CHAPTER 44
Cap
The city he grew up in had never seemed quite so large or impregnable as it did now. It was a long way to the castle when he didn’t want to be seen.
Cap crouched on a tree branch several hundred yards from the gate, the closest the thick forest grew to the walls, while Jean-haut lurked in the next tree.
Rouge was escorting their people to the Lancée estate.
Cap would have gone with them, but it was out of his way.
Since he couldn’t simply stroll into Laurier, he had decided to spend the extra day or two scouting the city.
“The guards are more wary than the last time I was here,” Jean-haut muttered. “They’re searching every single cart. It’s like he knows you’re coming.”
“Perhaps the kingdom has become more unsettled,” Cap murmured back. “We have given him a bit of trouble lately.”
The forester fiddled with his silver cuffs. “That’s true. But look, that soldier is opening a barrel of potatoes. They’re checking for people sneaking in.”
The irate farmer waved his arms, his loud protests wafting all the way to their hiding spot. Cap frowned. “It does seem that way. But why assume an outlaw would rescue his men from the castle dungeons? It would be safer to recruit new followers.”
“An ordinary outlaw might not.” Jean-haut’s voice was somber. “But you would. If he knows who you are, he’ll expect you to come.”
Cap watched the altercation at the gate, dread pulling at his chest. Which of his choices had led to this? “If he knows who I am, he may threaten my family.”
“Marielle will let us know. Or if she hasn’t arrived yet, then Princess Chloe.” Jean-haut spoke hesitantly. “But if he did capture Margit, he might believe that holding her will be enough. Depending on what he thinks he knows.”
Cap’s forehead wrinkled. “Knows?”
Jean-haut opened his mouth, then closed it again. Finally, he said, “The General may assume you have…an understanding.”
Curses; one more thing to worry about.
“We’ll have to go in at night.” Another cart pulled forward. Another of his people harassed by the General’s men. Cap’s jaw clenched. “The patrols the last two nights have been sparse enough that we should be able to clear the wall.”
“Don’t forget, I can’t manipulate the plants this time,” Jean-haut warned. “You’ll have to shoot a rope over and trust it to hold.”
“Or let me make a door.”
Mildly surprised, Cap looked down to see Rouge standing with her hands on her hips.
“Won’t that use a substantial amount of magic?”
She folded her arms and scowled up at him. “Yes. But it would be safer.”
“Only until someone sees it.” He shook his head. “Three people crawling up a rope is less obvious than a hole in the wall.”
“It would revert to normal as soon as I release it. And it could be small enough to crawl through.”
“It would still be noticeable. And loud.” Cap glanced at the line outside the city. “Besides, you’re supposed to be saving your magic for your brother’s cuffs. You are still storing it every night, aren’t you?”
She looked up at Jean-haut. “How can I not? I can’t imagine what it would be like to be cut off from my magic.” Turning back to the wall, she continued in a disgruntled voice, “But I’ve done almost nothing but pour my magic into objects for two months. I’d like to be useful again.”
He gave her a crooked grin. “Everything you’ve done has been useful, Rouge. The objects you enchanted helped us succeed.”
A tiny smile pulled at one side of her mouth. “Good. I’m glad to see that you still appreciate my talents.”
Nodding, he replied, “Of course. Find a tree and get comfortable; we have a long wait.”
~
Cap crawled through the tall, dry grass on his elbows.
He hadn’t practiced this move in over a year, and after two hundred yards, he was starting to feel it.
He could hear Rouge panting with exertion to his right, but only the rustle of grass disturbed the silent night to his left.
Jean-haut had never been in the guard, but he didn’t lack strength.
He signaled for a break, and they paused to let a pair of guards stroll past. With the amount of moonlight filtering through the clouds, fifty yards was close enough to see the grass move.
Once it was clear, they resumed their journey. Cap stifled an idle wish that Jean-haut could help them over the wall. They would simply take a longer rest before they attempted the climb.
Considering how his upper arms ached, he could only imagine how Rouge’s felt.
He let the next patrol pass before pulling out his prepared arrow.
It had a length of rope tied to it that Jean-haut had created back when they first began their less-than-legal activities.
The rope didn’t need magic to sustain its altered qualities, but it had extraordinary strength and packed well in their bags.
Rolling onto his side, he nocked the arrow and took aim at a tree about twenty yards from the wall. The arrow landed with a satisfying thwack. He waited, but the night remained silent.
