Chapter 51 Hell
“I will take the Blacksmith’s rendezvous.”
I did not give them room to object. “When his route is not attacked, he and I will be going into Forsgeth for a mug of ale at the pub.”
Liv chuckled. Something in my stomach twisted painfully despite the levity.
By the end of the day we would be expelling a girl we rescued from the family we had brought her into.
It was bittersweet in a way. I would be glad to be rid of the spy.
Fewer glances over my shoulder. But these girls truly had become like family and I worried for their safety, especially if they were so easily manipulated by Stanhope. They would not fare well on their own.
“Well then, that is settled. I will take Johanna’s rendezvous, and Ezra, you can take Arabella’s.”
Liv passed each of us a map she had drawn.
Each of the points were relatively close.
We did not want to be too far from each other if something went truly wrong.
Each rendezvous would occur at a different time.
We would start at our own points, and once the time we had given our assigned suspect passed without incident, we would move to the next point to join the others.
We finalized our plan and separated to deliver the information to Rafael, Johanna, and Arabella.
“Blacksmith!” I shouted across the training ring. His head shot up from the wood he was carving. I did not know what he was making, but he had been at it all day. “I need your assistance with something. It is more of a favor really.”
“Anything.” He wiped his hands down his pants to rid them of the dust and dirt. “What do you need?”
“Liv has asked Ezra and me to accompany her on a supply run in three days’ time.” His eyes grew wide. “I know that it is not the safest out here at the moment. That is precisely why I am worried for the safety of the camp, the girls, in our absence.” He nodded agreeably.
“So, what do you need me to do?” He tilted his head.
“It would make me feel a great deal better if you were here watching over the camp.” I shrugged. “There are a couple of girls that we will ask to help you, especially with corralling the little ones. But I would not trust anyone more to watch over everything here until we return.”
“That is no trouble at all.” He smiled. “Are you certain you do not need help with the run though?”
“No.” My response came almost too fast, and I scrambled for a way to make it seem natural.
“Liv has been having a hard time since…”
His eyes dropped to the ground and sadness washed over his features, accompanied by something that looked almost like guilt.
“We are simply going to use this as a time to talk to her. Hopefully we can lift her spirits.”
“I understand what she is feeling.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I only wish there was something I could do to help more.”
“This is plenty of help, truly. We will leave in the morning in three days’ time, and we should be back before nightfall.”
I handed him a map with the rendezvous point circled.
“We are taking the eastern road and stopping at this spot around midday for rest, in case you should need us, or we do not return, at least you will know where to look.”
He took the map and gave me a sweet smile.
I thanked him once more and then continued about my day.
The three days leading up to the test were grueling.
I was cautious and nervous around everyone.
We did not want to outright follow each of them so as not to raise suspicion.
So, all three of them left the camp unaccompanied.
Raf went into Forsgeth to visit his brother.
Arabella took another of her calming walks through the woods.
Johanna slipped off into the night, and we did not notice until she returned in the morning, claiming she had been sleepwalking.
If it had not been for our plan, we would be no closer to finding out who the spy was.
I awoke that morning feeling ill. My nerves were frayed, and I could not shake the feeling of unease. We gathered at the creek once more before the sun had even crested the horizon.
“Liv, your point is first. Should something happen, let loose your magic. You can make a tree grow tall above the others and that will be our signal to help.”
She nodded. “If nothing happens, you will join Ezra at his point. Again, if anything happens, just signal and if nothing does, you will both join me at my point.”
They both agreed and then stood to leave.
“What happens if none of the points are ambushed?” Liv asked quietly.
“Then we will know that we can trust all three of them, and we will need to come up with a different plan.” I smiled at her. “Let us hope that is the case.” We said our goodbyes and headed to our spots.
The wait was long beneath the winter sun.
I had positioned myself atop a hill, overlooking the rendezvous that I had given to Raf.
I checked the pocket watch I had packed.
We were moments from the time Liv had given to Johanna.
I kept my eyes fixed in the general direction of her spot.
The forest was quiet and still. Were it not for the pit in my stomach this would have been a wonderful day for a picnic and a promenade.
I chuckled quietly at the thought. We were so far removed from proper society now that it seemed like another world entirely.
The hands on the watch seemed to taunt me.
They moved so slowly that at one point I could have sworn they moved backwards.
Eventually the hour of Johanna’s rendezvous passed without incident.
And then Arabella’s did as well. Now we only had to wait for Raf’s to pass.
I would not admit it, but a strange sense of relief came with the realization that our experiment had failed.
I laid back against the rock behind me and kicked up my feet, using my knapsack as a pillow.
I had nearly drifted to sleep when I heard the rustling of leaves.
Then the sound of boots. My heart thundered in my chest as I surveyed the forest below.
“What are you staring at?” Liv whispered from behind me and my heart nearly climbed out of my throat. I turned to find her and Ezra both smiling down at me. “Gods! I nearly killed you.” I let go of my dagger, and it clattered against the stone.
“You could not kill me if you tried.” A cocky smirk tugged at her lips. “Ready to head home?” She reached her hand down to help me up.
I pulled myself to my feet with her help.
My legs tingled from having sat there for so long.
I flipped the pocket watch open. Ten minutes until noon.
If anything were going to happen it would have by now.
I nodded to Liv, but before I could get a word out a branch snapped in the distance.
Our gazes met before snapping to the trail below. We ducked behind the rock and waited.
“Perhaps it was a deer?” I whispered as I peered over the rock.
The forest was still quiet below, no sign of anyone.
We all held our breath and waited a moment more.
Leaves rustled this time unmistakably. My blood went cold as we watched a man emerge from the trees.
Not just a man, an enforcer. He looked around cautiously as though he were lost.
“One enforcer does not mean anything. He could be here by chance,” Liv whispered. Then my heart thundered in my chest as he waved behind him and another enforcer stepped forward. I could not move. Several enforcers came from the woods and stepped into the clearing and bile rose in my throat.
“What…” Liv’s lip trembled. Ezra looked as though he would combust.
“It is an ambush, Liv,” I said coldly. The admission tasted like poison on my tongue and I doubled over.
The contents of my stomach spilled out of me violently until my throat burned.
I stood and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
Then I faced the truth I had been trying so hard not to accept. Raf was the spy.