The Scepter Heist (The Dragon Rogues Book 2), page 20
Matthew glanced back and shook his head. “Quiet,” he whispered.
They reached a staircase, and Matthew tiptoed down the stairs. Jonathan followed behind him. There were parts of what Matthew did that seemed heavily enchanted. Jonathan always felt that way about him, which was part of the reason why he hadn’t wanted to bring Matthew on some jobs. There were times when enchantments were dangerous, especially when sorcery was involved. Sorcerers could pick up on specific enchantments, and Jonathan didn’t want to reveal their presence to a sorcerer because they made the mistake of drawing on the power of an enchantment. He didn’t feel anything, though. He couldn’t tell if Matthew was using an enchantment now but suspected that he was.
Matthew tensed and raised a hand, holding them back. He glanced over his shoulder and shot Jonathan a hard look. Then he darted down the hallway.
Jonathan cursed softly, and he chased after Matthew. He held on to the enchantments, ready to trigger them.
They reached the end of the hall. Matthew had stopped at a door that was blocking him. As Elizabeth and Leland crept up behind them, he motioned to Leland. Jonathan stood off to the side, giving Leland room to maneuver.
As Jonathan stood there, he noticed a surge of magic. Leland hadn’t quite reached the door, so it wasn’t him. Elizabeth was maintaining a facade, though she wasn’t using nearly as much of her power as she often did, so he didn’t think that the sudden shift was her. Jonathan didn’t know what it was from, only that he could feel it quite distinctly.
“Stay here,” he whispered.
“What are you doing?” Matthew mouthed at him.
Jonathan touched his arms to indicate the sensation he was feeling.
Matthew let out a long breath. “Are you sure?”
“I feel it.”
Jonathan slipped along the hallway, enchantments in hand, and he dug into his pockets for more. What might they encounter next? He was going to be ready. He would use however many enchantments as needed to ensure that he was prepared for whatever there might be. Still, he didn’t think this was an enchantment.
Which meant that it might be a sorcerer.
If that was the case, they had made a mistake, and it was more reason for him to be careful. He knew better than to go racing after a sorcerer. They all did. A sorcerer probably would be aware of the magic they used. They would likely know about the facade, and perhaps even Leland’s magic. Jonathan hadn’t considered that there would be a sorcerer here.
Maybe he was wrong.
Jonathan hesitated and looked behind him at the others. Leland had the door open. Matthew had gone inside the room. Hopefully, the El’aras items they were meant to find would be there. Unfortunately, Jonathan didn’t know if they would be or not. This might be another setup, the kind of thing Heziah would do.
He traced his finger over one of the enchantments he held, a small stone that had a looping symbol on it that indicated what kind of enchantment it was. A tingling sensation of power washed over him.
As he made his way up the stairs, another wave of cold washed over his skin. If there was a sorcerer, they were getting closer.
At the top of the steps, he found a shadowy figure in the hallway. Maybe he should have brought Elizabeth with him. A facade would be useful here, even against the sorcerer.
He triggered the first enchantment, and a barrier encircled him. It was a faint wall, one that would perhaps only prevent an attack from striking him, but he hoped it would deflect something from hitting him long enough for him to be able to reach safety.
Jonathan started toward the figure at the end of the hall. As he neared, magic crashed into the barrier and left his arms tingling. Jonathan reached for another enchantment and triggered it. This one created a concussive blast.
The force slammed into the walls, radiating steadily outward and causing a faint tremble. It wasn’t loud, but in the silence of the home, it was almost thunderous.
He winced. He didn’t want to make too much noise. What he really needed to do was give Matthew enough time to finish what he was doing. Once they recovered the El’aras items, noise didn’t matter.
Jonathan darted forward, and he triggered the first enchantment again to create another layer of barrier around him. When it struck, he could feel the power surge outward, and it continued to circle. He slammed that into the sorcerer.
The sorcerer fell backward.
Jonathan used another enchantment, and stars streaked in a spiraling pattern. That one was unexpected. He followed it with one of the concussive blast enchantments, using that to shoot those stars even farther forward. It was a powerful explosion of energy, and as he layered them together, they burst away and drove into the sorcerer. The sorcerer didn’t stay down.
Jonathan reached for another enchantment. He didn’t have time to test what it was, only that he could feel the grooves of the etchings on the surface that suggested it was an offensive enchantment. He tapped on it to trigger it, then tossed it. He was rewarded by a burst of power and was tossed back, crashing into the wall behind him.
He struggled to get to his feet. The sorcerer got up first. They were shorter than him and held their hands outward. Not Heziah, but still powerful.
Jonathan needed another enchantment. He grabbed one and backed away, but the sorcerer blocked him and started toward him. Jonathan didn’t have a chance to get his enchantment out before the sorcerer reached him.
Jonathan kicked, striking the sorcerer in the stomach. They grunted and fell, and he kicked again. He triggered another enchantment and let that explosive power slam into the sorcerer. He looked behind him, knowing that they had to get moving before the sorcerer could get up and attack them again.
But the sorcerer didn’t get up.
