Bo lay in bed for what seemed like a very long time before being forced to admit he couldn't sleep.
That was the downside to sleeping in a real bed, it seemed. Out on the road, he was usually too exhausted to be kept awake by racing thoughts and anxiety. Not so much now that he'd slept properly and eaten a few real meals.
Just try to clear your mind, Botan.
Except he'd been trying to clear his mind for hours.
Never mind, then. Maybe try going for a walk?
He sighed and dragged himself out of bed.
The halls of the castle seemed larger at night. Most of them were so dark that he had to summon his own light to see by. A few times, Bo thought he heard whispers and footsteps in the darkness, but whoever it was, they were always gone by the time he turned to look at them. He wasn't sure where he was going, and it didn't really matter. If he walked enough, maybe he'd finally get tired, and then he'd be able to sleep and do his job effectively in the morning.
As effectively as he could, at any rate, seeing how he was completely in over his head when it came to matters of warfare and infiltration.
Because that was what they were doing. The closest thing to all out war Bo had experienced was the time that he'd accidentally wandered into a massive, alcohol-fueled street brawl while traveling. He was fairly certain the last serious conflict between kingdoms had been the Cathmore-Seirdan civil war, and that was generations ago. Ever since then, everyone had learned to get along, tolerate each other's presences if nothing else, and not constantly throw soldiers at each other. And even if he had grown up in an era of more warfare, he was just the court mage. Despite his fire-based talents, Bo wasn't a fighter. You could specialize in combat-based magic, certainly, but he'd never felt the need.
Needless to say, he was starting to reconsider that decision.
Bo eventually reached a set of stairs, different from the ones he'd spoken to Kit on, and sat down. His thoughts were still racing and he didn't really feel tired, per say, but his legs were starting to ache, so he needed the rest. He tried to calm his mind by making the ball of light in his hand slowly expand and deflate and timing his breathing to the light. It helped a little, but the sudden sound of footsteps negated any calm he may have collected for himself. He stood up, turned around, and saw...
Eve. Just Eve. Actually, she looked just as startled by Bo as he'd been by her. "Sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean..."
"It's fine, it's fine, I'm jumpy." Bo sat back down, letting the light hover above his head now to illuminate the space better. "You couldn't sleep either?"
"No. Some nights I feel...I can't really describe it, except that I feel strange. Like there's somewhere I need to be, but I don't know where." She sat down next to Bo and straightened out her skirt, keeping her focus on the fabric. "Is everything all right? The others seemed tense."
"Oh, it's..." Bo rubbed his eyes. "Nimah and Kit volunteered to help with the, uhm...well, they want to come along for the invasion, and I know that Alicia and I are worried they might get hurt. But they're insistent, especially Kit. I know Kit technically can't get hurt, but war isn't easy for anyone. And that's what this will be, even if it's not a long one."
Eve hummed quietly. Her fingertips kept tracing the fabric of her skirt. It was the outfit she'd been wearing the day they left for the mountains—that same heavy, rough fabric. "I don't want to add to your worry," she said, "and I certainly don't want to force myself into a situation where I'm not wanted. But know that if there is anything that you all need me for..." She glanced at Bo and smiled. "I feel as if I owe you that much."
"You don't owe us anything. Or if you do, then the fact that you helped get us here makes us even. But thank you." Bo smiled back. She wasn't wearing her eye patch still, he noticed. He was starting to get used to her strange eye. "I think I'd feel better about the whole thing if I knew what we were doing. The planning is still in the early stages and there are a lot of details to work out. A lot of things that could go wrong." So many that it made his chest ache and his head spin to think about it.
The discomfort must have showed on his face, because Eve looked immediately understanding. "Do you think talking through it will help?"
"Maybe." It might help him sort through what they knew, so he wouldn't feel like he was looking at a pile of what-ifs and worst case scenarios. "I know that...there are multiple smaller sieges going on with the remaining loyal lords. I know that the main thrust of their forces is focused on the mountain, because of course if you kill the rightful ruler, that makes taking over much easier. They're not sure if they have any outside help. All the soldiers are wearing the colors of the Green Island."
"So...if they do have outside help, then they're being secretive about it."
