Emriana noticed Pilos glance at the girl, startled. 'I think not,' he replied, never breaking stride as a couple approached them coming from the opposite direction. 'I'm hardly dressed for climbing,' he whispered.
Emriana gave the other pair her best innocent smile, and once they were past, she whispered, 'Then what do you propose?'
At that, Pilos pulled the girl into a small alcove set into the wall, a spot where there had possibly been a statue or something similar at one time, but that was empty at the moment. 'These,' the young priest said, withdrawing two small vials from an inner pocket of his doublet. 'With them, we transform into mere clouds of mist, able to go just about any where-through cracks, under locked doors, over walls. Much more elegant than climbing.'
Emriana smirked at the jab, but she eagerly took the vial Pilos held out to her and examined it. Inside, she could see a smoky gray liquid.
Emriana nodded then asked, 'Do you have two-wait, we'll need three-three more of those for getting back out again?'
Pilos started to smile and nod, but when the girl corrected her statement, his face paled. 'No,' he said, forlorn, 'I didn't think to bring a third.'
Emriana grimaced but said, 'Don't worry about it. We'll figure something out when the time comes.'
Pilos looked relieved. 'Then let's not waste anymore of it,' he said. 'Where are we going?'
Emriana pointed to a high wall that connected with the circular building they were in. 'See that gate?' she asked, pointing specifically at a large closed double-portal. When Pilos confirmed that he did, she said, 'My guess is that there's a stable and barracks through there, where Lord Wianar's guards operate. If there's a prison in the palace, I bet we can reach it from there.'
'I can't argue with your logic,' Pilos said, 'but do you really think it's wise to head into the teeth of the palace's defenses? I thought we were trying to avoid the guards.'
'Trust me,' Emriana said, half smiling. 'I'm guessing the yard beyond will be almost deserted this time of night. Most of the guards are either serving as sentries for the celebration or else off on leave. Anyone who stayed behind is probably trying to get some rest.'
'How do you know all this?'
Emriana laughed. 'Because I spend enough time avoiding my own House guards to figure out their patterns. It's the only way I can sneak out at night.'
Pilos stared at the girl with a mixture of shock and admiration on his face; then he shrugged and gestured for her to lead the way. Emriana smiled and left the alcove, heading in the direction of the large barred gate.
The two of them made their way down a winding flight of stairs and into a garden. At the far end was a wall about twice the height of a man. By her bearings, Emriana reckoned that the large wall with the gate was on the other side of the garden wall, across from a narrow lane that ran between the two.
Giving a quick glance around to make certain no one was nearby, she turned to Pilos and said, 'How does this work? What will it feel like when I drink this potion?'
'It's hard to describe,' the young priest replied, 'but you'll know what to do.'
'How long will it last?'
'Perhaps ten minutes. Make sure you aren't in a tight area when it expires, or you'll be in serious trouble.'
Emriana nodded and unstoppered the vial. Taking a deep breath, she swallowed the entire contents in two large gulps. The taste was strange, sort of smoky, but the liquid itself sapped the moisture from her mouth, as though she were sucking on a thick piece of gauze. She started to complain about the sensation, but she realized that she was no longer able to speak. Her body felt completely weightless, and she found she could see in every direction at once, which was quite dizzying. Once she overcame her initial surprise, she got her mind back on the task at hand and willed herself to float to the top of the garden wall. It happened so fast, she almost drifted right past it and up into the sky.
There was no one in the narrow lane, and sure enough, just as Emriana had silently predicted, the thicker curtain wall was standing on the opposite side. She drifted toward the gate, looking for a gap in the doors through which to squeeze. At the last moment, she decided to go under the twin panels, and even as she thought of the motion, it was happening.
There was, indeed, a courtyard beyond, with a riding area and practice field, judging from the various accoutrements set up throughout the open area. On one side sat a large barn, and next to it was what appeared to be a low barracks where the Generon's soldiers lived. Emriana turned in the other direction, which headed back toward the main part of the palace. There was a long porch on that side, and several doorways leading into darkened interiors.
As she drifted, Emriana began to realize the shortcomings of traveling in such a fashion, for she could not go nearly as fast as she wished, and she was constantly having to compensate for drift caused by the evening breezes. Still, they made good progress. At one point, a pair of guardsmen emerged from one of the doorways, talking softly to themselves as they began to cross the open expanse of courtyard, headed toward the barracks. Emriana instinctually froze.
Emriana willed herself to spread out, low to the ground, mimicking the evening mists that often sprang up in her own gardens at home. The two soldiers moved past her position, still deep in conversation, never giving the patch of wispy mist a second glance. After they were beyond her, Emriana wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but her vaporous condition prevented it. Still, she felt Hetta's sense of relief echo her own thoughts.
The girl began to move forward again, seeing Pilos moving right along beside her. She led him through a doorway she had picked out upon first entering the courtyard. She had no good reason for the choice. It was a gut reaction.
The space beyond was a narrow, torchlit hall that led deeper into the palace. The first chamber off the passage was a kitchen, though not a large one, and Emriana wondered if it was for staff. At the moment, it was empty and dark, so Emriana drifted inside and toward the back, away from the light of the doorway. She waited as Pilos joined her, wondering how much longer the magic of the potion would last before she had to return to human shape. Apparently, even the thought of materializing was sufficient to undo the enchantment, for Emriana found herself weighed down again. It felt both strange and reassuring at the same time.
Pilos materialized beside her. 'Why did you do that?' he whispered. 'Why didn't you keep going?'
'Because,' Emriana replied just as softly, 'I don't know which way to go, and I didn't want to get caught in the open when the potion's magic vanished. I didn't know how much longer we had.'
The young priest nodded. 'Probably wise. All right, I think it's time for me to do a little divination. Wait just a moment.' With that, he extracted a pendant from inside his shirt. It was a coin, a holy symbol just like the ones she had seen Vambran, Xaphira, and Uncle Kovrim wearing. Pilos wrapped his hands around it and closed his eyes, bowing his head in prayer. He began to mutter something, so softly Emriana could not make out the words.
After a moment, the Abreeant opened his eyes again and motioned. 'You picked a good route,' he whispered, beginning to head back out of the kitchen and into the hall. 'We can get into the lowest levels by following this around and to the left.'
Emriana smiled and began to follow her companion, feeling a strong sense of hope that they would soon find Xaphira.
In a small room elsewhere in the palace, unbeknownst to either the girl or the young priest, a bespectacled wizard watched the pair dart out of the kitchen through the glass of a small mirror. He smiled and went to tell his employer the news.
CHAPTER 17
'Your companions have been taken away, hauled out of the forest in great wooden box-wagons,' Shinthala
