“Lucyan is far too smart to be so easily caught,” Dareena said. She was worried as well, but she had faith Lucyan would be all right. He had gotten into Elvenhame and rescued her and Alistair, after all. She knew how clever and resourceful he was. “I imagine he is discovering useful secrets that will help us defeat the enemy.”
“That is our hope,” Shadley said. “He should be meeting with my agents any day now, and we’ll find out what he’s learned then. In the meantime, they have been buying as many amulets and gadgets as possible and sending them back to us. I have also had them digging into warlock techniques and abilities, so we have a better idea of what we are dealing with, and what we might expect in open warfare.”
Dareena nodded. She hoped that Lucyan would emerge soon, and that he and Ryolas would find Basilla. She remembered what the elven princess had said about her aversion to metal, and hoped that she did not suffer any lasting damage from what was already a trying ordeal.
21
The next day provided very little in the way of sleep or relaxation for Lucyan. During the day, he trained hard with the others, keeping his eyes peeled and his ears alert for any useful tidbits he might find. But when night came, Lucyan stayed awake long after the sergeant called lights out and checked that they were all tucked in their bunks. Once he was absolutely certain no one was awake, he quietly crept from his bed and to the sole window in the quarters he shared with five other recruits. The cacophony of snoring coming from their beds silenced both the sound of his footfalls and the tiny squeak of the hinges as he pushed up the window.
Putting his nose up to the opening, he took in a deep whiff. The night air came rushing to meet him, bringing a whirlwind of different scents—freshly cut grass, night-blooming flowers, the tiniest hint of manure, and, of course, magic. There were also the scents of various people, but none were particularly strong. Convinced no one outside could see him, Lucyan quickly climbed through the window, then closed it behind him.
With a black cloak wrapped around him, Lucyan approached the castle on silent feet. He’d memorized the routines of the exterior guards and knew exactly when change of shift was, so he was able to sneak in easily using a servants’ entrance. Wards set around the perimeter were activated at night, but he’d filched one of the amulets worn by the night guards, and passed through them without incident.
Once inside, Lucyan headed straight for the scrying room. He avoided all common areas of the castle, where nobles might loiter, drinking or fornicating or doing gods knew what else. Luckily, the guest rooms and living quarters were mostly on the upper floor, so there was little risk of running into anyone. He peered through the cracked door of the scrying room at two sleepy warlocks on duty. They didn’t seem to notice him, and Lucyan had half a mind to go in there and torch the place. But there would be no coming back if he did that, and he still had work to do.
He inspected the other doorways in the corridor. One was marked “supplies,” and the other said “library.” The supply closet was locked, but the door to the library gave easily, and Lucyan entered. He grinned in delight at the rows and rows of shelves waiting for him, and quickly lit a candle sitting on one of the tables and began to peruse the books. With any luck, he would be able to find a cure for Basilla’s affliction.
Unfortunately, the collection of spell books was not as comprehensive as he hoped, and an hour later, Lucyan had still not found anything. It didn’t help that many of the books were written in warlock runes, and while Lucyan could decipher them, he was by no means a master. Frustrated, he riffled through the file cabinets and struck gold. In the third drawer, he found a compendium on recent advances regarding magical constructs and spells crafted specifically for wartime. Flipping through, he found that someone—presumably Lord Byrule—had already annotated it. The pages were riddled with notes that said things like “promising” or “too complicated for emergencies” or “requires recharging.”
“Thank you, old chap,” Lucyan murmured to him as he tucked the file beneath the waistband of his trousers. The notes would be quite illuminating once he had time to read them thoroughly—this would tell him which spells and devices the warlocks were likely to use in certain situations. There were even separate sections for dragons and elves. Hoping that no one would miss it, he snuck out of the castle, then climbed up a tall tree growing right next to the wall encircling the perimeter. With any luck, there would be a spell in the file that could wake up Basilla.
Lucyan walked to the edge of a thick, sturdy branch hanging over the wall, then sucked in a deep breath and jumped. The drop was a good hundred feet—far too steep for any human to safely manage, but Lucyan managed to land in a crouch at the bottom. A bolt of agony shot up his left foot, and he collapsed sideways, gritting his teeth against a groan as he gripped his ankle. Forcing himself not to make a sound, he adjusted the broken bones, then sat quietly with his back against the wall.
As he waited for his ankle to heal, he wondered if perhaps he should not return to the barracks and just be done with this spy recruit charade. But no… he still had not discovered the details of this important mission Lord Byrule was sending him and the others on. He only knew that he was to be partnered with Leager—the third best in their class. He was smart as a whip, though with a streak of cruelty, and absolutely brutal during sparring classes. Lucyan couldn’t wait until he could get the bastard alone so he could beat the tar out of him, but that wouldn’t happen if he ran off now.
Lucyan rotated his ankle, testing it out. When no pain shot up his leg, he got to his feet and gingerly put weight on it. It was slightly sore, but strong enough to take his weight, so he swiftly made his way to the safe house on the other side of town. He took cabs to three separate sections of town, then went the rest of the way on foot to throw off anyone who might be following him. Once he was certain no one watched him, he approached the house and knocked on the door, using the agreed code.
Ryolas opened the door, looking relieved to see him. “Have you found a cure?” he asked once he’d ushered Lucyan inside the house. “Anything to wake up my sister?”
“Perhaps.” Lucyan sat down at the table and pulled the compendium from beneath his clothes. He motioned to Draxton, who stood guard outside Basilla’s door, to join them. “I think the answer may be in here somewhere. Come, help me search.”
He divided the compendium into three stacks, and they carefully combed through, searching for any mention of sleeping spells. There was a lot of information to go through, and thirty minutes in, Lucyan’s eyes began to blur. He really did need to get some sleep…