"Right. Which may be a good thing. If they weren't going to help Lord Reardon openly, maybe they'll leave the issue alone once we take the kingdom back." He wouldn't say if, because he couldn't let himself consider an if. "Speaking of Lord Reardon, no one's seen him in person so far. He apparently scryed with a few of the Lords trying to negotiate. They think he was in King Robert's office."
"Then he's in the castle. And he probably won't leave if you attack."
"No, probably not. Not unless he thought he was losing, in which case there are definitely options for him to escape, especially depending on where the troops are placed." They had limited resources to work with. They had to decide what was most important to them, who it would best serve them to help. That was the part that was reallydriving him to sleeplessness, so he put the thoughts of them aside for now. "We don't want him to escape. After what he's done, there has to be justice."
Eve nodded. After a moment of silence, she said, "Did you know there are some kinds of birds who plant their eggs in the nests of other birds and let them raise the chicks?"
"I have heard of that, yes."
"Maybe if you planted a few eggs in Lord Reardon's nest, that would make his escape easier. And most creatures are easily killed if you sever the head."
She had a point—in fact, Bo wouldn't be surprised if King Gideon was already considering this as an option. There was one problem: "What sort of eggs and how? I don't know how many troops a dragon can transport at a time, but it couldn't be enough. Not without sending most of them into the middle of area that's fully occupied by Lord Reardon."
"Maybe...only enough eggs to capture him. Eggs that no one would realize are any different from the other eggs. Preferably eggs that Lord Reardon doesn't know about, so maybe...if Kit really does want to help..." She trailed off, then looked at Bo. "Do you remember Nimah's friend? The one who transported us with the rugs?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Do you think you could make something like that?"
"...you know, I...I could. I think I could." He'd made transportation sigils before. Never on a rug, but he'd made them. He could do it again. "That could be our way out, but how would we get in? Maybe one of King Gideon's men, one of the dragons, but they might notice something different about them." The golden eyes were a bit of a giveaway. "I might know some ways to sneak in, but I don't want to leave Alicia. And..."
Wait.
Wait, hold on a moment.
"What?" Eve asked. "What is it?"
"Well...I'll be honest, I don't know if this will work. It will be asking a lot of someone who might not be able to help us, but...it may be worth asking." Was this a workable plan? Had they come up with something helpful? "Eve, you're brilliant."
Eve's face went bright red. "Well, I don't...I wouldn't necessarily say that I'm..."
"You are. Thank you." Bo smiled at her. "Thank you, I feel much better now."
Eve looked away from him. Even with her hair falling into her face, Bo could see that she was smiling. "You're welcome, Botan."
Neither of them were quite ready to go back to sleep. But the conversation had, at least, unwound some of the ropes around Bo's chest. They sat in silence, watching the shadows dance through the halls as Bo manipulated his ball of light.
It wasn't a great alternative to sleep, but it was better than what he'd been experiencing before. He'd take that much.
+++++
Nimah had decided to let things lie with the others. She really didwant to know what the problem was with Solomon, but he was still so tense by the time they went to bed that she figured it would do more harm than good. She'd talk to him in the morning, once she figured out how to approach him about things.
She'd spent so much time considering it that she never stopped to think he might approach her.
In fairness, Solomon didn't approach people. Not unless he absolutely had to, and never about things that were happening with him. And yet, there he was the next morning, standing at her door with a serious look on his face. "I told the princess I'd try to talk you out of going," Solomon said bluntly. "Are you going to let me in or should we have this conversation out here?"
Oh. So that's where this conversation is going to go.
Nimah stood aside to let him in. "That's funny. I was actually going to ask you why you were being so strange about Kit and I going."
"Of course you were." Solomon kept his distance once he was inside the room, crossing his arms either defiantly or defensively. It was difficult to tell; it could've been a mixture of both, really. "You realize you're not equipped to deal with a situation like this, right?"
"You don't know anything about me."
"I know that you're the daughter of two merchants and you work as a guide. I know that you can fight, but that doesn't mean you can reallyfight. Beating off a few assassins in a cave doesn't count. This is real, Nimah. Self-defense and active killing are two different things. You know that, right?"
