Advent (Advent Mage Cycle) (14 page)

“What?” Chatta demanded.

“To swear something like this, in writing, with his seal, is completely binding. He can never take back what he’s written,” Shad explained impatiently.

Her mouth formed a perfect O.

I went back to the letter.

As you probably are aware, We have only one grandson, Vonnolanen. Recently, he has begun to show some...disturbing traits. He can communicate with any animal and can sense things that no one else could possibly sense. As this is undoubtedly magic, this has left Us greatly disturbed. Research into Our family records revealed a Life Mage four generations back, knowledge that was kept secret. Even armed with this new knowledge, We are still not entirely convinced that magic is not everything the Star Order claims it to be.

And yet.

Our grandson is not evil. We know this without a shadow of a doubt. But the situation in Our kingdom is such that at this time, We cannot fully protect him. The Star Order, We believe, has already become suspicious of Nolan. They will move to execute him soon if We don’t.

We...no, I cannot allow this to happen.

I have communicated with Guin, and have conferred with him on this matter. He tells me that you and a group of Ascalon soldiers are in my country rescuing magicians.

I request and require that you rescue my grandson as well. Take Nolan to Guin—he will see to his education and upbringing for the time being. For my grandson's sake, We swear that by the time Nolan has fully grown into his powers, magicians will be welcomed in Chahir once again, by any means necessary.

Vonlorisen

My hands were shaking, and for some reason I couldn’t seem to draw a proper breath. The heir to Chahir was a Life Mage?! And Vonlorisen—

“Garth, we’re dying from suspense, here,” Hazard growled. “What did that letter say?!”

I ignored him for a moment, my eyes on Saroya. “Do you know what this message says?”

“Yes.” His eyes scrutinized my every facial twitch.

“Vonlorisen’s grandson is showing signs of being a Life Mage,” I said to the group, eyes never straying from Saroya. “Apparently there’s a history of it in their family. The Star Order is making noises about having the boy executed. Vonlorisen requests and requires that we go rescue Vonnolanen and take him directly to Guin. In return, he swears that by the time that his grandson reaches full power, he will have turned Chahir into a country that will welcome magic.”

Xiaolang rocked back onto his heels, his face a mirror of my own shock. “And do you believe it?”

“Yes. He wrote a formal oath into this—” I waved the message in emphasis “—that would hold up in any court of law. He’s serious, Xiaolang. Very serious.”

The wheels were spinning in Xiaolang’s head. “Saroya, how long did it take for that message to get here?”

“I’ve been tracking you for several weeks,” he answered inflectionless. “It has been one month since Vonlorisen accepted his grandson’s abilities.”

A lot could change in a month.

“You obviously know what we look like.” Xiaolang gave a pointed glance at me. “Is that Guin’s information or your own?”

“A little of both,” Saroya admitted. “I knew there was a party of eight people, only two Chahiran, that was wandering around in Chahir. One of them was obviously Solian as he rode a dragoo. Guin just gave me a better description of the Advent Mage.”

Shield blew out a breath. “So our cover is blown, eh?”

“We knew it would be eventually,” Xiaolang noted in an absent fashion. “We’re too conspicuous to deceive people long. Saroya, how dangerous is it for us to enter the capitol at this point?”

“The Star Order would descend on you like ravaging wolves the moment you came within sight of the gates,” he answered grimly.

“Then we’re going to have to do this the hard way.” Xiaolang said, not surprised, all determination. “We’re going to have to split up just outside the city. Garth, you’re going in. Shad, you can blend in as well, so I’ll have you go in with him.”

“Just those two?” Chatta objected. She was clearly worried.

Xiaolang nodded, not looking happy about his own decision. “We can’t risk anyone else. They’ll recognize you from your last trip there, and the rest of us can’t really pass for Chahiran. Right now, stealth is preferable over numbers. Night, I’m going to ask that you stay here as well.”

Night reared back, shaking his head angrily. “
No! They won’t suspect me.”

Saroya was the one to correct him. “On the contrary, we know what you are. Your last visit with us gave us a great deal of time to observe you.”

