27. Reyna
Chapter twenty-seven
Reyna
T hey spent two days scheming on the Dastardly Pirate Dreggs’ ship.
Not planning, mind. Scheming .
Bobbie, Serina, and Dreggs spent most of their time hunched over a table with self-drawn blueprints of the river, the warehouse, and the constables’ rotation among them. Dreggs offered suggestions on pirate warfare, which varied depending on the situation: sometimes, a frontal assault, sometimes chasing an enemy into dangerous waters, and sometimes it was even sneakier.
“I once infiltrated Queen Tilaine’s private ship on a diplomatic mission to Leonol.” Dreggs winked.
Reyna, sipping their luxurious tea near the bank of windows, nearly spit out the drink. “You did not.”
“No one noticed. Not even your mother.” Dreggs leaned back, crossing their arms in utter satisfaction. Reyna balked, but the pirate was moving on. “The key is acting like we belong—and knowing just enough about the procedure that no one questions it. That’s where you come in, Barylea.”
“Bobbie. Please,” the ex-constable said, wincing. Her wounds clearly didn’t pain her more than her real name. Serina sat close, nearly shoulder-to-shoulder, and Reyna had it on good authority—her own—that they’d shared a room last night.
Fortunately, Bobbie wasn’t just interested in Serina. She now had a vested interest in taking down Arlon; loyalty to her old career was a thing of the past, apparently.
“The warehouse is right on the shoreline for easy transport access. On the east side of the river, because everything ships to Wellia and out from there. There are two guard towers with archers, dogs patrolling the perimeter, and several alchemical mages who’ve undoubtedly spelled the entrances.”
“Luckily, I employ four alchemists as well.” Dreggs smiled.
Kianthe, draped over one of the armchairs rereading their signed, sexy biography, quirked an eyebrow. “Does the Magicary know you’re poaching people?”
“What can I say? Even mages are enamored with the pirate’s life.”
“Oooh. New title idea: A Pirate’s Wife for Me. ”
“Charming, dear,” Reyna said, adding a tiny bit of honey to her porcelain cup. “The heist?”
Serina rapped the diagram of the river with her knuckle. “We send Bobbie in first, have her tell Arlon we’re planning an attack on the warehouse. She regrets her part in my stealing his ship, but there’s still time to stop us… if he moves fast.”
“The constables are removed from the library, giving us free access.” Reyna nodded at Kianthe.
“Right.” Serina snapped her fingers, looking amused. “Then my crew heads in. We make a big show of the cannons we mounted on deck. While all eyes are on us, Dreggs takes over.”
Dreggs bounced in their seat. “What an exciting time. My crew is heavily trained in combat, and we have mages on our side. We can handle the alchemical seals, and break into the warehouse from the back side while you’re keeping them busy at the river.”
“Don’t kill anyone.” Bobbie set her jaw. “I know these folk. A lot of them have families, just like us.”
“Dear, and I mean this in the nicest way, death will happen on a battle of this scale.”
Bobbie narrowed her eyes.
The pirate captain heaved a long-suffering side. “Young and idealistic. Fine. My crew will try to avoid death. But if it comes down to the constables or my crew, I can guarantee who will be left standing. Fair?”
“Fair,” Bobbie said begrudgingly.
“We’ll take what we can and get out; I’ll leave a little calling card to Arlon in the mix. Then we use my network to distribute the food. Arlon knows he’s not top dog on the Nacean anymore, and my parents are happy.” Dreggs paused. “I mean, I’m happy.”
Kianthe snorted.
With the battle plan in place, they all separated to prepare. There wasn’t much point in wasting time, after all. Dreggs waited until they left the Painted Death , traipsing down the plank onto the Knot for Sail , before sounding an alarm to rally their crew.
Kianthe and Reyna paused on deck, drawing in one last moment of peace before the storm. It gave them full view of the Serina’s crew dispersing, of Mister Mom boarding the third vessel—the one used to kidnap them from Lathe days ago.
Bobbie paused near the plank to it, hesitating. The immediate plan was that Mister Mom dropped her off close enough to borrow a ship from the constables in Neolow, where she could sail north to warn Diarn Arlon.
