of the tension ran out of his shoulders. “I am glad you understand,” he said, confirming Master Envermet’s earlier guess that the man suspected who might be working against him. His face shifted.

  “Judgment will catch up with us all,” he added, “and we all have to live with what we’ve done, even if we’ve done our best to walk the line between.”

  Master Envermet reached over and grasped his shoulder. “I understand.” He gave Liam a gentle shake. “Don’t give up now. Walk that line a little longer, and we will get you free.”

  Liam lifted his head and swallowed. Biting his lower lip, he met Master Envermet’s eye and nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

  The shadow captain caught his gaze and his eyes turned white. Marsh held her breath, wondering if Liam had betrayed them already.

  Marsh breathed a sigh of relief when Master Envermet said, “Hold on a little longer.”

  He let go of Liam’s shoulder and added, “Keep him as safe if you can, but don’t fight them any more than you normally would. We won’t be far away.”

  The man nodded, his face a mixture of worry, guilt, and relief.

  “Are you ready?” he asked the boy, and Tamlin nodded.

  “Let’s do the lost boy thing,” he agreed, and Liam laid an awkward arm around his shoulders.

  “I’m glad you found me,” Tamlin told the man, looking up at him, and the hunter gave him a startled look.

  Tamlin continued talking as they walked out of the campsite. “Are you sure the wolves won’t come before we get there?”

  “Uh, I...” It took Liam a moment to realize what the boy was doing and then get into the part.

  “No.” He added reassuringly, “They won’t come. There are two of us and the dog, and they have to find us first.”

  “I thought you said they were on my trail?” Tamlin protested, and Liam’s response was much more confident.

  “They are, but they haven’t found you yet. They are getting closer, though.”

  Marsh watched as they walked into the dark, stifling a laugh as Tamlin pretended to search the surrounding night for wolves.

  “He is very good,” Roeglin muttered. “I wonder how many times he’s—”

  “You wouldn’t believe it,” Brigitte snapped, then poked Aisha, “and this little rascal’s not much better.”

  Aisha giggled, but her attention quickly returned to where the lanternlight and her brother’s silhouette were fading into the night. She looked at Marsh. “You ‘kay?”

  Marsh frowned, wondering what she meant, then noticed Roeglin staring at her.

  “What?”

  “How do you feel, Marsh? Because you put in a long day today, and you’re still on your feet.”

  Master Envermet was studying her too, his head cocked to one side as though she was doing something interesting. Regardless, Roeglin had a point. She did feel all right.

  She noticed the expression on Aisha’s face and stared. “What did you do?” she demanded, and the little girl gave her wide blue eyes. “Nothing.”

  Brigitte started to smirk, Master Envermet coughed, and Roeglin rested his forehead on his hand.

  “Uh-huh,” Marsh said, and Aisha blinked innocently. “What did you really do?”

  “My healing slipped?” the child tried, and laughter sputtered behind her.

  Marsh tried to suppress a giggle but failed. “Uh-huh,” she managed, trying to glare.

  “Maybe lots?” Aisha admitted, and Marsh moved around the fire to kneel beside her and give her a hug.

  “Thank you,” she told the girl. “I can go help Tamlin now.”

  “I help too?” Aisha sounded hopeful.

  “Not yet. You need to come with Brigitte when we call, ‘kay? And I need you to sleep a little bit, so you’re not tired when we need you.”

  Aisha started to pout, and Marsh leaned her forehead against the child’s. “What if Tams needs healing?” she asked. “Or I get hurt? What if Master Envermet falls over?”

  The little girl’s arms tightened around her before letting go. “’Kay.”

  She stepped away and crawled back under the bush, calling for the kit as she went. “Perdy... Oh, there you are!”

  Marsh smiled and then turned to Master Envermet, only to discover the shadow captain wasn’t by the fire. Panic rippled through her, and then she saw him. He and Roeglin were just beyond the entry to the campsite. Seeing Marsh coming toward him, the shadow captain looked at Brigitte.

