Silver in the Mist, page 17
“I understand.”
But I am not going to obey.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
I want to leave as soon as Elirra dismisses me, but I force myself to wait until night falls and I’ll at least have a chance of doing this all alone. All I know is that if anybody manages to wipe that ridiculous grin off Lochlan’s face, Layde Kerrin is going to find out just how adept I am with a blade.
I’m changing into my spying outfit when there’s a knock at the door. I stiffen, but before I can say anything, Milla steps into my room.
I tug my jacket on and straighten, daring her to say anything, only to notice her outfit looks like mine. It is dark and simple and perfect for sneaking around at night. Two long daggers are strapped to her back.
She shuts the door behind her. “I get it, all right? This life was chosen for us. That doesn’t mean we have to die for it.”
Relief slips sharp into my chest. I didn’t want to do this alone. I’m opening my mouth to thank her when she says, “But get sappy on me, and I’m slapping you upside the head.”
She turns away from me and slips out the window as if it’s the most natural way to exit a room.
I follow her out.
Once we’re on the ground, Milla leads the way. I hide the supplies I packed for Lochlan in the city, then we climb over the palace wall and slink across the lawn.
Together we crouch in the bushes closest to the door we need and look over the two guards standing there. I carefully make sure the fabric hiding my features is in place.
“Have you ever broken into the prison before?” I ask Milla in a low voice.
“No. Until now, I’ve chosen life.”
I shoot her a glance. “Do not make me more nervous than I am.” I don’t want to think about what might happen. The only room I have in my brain right now is for the minutiae of this mission.
“How long do we have?” I hope Milla knows, because I had no time to scope out this place myself. “When is the next shift rotation?”
“The guards change every hour, but they’re not the problem. The wall, that’s our problem.”
I look over my shoulder at the wall across the dark patch of grass.
“Patrols range past here every quarter hour,” Milla says. “They’ll notice if no one is at the door, and if we’re not out by the time they notice, we aren’t getting out.”
A quarter of an hour to get in and get Lochlan free. I take a deep breath.
I’ve had worse odds.
Actually, that’s a complete lie.
“Inside?” I ask.
Milla shrugs. “No idea.”
Wonderful.
We are absolutely going to die.
Milla pulls a blow dart from her belt pouch.
I raise a brow. “At this range?”
Her teeth flash in her grin. “Prepare to be amazed.”
We wait until the moment the patrol on the wall passes, then she blows. One of the guards teeters. The other barely has time to look surprised before he’s down too.
Milla gives me an amazingly smug grin that just makes me love her more, before taking off across the lawn. I follow, confiscating the keys and unlocking the door. We drag the guards through.
A quarter of an hour starts now.
The prison steps descend into the ground, as if they’re hiding what’s below. We slip down like ghosts. There are torches, but they’re far enough apart that we can stay in the shadows. Both Milla and I know how to move in the dark.
Another light bobs at the bottom. It’s a guard. But we can see her while she can’t see us, plus it’s two on one.
And we are trained well.
I hit her hard across the windpipe. Then Milla’s arm wraps around her throat until she slides into unconsciousness.
We unlock the door and slip through.
The prison looks like I’d expect it to, nearly identical to ours. There’s not much to the design of places like these. Each door is made of thick wood, with a grille at the top to see through and another at the bottom for food. I glance in and see prisoners, emaciated and asleep. There are slits in the roof that must filter air, judging from the pittance of moonlight that slips in. Besides that, the only light comes past a corner at the end of the hall.
As we approach, I hear a voice. Layde Kerrin.
“What are you doing here, Arisian?”
“Sitting in a cell and being interrogated by a spoiled little laydeling.”
Lochlan. My heart lifts in relief at the amount of attitude I still hear in their voice.
I peer around the corner and look down the hall into the cell. Lochlan sits on the ground, their hands still shackled, and Kerrin stands in front of them. Gianna lingers just outside the open cell door. A flickering torch in a wall sconce throws distorted shadows over the scene.
Kerrin pulls his sword and brings its tip beneath Lochlan’s chin, jerking their face up with the flat edge of his blade. “I could kill you right now, rat,” Kerrin murmurs. “And no one would hear your screams as you died.”
In the light of the torch, Lochlan’s eyes glitter with anger. “Well, that wouldn’t be very conducive to getting answers out of me. You’re not good at this, are you?”
One day, Lochlan’s mouth is really going to be the death of them.
I gesture to Milla and we jump towards Gianna. She’s fast as she draws her dagger, but I catch it on my own blade. Milla ducks beneath our entwined knives, grabbing Gianna’s arm and wrenching it. She goes down but manages to sweep out a foot, tripping Milla. But it’s too late. I’m already there, delivering a swift punch to her gut and knocking her off balance. She lurches back. Her head makes a painful thud as it bangs against the wall and she slides unconscious to the floor.
Kerrin’s gaze flickers between us. I step forward, but Milla pushes past me. “He’s mine,” she growls beneath her breath.