Jonathan crept toward them. The man was stout and wasn’t wearing the traditional maroon robes of the Society, but if he was hired to protect someone’s property, he wouldn’t necessarily wear the robes. The cold wash of magic slipped across Jonathan’s skin as it radiated from the sorcerer.
Jonathan held an enchantment but didn’t have a chance to reach the man. Noise caught his attention, and he looked over to the stairs. The three of them were making their way up.
“Did you kill them?” Elizabeth whispered. Jonathan couldn’t tell if she was upset. Her tone suggested she might not be too concerned by that.
“No. Just an enchantment,” he said.
Matthew glanced over. He clutched a trunk between him and Leland. “Some enchantment.”
They hurried forward and reached the back entrance, and then Jonathan finally allowed himself to relax. That was when he felt the tingling across his skin again.
He spun and triggered another barrier, barely in time.
A burst of energy struck the barrier. The force was too much for him, and it threw him back. He slammed into Elizabeth, who crashed into Leland. He dropped the trunk, which made a loud crash.
Jonathan tried to trigger the enchantment again, but he didn’t know if he was going to be quick enough. An energy pushed against him. The sorcerer might have enough power to stop him, unless he charged into them again. He doubted he’d have an opportunity to surprise them that way again.
“Get back,” Matthew said, shouldering past him.
Jonathan grabbed Matthew’s arm, knowing what he intended. “No. Not this way.”
“I’m not going to kill him. Just going to see if I can’t prevent his magic from getting to us.”
Jonathan released him, and Matthew unsheathed his sword, slicing as the next burst of magic came toward them. The El’aras sword should have some power to it. Still, Jonathan wondered just what Matthew would be able to do.
Matthew gave him a shove. “Go help Leland. I can follow.”
Jonathan studied his friend for a moment but turned away. It was probably better for Matthew to be the one to stay, anyway. He could carve through magic and possibly prevent the sorcerer from getting to them. Then again, El’aras magic wasn’t perfect. That was the reason the El’aras had been pushed away from the kingdom years ago.
But he had to trust Matthew.
He grabbed the other end of the trunk and lifted, then motioned for Leland and Elizabeth to follow. They circled around the way they had come. When they reached the back wall, Jonathan quickly climbed, hoisting the trunk up and over the edge. It was heavy, but he managed to shove it over the wall, and he scrambled down the other side. Leland and Elizabeth came after him.
Jonathan looked both directions, trying to decide which way to go. There was no sense of magic either way. They could go back to their home, or they could go to one of the many taverns they had used. Matthew would know where to find them if they did.
But Jonathan wondered if that was the right plan.
He dragged the trunk, with Leland and Elizabeth racing alongside him. Elizabeth held on to her facade and glanced over to Jonathan.
“Keep it up,” he said.
Her skill was a far cry from where it had been before. She was running with him, keeping up a facade, and managing to do it with a consistency that was much more like Grayson than the Elizabeth he had met months ago.
“It’s not easy,” she said.
“I know.”
She shook her head. “It’s not that. It just feels like there’s something that’s making it harder.”
Jonathan tested for magic around him. He could feel what came from Elizabeth, the distinct energy radiating from her, but there was another kind of magic that was pushing on them, as if trying to prevent her from holding the facade.
Another sorcerer.
Either that, or somebody with a powerful enchantment limiting her ability. That seemed less likely after what they’d encountered. Jonathan shifted his hand on the trunk and looked over to Leland. “You might need to grab the trunk for me. You won’t have to hold it for long, but you might need to hold it for a little while.”
He nodded.
Jonathan reached into his pocket and grabbed a few enchantments. He had several different defensive ones, and though they might eventually run out of them, he didn’t think they would do so quickly. At this point, getting away safely was more important than getting away with a full collection of enchantments.
Shadows moved toward them, and Jonathan spun, ready to throw out an enchantment. Matthew came streaking through the street, his sword blazing as he slashed at the air. At the magic.
“Come on,” Matthew said.
Jonathan shook his head. “We can’t go back to our home. I was thinking we should go back to one of the taverns—”
“Not there. We weren’t all that discreet when we were there last time. I have an idea, but I don’t think you are going to like it.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
The wall surrounding Vileforn’s palace was darkened, though moonlight had begun to creep along the street, leaving a glimmering light that reflected off the stone. A strange odor hung in the air, one that was a mixture of sweat and rot and a strange smell that Jonathan didn’t recognize.
Matthew looked up at the palace in the distance. Jonathan hadn’t visited Vileforn’s home since they had broken in. There had been no need. Vileforn had been ousted, and the contents of his home confiscated—including the gold they hadn’t been able to gather. No one else had moved in.
When a place like this was taken over, the home was often bought by somebody with wealth. That was how Jonathan and Matthew had acquired their place. The fact that this one hadn’t been bought suggested that there was either a feeling of concern about the circumstances of Vileforn’s departure, or some belief that he would have the ability to assume control over it once again.
Elizabeth eyed the home. “Why here?”
“Because it’s empty,” Matthew said.
“We don’t know that,” Jonathan said.
