Well, visiting my city was a start. And not James’s as-yet-unscheduled sanitized visit.
I hauled the Black Knife bag from its hiding place.
It was time to see my people.
THIRTY-ONE
IN SPITE OF the cold wind, it was embarrassingly easy to climb off my balcony.
The courtyard was quiet. Smooth, white flagstones glowed in the faint torchlight, but I kept to deep pockets of darkness as I crept toward the high rampart, which separated the main keep from the rest of the city.
I let my hands breeze over my tools and weapons. Sword, daggers, crossbow, grapple and line, and a dozen other small things I’d yet to find a need for—but Black Knife was always prepared. To an empty pouch I’d added Connor’s small silver mirror, a reminder of my friends still far away.
Footfalls sounded, and I held my position in the shadows of a silent blacksmith shop.
A pair of guards marched their patrol route, holding a torch aloft. One wore red, and the other blue. That had been my idea, keeping Prince Colin’s men and mine working together. Most merely tolerated the arrangement, but these two held a low, friendly conversation.
When they were gone, I hurried to the wall and tossed my hook over the ledge. The parapet made the throw tricky, but my aim was true. Climbing was easier; my boots gripped the stone securely.
At the top, I hopped the parapet and knelt to coil my line.
The city’s gas lamps had been turned off for the night, leaving only the occasional torch on a wall or candle in a window for light. The streets were black rivers of silence. Faintly, I could hear water crashing on the cliffs, and birds roosting on the ledges. The keen of wind smothered everything else.
I swung my gaze to the lowcity: my destination tonight.
The faint clink of a hook hitting stone stilled me before I could stand. Someone else was climbing the rampart.
I drew a dagger and edged toward the newcomer, keeping my movements silent. The parapet hid me from view, even as I came upon the hook gripping the stone.
Relief shot through me as I glanced over.
Melanie.
I ripped off my mask and shoved it into my belt just as she finished the climb and swung herself onto the walkway.
“Out a bit late, aren’t you?” I grinned and slipped my dagger back into its sheath.
“Wil!” Melanie’s eyes widened as she took in my appearance. “What are you wearing?” Accusation filled her tone.
“Come on, before guards catch us.”
She bit off further questions as we crept along the rampart, then descended. Brittle grass crunched under my boots as I headed for the shadow of the nearest structure: a three-story inn called Castleview. So close to the wall, guests would be lucky if they could see the tops of the towers from the third floor.
“What are we doing?” Melanie whispered as we moved away.
“Taking a tour James and the Grays won’t allow.” I motioned her faster. “I haven’t left the castle since the day I arrived, and I need to feel the city.”
She lifted her face to the sky. “It’s not like when we were children.”
The ride up Castle Street had made that clear. “It’s darker. Sadder. But hopefully that will change after we root out the Red Militia.”
“Maybe.” Her mouth tightened. “Have you thought about giving in to their demands?”
“No.” I shivered off a gust of cold wind. “Well, yes, I’ve thought about it, but then we’d be at war with the Indigo Kingdom. Maybe Laurel-by-the-Sea and anyone else who cares. I can’t do that to Aecor, and I can’t let Patrick think he’s won, even for one minute.”
“Do you really think Tobiah would declare war?”
His name made my heart twist. “When we parted ways, it was under the worst possible circumstances. He’s already deeply unhappy with me.”
“You signed the Wraith Alliance, though. That should mean he wants you to have your kingdom back.”
“He does.” Or did. “But when you’re king, nothing is as simple as you want. You learn the limits of your power so quickly.” I couldn’t remember feeling as powerless as I did since returning to Aecor.
We held still as a pair of police strode past.
“So,” I said when we were on our way again, “what were you doing before I roped you into my illicit adventure?”
“Following information on the Red Militia.” She jutted her chin forward. “We’re heading in the right direction.”
“Update me.”
“Well.” She eyed me askance. “First, you should know that I’m the head of your secret intelligence. So secret, in fact, that I’m the only one who knew about it until just now.”
“You can’t appoint yourself head of secret intelligence.”
“Then what’s the point of it being secret?” Melanie flicked her little finger at me. “Anyway, you know now. And I’d have told you eventually, when I had solid leads to bring you.”