The Rogue Knight (20 page)

Dalton reached a wooden door and paused, looking back at Skye. “Don't you want to go first?” he whispered.

“That's right,” Skye said. “I should be in front to talk to the guard.”

Dalton leaned against the wall, and Skye squeezed by him. She opened the door and stepped through. Beyond the doorway, Cole saw a guard watching from behind a door made of iron bars. Skye's seeming didn't flicker. When Dalton stepped through, he grunted softly, but his fake persona held as well. Cole went next, followed by Jace, who closed the door.

“Leona?” the guard asked.

“We're heading out,” Skye said.

From above and behind, bells started wildly clanging. The flames of the candles on the wall turned red. Cole tried not to react, but he knew the ruckus must be for them. Leona had awakened or had been found.

“Uh-oh,” the guard said from beyond the door of bars. “That's the general alarm. Nobody in or out until we get the all clear.”

“But we have to go out,” Skye said calmly. “We're searching for an escaped slave. He may have sensitive information.”

“That could be,” the guard said. “But my orders come from the top. A lockdown is the surest way to keep anybody from escaping. I need an all clear before anyone passes.”

The wooden door behind them opened, and Cole's heart leaped when Gustus came through. The chameleon-eyed man looked taken aback. “What is this? Leona, I sent you ahead!”

“General alarm, sir,” the guard said. “This passage is closed. Nobody has come through here in the last couple of hours.”

“Well done,” Gustus said. “But we need to quietly make an exception. We have strong reason to believe an escaped slave is already outside our perimeter. We're going out to bring him in. There isn't time to wait. Every moment counts. Open the way on my authority.”

“You're in charge, sir,” the guard said, opening the door. Skye moved ahead, and the guard walked with her to a solid iron door, which he opened with a key. Cole passed the guard in silence.

Behind Cole, Gustus paused beside the guard. “Though necessary on occasion, bending protocol like this sets a bad precedent,” Gustus said. “Don't speak of it to anyone.”

“Understood, sir.”

“And don't let anyone else through. As far as I'm concerned, this never happened. I'll never admit to it.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Excellent. Keep a sharp watch.”

They continued down the hall with Gustus at the rear. After finally turning a corner, Skye collapsed against a wall, panting. Her seeming vanished, as did Jace's. Gustus disappeared. Skye was bathed in sweat.

“You improvised that?” Dalton asked in astonishment. “You held together an unanchored seeming through a scrubber?”

“That was heavy lifting,” Skye said, her eyes closed. “I almost lost my hold on everything at the end there.”

“I don't know if any of the enchanters here could have done that,” Dalton said. “Maybe the head enchanter on a good day. You even made it look like the door opened.”

“The guard needed to see Gustus come through the scrubber,” Skye said. “It put his authenticity beyond question.”

“I can't believe we made it,” Dalton said.

“We're not in the clear yet,” Skye said, pushing away from the wall. “They've raised the alarm. They won't want us to get away.” She started walking. “Come on!”

C
HAPTER

 20 

HIDEOUT

T
hey exited the crypt without difficulty. Full of weathered tombs and diverse monuments, the cemetery looked more like a forgotten statue garden than a graveyard. With the bells of the Silver Lining still clamoring in the distance, Skye cloaked them in seemings, this time grubby people in worn clothing.

“I can do myself,” Dalton offered.

“I've got it,” Skye said. “Without the scrubbers to interfere, I'd like to think I could handle four temporary seemings from my deathbed.”

“Where to now?” Cole asked.

“I did some scouting this morning,” Skye said. “One of my old hideouts was untouched. Nobody has used it in years. We'll go there. Until we arrive, let's spread out. They'll be looking for a group.”

Jace hung back, and Cole strolled off to one side. Dalton stayed near Skye, and Cole resisted the temptation to join them. He could wait a little longer to hear everything that had happened to his friend since they last saw each other. The first priority was to avoid getting caught.

There weren't many other people in the cemetery. A few old folks stood contemplatively beside graves. One elderly woman shuffled along a lane using a cane. Cole wondered why he only saw older people. Was it because they didn't have to work? Maybe they had more close friends and relatives who had passed away. Or maybe it was just coincidence.

Skye and Dalton exited the cemetery through a small gate. Cole doubted it could be the main entrance. He followed them through the gate and along a walking path. Glancing back, he saw Jace trailing well behind.

