Back then, I had been trapped by my own fears and our father’s expectations. Now I was trapped by wooden walls, and I couldn’t just make up my mind to leave. But neither could I continue to do nothing. The raiders were in the middle of another attack on Cadence, and if it failed, they would try again and again until they managed to capture her—or kill her in the process from what I’d heard about how Lawson’s plans went wrong.
I had to find out what they were planning. If I knew the details, I might be able to find some way to sabotage it from here.
Just like last time, the anxiety dissipated once the decision was made, replaced with icy focus. But I could do nothing in the daylight.
I prepared the evening’s food as usual, not wanting to give any indication I had unusual plans. I laid out Quirin’s share on the table and retreated to my room. But I didn’t go to bed.
Instead, I sat by the door, listening for his arrival. Eventually I heard the front door open. His footsteps shuffled across the floor, stopping by the table. Within moments he was moving again, his bedroom door opening and shutting seconds later.
I waited a little longer, making sure he wouldn’t re-emerge before inching open my own door. The creak which had plagued it earlier in the day was gone, thanks to the cooking oil I’d lathered on the hinges.
Slipping across the living room, I opened the front door, sticking my head outside. A tall man who took the night watch outside our home several nights a week turned to look at me with an alert expression that changed to confusion when he saw my face.
“Quick!” I opened my eyes as wide as they would go. “It’s Quirin! I don’t know what’s happened, but he’s been so grief-stricken about Dara that it’s like he’s been sleepwalking, and now he—” I looked back inside as if something within the house had caught my attention. When I turned back to my night guard, I had assumed an even more frantic expression. “Quick!”
Galvanized into action, he hurried toward me, and I swung the door wide. The second he stepped across the threshold I hit him between his chest and stomach with the heavy metal saucepan I’d been concealing behind my back.
He dropped to his knees, winded. His eyes bulged as he struggled to suck in a breath, unable to shout or fight back. Moving at lightning speed, I whipped out a gag and stuffed it into his mouth before trussing him up with the longest length of rope Quirin possessed. As soon as he was secured, I took a long rag and double tied the gag around his mouth.
By the time I dragged him across the cabin—a difficult task given his size—and into my room, he was starting to recover from the winding. But despite his attempts to fight, there was little he could do given how tightly I had secured his bindings. And there was even less he could do once I rolled him under my bed, a narrow space that was such a tight squeeze, I nearly didn’t get him in.
I’d prepared by pushing the bed into a corner of the room, blocking access from one side. And once he was stuffed underneath, I dragged the one remaining piece of furniture—a heavy dresser—across to block the other side. With limited capacity to move, I hoped it would be a long time before he managed to wiggle his way out of such a hole.
As soon as I’d finished positioning the dresser, I ran back through the living room and out the front door, carefully closing it behind me. In normal times, I wouldn’t have achieved so much without rousing Quirin, but he was too abstracted to care about his surroundings at the moment.
It was a chance I would get only once, though. If they even let me stay with Quirin after this, the guards wouldn’t fall for such a trick again.
Slipping through the shadows, I clung close to the edge of buildings as I made my way to the center of the settlement, where the largest of the houses faced the central square and the gate beyond. It doubled as residence and headquarters for the General and usually sat empty when he left. Since he had led out a number of mages—including all those with a power affinity who were loyal to him—earlier in the day, I wasn’t likely to get a better chance to look through his things undisturbed.
I avoided the front of the house, where the empty space between the building and the gate would leave me in full view of anyone passing by. Instead I circled around the back, searching until I found a promising window.
Hefting the cloth-wrapped rock that I’d prepared earlier, I paused. It was worth at least trying it first.
To my surprise, the window swung open at my push. Apparently the General didn’t keep it locked. The unexpected good fortune made me pause, nervous. But after a moment, I shrugged. I’d come too far to just give up now.
Scrambling through the window, I landed on the wooden floorboards on the other side with a slight thump. Holding my breath, I eased the window closed behind me.
As soon as it was secured, I glanced around the room. I had entered a bedroom, but from the dust on the coverlet of the bed, it didn’t see regular use. A guest room, perhaps? Although it was hard to imagine who the General would host in this isolated camp of criminals.
I hurried through the door and into a narrow hallway. I had seen glimpses through the front windows of what looked like a study, so I hurried in that direction. Surely he must keep records of some kind in there, possibly even maps.
Taking a guess at the correct door, I pulled it open and stepped inside.
As soon as I did so, I froze, but it was already too late. A single lantern perched on the desk, illuminating the far end of the room where the General himself sat, writing steadily on a sheet of paper.
Chapter 12
Airlie
He looked up at my hasty entrance, his eyebrows slowly rising as he took in my identity.
“Well,” he said slowly. “This is an unexpected visit.” He looked behind me, as if expecting his guard to appear. When no one followed, he surprised me by smiling. “I always had high hopes for you, Airlie.”
I scowled at him, but he ignored it, gesturing for me to take one of the seats across the desk, just as if I was an invited guest.
“I imagine you’re wondering about this new attack I conducted today,” he said conversationally. “I’m not in the least surprised you’ve gotten word of it. It’s so hard to keep secrets in a place like this.”
Deciding to brazen it out, I matched his smile, taking the indicated seat.
“I just wish I’d received word the attack team was already back.”
He chuckled. “Ah, so that’s the reason for your visit. Yes, we returned just after dark.”
“And were you successful?” I asked coolly.
He leaned back in his chair. “That depends on your definition of success. We didn’t capture your sister, if that’s what you mean.”
I carefully maintained my neutral demeanor, hiding my relief at his words.
“Neither is she deceased,” he added as an afterthought, loosing the final band around my chest. “May I inquire as to whether the man on guard duty at your house this evening is so fortunate?”
“He’ll be fine,” I said shortly. “And I have no doubt you’re even now hatching some fresh scheme to get your hands on my sister.”
“You’ve certainly got me figured out,” the General said in a mild voice that only increased his sinister presence.