Chapter 12 #3
Taewyn pulled himself up to peer over the edge then dropped back down. “Ugh, he’s got her pressed against the wall, and her hand is down his trousers.”
“Are they distracted enough that we could sneak by?”
He smiled mischievously. “Might be.”
I couldn’t hold much longer and would have to risk it.
I swung back to the pipe and gripped it hard between my boots.
Celine waved for us to go. I didn’t even look, I just moved, fast and silently, and swung over the top of the roof’s edge.
I peeked down just as Taewyn launched himself over.
The couple was still canoodling, completely unaware.
“Luck is on our side tonight,” Celine said with a giddy grin. The other apprentices had waited, but now we had to move double time.
We made it to Etterdam’s Library, crossing into vampire-team territory, and went down a road that turned into a district of the city that appeared to be abandoned.
The homes were run down, with tattered roofs and holes in the walls.
There were no lanterns or torches. The overgrowth of weeds was so thick there wasn’t much of a road left.
What looked like an old stone temple was crumbling and missing walls.
Why would they let this part of the city go?
Why not bring people from Lothleton in if there was room?
It could be repaired and turned into something nice.
We came to an old wooden bridge over the river and paused. The moonlight sparkled off the dark water and fireflies fluttered around the reeds.
The bronze-haired girl who’d taken the lead brought out the map again. The name on her collar was FOXGLOVE. “We should split up to throw them off. Half of us can go here with the hostages while some of us hide in the old temple ruins and fight them off.”
“Who are the half going to Gloomy Hollow? There’s nowhere to hide but the old mine shaft,” Celine protested.
“Exactly.”
“You want us to hide in an old ore mine that could cave in on us?” Taewyn balked. “It hasn’t been running in years. No way.” Everyone muttered in agreement.
“It’s what vampires would do and we’re vampires tonight,” Foxglove said.
I cleared my throat. “If they don’t split up and they find you, you’ll be outnumbered and we might all be in trouble.” The group of over twenty apprentices had turned to stare at me.
“Splitting up throws them off. We lead them away. It buys time until midnight.”
I didn’t like it. Leading up to the games, Vander said if we were going to win, we had to work as a team and everyone had to have a role, such as lookouts and guards.
He never said anything about separating.
“If we’re going to split up, we should at least find a place that we can defend that isn’t at risk of caving in on us.
We can’t count solely on them not finding us by midnight. ”
“So, what do you suggest?” Foxglove asked.
I gulped and felt the weight of the pressure but took the map from her hand.
A stone’s throw from the old mine was a granary.
“We could go to the granary. It’s the farthest building from Etterdam’s Library where the crossing point is.
There’s usually a ladder to the top level, but we could pull the ladder up and they wouldn’t be able to get to us easily.
We could defend from there as well.” It’s what the night watch did in Neverglade. Take the high ground.
“It’s as obvious a hiding place as the old temple ruins,” Celine said.
Foxglove tilted her head.
“But if it’s not falling apart like the ruins and with a second story, we could fight them off if they find us,” I said.
“Granary is my vote,” Taewyn added.
“Fine,” Foxglove said. “Half of you with me to the temple ruins to distract them, half of you with Bonecarver and the hostages to the granary. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” was the consensus.
I hoped this plan worked or it was on me.
The granary was in a clearing, two stories high, and although the brick structure was old, it was sturdy.
On the left side was the chute, and on the right was the ladder to get to the upper level.
There was only one door and two windows.
I was the first up the ladder and pushed through the door.
Dust and dirt billowed up. Splashes of old grain were scattered across the wood floor that had holes and broken panels.
A rat squeaked in the corner and skittered away.
“Be careful,” I said quietly. “Some of the flooring is rotted. We should put the hostages in the back away from the windows.”
Taewyn and Celine led the three assassin hostages and stood guard in front of them. The others set up in front of the door and windows.
Then we waited. I paced in front of the east windows that faced the old road, but a large tree blocked the view. Moonlight shone in from a small opening in the roof. I had to get up there. At the moment we were blind.
Using the imperfections and gouges in the brick walls, I climbed up to the hole in the roof and peered out. The chirp of crickets and the cool night air hit me. The old cobblestone road, half covered in the overgrowth of weeds, was quiet, empty.
“See anything?” Taewyn asked.
“Nothing.”
“How will we know when it’s midnight?” a girl asked.
“The trainers will let us know,” someone answered.
I searched the wooded area to the south of us.
Was Vander in there, watching? I would bet he and the others were close behind us the entire time, and we hadn’t seen or heard them.
I pulled myself onto the slanted roof and made my way toward the maple tree.
It was just tall enough to give me some cover, but I could still see over the top. Everything was quiet out here.
Muffled conversation drifted up from inside the granary.
My team were talking about which tavern they’d go to if we won.
It was a toss-up between a place called The Nightcap and Enchanted Elixir.
Enchanted Elixir was owned by two mage sisters, and some of the drinks were laced with magic, and they had ethereal music and dancing.
The Nightcap was run by an old retired warrior, but they said his place had the best food, loud music, and gambling.
Celine pulled herself onto the roof and sat next to me. “Hey. I thought you might be getting bored up here.”
“A little, but it sounds like our night of fun is being planned. Enchanted Elixir? They use real magic in their drinks? What for?”
She smiled and looked up at the stars as if lost in a memory.
“The whole place has magical purple lighting, and there’s always a mist floating around the dance floor.
The music is lighter, more harps and soft singing than anything upbeat.
As far as the magic in the drinks, it’s more like the drink bubbles, or changes colors, or glows.
