The Traitor Queen (The Traitor Spy Trilogy #3)(93)

“Smells like spring.”

“Yes,” Gol agreed. “It’s warm at night now, too.”

“Warmer,” Cery corrected. “As in warmer than cold enough to freeze your eyeballs.”

Gol chuckled. “We’ll have to skirt around the farm to get to the part of wall nearest the meeting place.”

“Lead on, then.”

With most of the undergrowth hidden in the night shadows cast by the forest, it was impossible to walk quietly and without stumbling. The passages below were a lot easier to get around, even in complete darkness. By the time they got to the wall that separated the Guild grounds from the city, Cery was sure that they must have attracted someone’s attention with all the snapped twigs, rustling leaves and stifled curses. They waited for a while to make sure nobody and was coming to investigate, but no magician, servant or guard emerged from the darkness. Satisfied, they scaled the wall with the help of a nearby tree branch. From the top Cery could look over the eastern end of the North Quarter. Houses were built up against the wall, their yards divided by lower brick walls topped with an upside-down “v” embedded with broken glass to discourage climbing. The one below them contained a neat little garden.

Gol looped the end of a rope ladder around the tree branch they’d climbed to get on top of the wall, and knotted it. The rope had been another item stolen from the farm, and Gol had used short branches found in the forest as the rungs. He climbed down into the yard first, the rope creaking. Cery followed. They skirted the garden beds, paused to oil the hinges of the side gate to the yard, then slipped out into the shadows of the street beyond.

To walk the streets of the city felt like freedom. As they made their way through the neighbourhood, Cery wavered between excitement and worry at the risk they were taking. At least Anyi was safely back in the Guild with Lilia. He hadn’t told her his plans for the evening, knowing that she would either try to stop him, or insist on coming. Even if he had talked her into staying behind, she’d have wanted to know why he was going into the city, and he could not think of a good enough reason.

Other than the truth. But I doubt she’d have found that a good enough reason anyway, he thought. She wants me to live in the Guild and leave catching Skellin to the magicians. She trusted the Guild too much. And I don’t? He shook his head. Not with Sonea gone and Kallen in charge of finding Skellin.

He hadn’t completely given up on the Guild, though. They weren’t going to stop trying to find and deal with rogue magicians. But they’d take longer at it than he was prepared to wait.

To force their hand I need minefire, to buy that I need money, and the only caches I had that Skellin hasn’t found are in the hands of minders.

Minders who didn’t believe Cery was alive, and had refused to give the cache to Gol.

The risk of a trap was high, of course. He and Gol had selected the minder least likely to betray them to meet tonight. His name was Perin. Gol had hired three different street urchins as guides, each to take Perin on a winding journey through three Quarters of the city. The last instructions were written down, so that not even the urchins would see where Perin went. The meeting place was within a hundred paces of the wall, so if Cery and Gol had to run they had a fighting chance of reaching the grounds.

Reaching a crossroads, they stopped and looked around. Here the doorways were shallow and the street lamps bright. Nowhere to hide for several strides, so it would be difficult for someone to ambush them. A man stood on the opposite corner, watching them. Though Cery could not see all of the man’s face, what was visible was familiar.

“Perin,” Gol murmured.

Cery nodded. He crossed the road and approached the man. Perin stared at him intently, his eyes widening as he recognised Cery.

“Well, well. You’re alive and breathing.”

“I am,” Cery said, stopping a few paces away.

“Here.” Perin held out a wrapped parcel. “Send a messenger if you want the rest.”

“Thanks. I owe you.”

The minder grimaced. “No you don’t. I have my fee, and the satisfaction of knowing the bastard who calls himself king didn’t get to everyone.” He held out a hand. Cery hesitated, then moved closer so the man could briefly clasp his arm, and did the same in return. “Best of luck and health,” Perin said, his brows lowering as his gaze moved over Cery’s face. “Looks like you could do with some.”

Then the man stepped back, smiled tiredly and turned to walk away. Cery heard Gol quietly move closer behind him.

Did he mean luck or health? Or both? Am I looking as old and tired as I feel lately?

He felt a touch on his elbow. Shaking his head, he turned and followed Gol back to the house by the wall, through the gate and up the rope ladder. It was harder climbing up than down, but as they made their way through the forest he felt his mood lift. Their journey had been worth the risk. Gol had money to buy minefire. They were closer to being ready to lure Skellin into their trap.

And it was nice to know that someone, even if just a minder, was pleased to know Cery was still alive.





CHAPTER 21


INTRUDER


Sitting down at his desk, Dannyl took Osen’s blood ring out of his pocket. Oh, how I wish I could put this off a little longer. But he couldn’t. Osen expected Dannyl to report back to him every two or three days. He would be annoyed or alarmed if Dannyl didn’t.