Now, Bobbie only had eyes for Serina. “Are you going to be okay? Arlon has the best archers in Shepara.” She gnawed at her lower lip. “A lot could go wrong with this plan.”
Serina flashed a confident smile and pulled her in for a kiss. “Don’t worry. I’ll be careful.” Now her gaze sharpened. “You too, okay? Arlon may see through all of this. If he does, you know how to stop the attack.”
Bobbie tugged out Kianthe’s moonstone, begrudgingly handed over for long-distance emergency communication.
The mage huffed, crossing her arms.
Reyna elbowed her. “It’s just for a few days, Key. We’ll get it back. And I’ll be with you the rest of the time.”
“I know. I still feel naked without it.”
Reyna’s eyes roamed her fiancée. “Wouldn’t that be something?”
Kianthe smirked, and her sour mood was forgotten.
Meanwhile, Bobbie heaved a sigh. “You two say we’re ridiculous, but you’re acting like you’re already on a honeymoon.” The ex-constable paused, fidgeting. “I’m happy I met you two, though. Things would have been different without your help. Thank you.”
“We expect an invitation to the wedding,” Reyna said resolutely.
Serina paled. “Moving a little fast there, huh? Let’s see if we survive the season first.”
After a few more moments of discussion, Bobbie boarded the smaller vessel, waved as Mister Mom ordered the willowy pirate—who wound up being Dreggs’ sailmaster—to get them to Neolow. Only once she was out of sight, vanishing around the river bend, did Serina heave a sigh.
“I think I might love her after all.”
“Shocking,” Reyna said delicately.
“A griffon would be very helpful right about now,” Kianthe muttered.
They’d left Dreggs behind, and Serina dropped them off at the stables near Neolow’s eastern shore. Regretfully, Lilac was still stabled in Koll, so they had to rent horses from the stables themselves. Normally, renting a horse was an absurd request, but considering the Arcandor herself asked, no one argued. Reyna tossed them a few coins as an afterthought, and they rode into the night.
Of course, that meant they were still trudging up the shoreline hours later. It had started to rain again—not quite snow, but the drops that pelted their faces were icy. Even after Kianthe placed a magical bubble around them, the air was still freezing.
Reyna swallowed a laugh. She wasn’t much happier than Kianthe, considering the weather. “We have a griffon.”
“Ponder is a baby . She’s no help.”
Kianthe squinted through the trees, didn’t see the griffon in question, and whistled. Ponder chittered in response, skillfully weaving between the trunks. One day she’d be unstoppable in the skies—Reyna could already see her dedication, the drive she’d develop with age. She was smart. She was resourceful. Pride swelled when Reyna looked at her.
So, her voice was overly fond when she replied, “Oh, she’ll be helpful someday. How long does it take to ride a griffon, again?”
“By summer, she’ll be full size. By this time next year, you should be able to ride her safely.” Kianthe waggled a hand. “Give or take.”
“See? Just a year’s time before we can fly. That’s helpful.” Reyna held out her arm, grinning when Ponder landed on it. She wasn’t as heavy as one might expect, considering her hollow bones, and she nibbled Reyna’s ear before taking off again.
Kianthe heaved a sigh. “Doesn’t help us now. Are you still craving adventure?”
Reyna considered it. “Mmm. Not quite. After seeing Diarn Feo, I’m actually feeling a bit homesick. This would be a wonderful night to curl up by the fire together and read a book. I love the way you narrate.”
“Stupid voices and all?”
“Indeed.”
The mage seemed to swell with the praise. “Well, good. I’m glad Tawney will be a nice reprieve from this. I know the career change has been difficult for you, but we can take trips like this anytime, Rain. Seriously. Between the two of us, there’ll be no lack of adventure.”
Reyna inhaled the damp scent of petrichor, smiling. “I think I’m finally ready to believe that.”
Kianthe returned the smile, and the night pulled forward.