"Of course I do." Now she was just offended. She tried not to let that get the best of her; she wasn't going to be dissuaded from going, but she could at least hear him out. Besides, he wasn't entirely wrong. "I haven't survived this long by being stupid, Solomon. I know my limits. I know my strengths, too, and I know that I can be useful."
"Do you really know that? They don't even have a plan yet. Do you know what happens when you run into a situation without a plan? People die, Sudani. I've seen it happen." She noticed him grimace after he said those words, as if he hadn't meant to reveal that. He took a second, breathed in slowly, and repeated the words: "I've seen it happen. I was nearly one of the people who died. You can call me selfish if you want, but I am not going through that again. Not when I have the choice. And I don't want to see it happen to you, either."
Nimah's eyes widened slightly. That wasn't a lot of information—in fact, it was a statement that raised far more questions than the ones she already had about Solomon. But Solomon had never volunteered information about his past before. Even if he had been to open up one day, she wouldn't have expected information like that. "...well, if you'd lead with that..." She swallowed back any more sarcasm. This wasn't the time for that, not even in jest. "All seriousness, Solomon, I...that makes sense. I understand. I do!" she added quickly, noticing how skeptical Solomon looked at the statement. "That's not selfish, I don't think. And even if it is, I think it's a forgivable selfishness. Alicia won't be angry."
"I know. She already told me such. She also said she's worried about you and doesn't want you to be hurt, so take that into consideration before you do anything brash, all right? And...think about your parents, Sudani." Some of his guard slipped, revealing softness and regret in his eyes. "Think about your family and what they'll do without you."
That seemed like another admission as much as a piece of advice. And as much as Nimah wanted to pursue that, wanted desperately to know why Solomon looked so sad, even for the brief seconds he did, she knew better. He wasn't going to tell her any more than he already had.
"I will. I promise." He did have a point—she hadn't really thought about her family in all of this. Danger had become such a regular part of her life that she didn't think to consider that someone might have to tell her parents how she'd died. Or that she'd just stop coming over for dinner one day. Damn, if he was trying to get her to seriously reconsider several life choices, he was succeeding. Nimah changed the subject to avoid thinking about her parents too much. "Does Kit know? About what you told me?"
"He knows. He thinks I'm being too cautious." Solomon rubbed his eyes; when he lowered his hand, he looked more fondly resigned than upset. "He's more stubborn than you are, by the way. You've been a bad influence on him."
It was fairly clear that he was making fun of her in order to move past his accidental reveal. That was fine; she'd allow it. "How do you know he wasn't always like that?" Nimah pointed out. "He must've been, to survive everything he's been through."
"I still blame you."
"Of course you do."
"We sound like his parents."
Nimah laughed. "Right, because the two of us would be able to pass as his parents."
"We took him in out of the goodness of our hearts." The dry tone he used only made Nimah laugh harder. "We're generous and kind people and should be rewarded. It's not even that far off from what happened."
He certainly wasn't wrong about that.
Whatever reply she might've come up with was cut off by the sound of her stomach growling. Right; it was morning and she hadn't had breakfast yet. "I think the two of us should consider getting something to eat, and then you can go back to trying to dissuade me from going. How does that sound?"
"I think you've got the right idea." Solomon started for the door, glancing over his shoulder at her as he went. "I'm surprised you haven't tried harder to convince me."
"Well, you gave a very good reason why you didn't want to go. And at any rate, I think I've gotten you in enough trouble. I won't be stopping Kit from trying to convince you if he really wants to..."
Imagine Nimah's surprise when Kit was on the other side of the door when Solomon opened it, as if the sound of his own name had summoned him there. He started signing before either of them could get a word in edgewise. "Wait, wait, slow down, repeat that..." Kit did with an almost exaggerated slowness. Solomon frowned. "Since when?"
"Since when what?"
"Kit said that Bo and Eve have a plan. They want to run it past the Princess."
Nimah peered out the door. Sure enough, Bo and Eve were in the hallway near Alicia's room, talking intensely. She walked towards them, noticing Kit and Solomon starting a conversation of their own out of the corner of her eye. "What's going on?"