“
But—!
” he cut himself off, giving me a pitiful, pleading stare.

I placed a hand on his neck, dredging up a sorry smile in return. “You know that there’s no one in this world I’d rather have guarding my back. But…we can’t risk fumbling this, Night. Not when there’s a child’s life on the line.” No, if this worked right, it would be a whole
country
on the line.

He was clearly set to argue this but choked it back and nodded sadly.

“Sorry.” I patted him, wanting to console but knowing that any words were useless.

Xiaolang was already racing ahead, his mind mapping out routes and methods. “Saroya, your King is obviously expecting us to come get the prince. Is there a designated pick up point?”

Saroya shook his head, mouth set in an unhappy line. “We didn’t dare. Part of it was because I couldn’t guarantee when I’d find you. But also, the Star Order started watching the prince very closely right before I left. If we deviate from his normal patterns at all…”

“It will signal that something is going to happen,” Xiaolang finished in grim understanding. “Very well. So how do we smuggle these two in?”

“That depends. Magus.”

I focused on Saroya again, assuring him silently that I was listening.

“I have limited knowledge of your capabilities. Do you have some magical way to get into the Palace unseen?”

“Yes,” I answered cautiously. “But it will set off all sorts of alarms. It takes a great deal of magic.”

His frown deepened, adding years of age to his face. “It might come to that, for an escape route at least. Is it dangerous for you to carry passengers?”

“Not at all,” I assured him firmly. “I can carry groups of people without strain. The only danger is alerting people to what I’m doing.”

“Then we’ll keep that as our ace in the hole.” He regarded me steadily. “I think our best solution would be to borrow some Special Forces uniforms.”

He’s not seriously suggesting what I think he is, is he?

Shad stirred beside me, drawing my attention. “You know, it’s easy to infiltrate a place. Just dress inconspicuously and act like you belong there. Most people won’t give you a second glance.”

I quirked an eyebrow. “That really works?”

“All the time,” he admitted easily.

“It will easily get you two in,” Saroya assured me. “I’m not sure how far it will get you back out again, though. Even Special Forces can’t walk out of the Palace with a prince in tow.”

I thought about that for a moment. “Chatta, do you have an amulet with a strong glamour attached to it?” We’d been using quite a few of them over the last few weeks, I wasn’t sure if we had any left.

Her eyes lit up. “Now
that’s
brilliant. I certainly do. Only small ones, though, so it won’t last more than a few hours.”

Shad and I exchanged glances. “A few hours should be more than enough,” he assured me.

“Won’t this glamour attract attention as well?” Saroya was waffling between delight and concern.

“A glamour is a very strong magical shield that makes everyone overlook the person wearing it.” Chatta flashed me a smug grin. “These are strong enough to where everyone will simply ignore the prince. I can’t attach too much magic to the amulet—it simply isn’t strong enough to sustain a spell that complex for long—but it should last about five hours.”

Saroya nodded hesitantly, not entirely convinced. “I’ll trust your expertise in this. Captain Xiaolang, can we hammer out the rest of the details as we go? I fear we are short on time as it is.”

“Understood.” Xiaolang nodded. “People, let’s move out.”

Chapter Nine:
Premonition Answered

Shad and I left everyone on the edge of the city, just out of sight around a bend in a side road. The horses were well hidden behind a stack of lumber meant for some sort of bridge repair. At least, after crossing that shaky bridge to get to the outer city limits, I certainly
hope
it’s meant for bridge repair. It had taken most of the day to arrive here by horseback, so the sun was well on its way to being set when Saroya came back with the uniforms He’d barely been gone more than an hour, and I hoped that he hadn’t set anyone’s curiosity off by entering and leaving the city in such a short time frame. We changed into them quickly, a sense of time pressing against us. Chatta hugged me tightly before I left. Night just sulked.

The black Special Forces uniforms Saroya gave us were remarkably good fits. I tucked my hair under my collar, making it look shorter than it actually was. Other than that, I didn’t bother to alter my appearance. That’s what the uniform was for, to make those in the area around us uncomfortable and to deter stares.