They arrived at the library near sunrise but didn’t get too close. They’d timed it well—Bobbie should just be entering Arlon’s estate now, which meant the call to shift the constables further north would be happening anytime. Reyna scouted the area while Kianthe watched Ponder, who was a bit too unpredictable to take on a stealth mission. Frankly, if they could have left her with Serina’s crew, they would have—but Ponder only listened to Visk, Reyna, and sometimes Kianthe, so that was out of the question.
Alone, Reyna prowled along the edges of the clearing, squinting at the large building before her. Unlike Arlon’s estate, this library was a display of wealth. It was circular, with multiple levels that reminded her of the luxurious towers in Wellia. Huge windows revealed books on every floor, so many her head spun. Forget Ponder— Kianthe would be the wild card here.
The grounds were heavily guarded. Reyna perched on a cliff overlooking the clearing, laying on her stomach in the rain while the sun painted the horizon a dull gray. In the incrementally brightening light, she counted no less than twenty-seven constables on rotation.
Gods, Arlon must have an entire town’s worth of constables under his command. How did he even train an enforcement group this large?
Then again, it was wholly possible he’d relocated the people he had left to guard his most prized possessions: the eggs.
She had just finished mapping their rotations when a call sounded on the library’s far end. The constables stormed towards the sound, leaving the opening Reyna expected. Moments later, her moonstone tapped twice against her chest. It was clumsy, nowhere near the professional taps Kianthe had mastered, but it would do.
Two taps meant the plan succeeded. Bobbie had warned Arlon and he was clearly responding.
Reyna watched for a while longer, but most of the constables didn’t come back. Their window was open, and it wouldn’t stay that way long. She crept back to Kianthe, wringing water out of her hair before tying it into a bun again.
Kianthe and Ponder were hunched under a bubble of empty air, the rain falling off it like blown glass. A tiny fire flickered merrily, one Kianthe extinguished when she saw Reyna. “Tell me we’re ready to get out of this storm.”
“Bobbie sent the signal. The constables are moving north.”
Kianthe grinned, pushing to her feet. The bubble collapsed, and she tugged her hood over her head to get out of the rain. “Great. Let’s go steal some dragon eggs.”
“It’s hardly stealing if he never owned them in the first place.” Reyna replied primly, catching Ponder’s attention with a slice of jerky. “Pondie, dearest, I’m going to need some focus from you, okay? Absolute silence inside the library. Can you do that for me?”
Ponder stared at the jerky, then assumed her “form up” position.
It was as much an acknowledgement as they’d get. Reyna tossed it to her, showed the rest of the jerky, and pressed a finger to her lips. Ponder’s chittering quieted, and she hunched on her haunches, looking more feline than eagle now. When Reyna led Kianthe towards the library, Ponder stalked behind them like a tiny jungle cat.
Five constables remained guarding the library.
“Plan?” Kianthe murmured, crouching in the bushes. “I can take them out.”
“Hardly necessary. Dreggs added a new plant to my repertoire.” With a wink, Reyna produced a cloth of the extract the pirate had used to keep Serina unconscious. “He calls it blue locke.”
“Are you seriously identifying a plant to an elemental mage?”
Reyna raised one eyebrow. “Do you want me to use this on you , next?”
Kianthe laughed and waved her on, one hand on Ponder’s back to keep the griffon close. Reyna left them, doing what she did best: general sneaking, lurking in shadows, lunging at unsuspecting people and incapacitating them before they could scream.
At least this time, she wasn’t slicing throats. That was always a messy affair.
By the time the morning sun had settled behind the storm clouds, illuminating the forest with dull gray light, Reyna was picking the library’s lock while Kianthe tugged the constables’ unconscious bodies into a pile. As an afterthought, the mage waved a hand and vines snaked over their arms and legs.
The blue locke should keep them out half the day, but neither of them were leaving much to chance.
A soft click made Reyna pause in satisfaction as the final pin fell into place. She carefully opened the door. “Alright. This is going to be difficult, but I’ll remind you, darling, that we own a bookshop. We can order anything inside this library. Please stay focused.”
She pulled the door open and held her breath.
“You act like I’m a toddler who’s going to…” Kianthe stepped into the library and trailed off, tilting her head up, up, up. Her jaw dropped, and she scrambled to finish her sentence. “… to…” She clearly couldn’t do it.
