The Blade of Highwind: The Complete Trilogy, page 56
“Smugglers are a clever lot sometimes,” I said. “In Highwind or Nelu’Thalas, this whole thing would be run by artifice. But they set all this up with their bare hands.”
“Their ingenuity would be more impressive if they used it for something worthwhile,” Isolde said, stepping over to the lever controlling the pulley system.
I thought about reminding her that smuggling wasn’t always bad, but then I remembered who I was talking about. The pirate lords who’d run Vorsalos before the Inquisitrix hadn’t been charming rogues thumbing their noses at unjust laws. In fact, they had almost certainly smuggled slaves as well as lotus and weapons and Watcher knew what else through here.
Isolde pulled the lever once we were on the lift. I braced myself for the loud clunking of hidden gears that would announce our presence, but the noise was subtle, easily muffled by the sloshing water of the aqueduct passage. The wooden trapdoor above us wasn’t all that dissimilar to the opening we’d dropped through to get into the aqueducts in the first place, other than the fact that this one was locked.
“Does Mirek happen to know the code?” I said, examining the small, numbered dial on the iron locking mechanism. “Otherwise, we’ll be here all day.”
“If so, he was unable to communicate it to me,” Isolde said.
I grimaced. “That seems like a big problem. Even with my tattoos, there’s no way I’m strong enough to break that lock.”
“No, you likely cannot,” she agreed. “But I can.”
“What? There’s no way to—”
Clasping both of her hands together, Isolde reared back and bashed the trapdoor with her fists. I yelped in shock when she smashed through as easily as if it were made of thin plywood rather than reinforced oak. The wood splintered around the hole, and the water definitely wasn’t loud enough to mask this noise, especially on the other side.
“Le’thos!” I hissed.
“The door is relatively isolated, so it is unlikely many guards will come to investigate,” Isolde said, lowering her bloody knuckles and scratched forearm. “But we should still aspire to move quickly.”
I stood there gaping in horror, amazed that her hand hadn’t broken. Or maybe it had—her teeth were clenched, and she looked downright furious.
“Honey,” I breathed. “Are you…?”
“I will regenerate quickly,” she said, plucking a bloody splinter from her wrist. “The pain is already fading.”
My stomach twisted as I watched the wounds start to close over. My tattoos could mend my flesh quickly as well, but they couldn’t fuse bone. Even if they could, I never would have done something that crazy. I couldn’t believe she had.
Isolde reached up to pull herself through the hole she’d smashed, but she stopped herself at the last instant and looked at me.
“You need not worry,” she said. “Our bond gives me more than enough strength to control the beast inside me.”
“Right,” I whispered, thinking back to the altercation on the party ship. Normally, Isolde seemed honest to a fault, but I was starting to wonder if she was capable of telling the truth where the demon was involved. If it had figured out a way to assert control over her…
Shaking my head, I buried the thought. As troubling as it was, I didn’t want her collar to reveal the depth of my concern. Because anything Isolde knew, the demon would surely know as well.
The amazon pulled herself up first, and I saw her draw and ready her blade. She didn’t immediately clash with anyone, though, so we must have been clear for the moment. Taking a deep breath, drawing on the power coursing through my tattoos, I leapt up through the opening and landed in a crouch.
Unsurprisingly, the room on the other side was empty—I hadn’t expected the Regent Lord would have his personal escape route in the middle of the dining hall. The old, musty chamber looked like it may have once been a larder or wine cellar, though the battered old shelves against the wall were currently barren. My glowing tattoos cast enough light that we could easily look around for traps, but I didn’t spot anything out of the ordinary.
“Almost too easy,” I said, quietly drawing one of my own blades as I watched the only door. The flow of the water was much quieter up here, enough that we should have easily been able to hear any approaching footsteps.
And about a half a second later, I did.