Shad, of course, looked thoroughly Chahiran with his blond hair and pale skin, although with this close-cropped hair he played the part of a military man better than I could.

Just as we were entering the towering city gates of aged wood, I muttered to Shad, “Exactly how much experience do you have in infiltration and avoiding detection?”

“More than you,” he muttered back over his shoulder, in wicked amusement.

“Shad, that’s not saying much,” I pointed out dryly, trying to maintain my focus on our first hurdle.

“Probably as much as Xiaolang,” he finally admitted. “Before I started fighting crazy magicians, I was largely into infiltration.”

Interesting. I hadn’t known that. I felt more confident in our chances, which added an extra swagger to my step.

We fell silent as we passed the gate guards. Both were far from the model guard with their bulging waistlines and rumpled grey uniforms. At this time of the night, the traffic through the gate was sparse with only a few merchants straggling in, burdened with either packs of wares or handcarts. Clad in our foreboding black uniforms, they gave us only the most cursory glance, as if trying to avoid eye contact and drawing our attention. I tried to emulate Shad, looking relaxed and confident, like I had every right to be there. If you act like you are in charge, you are.

“That’s the right vibe,” he murmured in encouragement. “And if anyone looks at you funny, just look right back at them with a challenging expression. They’ll feel self-conscious then, start second guessing themselves. At that point most men will opt for self interest, over sticking their necks out, if they are unsure of a situation involving a superior.”

I tucked that piece of advice away in my growing bag of wisdom as something that might serve me well later.

The city, even at twilight, bustled with people. We had come in on the east side, which was something of a downtown section—it was mostly shops, inns, and warehouses here. The air certainly had a cleaner smell to it than the gate area did. Here, it smelled like spices and leather. This section of town seemed filled with sound as people talked, dined, and haggled over last minute deals. Because of the diversity and size of the crowd, it took me a second to spot him.

Saroya emerged silently out of the shadows like a wraith, coming to join us with only a brief nod of acknowledgement. Shad and I fell in behind him, following closely in his wake as he carved his way through the congested streets. The people gave way quickly as they recognized his rank, scrambling to open up a causeway, and propelling us closer to the Palace with every footstep.

Shad dared to come in close enough to murmur, “Saroya, any changes?”

“The boy’s been moved into his grandfather’s personal rooms.” I noted the lack of any names and made a mental note to copy the habit.

I wasn’t sure what to make of this bit of news. “Does that make it easier or harder?”

Saroya’s black look was answer enough.

“By whose orders?” Shad wanted to know.

“He panicked.”

A King should know better than to panic…but I suppose a grandfather can’t help certain instincts.

Silence fell again. I lost all track of time, going from one crowded street to the next, until the population started to thin out. The air lost its flavored scent as we left the restaurants behind, and instead the perfume of flowers started permeating the air. No doubt the scents were coming from the elaborate landscaping from the manor houses we passed. Dead silence dogged our footsteps so that even the sound of our boots striking the paved street rang in my ears. I could see, in between the rooftops, glimpses of the imposing palace.

Maybe it was my imagination, but Saroya looked rather worried as we entered through the palace gates. Having him escort us saved us from the traditional challenge from the Palace guards, but he didn’t relax once we were inside. A fine line of tension kept coiling tighter and tighter in his shoulders. I could tell just by looking at him—he considered this enemy territory.

Apparently, no one felt safe in this place anymore.

Without hesitation he went through a side door and down a very dark and quiet hallway. Unlike the palace in Hain, the hallways here did not hold any alcoves or tables with decorative statues. Aside from a few paintings of some long-forgotten noble, there was no decoration at all. Just an unrelenting expanse of grey walls and black flooring. I’d never been in this part of the Palace before, and that knowledge was not comforting. If anything went wrong, and I was separated from Saroya, I’d have to find my way out again. This was hardly a good time to be lost.

I paid very close attention to the route he was taking, hoping that I would be able to retrace my steps, if it ever came to that.