Inkmistress (Of Fire and Stars 0.5)(19)

“There’s been a mistake,” I tried again as we rounded a corner, heading right for a building with heavy iron bars on the windows. “I’m not from here. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, just looking for my friend—”

“Quit flapping your maw, or I’ll stuff a gag in it.” My captor jerked the chain attached to my manacles, making my wrists smart.

“Makes ya wish we could hang ’em first and ask questions later, eh?” said the other.

“You two really should have gone after the other Swifts,” the boy said, making eye contact with the guard holding me. “You would have caught them by now and come back with all the glory.”

I braced myself, waiting for him to receive the same threats delivered to me. To my shock, the man stopped moving. The boy then twisted around to meet the eyes of his own captor.

“They have a secret meeting location. I can show you where it is,” the boy continued. His voice sounded sweet as summer honey, almost cloying, but strangely seductive.

The hawkish guardsman looked at him, confused. Then his gaze unfocused.

“Maybe that’s a good idea,” the guard said.

I looked back and forth between them in shock. What was the boy doing?

“If you catch them all, you’ll surely be the most decorated guardsmen in the city,” the boy said.

“Yes,” the man holding me agreed. “The king has put a high price on the heads of the Nightswifts.”

“That’s right. And the price will go up if it turns out they’re responsible for the massacres, too. Anyone who uncovers who was behind that will surely be rewarded. Maybe a break from the tithe? Or even some additional lands? Free my hands, and I’ll lead you to their meeting place.” He smiled warmly, as though talking to friends rather than guards who had him in shackles.

To my astonishment, the guard removed his manacles. The boy massaged his wrists briefly, then grinned at me, revealing a dimple in one cheek. I stared at him, too shocked by what he’d done to offer up any kind of response.

“This way, fellows.” His full lips remained in a smug grin. He walked ahead with a bounce in his step, as though we were simply going for a walk to the local alehouse. As it turned out, we were.

“The Nightswifts will reconvene here in an hour or so,” the boy said. “Why don’t you two sit and have a drink while you wait?”

The guardsmen behaved as though his suggestion was entirely reasonable. They started out complaining about their upcoming tithes to the crown, but three drinks later the two of them were guffawing over a joke about cows that didn’t even make sense. I stayed quiet, hoping that there would be a way out at the end of this. We weren’t close enough to an exit for me to bolt, and even if I did, the manacles would prove problematic. I also needed my satchel, which they’d shoved beneath the table. With my hands bound behind my back, there was no way I could reach it.

“When did you say the Swifts would be here?” Hawk-face slurred as the barmaid brought the guards their fifth round of brandy.

“Any minute. She and I should go out and meet them so they don’t suspect you two are here,” the boy said.

“Good idea!” The other guard slapped him on the back. They still both had that glassy look in their eyes that spoke of something more than intoxication.

Before I knew it, the guard beside me unlocked my manacles. “Go on then,” he said. “Bring us the Swifts. You do the work and we’ll take the glory.”

The guardsmen raised their glasses in a sloppy toast. While they weren’t paying attention, I pulled a tube of purple powder out of my shirt.

“Do you want to taste something special?” I asked.

Their gazes sharpened, and they both frowned. I glanced at the boy, alarmed. My words didn’t work like his.

The boy jumped in to rescue me. “If you take off those red belts and have the special drink, the Nightswifts will mistake you two for the ones they’re supposed to meet. The drink is the signal for them to approach.”

I held my breath, terrified I’d broken the boy’s sway over them.

“Oh!” Hawk-face said, his grin returning. “Of course.”

He could have told them to walk off a bridge and it seemed as though they’d do it.

“You should remove your boots, too,” the boy added. “That’s customary procedure for a meeting with the Swifts.”

“But where will we put them?” The guard set down his glass and squinted in confusion.

“There’s an open window right behind you,” the boy pointed out.

I bit my lip to hold in a laugh.

The two guardsmen giggled like naughty children, gleefully tossing their belts and boots out the open window as I added a pinch of purple powder to each of their drinks. Motes of light danced in their brandy, then faded, giving the liquid a faint pinkish hue. Someone yelled outside, apparently on the receiving end of a flying boot. I winced in sympathy, tucking the narrow vial back into its hiding place.

“We’ll be right back. You two should have another round. On me.” Out of nowhere, the boy produced a few coins and set them on the table.

The guards clinked glasses again and put back the last of their brandies, one raising his hand to flag down a server.

The boy glanced my way with another wink, and the dimple in his cheek appeared again. This time I couldn’t help my slight smile back. Freedom was so close I could almost grasp it, and though I didn’t know if I could trust this handsome person or his silver tongue, I was grateful he’d helped me instead of charming his own way out of the mess and leaving me to take the blame. He’d even made room for me to help him as soon as he knew I had something to offer.