Stormcaster (Shattered Realms #3)(116)

Granger returned to his quarry as soon as Destin left her side. But then the elder Lady Matelon intervened, giving him a sound scolding and sending him on his way with a thunderous look on his face.

If tonight’s operation isn’t successful, I suppose I’ll have to kill him, Destin thought.

Maybe even if it is.

Hal flinched when the clock in the temple tower finally struck ten. The sound was still reverberating through the ballroom when the entire building shuddered. It sounded like an explosion coming from the direction of the temple. Then another, from the barracks. Then a blast from the direction of the armory. Moments later, another thunderous explosion, which must have been the munitions going up.

All hell will break loose, Lieutenant Karn had said. Another promise kept.

The party guests screamed and milled about, covering their ears, unsure which way to run. General Karn bolted from the hall, probably heading for the garrison house.

The King’s Guard and soldiers came to life, herding the king and his down-realm guests through a doorway and out of the ballroom, toward the central bailey, the most robust fortification in the palace. All except . . .

“Mother!” King Jarat cried, turning back and scanning the room. “Where’s Queen Marina? Where’s Princess Madeleine?”

“Your Majesty, please come quickly,” one of the blackbirds said, hustling Jarat toward the door. “No doubt the queen and your sister are already in the bailey.”

Jarat hesitated, still searching the ballroom with his eyes, until a brace of guards half-carried him through the doorway.

Hal was so distracted by all of this that he nearly drew his sword when Destin Karn gripped his arm. “Go!” Karn said. “Get them out now! I can’t be seen with you.”

Hal and Robert herded the bewildered families back behind the fountain, through the draperies, and into the hidden pantry. When all were through, they crowded elbow to nose in the serving area. Robert stationed himself just inside the exit door to hand out cloaks. Hal pulled on his own cloak and slipped out into the courtyard to see if the area was clear.

It was still raining, and harder now, which was a good excuse for them all to be wearing cloaks, plus likely to discourage gawkers from being out in the streets. Did Karn arrange for that, too? Hal wondered. Now he could see that the temple was on fire, the armory was burning, and smoke was billowing up from the barracks. Civilians were running past him, away from the armory, while blackbirds and soldiers were running toward it. This meant that nobody was looking in on the ballroom or noticing people emerging from the servants’ entrance.

Hal poked his head back into the pantry. “It’s clear,” he said. “Send them out, and when I have half of them, I’ll take them to Newgate. You bring the other half. Pretend you’re running to safety.”

Hal waited by the door, and as the families poured through, like a cloud of black wraiths in their cloaks, he instructed them to take their masks off and hide them underneath. One of them didn’t bother to remove her mask, but flung her arms around Hal and buried her face in his shoulder.

Harper.

“Everyone said you were dead,” she whispered, her voice thick with tears.

Hal patted her back, his own cheeks suspiciously wet, but maybe that was just the rain. “Not yet,” he said.

When he’d counted twenty-five, he called in to Robert, “I have twenty-five, including Mother and Harper, which means you should have twenty-two, including babies and children. Count them carefully, and when you have everyone, follow me to Newgate.”

Hal set out for Karn’s private prison with his charges. He found that it was more like a cat-herding expedition than a forced march. The children broke away and stomped through puddles. They threw their heads back, catching raindrops on their tongues. Mothers and older sisters chased them down, edging them back onto the proper path. As he watched, Harper scooped up a four-year, parking him on her hip and walking him back to the others.

They haven’t been outside for three months, Hal thought, his anger rising. Harper’s been looking out for these little ones all this time.

When they passed the postern gate, it was clotted with blackbirds, armed to the teeth, questioning and searching everyone who passed through. The explosions had been a good distraction, drawing soldiers and guards away, but now getting out was going to be a problem.

When they reached Newgate, Lila Barrowhill was there at the gate, directing them into the small courtyard just inside. As they passed through, Hal counted, and then he counted Robert’s lot when they arrived. They seemed to have one extra person.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He swung around and saw that it was Queen Marina and her daughter, the princess Madeleine, cloaked up like the others.

“Young Matelon,” she said. “I thought that was you. I’m so glad to see that rumors of your death were exaggerated.”

“Your Majesty,” Hal said, totally ambushed. “I didn’t—what are you doing here?”

“I planned this party, remember,” the queen said. “Jarat is more like his father every day—looking for someone to blame for his failures. I’d rather he blame me for the hostages’ escape than Destin. And I really need to get Madeleine away from Ardenscourt before her brother matches her with some monster.”

But now that the queen and her daughter had joined them, there should be forty-nine in all. There were only forty-eight.