As they continued into the city, Cole walked on the opposite side of the street from Skye. Jace continued to hang back. With each block they traveled, Cole felt himself unwind a little more. It looked like they had made a clean getaway.

Up ahead, Skye and Dalton stopped at a street corner. After a glance from Skye, Cole realized she was waiting for him. He crossed the street and joined them. A few moments later Jace caught up.

“We're almost there,” Skye said. “I don't think we're being followed. Stay with me.”

She proceeded along the street, then turned down a shadowy alley. After going a short ways, Cole could see that it was a dead end. A large black dog lay in the corner near the far wall of the alley. As Skye approached, the dog raised its head and growled. She kept coming, and the dog growled more intensely, showing teeth.

“Skye?” Cole asked uncertainly.

“Trust me,” she said, stepping through the dog. Reaching up high, her hand disappeared into the wall and came out with a key. After feeling lower along the wall, her hand sinking a couple of inches into the bricks, she inserted the key and pulled open a door that had been masked by illusion.

“The dog looks good,” Dalton said, walking through it.

“A friend made it,” Skye said. “It's permanent. You can't open the door without disrupting it, and I can tell if it has been disrupted by anyone besides me. Nobody has bothered it.”

“Who would mess with a growling dog?” Jace asked.

“Especially in an alley with no entrances to homes or businesses,” Skye said.

“The shadows?” Dalton asked.

“Good eye,” Skye said. “I layered some false, permanent shadows, so you can't see the back of the alley from the front. That way we're sure to go in and out unnoticed.”

They passed through the doorway and into a long, narrow corridor without doors or windows. Skye produced a ball of light that she held in her hand. Halfway down the hall she stopped.

“There's a ladder built into the wall, buried under a seeming,” she explained. “Climb to the top, then make yourselves at home.”

Cole reached out for the plaster wall, and his hands sunk into it and found rungs. He climbed up, passing through the fake ceiling and eventually entering a spacious room lit by a variety of lamps. The comfortable furnishings included a low table, two sofas, and a couple of cushy armchairs. Art hung on the walls, and carpets covered much of the wooden floor.

Skye came up the ladder last. “Have a seat, everyone,” she said. “It's time to meet our new friend.” The seemings masking their identities melted away. They all looked like themselves again. Just seeing Dalton again made Cole grin.

“Thanks for rescuing me,” Dalton said, a little uncomfortable.

“Thank Cole for that,” Jace said, plopping down on one of the sofas. “Now we're just hoping you know something useful.”

They all sat down.

Cole knew the first question he wanted to ask. “Have you heard anything about Jenna?”

Dalton shook his head sadly. “She came with us to Junction City. I haven't seen her since I was split into the group headed for Elloweer. I don't know what group she ended up with. But she was okay the last time I saw her. They treat the slaves pretty well—the ones who can shape, anyway.”

“Any local news?” Jace asked.

“I've been working at the Silver Lining,” Dalton said. “I've heard all sorts of things. What do you want to know?”

“We're wondering about a secret prisoner at Blackmont Castle,” Skye said.

“Wow,” Dalton said. “You guys don't mess around. That's a big deal. Hardly anybody talks about it. Nobody knows who it is.”

“Are there any rumors about her?” Cole asked.

“It's a she?” Dalton asked back.

“We think so,” Cole said. “Have you heard something different?”

“I have no idea,” Dalton said. “I've never directly overheard anybody mention the prisoner. It's still a well-guarded secret. I've picked up a little gossip from the other slaves. Nothing specific. As a group, we hear a lot. Do you think it's somebody you know?”

“Yes,” Cole said. “What do you know about the High Shaper's daughters?”

“Is that a good topic?” Jace asked.

“We can trust Dalton,” Cole said. “He's with us now. He needs to get up to speed.”

“I just became a fugitive,” Dalton told Jace. “That was blind faith in my best friend. Lots of people will want to find me. I'm marked as a slave. I'm doomed without you guys. I'm on your side, man. The more I know, the more I can help.”

“Have you heard about the High King's daughters?” Cole asked.

“Not much,” Dalton said. “They all died a long time ago, right? He has no heirs.”

“He faked their deaths in order to steal their shaping powers,” Cole said. “Taking their powers stopped them from aging.”

“What?” Dalton said in surprise. “Where did you hear that?”

“I know one of his daughters,” Cole said. “And we think another one of them is the secret prisoner at Blackmont Castle.”

