The Dragon Rogues, page 24
“With the fourth sorcerer, they can overlap the triangle.” Heziah crouched and drew a diagram in the dirt. He formed a triangle, then looped a circle around it. “Each point here represents an enchantment.” He pointed to each point on the triangle. “This circle represents how it is bound together. The one who binds it together is often the most powerful.” He looked up at Jonathan. “If you knew there was a fourth sorcerer, you should have warned me.” He reached into his pocket as if reaching for a flask, before pulling his hands out and balling them into fists. “I suppose there’s no choice here but to keep moving.”
“What happens if you can’t remove the enchantments?” Leland asked.
Heziah started to laugh again, but Jonathan raised a hand, silencing him.
“Heziah will be able to remove any enchantments that are there,” Jonathan said. “And if the sorcerers are arranged in this pattern, we will try a backup.” He still did not quite grasp what difference a fourth sorcerer would make and wished that he would’ve asked his sister for more information.
“A backup?” Heziah shook his head. “That’s what you plan to do?”
“Let me figure it out.”
He had to believe that Heziah could do it. His ability and his power were evident, but if the man questioned whether he was going to be strong enough, then maybe Jonathan needed to question it as well. The only backup plan they had was to use the enchantments Matthew had brought.
Matthew hurried behind them, glancing from Jonathan to Heziah. “Are we ready? Are you going to have a little break here? They sent another caravan out of the city. It will take some of the guards away, which gives us a bigger window.”
Jonathan nodded. They had wanted to time the job with the procession, knowing that it decreased the number of guards at Vileforn’s palace, but they still were not sure what the schedule was. Jonathan hadn’t figured that part out yet. There was a pattern of patrols, or seemed to be, but he couldn’t determine exactly what it was.
So they had decided to just wait.
A bloom of light burst in the distance.
Matthew tapped Elizabeth’s back. “There is our sign. Let’s get moving.”
Jonathan stepped forward out of the alley and looked around the street. The guards had paused in their patrol, and the nearest group of three ran toward the explosion of light.
“What did you do?” Leland whispered.
“An enchantment. It was timed to release power, and to do so in enough of a pattern that it would compel someone to go take a look. We don’t have much time, so get moving.”
They reached the outer wall of the palace. As soon as they did, Jonathan noticed the patrols starting to slow.
“Now,” he whispered to Elizabeth.
The facade formed in front of them, which Jonathan could see as a haze of energy that made it difficult for him to make out the guards clearly. As long as it held, though, it would make it difficult—or impossible—for the guards to see them too.
“Get moving,” he said.
Together they marched along the wall. Matthew took the lead, with Jonathan next. Elizabeth was behind him so that she remained in the middle, followed by Heziah. Leland brought up the rear. It wasn’t the way Jonathan would have preferred the order to be. He would’ve liked to have himself and Matthew at either end, but it was too late to change anything now.
When the guards turned back to the wall, Jonathan hesitated, breath held as he waited. The guards didn’t seem to notice anything. They turned and moved on in their patrol.
Jonathan let out the pent-up breath. “Keep moving,” he whispered.
The facade carried with it the gleaming energy of the stone wall they followed, illuminating their surroundings enough to see by. The gate loomed into view. Once they made their way through that, they would be beyond and on to the next challenge. Thankfully, they had fewer guards to worry about, though he also didn’t think they could count on the guards staying gone. Vileforn would likely have hired additional security.
“Any other tricks?” Heziah said. “I’m only asking because the sorcerers will begin to question things if there are enchantments exploding around the palace.”
“Nothing else like that,” Matthew said.
“What else do you have?”
Matthew regarded him with his dark stare. His hand drifted to his sword, his fingers twitching as if he wanted to unsheathe it. Matthew had grown increasingly irritable around Heziah, matching Leland’s mood. “Don’t worry about it.”
When Heziah started to object, Jonathan grinned back to him. “We have it taken care of. Let me deal with it.”
As they neared the gate, a long whistle sounded, followed by another, and then another. After the whistles ended, a chorus of voices began to sing a drunken melody, coming from men marching along the street.
Matthew snickered, and Jonathan could tell he was smiling.
“You coordinated this?” Leland shout-whispered.
“We just hired a few people to wander through the streets on a particular signal.”
The remaining guards were pulled away. Jonathan motioned for Elizabeth to move. She held on to the facade as they hurried, reached the gate, and pushed it open.
He leaned back to her, dropping his voice. “Just hold the wall, nothing else. Don’t worry about how strong you need to be.”
She took a deep breath, then she let it out slowly as she nodded.
As they filed through the gate, Leland pulled it shut behind him.
“Remove it now,” Jonathan said softly.
“I already have.”
He smiled to himself as he turned around, looking at the palace grounds. Massive shrubbery formed a garden maze that made it easy to remain concealed behind. No guards patrolled inside, though Jonathan had a nagging concern that there might be someone around. He didn’t want Elizabeth to use her facade in here, not when they had natural cover. They were going to need her ability inside the palace, and he wanted to conserve as much of her energy as possible. Not only that, but eventually they would have to get back out, which would require another facade to keep them concealed. He had to ensure they were prepared for all of it.