She’s a work of beauty, her daggers flashing in the torchlight. Kerrin tries to attack, but she traps his blade between hers and twists, his sword flying from his hand and clattering against the wall. In a moment, she has him pinned against the wall, her blade against his throat.
Kerrin’s eyes go wide. Milla flips one dagger to her other hand and punches him square in the face. He goes down.
“I have wanted to do that for years!” she crows. She turns to Lochlan. “Thank you for getting captured, so I could have that moment.”
Lochlan quirks a brow. “You’re welcome?”
I grab the keys from the guard at the door, and rush over to Lochlan. “Are you all right?” I look them over as I unlock the shackles. A couple of bruises. The puffed cut on their jaw. But overall, nothing too bad. The terrible tension in my chest slackens. I wasn’t too late.
The shackles fall away and Lochlan rubs their wrists. Their eyes meet mine and there’s a potent relief there, even as they grin. “I’ve been better. But you shouldn’t be here. What if someone saw you?”
I grin back. “You were the one who told me to break the rules.”
I take their hand and help them to their feet. They wince, but they’re upright.
Behind us, a sharp whistle splits the air.
I jerk my head around. Kerrin is conscious, blowing a whistle around his neck.
Milla curses and bashes him in the side of the head with her dagger.
“Let’s go!” I shout, grabbing a spare dagger from Gianna.
From deeper in the prison, there’s the echoing shout of guards. We run as fast as Lochlan can move. The pounding footsteps get louder as we reach the door at the bottom of the stairs. As we rush through, I see the guards charging us.
I slam the door shut behind us, jamming my dagger through the catch. The door shudders from the other side. That won’t hold for long.
Somehow, we make it back out into the yard—but the soldiers up here must have heard either the whistle or the commotion because there are already yelled commands sounding across the lawn.
“We need to get through the palace wall now,” I say, my voice high and tense.
Milla hesitates. We both know we’re too far from a safe spot to climb over. “This way.”
I only realize where she’s leading us when we’re halfway to one of the doors set in the wall. There are always guards at those doors.
“Seriously?” I hiss at Milla.
“It’s fighting our way through or getting caught.”
Lochlan stops and reaches out a hand. “I’m in the worst shape, so I’ll take the blow dart. Milla, I know you have one.”
She slaps it into their palm. “If you accidentally shoot me, I’m killing you.”
Then she nods at me and we both take off.
There are four guards. One goes down with a dart in her neck before we’ve reached them, but that still leaves three, and we’re not on them when one shouts. Three guards are about to turn into a lot of guards.
I launch myself into the air, my feet slamming into the chest of the nearest guard, using the momentum of his fall to roll to the side. I lash out with my dagger and it goes into his leg. He screams. Down but not out. Good enough for now. Milla’s still engaged with her own guard and I spin on the last one, breathing too heavy.
This one is fast and his sword nearly skewers me before it slides past. I manage to grab the hilt and yank, hoping to pull it from his grasp. Instead, he holds tight and the momentum pulls him down on top of me.
His knee slams into my chest and I choke. The man leers down at me, raising his sword above my head.
A dart punctures his neck and his eyes roll back into his head. He topples.
I gasp down air, fuzzy panic shaking through me.
That almost ended badly.
Milla’s man falls to the ground. The one I knifed is still yelling until Milla steps over to him and hits him hard in the skull. He goes silent.
It lets us hear how close the other guards are.
Milla clasps my hand and pulls me to my feet as Lochlan staggers over. “Come on!” she yells.
We go through the door. I just remember to grab the pack I’d hidden as we flee through the darkened city streets. We can still hear guards behind us, but the noise grows more and more unfocused.
Our race to the Monuments seems to last forever, but we make it. The towers shine brilliantly in the dark, bathing us all in their light. Yet, it only reminds me of what’s past them. It makes me afraid. Lochlan has so far to go, and they aren’t at their best. I don’t want them to leave.
Lochlan must have read the worry in my posture because their hand covers my own. “I’ll be all right out there, Dev,” they say. “I’ve been in worse shape than this.”
“When?”
“There was that time Layde Drey made us spar all night, and then run to the barrier and back.”
“That was a training exercise, not the Peaks.”
“That was plenty terrifying, thanks. And we both know why I need to go.”
I swallow. I do know. We’re days away from Aris falling. We need to find that second spire, and we need to find it now.
“All right,” I whisper.
I look at Milla. She’s already dug out the silver tool I packed in the bags. “You’re sure about this?” she asks. “There’s a chance they’ll notice before the gala.”
I know that. But I will not risk sending Lochlan through the main gate again.
“Yes,” I say.
For a moment I wonder if Milla will actually do it, this act of defiance against her mother. But she nods. “All right.”
She jabs the tool against a segment of filigree and there’s a flash as the magic activates. Moving quickly, she draws a searing line. It flashes again when it reaches the end and an entire piece of filigree detaches and falls forward. Milla catches it and sets it on the ground.
She did it. She made a hole.
“I guess that’s my cue then,” Lochlan says.