"We were hoping to talk to Alicia, but I think she's still asleep." Bo didn't sound too surprised; neither was Nimah, to be honest. Getting Alicia awake in the morning had always been like dragging an especially stubborn horse out of its stall. Finally having a secure place to sleep wasn't making it any easier, she was sure. "I'd like to ask you something, too, but...first I need you to understand that I mean no offense by the question."
That was always an interesting way to start a question. "I'd be nervous and potentially offended if it weren't you asking," Nimah said, crossing her arms. "What's the question?"
"Are you capable of being quiet and submissive for an extended period of time?"
Her first thought was that she understood why Bo would preface that by saying he meant no offense.
Her second was that she had no idea why he would be asking that at all.
"...what exactly is this plan of yours, anyway?"
Bo explained everything. Even if Nimah had been offended by his initial question, her hurt feelings would've faded by the time he was done. "And you want me to be involved in this?"
"I mean...not especially, I still don't like you putting yourself in harm's way, but...if you really can't be talked out of this, and if you're comfortable..."
"I already volunteered, didn't I? I'll do it."
Solomon sighed heavily. She didn't have to be a mind-reader to know what he was thinking: so much for trying to talk her out of it.
Sorry, Solomon, but I think this is that plan you were talking about.
+++++
She hadn't thought she was that slow to wake. Not until she finally got out of bed and found the others already awake, dressed, and having a rather intense conversation in the hallway.
What time is it? How long have they been standing out there? When should I have been awake? "Were you waiting for me?" she asked worriedly.
"No!" Bo said immediately. Then, "Well, yes, but we weren't waiting long and it's not anything too time sensitive. We can talk over breakfast."
Nimah looked excited, Eve wasn't so withdrawn looking, Bo looked apprehensive in that way he always did when he was going to suggest something, and Kit and Solomon were having yet another silent conversation in the corner. Whatever this was, it was definitely going to be interesting.
"All right," she said. "Maybe...we can talk on the way to breakfast." She could've waited, probably, but her curiosity was far too strong in the moment. "Once we figure out which way breakfast is."
There was, as it turned out, a servant waiting at the end of the hallway who would escort them to breakfast. She informed them that King Gideon wouldn't be joining them, but that he would see Alicia later to discuss their invasion plans further. "That's actually what we wanted to discuss," Bo said once the servant was done explaining and had started leading them through the halls. "We had an idea—well, Eve had an idea..."
"We both came up with the idea," Eve interjected quickly.
"Eve came up with the initial idea and then we all helped," Bo countered. "Because...well, I was talking to her last night, and with our resources being somewhat limited, we have to pick where we attack carefully, right? And depending on what we do, Lord Reardon might have the opportunity to escape."
"Right." Alicia had considered that. It made her furious because more than anything she wanted to bring that man to justice. But she also knew that her first priority was saving her stepmother and the other lords. Lord Reardon could always be captured later. The others couldn't be brought back from the dead if they were killed. "Do you think you have a solution to that?"
"Possibly. Well, one solution and then one-half of a alternate solution, but the thing they have in common is that if we could get some people inside the castle...people who, say, Lord Reardon hasn't seen and doesn't know about..." Nimah leaned over Bo's shoulder to grin brightly and then pointed to Kit. "Then maybe they could grab Lord Reardon and take him back to the King's Keep. With him as a hostage we could...force a surrender, maybe, or at least try to. He wouldn't be getting away, at any rate."
Oh. That was actually rather clever. Although, it was still a plan that put Nimah and Kit in danger. She wasn't sure she liked that part. "How are you going to get close enough to grab him? And how are you going to get out?"
"Well, for the second part...remember Robin? The woman who helped transport us closer to the mountains? We thought we could use her trick. Take a rug or a blanket, bring it in, use that to teleport us back to the keep. Then we destroy the sigil on our end, just like when we escaped the first time."
That's true. That could work. "And the first part?"
"That's, ah, that's the part we're still working on. My original thought was that...well..." Bo grimaced. "House Laine has been willing to help us so far? Maybe...maybe someone from there could conveniently pay a visit? Bring in our people with them? I'm sure they could say that the iron deal needs re-negotiating."
Oh. She understood why they were still working on that part now. "House Laine has been willing to help us, yes, but not so openly," Alicia said. She wasn't trying to shut down Bo's plan; rather, she needed to think through this out loud. Give the others the opportunity to give their thoughts on things. "It could be dangerous for them to do so."
