Jade looked pained. “Technically, he’s an Enchanter; practically, he’s more of a Charms Master. He was one of the few magicians to set up shop here, catering to the nobility and some of the richer merchants. He’s…well, I had to investigate him when he first arrived and we became friends, of a sort. Alassa and I agreed to use him as a go-between for any messages we might not want to send through the regular channels.”
Emily lifted her eyebrows. “And do you trust him?”
“He forwarded the message warning me that something was badly wrong,” Jade said. “If he’d taken it to the king instead…”
“It could be a trap,” Cat warned. He took a bite of his fish and chewed it, slowly. “Jade, Randor wants your head on a platter.”
“I know the dangers,” Jade said, tartly. “Do either of you have a better idea?”
Emily shook her head. They were flying blind. Everything they said or did might attract attention if it was noticed by the wrong people. Their mere presence in the inn had probably been noted already. The locals had a sharp eye for people who might be intruders from outside the city. They might already have been taken for the king’s spies.
“We need more information,” she said. “Where is he now?”
“He’s gone underground,” Jade said. “I…I sent him a message through a mutual contact. If he’s still in the city, he’ll know I’m here.”
“And he might betray you to the king anyway,” Cat said, sharply.
“We will be very careful,” Jade said. He glowered at Cat. “Like I said, do either of you have a better idea?”
“We find an information broker and get some answers out of him,” Cat said. “Or we kidnap a nobleman and interrogate him too.”
“The former is doable, if Master Abrams can’t help,” Jade said. “The latter would be risky.”
“Particularly as we might get someone who didn’t know anything useful,” Emily added. The king would move heaven and earth to find a nobleman who went missing in his city. It would be too dangerous, unless they were very careful. Perhaps they could find someone who’d gone slumming and pour truth potions down his throat. “The king isn’t in the habit of telling his secrets to random noblemen.”
Cat frowned down at his empty plate, then took a long swig of beer. “Who would know?”
“Nightingale,” Jade said, darkly. “He has an…establishment in the city.”
Emily shuddered. Nightingale was a creep, fawning over everyone above him while kicking everyone below. She didn’t know anyone who actually liked the man, not even his wife and family. Alassa had once told her that she’d have Nightingale beheaded as soon as she became Queen. There was bad blood between them, dating all the way back to Alassa’s childhood. She’d never told Emily the full story.
“His establishment will also be heavily guarded,” she pointed out, after a moment. Alassa wasn’t the only one who loathed the older man. “Getting in and out might be tricky.”
“We can do it,” Cat said. He grinned at her. “But…who else?”
“Sir Roger,” Jade said. “And Sir William, if he’s still in the city.”
Emily wasn’t so sure. She’d met Sir Roger, true, but he’d always struck her as someone who was loyal to the throne. She didn’t think he could be induced to betray Randor and she didn’t want to use the methods she’d need to break him. Sir Roger was a good man. She’d thought well of him, when they’d met. And yet…
We might gain an advantage if Sir Roger is taken off the board, she thought. He’s a very competent man.
A thought struck her. “What about Alicia?”
“She’s worth considering,” Jade said. “But I doubt Randor will trust her with anything important.”
The bill arrived. Jade paid it, then led them out of the diner and back onto the streets. They weren’t any quieter now, even though it was late. Hundreds of men still thronged around, chattering loudly as they exchanged the latest stories. Emily tried to listen, but nothing she heard seemed particularly important. The dockyard workers didn’t really care who sat on the throne.
“Careful,” Cat muttered, very quietly. “Do you have your dagger?”
Emily looked up. A set of young men were swaggering towards them, the kind of young toughs she would have instinctively crossed the road to avoid back on Earth. They carried swords at their belts, although they didn’t move as though they knew how to use them. Emily tensed, feeling her heart starting to beat rapidly. Jade and Cat flanked her, their hands resting on their blades. If they drew…
The soldiers aren’t far away, she thought. But they might not want to intervene…
The tension rose, sharply. Emily moved her sleeve, ready to draw the dagger. The toughs were challenging the newcomers, daring them to flinch. Sweat trickled down her back…she could stop them all in their tracks, if she used magic, but that wouldn’t go unnoticed. Even if they escaped detection, the stories would spread…
She nearly sagged in relief as the toughs stepped aside, clearly unwilling to pick on two men who were armed and ready to defend themselves. Jade hurried them back to the inn as soon as the toughs had turned the corner, Cat keeping a wary eye out behind them. That had been too close.
“We’ll kip for the night,” Jade said, once they were back in their room. “And, if we are lucky, we’ll meet Master Abrams tomorrow.”
Cat snorted. “And if we’re not lucky?”
“You get to think of something else,” Jade told him. “Get some rest. I’ll take the first watch.”
Chapter Twelve
THE STREETS DIDN’T SMELL ANY BETTER in the morning, Emily decided as they found a small diner to have breakfast, but they were a great deal quieter. The fishermen had sailed with the morning tide, unless things had changed more than she realized, while the factory and dockyard workers had gone to work. There were even fewer soldiers on the streets. It made her wonder just how much of their presence was a bluff. Randor couldn’t hope to keep thousands of men on the streets indefinitely unless he’d conscripted half the kingdom.
And he’ll have real problems supporting an army that size, Emily thought. Most medieval armies were largely demobbed almost as soon as a war was over, just to stop them turning into a drain on the king’s purse. Even supporting a few thousand unproductive men is a logistical nightmare.
“I need to go check if I got a reply,” Jade said, once he’d finished his breakfast. “Stay here and wait.”
“Don’t be too long.” Cat’s voice was light, but Emily could hear the concern behind the jibe. “We’ll be worried about you.”
Jade nodded and hurried off. Emily turned her attention back to her breakfast, trying to pretend his departure was perfectly normal. And yet…she knew enough about rebellions and underground conspiracies to understand the dangers. If Master Abrams had been convinced to support the king, or simply rounded up after Alassa had been arrested, Jade could be walking into a trap. She’d seen Randor’s men interrogate suspects. Jade was strong and brave, but everyone broke eventually. They might have no time to rescue him before it was too late.
“He’ll be fine.” Cat sounded as though he was trying to reassure her, instead of actually believing it himself. “We just have to wait for him.”
Emily scowled as she nibbled her bread and cheese. Yes, they had to wait for him…but how long? How long was too long? An hour? Two hours? She understood, now, all the stories about the French Resistance and the uncertainties that the fighters had faced as they waged their secret war. King Randor should have no idea that they were even in his city, but the slightest mistake could change that…
“I know,” she said. “But how long do we wait?”
She considered possible options, but none of them were very good. The handful of contacts she’d made six years ago, during the failed coup against the king, were probably useless by now. Paren’s allies had been ennobled; now, she suspected they would have been arrested or executed. Imaiqah’s family was probably also gone, either thrown straight into the dungeons or forced to flee the city. Everyone else…there wasn’t anyone else. Certainly no one who’d put their lives on the line for her.