“We’ll follow the line of shrubs here,” Jonathan said.
“How do you know which way to go?” Elizabeth asked.
“I bribed one of the gardeners,” Matthew said. “It’s a fairly easy thing to do. I told him I wanted a similar layout as the one here.”
“And they just shared the information with you?”
“Gardeners are proud of their work. He figured that if anybody wanted to copy his ideas, then he was doing something right.” Matthew stopped and unfolded a piece of parchment, which he rested on the ground. They had paid quite a bit of money to get this piece of information. Gardeners might want to share their work, but they would likely also fear Vileforn learning that they were responsible for blabbing. “We are here. We follow this around and head to this point.” He traced his finger along a route. “Just follow this path.”
“Do I need to do anything?” Elizabeth asked.
“Not quite yet,” Matthew said. “When we get closer.”
They all started forward, making their way along the row of shrubs. Matthew guided them through an opening, taking them in a different direction. The shrubs pressed close together, which made it difficult for them to follow, but thankfully they had the map.
Matthew continued to make turns, sometimes leading them in a direction that Jonathan didn’t think was quite right, though Matthew seemed confident. He pulled out his map every so often to check it, before putting it back in his pocket and heading deeper into the maze of shrubs.
“It would be easier just to cut right through them,” Heziah said.
“If we do that, then we alert them of our presence,” Jonathan whispered.
“They’re going to know we’re here as soon as I start using my magic.”
“By that time, we’re going to be in the vault.”
“And?”
“And it won’t matter as much. We will go quickly, break through the enchantments, then head out of the palace. As long as we get out, it doesn’t matter what sort of chaos we make.”
Jonathan had to hope that was true. He wasn’t entirely sure it was, though. They might make too much noise on their way in that it would be almost impossible to get out.
“Are you two okay?” he asked, turning to Leland and then to Elizabeth. Both of them nodded.
He followed Matthew. They turned again, which led them to a straight shot, and the palace loomed into view. An opening at the end of the maze guided them toward the home.
They were so close. It wouldn’t be long now.
A figure moved in the distance. Jonathan raised his hand, catching Matthew on the shoulder and keeping him from creeping ahead any farther. The other three were walking behind him, and he blocked them from going forward.
“What is it?” Leland asked.
Matthew glanced over to Jonathan. “There shouldn’t be any more guards here. We pulled them all away. Between the caravan, the explosion, and our carolers, it—”
“It’s going to be fine,” Jonathan said.
He pulled Elizabeth forward and motioned to the end of the patch of shrubs. “We need you to hold a facade there.”
She concentrated, her jaw clenched, and then a tingling sensation along Jonathan’s skin was the only sign he had that her facade had appeared.
“What did she do?” Heziah asked. “She disrupted the pattern.” He frowned, closing his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, he waved his hand around. “I think all of this, the garden included, is part of the sorcerer’s pattern. They have created a layer of protection around the palace.”
“The facade doesn’t change anything,” Jonathan said. “It’s merely an illusion.”
“No. That’s what most believe, but it’s not true. Sneaks like your friend here change something about the magical world, not the physical world. When they place their facades, they alter the structure of magic around them. If they do it around something already magically enhanced, it gets changed. The effect is much greater than it would be if they were changing something with the physical world.”
Jonathan looked into the distance. He couldn’t hear anything, and the row of shrubs looked like it simply ended, nothing more, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that Heziah was right. Had he not been intoxicated most of the time they were working, they might’ve learned about all of this sooner. Unfortunately, they had to learn about it in the middle of the job.
“There’s nothing we can do about it now,” he said.
“You have to listen to me.” Heziah looked Jonathan in the eye. “By disrupting the pattern, they are going to know we’re here.”
Jonathan slipped past Matthew and reached the end of the shrubs, then pressed his head forward slightly, just beyond the border of the facade. He saw the palace again, but nothing more than that. The garden itself was empty.
“Release it,” he said without looking back.
The tingling along his skin began to ease as Elizabeth lowered the facade. She stepped toward him, and he glanced over to see a bead of sweat that had formed on her forehead despite the cool night. She was exerting herself too much, and he had to be careful. They needed her ability inside the palace, as well as once they left.
But maybe there had never been any real chance of hiding from sorcerers.
He pushed those thoughts away. Complications. That was it.
They rushed across the yard, with him and Matthew looking in all directions for any sign of movement. Matthew whistled softly and Jonathan spun, but he didn’t see anything. The other three had reached the entrance to the palace and stood near massive, curved doors. Matthew held Jonathan’s gaze for a moment, before racing toward the other three.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Jonathan stood transfixed for a second as he glanced at the sky. The moon shone overhead, gleaming over the palace, reminding him of the coin he’d been given. Was this all part of his plan or someone else’s?