"I know, I know. But...would anyone have to know that they helped us into the castle?"
That was a good question. Openly bringing troops onto the battlefield was one thing. Everyone would notice that. But maybe one person from the court deciding to pay a "harmless" visit to a new reigning monarch, well...that was something else entirely. "I don't think they have to report everything they do to the Council of Lords," Alicia mused. "They still have some sovereignty. It would depend on how willing they are to act like nothing happened after the fact. I know I'dbe comfortable with that..."
But it wasn't a decision she could make for someone else and she knew it.
"What other option do you have?"
"Well, that's...the tricky part. Most of the other options involve using someone from King Gideon's court to get in, and they're all very, ah...distinctive." He wasn't wrong about that. Alicia hadn't been there long, but she had yet to meet a person who wouldn't attract at least some attention. Even King Gideon had his golden eyes marked him as an outsider. "That version would involve a lot more sneaking and seeing how most of the people we have aren't really equipped for that kind of thing. No offense."
"None taken," Nimah replied. Alicia glanced over her shoulder in time to see Kit shrug and sign something. Whatever it was, Solomon didn't translate; he just sighed heavily, looking once again like he was suffering the weight of a thousand fools. "What do you think the chances are House Laine would agree to this?"
"Well...they did house me, for a time. They argued in favor of taking back the Raven Isle, and I know there's no love between Lady Laine and Lord Reardon. If I go to them with the plan, maybe...they could at least send a representative." Someone who wouldn't be too suspicious showing up out of the blue. Someone who could get close to Lord Reardon and get the others close as well without it seeming strange. "It can't hurt to ask. If they disagree, we can come up with another plan."
"You could always tell them that we can pretend to kidnap them, too," Nimah said suddenly. The comment drew a startled look from Bo and another resigned sigh from Solomon, so Alicia had the feeling this was the first time she'd mentioned it. "That might remove some of their culpability later."
It wasn't the worst idea Alicia had ever heard, but it seemed excessive. "We'll...consider that later, but maybe keep the plan simple for now," she said, trying to be diplomatic. It must have worked, or else Nimah wasn't that attached to the suggestion, because she didn't seem offended. Alicia changed the subject quickly anyway, just to be safe: "Have you thought more about how you're going to get Lord Reardon out without anyone noticing? Besides just using the transportation sigils?"
"We did," Eve said. "This part is a bit uncertain, too. We need to know what the actual invasion plans are first, but we thought that if he was seized during an actual attack, there would be so much chaos that people might not notice he's gone. Especially if there was an attack nearby."
"It wouldn't even have to be a serious engagement, just something to grab their attention while we ran," Bo pointed out. "See if one of the dragons is willing to fly over, light a few things on fire, and leave if things get too difficult. That would probably be enough time for us to get away."
That was true. Alicia was silent and she considered presenting this plan to King Gideon. She ran over everything she would say in her mind, pretending that he was there, listening. She pictured the situation so clearly that she actually began to feel nervous at the thought. But the nervousness came from the basic act of making a suggestion. The plan itself...
Yes, the plan itself might work. She might be nervous about speaking up in a situation she was still new to, but she was confident enough in the plan to do so. At the very least, it was a good enough foundation that King Gideon might be able to offer some suggestions and make sure it was a truly workable solution.
"I'll discuss it with King Gideon later," she said finally. "I'm...still not sure how I feel about putting you and Kit in danger, Nimah. This might not be open combat, but you are still at risk. You know this, right?"
"It's less risky than just running out into battle. Besides..." Nimah nudged Bo gently. "I can be quiet and submissive for a few hours. They won't suspect a thing until it's too late."
Bo looked embarrassed. Alicia made a mental note to ask about that, later. For now...
Well, for now she needed to eat something, because planning was more difficult on an empty stomach and she was sure the others were looking forward to breakfast. But after that, she would think about the plan, think about whether or not Nimah and Kit should be excluded from this, even if they didn't want to be, think about how to suggest it to King Gideon and how best to speak to Lord and Lady Laine.
That was a lot of steps for one morning. She was going to need a big breakfast to get through this.