Jean-haut dashed across the short distance first, leaping to grab the rope. Cap motioned for Rouge to go next. She sighed but rolled to her feet and sprinted after her brother. Cap followed soon after.
Once they were all at the top, Cap looped the rope around one of the crenelations so they could climb down. Jean-haut scrambled up the tree as soon as his feet hit the ground, pulling the arrow free and letting the rope fall.
“Patrol!” Rouge hissed.
Jean-haut froze on the tree branch. Cap abandoned the arrow, pulling his cloak tight and crouching next to a bush with his head dipped toward his knees.
He counted in his head while the guards passed. The thud of their boots accompanied a few wisps of conversation that drifted down to him.
“—a real looker. That chestnut hair—”
“—spunk.” Laughter. “I don’t envy him the task—”
The mention of chestnut hair drew Cap’s mind to Margit. Was she safely hidden somewhere in the city? Or had the General thrown her in the dungeon with the rest of their friends?
The thought of Margit bound and helpless made his fists curl. What if General Valentin had hurt her? She could be barely conscious, sprawled across one of the tiny cots in a cell, too weak to even blow her chestnut waves out of her face—
He forced his eyes open and stared at the dirt pathway under his feet. It did no good to fret about what might be. If he didn’t want to join her in the dungeons, he needed to stay focused on the moment.
As soon as Jean-haut whistled the all-clear, Cap coiled the rope and stuffed it in his bag. The nearby streets were deserted, but he and his companions slipped into the shadows cast by the thin moonlight anyway.
The deeper into the city they went, the more patrols they crossed.
The fourth time they had to dart into the deepest part of the shadows to avoid discovery, Jean-haut whispered, “Maybe you should just challenge the General to a winner-takes-all duel. I doubt he’s left any evidence for you to find, and these increased patrols are a bit excessive. ”
Cap shook his head. “The people who believe his claims will not be persuaded by a sword match. Besides, General Valentin is quite skilled.”
“So make it an archery match.” Jean-haut shrugged. “Though for the record, I think you could take him with the sword.”
Cap thought so too, but his friend didn’t need the encouragement. Besides, his point still stood: it wouldn’t do any good. Not for what he needed.
The houses surrounding them grew larger as they approached the area where the nobles lived.
Cap tipped his head back, tracing the once-familiar buildings as he walked down a row of townhomes.
The dim light hid the fine finishes, but he could still picture many of them as they appeared in the bright light of day.
Halfway down the row, they reached Princess Chloe’s home.
It was surrounded by a tall wrought-iron fence with square stone posts every eight feet and a curved gate across the cobblestone-paved driveway.
It was imposing and beautiful at the same time.
However, as he had pointed out multiple times, the trees growing next to the fence were hardly secure.
Marielle’s parents had always insisted that locked doors and their guards were sufficient.
He couldn’t complain now. Sneaking in would be much harder if they had heeded his warnings.
After boosting his friends to a low-hanging branch, Cap grabbed the rope that Jean-haut lowered and hauled himself up.
He dropped to the grass on the other side and scanned the deserted grounds.
“I don’t want to alert the guards,” he said quietly.
“Find a tree to sleep in, and in the morning we’ll—”
A dark form rushed toward them. He spun, whipping out his bow, but the short figure wasn’t armed. It almost looked like—
“Marielle!” Darting forward, Jean-haut caught the young woman’s hand. “What are you doing out here?”
She dragged the forester along with her.
“I’ve been watching for you. I was afraid you wouldn’t make it in time.
” Turning to Cap, she gasped, “General Valentin announced this afternoon that he’s hanging your followers first thing in the morning.
Mother can’t help them because he’s declared them guilty on the basis of your association.
And there’s not enough time to gather the loyal nobles, even if they would stand up to the General for a group of outlaws. ”
The blood drained from Cap’s face. He couldn’t let his forest family die for his sake.
“You have to do something, Cap!” she begged, setting a hand on his arm. “We can’t wait until tomorrow. Even if you could free them as they’re led to the gallows, Helena is beside herself. She’ll do something reckless if we don’t stop her!”
A bit of confusion broke through Cap’s shock. “Helena?” He couldn’t think of a courtier with that name.
“Yes, Helena!” she replied, exasperated. “My cou—”
She broke off, looking uncertain.
Her cousin? What did Princess Helena have to do with anything?