Reyna closed the door behind them, pinching her brow. “We have a goal here, Key.”
“I know. I know.” Kianthe didn’t sound like she knew, not anymore. “Just a peek?”
“Kianthe.”
The mage heaved a long-suffering sigh and grumbled under her breath, but she dutifully followed Reyna and Ponder further inside. “Watch for alchemy traps. We know that’s Arlon’s favorite.” The moment she finished speaking, her eyes landed on a set of glass cases in the center of the library. Old tomes lined the shelves, carefully preserved. It was obvious from their covers, their carefully sewn spines, that they were ancient.
“T-Those are one-of-a-kind,” Kianthe breathed. She moved as if possessed, reaching a hand towards the glass. “Surely he wouldn’t miss these—”
Reyna stepped in front of her. “If you were a paranoid diarn who used alchemy to protect your things, where in this library would you have spells applied?”
Kianthe stared over her shoulder at the books, but admitted sadly, “The rare book section.”
“The rare book section.” Reyna guided her away, whistling for Ponder to follow. “Come on, love. I’d rather not see you unwittingly electrocuted today.”
“It wouldn’t be electrocution; it’d be raw alchemical magic—”
Reyna offered a stern glance over her shoulder, and Kianthe clamped her mouth shut.
It’d have been smarter to split up, but Reyna didn’t trust Kianthe not to sidle her way back to the ancient tomes. Instead, they scanned the perimeter together—after a few moments of searching, Reyna noticed a scrape on the floor near one of the bookshelves.
“How curious,” she murmured, running her fingers along it.
Kianthe peeked over her shoulder, squinting. Then her gasp echoed through the massive space. “It’s a secret door! A hidden bookshelf door—secret hinges—a secret room !” Her glee manifested in disjointed screaming, followed by an excited, “Hang on, I know this! I’ve read this book before,” before she began tugging tomes off the shelf one by one.
Reyna watched her chaotic enthusiasm with amusement. While she was busy, Reyna traced the bookshelf with her eyes, noting a box near the top that was clearly designed to blend in with the wall. Gears to shift the bookshelf, almost certainly. And that meant a pull somewhere, larger than a book… something closer to a fake statue.
With confidence, she stepped towards the nearby statue of—how quaint—a dragon. It only took a few moments to notice the oil stains on its raised arm. She pressed it, and a scraping sound echoed as the bookshelf turned out.
“Damn it, how did you know that?” Kianthe said, disappointment evident in her features.
“I would never have thought to look if you hadn’t realized it was a hidden room,” Reyna lied, and strolled inside.
Behind her, Kianthe swelled. “I know you’re lying, but the fact that you’d lie seems like true love. So, I’ll take it.”
“It is indeed true love.” Reyna agreed, descending the staircase. The mechanism must have been timed because the door shifted closed behind them, casting them in darkness. Ponder chittered in unease. Kianthe put a hand on Reyna’s shoulder to stop her.
“Hang on. Let me lead.” She ignited her palms effortlessly, then shooed the flame into a ball. She raised it up, illuminating the steep staircase, and shot Reyna a tentative smile. “This is kind of creepy, Rain.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you,” Reyna teased. Despite the joke, she reached for one of the daggers strapped to her back.
Ponder landed on her shoulder, talons gently gripping her for balance. Ah. That would make a defense harder. Reyna thought about ordering the griffon off, but Ponder looked agitated—griffons didn’t like being underground, after all.
“I know, Pondie. You’re okay.”
Kianthe glanced over her shoulder, brows knitted together, and they continued on in silence. Finally, they reached the bottom, where the staircase opened into a cramped room with a singular door on the other end.
Kianthe was leading them, focused on illuminating the space and checking for constables in the corners of the room.
She didn’t see the spellwork etched into the floor, so light it looked like part of the marble.
She didn’t realize… but Reyna did.
Three things happened in rapid succession. First, Kianthe set one foot in the spellwork. Second, Reyna gasped her name, shoved her off the circle. Third, a flash of light and a shock of pain slammed into Reyna instead.
She didn’t even have time to scream.
The world went black.