Chapter 40 #2
We take off up the street and towards the area between the Silver Clan barracks and the Ice Palace.
Our cloaks flutter behind us as we run. My heart pounds as a few people glance our way in surprise when we hurry past, but with our faces partially hidden underneath hoods, no one should be able to recognize us.
I still throw my magic out across every street we pass, aiming for those yellow-green sparks of suspicion in people’s chests, and decrease their suspicion until they don’t even think twice about a cloaked group hurrying up the street.
Draven, who immediately figures out what I’m doing, gives me a grateful nod.
“So, you think I’m like the sun, huh?” Lyra suddenly says in a light voice as we round another corner.
Alistair chokes on his breath. Coughing desperately, he casts a panicked look at her.
So, she apparently did hear him earlier.
“Focus,” Draven says, flicking a pointed glance at Lyra.
From her other side, Alistair casts a relieved look at Draven. I have never seen him look that grateful for Draven’s orders before.
“We’ll split up to cover more ground,” Draven continues as we draw closer to our target area. “I’ll scout out the north side. Selena, you’ll handle the west.”
I shoot him a sly smile. “Yes, sir.”
His eyes glint as he meets my gaze for a second before shifting it to Galen. “You and Lyra, take the south side. And Alistair, you’ll handle the east.”
“Why can’t I team up with Alistair?” Lyra complains. “He’s so much more fun than grumpy over here.”
“Because I need Galen to keep your recklessness in check,” Draven replies before shooting a pointed look at the fire wielder on her right.
“And Alistair is just as crazy as you. This is a stealth mission. An important, time sensitive stealth mission. And together, the two of you are as subtle as a fucking volcano eruption.”
Alistair looks caught between a scowl and an unapologetic grin.
Lyra just laughs. “Well, can’t argue with that, I suppose.”
“Alright, split up,” Draven says, and jerks his chin. “We’ll meet back at the rendezvous point.”
We take off in different directions as we reach the next crossroads.
My heart patters in my chest as I follow a small winding path between two houses, heading towards the west side of the large building up ahead.
Most houses in this section of the city have painted their doors in shades of blue.
Everything from pale sky blue to royal midnight blue.
So it’s thankfully easy to deduce which building is our target.
I slow down as I draw closer to the grand structure made of white stone.
That terrible sense of stress tears at my insides.
Lavendera is in there somewhere. She could be one single minute away from finding something that will tell her where the Gold Clan is, and there is no way for me to know.
With my pulse thrumming in my ears, I sneak around the final building and peer out at the library ahead. Dread sluices through my veins.
There are at least ten guards from the Silver Clan standing in the open area between my hiding spot and the library. And on this side, there is no cover between it and where I am. Nothing at all to hide behind while sneaking closer.
Summoning my magic again, I throw it across the entire area.
Not just the west side but all the other sides as well.
More dread crawls up my throat when my magic connects with yellow-green sparks of suspicion in over thirty chests.
There must be around ten guards watching every side of the building.
“Mabona’s tits,” I curse under my breath.
While decreasing their sparks of suspicion, so that none of us will be spotted, I remain there pressed against the wall while studying the area in front of me.
The grand library sits on a flat stretch of stone.
There are no other houses or buildings or any types of structures close to it as far as I can see.
I had kind of expected it to at least have a wall or something around it.
That way, we would’ve had some kind of cover to hide behind at least. But there is nothing.
The guards who surround the library have a clear and completely uninterrupted view of their surroundings.
Getting past them unseen is going to be difficult.
I shift my gaze to the library itself. There are no windows on the building.
Which is no doubt great for the books since it protects them from being damaged by sunlight, but it makes breaking into the damn thing very difficult.
To get in, we will need to go through the door.
I can’t see it from the west side, but I suspect that it’s closely guarded and probably locked as well.
It’s frustrating as hell, but at least it proves one thing. Lavendera really is in there. There is no other reason for why they would guard a library this heavily.
My heart thumps as I flick my gaze from side to side, trying to figure out how in Mabona’s name we’re supposed to get inside before that insane woman can find the answer to a problem that would win the Icehearts the war.
From my vantage point, I can’t see any possible way for us to get inside the library and abduct Lavendera without having to fight forty Silver Clan guards, which would just alert the whole city to our presence and screw up our entire plan.
So in the end, it will all come down to Isera and Orion.
If they can succeed with their part of the plan, we might have a shot at this. If not, we’re screwed. Which brings us back to the worrying fact that they weren’t at the meeting point.
Hopefully, they haven’t killed each other.