Sharing a knowing look with Isolde, I focused on my tattoos and allowed them to fade, shrouding us in darkness. But the hole we’d made in the floor would still be visible the instant anyone opened the door, assuming the guard had a light source with or behind him. We would need to act quickly to prevent him from alerting the entire estate to our presence.
I dropped into a low crouch, balling my free hand into a fist and preparing to strike. This would have been a lot easier if we could just stab anyone who got in our way, but we hadn’t come here to kill random estate guards for doing their jobs. And without Mirek’s sorcery, we’d have to do things the old-fashioned way.
The footsteps drew close, and I held my breath as the door creaked open. Rays of dim lantern light swept across the room, closer and closer to the busted trap door every heartbeat. I crept forward another step, staying concealed behind the door as it swung all the way open…
“What the—ngf!”
The guard abruptly toppled forward, his armored body crashing to the ground with a cringingly loud rattle. I hadn’t even seen Isolde move, but she was suddenly standing in the doorway, the guard’s lantern in her hand.
“An apothecary can tend to his wounds easily enough,” she said quietly, the lantern light catching her brown eyes as she turned. “We should move quickly in case others come to investigate.”
I nodded absently, mouth hanging open. Every time I fought alongside this girl, I was more impressed…and a little more self-conscious. I may have been a natural duelist, but Isolde was a warrior—a true warrior, one happy to use a sword, spear, bow, or even stealth. Whatever was required to get the job done.
Maybe the undead are the ones who should be scared.
After blowing out the lantern and setting it down by the insensate guard, Isolde stalked into the hallway. I followed right behind her, trusting that she knew where we were going. The hall outside was completely dark, and I considered activating my tattoos again despite the risks. But then Isolde slipped her fingers into mine, and she led me along beside her.
I tried to count footsteps and remember turns like Ranger-General Aluriel had tried to teach me years ago. I was reasonably confident I could retrace my steps in an emergency, especially since it didn’t take long for us to find a light source. Isolde became a shadowy silhouette in front of me as she stopped at the corner of a hall and peered around the edge. She lifted two fingers when she pulled her head back.
“How far?” I whispered.
“Thirty feet,” she whispered back. “Two men, one in armor. They guard the door to the dungeon.”
I nodded. “A soldier and one of the Corvosi, if I had to guess. Makes sense—if I had two sorcerers in my dungeon, I’d definitely want my own to guard them.”
“His magic cannot harm you, and a single guard will be no match for me.”
“No, but I don’t want to hurt them if we don’t have to,” I said. “With luck, that Corvosi will be out on the streets blasting undead later tonight.”
“Then what do you propose?”
I looked around for inspiration. Since we hadn’t gone up any steps, I had to assume that we were still in the estate’s basement. The floor and walls were made of old stone, and the halls weren’t particularly wide. There was no way we could possibly ambush two guards before they spotted us. At least, not without shooting them.
I glanced at my mother’s bow slung over Isolde’s back. With proper training, the weapon could conjure many different types of arrows, not merely explosive ones. My mother could probably use it to stun both guards without killing them.
But Isolde had only used it in a single fight thus far, and she hadn’t been able to dedicate the time to practicing with it further. A shot from her would detonate in the hall, killing the guards and starting a blaze we might not be able to stop. There had to be another way…
“Mirek’s safety must remain our highest concern,” Isolde said quietly. “If we rush them together, we could—”
“No,” I interrupted, smiling at a sudden flash of inspiration. “We won’t be able to reach them before they cry out in alarm. But I know how I can get close.”
Isolde frowned. “Even in the dimness, I do not believe stealth is a viable option.”
“Oh, I won’t be hiding,” I said, unfastening my scabbard from my belt. “Hold these for a minute, would you?”
She looked confused when I handed her my blades, and even more confused when I unfastened my leather bodice. The air down here was a bit chilly on my skin, but that was actually an advantage—it made my nipples push against my bra.
“Is this the ‘sexy infiltration’ you mentioned earlier?” Isolde asked once I’d stripped down to my underwear.