There is one that’s called Blue Ice, and when you drink it, your breath comes out in frosty clouds for a few minutes.
There’s another called Dragon’s Breath. You will literally burp a fireball. ”
“The frost breath sounds fun, not sure about the Dragon’s Breath fireball. Does it burn?”
“Burns like whisky, not fire. They don’t sell their real potions at the tavern, though. You’d have to visit their magic shop in the day if you wanted something for courage or luck or to change your hair color.”
My brows shot up. “Change your hair permanently?” I’d never even given thought to having another color other than my coppery blonde. It had never been an option.
“It only lasts a week or so before you have to buy more. My father got me plum purple for my sixteenth birthday.”
My sister was going to love all these stories. I’d have to bring her one of these potions. I wished my family could be here in the city with me. No more locking themselves in at night. No more worrying that they’d be torn apart if the door didn’t hold or the shutters weakened.
Celine stood and stretched her arms overhead. “Do you think Commander Ace will ever tell us to kill the vampire queen? Us girls would have to do it. Belladonna has too much control over the men. Viper did tell you about her, right?”
“I read about her. And he said she was the most dangerous vampire, and that she hadn’t been seen outside of their castle in a decade.
Is it true that all men have to do is look at her and they fall under her spell?
Do you think it’s magic?” Maybe she had the gift the same way the mages did.
.. Maybe she was a mage at one time. Vander had said they captured mages and tortured them for spells.
They could just as easily turn a mage into one of them.
Celine shrugged. “I don’t know if it’s magic or if she has some kind of mind-control power. Did you know some of the scholars have telekinetic and telepathic gifts?”
Those words were completely foreign to me. I hadn’t gotten to anything about mind powers in my studies. “Viper mentioned something about mind reading...”
“Telekinesis is the ability to move objects with your mind.” She touched two fingers to her temple. “A girl at school used to float books around class, but it’s rare. Even more rare are the telepaths. They can speak to people’s minds without saying a word.”
That would be an interesting talent. “Can they also hear thoughts?” But Vander said a mind reader hadn’t been born in seventy or so years?
“I think two telepaths can speak to each other silently, but I’ve never heard of them hearing thoughts outside of that. Of course, maybe they just don’t tell anyone. I don’t know if I’d tell anyone I could find their deepest thoughts and secrets.”
“I don’t think I’d want to know what other people were thinking.” Not only was it an invasion of privacy but if I could hear what people were thinking at all times, I’d go mad. My own thoughts were loud enough sometimes.
“Me neither. Especially some of the creepy old men. Can you imagine?”
“I’d rather not.” I scrunched my nose. “Young men either. I don’t want to know what Beast or his goons are thinking half the time, based on the things he says out loud.”
She laughed. “You really do hate him, don’t you?”
“I don’t understand why you don’t.”
“He’s not always like that. It’s a mask mostly. His father is a warrior, meaner than a bear, and expects him to be the best at everything. I think Morrow takes out his anger on others. He can be sweet, if you’d believe it.”
There was absolutely nothing sweet about that man. “You’d think if someone was mean to you, you wouldn’t want to treat others like that.”
“I used to tell him that. He’d laugh in my face.” She sighed and sat back down, toying with the buckle on her boot. “I’ve heard there are scholars who can manipulate and infiltrate dreams.” She shuddered. “I’m glad I’m an assassin. Give me a blade and a target. Period.”
I was thankful for the change of subject. “Maybe Belladonna has a power like that. And the kings share a mind, right? Is that telepathy?”
“In a way, I suppose, but it’s different with them. I’ve heard it’s almost like they’re the same person in two bodies. And that’s always been my assumption with Belladonna. They say she’s so beautiful men cannot look away, but it’s ridiculous if it’s true.”
“Is that why no one has attempted to kill the kings? Maybe her power guards them too well.”
She let out a quiet laugh, making me feel naive.
I suppose I was. “People have tried. They just aren’t successful.
It’s a death sentence to go into the Black Castle.
I heard that’s where most of the daywalkers live now.
” She glanced around. “Keep this between us, but last night I overheard Falcon talking to Viper in the hall. A vampire was found and captured in the mages’ building yesterday. ”
My heart picked up pace. “How did a vampire get inside the city, let alone the mages’ building?”
She shook her head and whispered, “Don’t know.
That’s the scary part. The entrance gate is always guarded by mages who have magic to alert for a vampire.
And unless they dressed as an assassin and know the hand signals to get the rope let down and the passcode once they reach the assassin at the top, which you know is a highly guarded secret.
.. there could be traitors in our walls. ”
I felt slightly nauseous. I couldn’t imagine any human or ducai working with the vampires.
It went against everything. But if the vampires lived lavishly, they must have riches.
Men were prone to bribery, wealth, power.
There was more than one way to win a war.
“You think they were looking for the daywalking spell?”
“That spell was destroyed long ago. But I bet they are looking for a mage powerful enough to remake the spell.”
“Who?”
“Other than the archmage or the Avakki, I don’t know. They don’t even teach spell creation anymore. No one born in the past century even knows how to create a new spell.”
Laughter caught our attention. It hadn’t come from inside.
We both lowered ourselves to the roof. I clenched my teeth—Team Assassin was coming down the road.
They weren’t trying to hide themselves or sneak up on us.
The laughter and chatter was much too loud for that. It was as if they knew where we were.
My eyes widened. One girl in the center of the group had a red scarf, our team color, around her neck and was held by a broad male. Her bronze hair shined in the moonlight, and she didn’t have her mask on. I looked at Celine. “Is that... Foxglove?”