Laina stepped forward, her body tense with repressed anger. “Since you seem ill-disposed to order men to the task, what if I ask for volunteers?”
Lognion was unflustered. “Go right ahead, Miss Nerrow. The majority of my forces are not here. Unless you are willing to make a journey to the walls to recruit them, you may find a lack of manpower.” A newcomer entered the hall behind them and bowed from the waist. “You may rise and report, Lord Tintabel.”
Will was startled by the name, and it took him a moment to remember where he had heard it before. He’s the neighbor to the Nerrows, the one whose house I fought in front of. There was something else, though. His house was burned. I thought he was dead. He glanced at Laina, wondering what she thought since she probably knew the man better.
The expression on her face was one of extreme displeasure. It seemed she didn’t have a high opinion of her neighbor, although the baron’s face didn’t reveal anything similar. Will wondered if she had a personal grudge. It isn’t as though she’s the most likable person after all, he observed.
“The students have received their elementals. We can begin disseminating them among the troops as soon as you give the word, Your Majesty,” said Tintabel.
“It seems that won’t be necessary, Lord Tintabel. I’ve just promised them to my son-in-law here. If they survive the night they may take their new positions then,” said the king.
Lord Tintabel raised one brow, quite a feat given how thick and bushy they were. The man’s hair was long and black, giving his pale face a shadowed appearance. “And if they don’t survive, Your Majesty?”
“Then we take another two hundred in the morning. There will be time enough to do our work before the next sunset, if it comes to that,” said the king affably.
Laina glared at her neighbor. “Why don’t you come with us, Lord Tintabel? Your help would be of great use to us.”
The man gave an apologetic half-bow. “My apologies to you, Miss Nerrow, and to your father, but my place is here beside His Majesty, coordinating our last defense. It would not do for your effort to succeed only to discover that we had lost our king in the midst of it all.”
“I’m sure the nation will remember your bravery in undertaking our monarch’s defense,” Laina responded, her words dripping with acid.
In the end there was no more help forthcoming from the crown, but Will had an idea. He’d once had to plan an escape from the cathedral—via the sewers. Tailtiu had planned the route for him. If she had recovered sufficiently, she might be able to advise them on a similar path from the palace back to the center of the city. He explained the idea to those with him as they returned to the palace yard.
Mark Nerrow wasn’t a fan of the idea. “Do you even know if we could all fit? Some of the sewers are perilously narrow.”
“As long as we follow the right route, we’ll be fine,” said Will. “But if we mistakenly turn into the smaller branches, we could get stuck, but I know someone who can guide us.”
“What about the vampires?” asked Janice. “Aren’t they hiding in the sewers? It seems more dangerous to go down there than just walk through the streets.”
“They’re coming up to hunt us during the night,” countered Will. “On an open street they can move faster than we can handle, and they can come at us from any direction. In the sewer tunnel their movement is restricted to the tunnel. If we can limit the directions we have to defend against, then we can manage it easily.”
Laina spoke next. “What about side passages?”
“We have two hundred elementals. The vampires can’t kill them. We position a few at each side passage as we pass by. Earth elementals can create temporary blockages, as can water and air elementals. Fire—”
Elizabeth Sundy interrupted, “It’s best if we avoid the use of fire down there. Sewer gases can be quite explosive. In fact, you’ll want an air elemental to clear the air in the passages ahead of us or we could be poisoned.”
Will looked to the senior researcher. “So you think the plan has merit?”
“If you have a guide,” she responded, raking her salt-and-pepper hair back over one ear.
“Give me an hour,” he told them. “I’ll know within that time whether we have a guide or not.” Then he started to walk away. “I need a little time alone.”
Will distanced himself by twenty yards or so, moving to stand close to the exterior wall between the palace and the city. He felt slightly nervous about calling Tailtiu, since he didn’t know what her condition might be. There was also the risk that Aislinn might appear instead, and after her last visit he was less certain of her motives.
He closed his eyes and prepared to repeat her name when he felt something bump up against his leg. Looking down, he saw the goddamn cat. “You!” he exclaimed.
The cat sat down, staring up at him without expression. “Me.”
“Where’s your bow?” asked Will, unable to stop himself.
The cat stood and started walking away. “Perhaps you don’t need my advice after all.”
“Wait! I was only teasing. Forget what I said.” The cat stopped and sat down again. “Where have you been?” asked Will.
“At my house. Where your mother lives. I needed some rest after our excursion.”
Where Sammy lives, thought Will suddenly.
“I can read your expressions,” said the cat angrily, “and your thoughts are crude and unrefined. I was merely worried that your cousin might be distraught at my sudden disappearance after being so badly wounded.”
“Sure.”
“Do you want my advice or not?” The cat’s tone was surly.
“Yes, please.”
“The tunnels are a good idea, but don’t call on the fae.”
“Do you think Tailtiu has recovered?” asked Will.
The goddamn cat licked one foot. “Almost without doubt, but involving them further would make the situation extremely dangerous. Your aunt’s scent would likely draw every vampire within a significant range down on you, and that isn’t even considering the danger of dealing with her mother again.”
“How do I lead them through then?” asked Will. “One wrong turn could spell disaster.”
“I can show you the way.”
“You’ll come with us?”
“No. Remember Arrogan’s tracking spell?”
Will nodded.
“Cast it on me. I’ll run the path quickly, and you can trace my path afterward.”