“It’s not a two-piece Ebaran maid’s outfit, but it will do,” I said. “Wait here and stay out of sight unless something really goes wrong.”
I moved around the corner without waiting for a reply, hands hugging my mostly naked body and eyes wide and on the verge of tears. The guards spotted me almost immediately.
“Oh, thank the gods,” I exclaimed, skipping forward when I saw them. “I knew there had to be someone else down here! Please, can you help me?”
“What in the bloody void…?” the soldier gasped, though just as I’d hoped, neither man reached for his weapon. “Where did you come from?”
I slowed my gait from a skip to a saunter, though I’d already covered half the distance between us. “Lord Ironsail had me sent up from Madame Ulura’s,” I said. “I was told someone would be there to meet me, but all the rooms are empty and it’s completely dark!”
“Madame Ulura’s?” the soldier asked, sharing a frown with his Corvosi companion.
“I-I’m supposed to be a surprise,” I said meekly. “But there was no one waiting for me in the aqueducts.”
“The aqueducts?” the Corvosi asked. “How did you even know about them?”
I had caught the men off-guard, and I had no intention of giving them time to really think about what I was saying. My ridiculous claim would wither under the slightest scrutiny. But my gambit had gotten me within ten feet—three quick steps—of both of them. I just needed them to be distracted by the skinny half-elf in her underwear for another few seconds…
“Stop!” the soldier growled, lowering his halberd and aiming the metal spike atop the blade right at me. “No one is allowed down here!”
I froze in place and suppressed a curse. Apparently, they had more presence of mind than I thought. But they were both still confused, and I’d gotten near enough that I could probably still make my move. All I needed to do was overpower them before they could sound the alarm.
But my split second of hesitation cost me my chance. Not because the men reacted…but because Isolde did.
The men retreated a step and inhaled sharply when the amazon rounded the corner. She had also removed her leather breastplate, leaving only her bra and skirt. She glided forward in what seemed like it was supposed to be a sexy saunter, but it was so damn awkward it was more like she was drunk.
“I, er, I also find myself lost,” she managed, voice low in a just-as-awkward attempt to sound husky. “I require your aid and attention.”
Somehow, I managed not to slap my forehead, but I did cringe so hard my face hurt. What in the name of Nol Krovos was she thinking?
“An amazon?” the soldier breathed, turning his eyes and his halberd away from me. “The boss got an amazon from Madame Ulura?”
“Shalassa’s golden tits,” the Corvosi breathed, his stunned gaze drinking in Isolde’s athletic figure. “Is that a costume or are you the real thing?”
“Look at her, you idiot!” the soldier grumbled. “Of course she’s the real thing!”
My jaw dropped to the floor. It was actually working—I had all the time in the world to make my move. It was like I’d suddenly turned invisible!
Yet I didn’t lunge forward and disarm them. I stood there stunned, burning with indignation.
“Are you fucking serious?” I blurted out, grabbing my breasts. “I’m right here!”
The Corvosi turned back to me as if he’d forgotten I was here. But he only eyed me for a second before looking back at Isolde.
“Incredible,” he breathed. “How much do you cost, sweetheart? Or is this a one-time deal?”
“Oh, forget this,” I snarled. “Idiots.”
Growling under my breath, I activated my tattoos. The sorcerer at least gave me the satisfaction of gaping at the glowing blue markings on my flesh before I lunged forward and punched him. My fist passed effortlessly through his magical barrier, shattering it as if it were glass, and the vatari-infused strength behind my knuckles was more than enough to send his body flying against the wall of the corridor.
The soldier was just as flat-footed. If he’d had better reflexes, he might have been able to move his halberd back around or at least scream out a warning. But I chopped his throat with the back of my hand like Aunt Val had taught me, stealing his voice without killing him. A quick, simple kick sent him flying into the wall alongside his companion.
“You were supposed to let me handle it!” I grumbled at Isolde.
“They did not seem to be falling for your ruse,” Isolde said. “Earlier, you said we’d both be needed for your sexy infiltration.”