He pulled the coin out of his pocket, which had started to glow. Was it catching reflected moonlight or was it actually glowing?
In the distance, a shadowy figure appeared. A guard. Jonathan darted at the palace doors and crouched low, looking toward the guard. It didn’t seem as if they were seen.
“What was that about?” Heziah snapped.
“I was just looking at the moon,” Jonathan said.
“Don’t you think you could have done that another time? We don’t need to be caught because you’re thinking of some poem to recite to your lover.”
Leland chuckled. When Heziah looked over to him, Leland shrugged. “That was funny.”
Jonathan tore his gaze away from the guard. “Now to get inside. You’re up, Leland.”
Leland placed his hands on the door, cupping them against the lock. A tightness built along Jonathan’s arms, the pressure that told him magic was being used around him. He waited a moment, and that power continued to intensify until it exploded outward, spilling into the lock. The door opened with a soft click.
Heziah leaned forward. “That was some nice work.”
Leland glanced over and frowned. “Thank you.”
The two of them disappeared into the palace, and Matthew shared a glance with Jonathan. “That was strange.”
Once everyone was inside, Jonathan and Matthew closed the doors behind them.
Jonathan pulled Leland to the side. “Lock it again.”
“If we need to leave quickly, wouldn’t it be easier if it’s still unlocked?”
“Others might learn that it’s unlocked. Lock it, and we can open it again when we need to leave.”
Leland pressed his hand against the lock, power building from him until it clicked once more. He glanced back at Jonathan. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Jonathan looked around. “I hope so too.”
Now that they were in the palace, there would be other complications. They had to follow the plan: make their way through the palace, avoid guards, and get down into the vault.
Matthew pulled out another piece of paper and smoothed it on his lap. “Access to the vault is in the lower level,” he said, motioning for them to head forward.
The palace was dimly lit, with only a few sconces illuminating the space around them. Everything was made of glittering marble, from the floor to the walls to the ceiling overhead. A gold statue of what Jonathan suspected was Vileforn rested along one wall. Another statue stood near a different wall, though he wasn’t able to see well enough to know who it was supposed to represent.
As he headed past the Vileforn statue, he tapped on it and shook his head. “Look at that. Think about how much that stupid thing must’ve cost.”
Elizabeth leaned over and pulled the statue’s extended finger. “It’s almost flexible. Do you think it could be an enchantment?”
“Anything in here could be an enchantment,” Jonathan said. “Which is why we need to be careful as we make our way through.” He hoped he could detect any surprises and that the guards’ presence meant there weren’t going to be any real enchantments placed around, but there was always that possibility. They might have to use their own enchantments to prevent the protections from triggering.
They crept down the hallway, following Matthew and his map. Jonathan had already looked at the maps, so he had a pretty good sense of where they were heading. If something were to happen to Matthew or if they were to be distracted, Jonathan had at least memorized where they were going to go. He didn’t want to get split up, though. It was better if they stayed together, especially as—
“Elizabeth!” Matthew hissed, keeping his voice pitched low.
She stiffened, and a facade suddenly formed in front of them just in time.
A man appeared at one end of the hall, heading in their direction. None of them moved.
This was a different situation than it had been outside. At least outside there was the possibility that the natural sounds of the environment would mask any noises they made. Inside here, the sounds of their footsteps over the marble tile were all too apparent. They tried to move as quietly as they could, not wanting to attract attention.
No one breathed as the servant made his way past. When he was gone, Jonathan motioned for them to keep moving.
Elizabeth glanced back at him. “Are you sure?”
“We have two options. We can continue to hold on to the facade as we move, or we can try to make our way through here without drawing any additional attention. You take your pick.”
She nodded. “I think I can keep it up.”
Matthew shot a look back at her before glancing at Jonathan. Jonathan gestured for them to go as Elizabeth maintained the facade.
They headed down a long hallway. When they reached a staircase leading down, Matthew paused, then looked back at Jonathan. “We go down one level. From there, we head along the hall and then stop at what will look like nothing more than a closet.” He turned to Elizabeth. “Once we get down there, it is going to be on you to keep us concealed. I don’t know what we will find, but I suspect some guards will be patrolling.”
She nodded again. “I can do it.”
Jonathan watched her. There was no sign of sweat, no sign of tension. Nothing that would suggest that she struggled with the facade, though he still worried. They were asking a lot of her. She was still young and still mastering her ability, and given everything she had already demonstrated, Jonathan didn’t know if she was going to be able to maintain the illusion as long as what they would need from her, but he could see from the set of her jaw that she was determined to do so.
There was nothing left to do but the job.
They went down the wide staircase and treaded carefully down the smooth, almost slick steps. When they reached a landing, Matthew held his hand up, cautioning them to pause before turning and heading down the next few steps. A lantern on the landing illuminated everything, and Elizabeth clenched her hands together while holding on to the facade. They continued down until they reached the next level.
Jonathan slipped forward and leaned toward Matthew. “I think we have to go one more level down.”
