Queen of Embers

XXII. Mágissa

It was strange, but as they walked into danger, Sorne missed having Vipsania at her side. She always felt a little more secure with the western woman's shield covering her back. For all the tradition of warriors fighting alone, Sorne appreciated the protection.

At the moment, they were following the river on wooden walks as it wound through the city. Sorne looked thoroughly unlike herself, though the disguise likely wouldn't hold up to scrutiny in broad daylight. Zhou had a surprisingly intensive knowledge of cosmetics for a man. Currently, her tattoos were covered and her hair and eyebrows were darkened with ground charcoal all the way to their roots. He'd added blemishes across her face, including a scar on her chin. She was dressed like peasant woman, her russet dress and apron both homespun. Her shoes were worn almost to the point of having holes and the shawl that covered her head and shoulders was a thin, sun-bleached cotton.

As for Zhou himself, he was almost completely unrecognizable. His hair and eyebrows were white from ash and he had carefully added wrinkles all over his face. At the moment, his walk was more of a shuffle and he leaned on his cane, shoulders stooped. His clothes were as worn as her own, though his were also dirty enough for him to pass as a beggar.

Clearly, the former thief had a magic of his own. It was downright awe-inspiring. Hopefully it would work. It certainly seemed convincing in the dark of midnight, as they passed beneath the shadow of bridges and towers.

"People do not come down here, not at this hour of the night," Zhou explained as they walked. "Most fear cutpurses and thieves. The occasional murderer as well, I suppose, but this stretch is unoccupied always. It is known among a certain circle of people that Mourners prefer peace and quiet."

Sorne nodded a little. "Do you think Cecilie will come?"

"What does she have to fear?" he said with a shrug. "She will be quite nearly the most dangerous thing here."

"Nearly?" Sorne asked.

"I count you as more dangerous, my friend," Zhou said, flashing her a quick grin. "And I certainly hope that I am not wrong, or else we are in a great deal of trouble."

Sorne bit back her reply when a young man slipped out of the shadows. He was dressed as a gardener, complete with grass stains on his knees from working. "News?" she asked quietly, drumming her fingers on the knife she had hidden up one sleeve. It was a plain one, designed to look like an average peasant work knife. This one was a bit better quality, but it was the best she could do. Zhou had to have at least a dozen knives on him, hidden all over his person. He'd promised to lend her a better one if things got really, really bad.

At that point, Sorne suspected she would be too busy to grab it.

"The mágissa is on her way," the gardener reported. "She has a spellguard with her, but none of the keep guards noticed her slipping out, from what we could tell. Everyone was having too good of a time." He sniffed slightly. "Typical nobles."

"Thank you," Sorne said sincerely. "I appreciate the eyes and ears."

The gardener grinned. "Can't wait 'til the siege. Sounded like we'd be helping."

"Depending on what she says, that might be very soon," Sorne said.

The plan was a simple one, really. Vipsania and Vridash had the army as close as they could get, with scouts at a range where they had eyes on the keep. After either recruiting or dealing with Cecilie, Zhou's plan was to send a signal or a messenger to indicate it was time to attack. The plan was to roll right over any resistance before the enemy had time to expect it.

Waiting was harder than Sorne expected. Every minute that passed seemed to stretch into eternity. She bounced on her feet, preparing for a fight even though she didn't want one. She owed her life to Cecilie as much as Nessa. If the mage hadn't come with them on that suicide mission, the world would have ended. Sorne hated the idea of harming the woman or her spellguard.