I sighed. “Never mind,” I muttered. “Let’s get them tied up and move on.”
Three minutes later, I had dressed myself and secured the guards. As convenient as it would have been for them to have simply fallen unconscious during the brief brawl, neither man obliged. And without some alchemical mixture to knock them out, we settled for simple bindings and gags torn from their own clothing. The restraints weren’t elaborate or strong enough to hold them for long, and I wasn’t entirely convinced they could hold a sorcerer at all. But the Corvosi was so terrified of my glowing tattoos that I seriously doubted he would try anything until we were long gone.
After giving both men my most withering Senosi glare—a glare I hoped wasn’t tempered by the fact I’d been strutting in front of them in my skivvies a few minutes ago—I snatched away their keyring, then found the one for the door.
Ironsail’s private dungeon was little more than a basement room with a single cell. The pirate lord who’d built it had probably only used the space as a torture chamber for individual rivals or double-crossers, not random purse-snatchers. Mirek was currently behind the bars, his wrists and ankles shackled to the wall so that he could barely move. Around his neck was a Senosi suppression collar, a nasty little device Aunt Val had told me about. The crystals sapped Aetheric energy out of sorcerers who tried to channel…and then grew as they fed, potentially plunging into their necks like needles.
Mirek’s accomplice was inside the cell with him, though she was shackled on her knees. The chains from her collar seemed so tight she could barely even move her neck to look at us. Darkly, I wondered if the old pirate lord had also used this place as a sex dungeon for his harem slaves. Anything was possible.
“Fancy meeting you here,” I said, glancing between them. “I had no idea the Regent Lord was so kinky.”
“Thank Zarach,” Mirek breathed. “I thought I heard a skirmish outside, but it was brief and faint. Did you have any trouble?”
“Nothing a few clever girls couldn’t handle,” I told him. “Though we shouldn’t tarry—someone else will come down here eventually and find our mess.”
Tossing the keys to Isolde, I looked down at the shackled woman as I approached the bars. She was undeniably beautiful, with almond skin and hazel eyes common to the southern nations like Elashi and Talisham. Her dress was a thing of beauty as well; the Regent Lord had clearly wanted to show off her slim figure and exotic foreign features to the rest of the Raven Court.
“So, this is the woman who had me poisoned and shipped off to sea,” I said coolly. “Next time, you should hire better goons. Sloppy footwork and fundamentals all around.”
She glared up at me, but her eyes were more frightened than fearsome. Perhaps she’d come around and realized the folly of her ways…or, more likely, she was still reeling from her plan blowing up in her face.
Isolde slid the key into the cell door, and once it was open, she lunged toward Mirek and began unfastening his restraints. He groaned and stretched his arms once they were free.
“Oh, it can’t be that bad,” I teased, sauntering into the cell. “This has to be the quickest rescue in the history of the Northern Reaches.”
“Probably,” he agreed, reaching up to his collar. “I don’t suppose you—ah, there it is.”
He accepted a smaller key from Isolde, and he inhaled sharply the moment the collar was off his neck.
“Not sure how you can wear one of these all the time,” he said to Isolde. “Though I suppose yours doesn’t stab you.”
“It does not,” she said, smiling and placing her hand on his arm. “Thank the gods you were not harmed.”
I scoffed. “Thank us instead. We’re the ones who did all the work.”
Stepping up to him, I brought my lips to his. His strong hands slipped easily around my waist and settled upon the bare skin of my lower back. We’d only been apart for a few hours, yet I could feel the relief in his kiss and his touch. If we’d had time, I would have suggested a reunion like the one we’d enjoyed after my escape from the pirates. While I didn’t technically need any more energy, it would have been incredibly amusing to have him give me a meal right here in front of the awful woman who’d betrayed him.
“Guess you should have brought us along after all,” I said, flashing him a smirk. I stayed on the tips of my toes so I could keep my lips close to his.