  “I’ll call you and the others if we need you. Get some sleep while you can.”

  The shadow mistress nodded and set about banking the fire, killing the flames and covering the coals so they stayed alight until morning. None of them knew if they’d need a fire, but it would be good not to have start one from scratch if they did.

  Marsh took to the shadows, lightening her step so she made no sound and left no trace. Master Envermet and Roeglin caught up and kept pace with her, and she raised an eyebrow when she saw them shadow-stepping as lightly as she did.

  I thought only the scouts knew that trick?

  We all have pasts, Master Envermet replied.

  It looked useful, Roeglin answered. Took me ages to get the hang of it.

  Somehow, Marsh doubted that but then he added, sounding very put out, I had to look into your head to work out how it was done.

  Marsh was so surprised she almost fell out of step, only just managing to catch herself as a rock turned under her foot. With a twist of effort, she pulled herself back into the shadows.

  Ahead of them, Tamlin made a show of pivoting nervously. “What was that?” he asked, alarm etching his voice.

  Liam looked back and frowned. “Nothing,” he told the boy and kept walking. “We’re almost there.”

  Marsh drifted close enough to hear his next words. “There’s someone who wants to meet you...”

  “I thought I’d be staying with you,” Tamlin told him, and Liam sighed.

  “I said I’d ask, but I’m not in charge, so...”

  “So, I might have to stay with someone else?” Tamlin asked, and Marsh marveled at how he injected just the right amount of uncertainty into his words.

  Liam stopped and crouched in front of him. “Is that okay?”

  Marsh might have wondered why he bothered if she hadn’t caught sight of the three men waiting in the shadows beside the nearest building. She saw the brief flicker of Tamlin’s eyes as he saw them, too, and her jaw dropped as he played up his response.

  He ducked his head and ground his toe into the dirt, and one of the men laid a hand on the other one’s chest when he went to move forward. Tamlin pretended not to notice them as he gave a very hesitant reply.

  “I...I guess.” The boy laid
a hand on Scruffknuckle’s head, pretending the pup wasn’t staring at their three watchers with pricked ears. “Just as long as Scruffy likes them.”

  Liam straightened and ruffled Tamlin’s hair. “Of course, he’ll like them. They’re good people.”

  He laid an arm across the boy’s shoulders and led him past the building and the three men in the shadows. Scruffknuckle tensed as they passed, his eyes never leaving their observers, but the pup stayed quiet, and they didn’t move.

  Tamlin stared at the town and then lifted his eyes to Liam’s face. “It’s really different at night.”

  The man forced a smile. “Everything’s different at night,” he assured the boy. “It’s the house just ahead.”

  Tamlin followed the direction of his finger and nodded before giving Liam another uncertain look. “Are they really good people?”

  “Of course, they are,” Liam told him, his voice full of false heartiness. “They’re part of my village. We only have good people here.”

  It was all Marsh could do not to choke on her laugh. If there were prizes for acting, the pair of them deserved top awards! She set herself down in the deepest shadows of the house opposite the one Liam was heading toward, keeping her face lowered so it didn’t give her away.

  The warmth of Roeglin’s presence as he settled beside her was a comfort, and she reached out to cover his hand with hers. He pressed against her briefly to acknowledge her touch.

  Comforted by his presence, Marsh took her hand from his. She didn’t want to be in the way if they needed to act. Master Envermet became a solid presence on her other side, and the three of them waited, watching as Liam and Tamlin made their way toward the house.

  As the pair approached the gate, the three men from the edge of town came around the back of the house to block the street behind them. At the same time, another six men arrived from the other side, blocking the street ahead and moving to cut them off from the front gate.

  Tamlin looked up at Liam, horror on his face. “What’s going on?” he asked, and the townsman gave him a bewildered look.

  “I don’t know, boy. It’ll be all right.”

  Somehow Marsh didn’t believe him, and it was pretty clear that Tamlin didn’t either. The boy slipped out from under his arm and dropped his hand to Scruffknuckle’s neck.