Cole went on to explain about meeting Mira and fighting Carnag to get her powers back. He told about shapecrafters and how the High King was planning to do shapecraft experiments on the gifted slaves he had bought from Ansel.

“He can shape the shaping power?” Dalton asked incredulously.

“If he can't, he has people who can,” Cole said. “Carnag is proof. We met one of the shapecrafters. The High King only wanted you and the others he bought to develop your powers so he could mess with them.”

“Does he want to steal them?” Dalton asked.

“We don't know,” Cole said. “Maybe. The shapecrafter lady wouldn't spill the details.”

“Where is Mira now?” Dalton asked.

Cole explained about losing Mira to the Rogue Knight. He told how Joe and Twitch went after her.

“And you think the big threat to the northwest is really Honor's power?” Dalton verified.

“That's our best guess,” Cole said.

Skye leaned forward. “It fits so well that if we can't identify the prisoner, we'll proceed as if it's Honor.”

“And do what?” Dalton asked.

“Free her,” Skye replied.

Dalton whistled and shook his head. “Good luck.” He looked at Cole. “You've gotten mixed up in some crazy stuff.”

Cole gave a little shrug. “After I met Mira and we escaped together, it just sort of happened. It was thanks to her contacts that I found Jill Davis, who led me to you.”

“You saw Jill?” Dalton asked.

“She's in Carthage,” Cole replied. “She wouldn't come with me. She was too scared.”

“I see why,” Dalton said. “If you guys are going to Blackmont Castle, you're looking for trouble. It's the strongest prison in Elloweer.”

“I know,” Skye said. “I grew up here.”

“We're talking about their most closely guarded prisoner,” Dalton emphasized. “Nobody has even seen this person.”

“Somebody has seen her,” Skye said.

“Somebody who knows how to keep a secret,” Dalton said. “The Dreadknight is champion of Edgemont. He watches over Blackmont Castle personally.”

“The Dreadknight?” Cole asked.

“The most feared champion in Elloweer,” Dalton said. “Nobody knows his real name. He's been unchallenged for almost twenty years.”

“All true,” Skye said. “But we can't let any of that stop us. The High King is losing the powers he stole. People would rally around his slighted heirs. With the help of his daughters, we can finally overthrow him and restore our old freedoms. But first we must free Honor and help her get her powers back. Until we do, the monster in the north will keep rampaging.”

“What do you know about the monster?” Jace asked.

Dalton shrugged. “It's becoming a cause for real panic. The monster seems to be heading this way. Towns and cities are emptying as it gets closer. Anyone who doesn't run away disappears. But you guys should know more about it than I do.”

“Why?” Skye asked.

“You know,” Dalton said. “The soldier.”

“What soldier?” Skye asked.

“The guardsman from Pillocks who saw the monster,” Dalton said as if relaying common knowledge.

“I haven't heard about this,” Skye said.

“Aren't you part of the Unseen?” Dalton asked.

“Yes, but I haven't been in touch with my contacts for several days,” she said.

“Sorry, I figured you knew,” Dalton said. “There was a guardsman who saw the monster and got away. As far as I know, he's the only person who ever came close and then escaped. I'm not sure what exactly he saw, but apparently some of the champions and aldermen were worried his stories could cause panic. They sent him to Blackmont Castle.”

“Is that where they put
everyone
?” Jace asked.

“Only the most important prisoners,” Dalton said. “The ones they don't execute. Anyhow, some members of the resistance intercepted the soldier on his way to Edgemont and freed him. Rustin Sage and Alderman Campos were furious. Nobody knows where he ended up.”

“When did this happen?” Skye asked. “Recently?”

“Just barely,” Dalton said. “Like a couple days ago.”

Skye stood up. “This has been useful. You're a very attentive young man.”

“Thanks,” Dalton said.

Cole couldn't believe how much Dalton already seemed to know about life in Elloweer. Then again, Cole figured it would surprise others to find out how much
he
had learned about the Outskirts in the short time he'd been here. It shouldn't be a shocker—Dalton worked in a confidence lounge where people traded secrets every day, and he had a good brain. Stuck in another world, he had kept his ears open.

“You three will be safe here,” Skye said as she moved toward the exit. “I know just who to contact to find out more about the guardsman. This could be a crucial lead. The more we know about the form Honor's power has taken, the better chance we'll have to help her regain her abilities.”

“What should we do?” Cole asked.

“Sit tight,” Skye said. “I'll return soon.”