“I do. I’ve been keeping tabs on it ever since the attack. It was just one more place that I thought we might be able to take advantage of, if it came down to it. I didn’t know if we were going to need to, or if we could do anything with it, but it never hurts to be safe. Besides, we’ve already gotten into it once, so we know the trick of it.”
“How do you know it’s empty?” Elizabeth asked.
“The king sent his people through here and cleaned out the vault after Vileforn was strung up for his crimes against the throne.”
“Is that because of what we did?” Leland asked.
“I suspect my sister had something to do with that,” Jonathan said. “She leveraged her connection to Vileforn to ensure that the king prosecuted him to the fullest extent.”
Having learned that Jayna was working for the king, he suspected that she had planned all of it. And not only because Vileforn was working against the king. Increasingly, Jonathan had begun to suspect that what Jayna had done was on the king’s behalf. He wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about that.
“So it’s empty,” Elizabeth said. “But Heziah knows about it.”
They reached the gate leading into the garden, and Jonathan glanced over to her. “Heziah knows about it, but he doesn’t know that we would return.” He nodded to Leland.
Leland scrubbed a hand through his beard as he stared at the gate. “The last time I was here…”
“I know,” Jonathan said.
Leland reached out, and with a surge of his unique magic, the gate came open. They hurried through with the trunk and closed the gate behind them. They could stay within the yard and not even go into the palace. The garden was concealed enough that they could remain here, though there was some benefit in going somewhere even more private, especially when they opened a trunk that was promised to be filled with El’aras items. If there was anybody else in the city like Matthew who could detect them, Jonathan wanted to ensure that they were at least somewhat concealed, so they didn’t have to worry about other El’aras noticing they were here.
Not that he expected any El’aras to be in the city, other than Matthew. Then again, Matthew didn’t even count as El’aras. They didn’t view him as one of them, so it would be unlikely that anyone who discovered that he had a connection to the El’aras would think of him in that way either.
Jonathan motioned for them to make their way through the garden, and they took a direct approach—a sharp contrast from the last time they had snuck through. When they reached the main entrance to Vileforn’s palace, he tested the door and found it locked. He stood to the side while Leland opened it.
“What else should we do?” Elizabeth asked. “Should we create a facade around it?”
Jonathan frowned. “I’m not as concerned about that, though we might want to have a few warning enchantments placed around here.”
Matthew reached into his pockets and set several enchantments around the door.
They all stepped inside. When they had been here before, they had gone down into the lower levels. This time, they had no intention of going toward the vault. Jonathan didn’t even know if it would be accessible. It might be better for them to seal that off if they could. They moved carefully and quietly as they headed into the main part of the palace. There was a musty odor to the air, and everything felt quiet. Empty.
The decorations in this part were far more lavish than what they had in their home. Richly stained wood tables and chairs occupied much of the room, along with several plush lounges. Shelves had been emptied of their contents, and a hearth, long since unlit, took up space along one wall.
“Maybe we should have been using this place,” Jonathan said.
“You wanted to be official,” Matthew said.
Jonathan shrugged. “We could have officially been using it.”
“Not if we wanted to keep from getting noticed.”
Jonathan carried the trunk to the middle of the room, grabbed one of the wooden chairs, and pulled it over. He took a seat by the trunk and waited for Matthew. “I suppose you want to do the honors.”
“There’s nothing honorable about this,” Matthew said.
“Fine. Then I will.”
As Jonathan reached for the trunk, Matthew slapped his hand, then tested the lock. Nothing happened.
“Leland?” Jonathan said.
Leland crouched down in front of the trunk, and he pressed his hand out, resting it on the lock. Jonathan felt pressure along his arms, the sense of magic used, but nothing else. The lock didn’t open. Leland continued to probe and attempt to unlock the trunk.
Finally, he leaned back, shaking his head. “I can’t do it.”
“Interesting,” Jonathan said. He flicked his gaze over to Matthew. “I suppose that means it’s up to you.”
“Why would he be able to unlock it if Leland can’t?” Elizabeth asked.
“Because it’s an El’aras lock,” Jonathan said.
Matthew leaned forward and looked at it. “Just because I have an El’aras sword doesn’t mean I’ll be able to open it.”
It was more than that, but Jonathan wasn’t sure that Matthew was ready to acknowledge the other reason why he might be capable of opening it.
“You need to try,” Jonathan said. “You might be able to do something more that Leland can’t.”
Matthew stiffened but didn’t move. It was the most that either of them had acknowledged the secret Jonathan had suspected for a long time, but he didn’t have any real reason to believe that it was true other than what he had seen of Matthew over the years. Finally, Matthew roused himself. He unsheathed his sword, pressed it against the lock, and twisted it.
Jonathan felt a strange tingling sensation as the lock turned. It was as if the metal moved, writhing with the power Matthew pushed into it.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before,” Elizabeth whispered.
Jonathan frowned. “Why would a merchant have access to a lock like this?”
And the better question that Jonathan didn’t have an answer to was how the priest had learned about this.
More questions that he needed answers to, but he worried that they weren’t going to have a chance to learn those answers, not while trying to do what Heziah wanted.
Matthew shook his head slowly. “He should not have.”