I look out into the dark at how far they have to go—all by themself.
Before the worries can consume me, they pull me into a hug. “I’ll steal a horse and go as far as it’ll take me, and I’ll be all right in the Peaks. I can still sense those monsters better than most.” They pause, and a rueful smile tweaks at the corners of their mouth. “You know, I didn’t understand why you were always looking so torn here. But after what happened in the throne room, I think I get it. It’s Layde Alyse, isn’t it?”
I stare at them in surprise. “I...” My mouth is dry. Lochlan is like everyone back home. They hate Cerena.
“Dev.” Lochlan’s voice is as serious as I’ve ever heard. “What’s going on? You know you can tell me anything, right?”
I glance at Milla, but she’s stepped back to give us privacy.
What am I supposed to say? Lochlan is about to carry the news that the spire can steal magic back to the Whisperer. As soon as she finds it, she’ll use it. Aris will be safe.
And Cerena will be left in ashes.
No matter what I do, there’s a part of me that just keeps hearing Alyse’s words in my head: that together the spires could get rid of the Mists.
“Dev?”
I wet my lips. I can’t believe what I’m about to say. “Lochlan, if I were to ask you not to tell the Whisperer about how the spires can steal magic, what would you say?”
Lochlan frowns.
I rush on. “I mean, of course she needs to know about the spire, and you need to find it, to light it and protect Aris. But maybe we should wait to tell her about everything else.” I’m rambling, but I don’t stop. Maybe if I keep talking, I’ll figure out what exactly I’m trying to say. “I should do more research about it first, and I should be the one to tell her, just in case. Think of how she reacted when I thought I saw a phantom, and that even ended up being the truth, and—”
“Dev.” Lochlan clasps my shoulders. I shut my mouth. “Are you sure about this?”
I look into their eyes, fixed on mine.
Am I really trusting that Alyse is strong enough to see this through?
I swallow. “I’m sure.”
They nod, letting go of my shoulders. “All right then.”
It’s what I wanted, but I’m still surprised. “All right?”
“Well, you did save my life, so I do kind of owe you.”
Milla steps towards us. “Sorry, you two, but Lochlan needs to go and we have to get back.”
I want to grab Lochlan’s arm, to force them to stay because I’m scared. I don’t know if they’ll make it, or if I’ll make it without them. But Lochlan just gives me a jaunty grin.
“You know,” they say. “You’re different now. Freer. It suits you.”
Before I can respond, they slip through the hole and they’re gone.
* * *
Dawn is breaking by the time we get back in, and if Elirra knows we were out, at least she isn’t demanding we account for it. I don’t even care that I’ve spent yet another night sleepless, because Lochlan is safe.
By the time I’ve changed out of my incriminating outfit and have come down the stairs again, a messenger is waiting for me. I recognize Alyse’s neat print on the envelope as he hands it over. I step to the side so I can open it:
I’m in.
Alyse.
So much has happened in the last day that it takes me a moment to realize what she’s referring to. She’ll break into the Royal Vault.
The paper crinkles as my fingers curl around it. No, this is good. I’ll just gather some more information about the spires. Regardless of what happens, I’ll still have the chance to tell the truth to Elirra and my mother and everyone.
Everything will be fine.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
I head to the gallery, breathing deep to calm my thudding heart. Alyse and Everett are hunched over a sketch that seems to be of the palace. I don’t ask how they got it. Knowing the two of them, they probably walked up to a librarian and requested it. Good thing I’ve already done my own research in Elirra’s library.
Alyse sees me and a new determination lights her eyes. “You’re right,” she says, before I have the chance to speak. “We can do this. We have to do this. If there’s a hint of where the necklace remains after all of this time, it must be in that vault.”
Everett meets my eye too, so I can see just how much he disapproves of all of this. But when Alyse glances at him, he smiles at her. No matter what he might think of me, he’s still risking everything for the dream his sister believes in. Love certainly makes people do strange things.
Of course, I’m one to talk. I just risked life and limb to rescue my best friend from a prison.
Alyse turns back to the plans, rubbing at her temple. There are bags beneath her eyes, a grayness to her skin.
“Alyse,” I ask quietly. “Are you all right?”
“Sorry, it’s this whole thing and...” She shakes her head. “I’ve been having to do a lot of maintenance on the Monuments lately. The filigree is in rougher shape than it usually is. And the monarch knows, and she won’t do anything about it.”
I’m so used to thinking of Alyse as having so much magic, but she has to have her limits like any caster. “Are you sure you can do this?”
Alyse nods. “This is what matters. And I think I’ve come up with a plan on how to get into the vault.” There’s a bit of excitement in her voice now.
And I get the odd feeling that I’m corrupting her.
Her fingers trace the map. “I walked past the entrance to the hall, subtly of course—” I manage not to wince. Define subtly. “It seems there are always guards posted there. So, I thought that you and I, Devonia, could pretend to have an emergency. Like there was a thief in the castle. They’d run off to protect us and I could destroy the lock with filigree and sneak in.”
