“We stay put,” Emily stated. She saw the expression of hopelessness on Michael’s face. But she could do nothing to alleviate it. “We have to. It’s the best shot we have at saving them when the time comes.”
Michael looked disappointed. “And what if she says we can’t save them now? What if Aunt Anastacia wants us to break the spell over the town first? And then face the Alfreds next? What if something always comes up before we have time to get to them?”
Emily remained silent.
“Don’t you see?” Michael said. “There’s never a right time. Now is the best time. Now that the Alfreds are tired from constantly bombarding the cottage’s barriers only to find the cottage empty. They’re feeling defeated. Maybe they’ve scoured the whole town and turned up empty. They’re at their wits’ end. Now is the best time to go in and save them.”
“But we need a plan,” Emily stressed. “A solid plan. That’s all I’m saying.”
“I can make us a solid plan,” Michael argued as he ducked beneath her arm and entered her room. At first, Emily was thrown off balance by his sudden impulsiveness. But then she recovered, looked into the hallway to ensure it was empty, and shut her door.
Michael was sitting on the edge of her bed, looking up at her. Emily went to sit in the armchair in the corner. From there, she could see Michael and still gobble down her food.
“Go on. How do you propose we save them?” she asked between mouthfuls.
“Stealth,” Michael said. “Obviously.”
Emily rolled her eyes. “Right. Obviously.”
Michael must have missed the sarcasm in her voice because he continued without missing a beat.
“Remember that I got into the castle once before,” Michael went on. “Haven’t you ever wondered how it was that I got to the master bedroom without being caught?”
Emily suddenly realized that she’d missed that particular fact. “How did you manage that?”
Michael smiled. “Working for the vigilantes has its perks. So you know how every building must file plans with City Hall? Well, the vigilantes have access to the town’s archives. It turns out that the building’s files were filed in accordance to town laws at the time.”
“At the time?”
“Yep.” Michael grinned. “The building is over a hundred years old. It was built way before even my granddad was born. And it didn’t belong to the Alfreds. It belonged to a man.”
“A man?” Emily parroted, her interest piqued. “That’s pretty vague.”
Michael nodded. “It’s strange, though. The man’s name was never mentioned. No detail about him was even included in the town plans. Just a reference to a man who built the house and had its plans filed.”
“And you’re sure the plans are accurate?”
Michael nodded vigorously. “So accurate that I made it to the master bedroom in a house teaming with three murderous magicians and a lot of staff who might also be murderous magicians in their own respects—and I wasn’t caught.”
“But I thought you said you didn’t have a map of the house when you snuck in?” Emily scrunched her nose. “Because you wandered into the master bedroom accidently!”
He shrugged one shoulder. “I lied.”
“Wow. Just wow.”
Michael’s reasoning was compelling. And Emily wanted anything but to be compelled into a haphazard, half-hatched plan to go out there and save Rina and Joanna. She tried not to think about it, but she couldn’t help herself.
If Michael had a plan for the castle, they could sneak in and sneak out and no one would be the wiser. If there was a secret entrance into the castle and they could sneak into the dungeons and get their friends out, shouldn’t they try?
No! Selena exclaimed. You’ll be more successful in the morning—when your aunt, who is a powerful witch, and your dad, who is a skilled military operative, can help you succeed.
Emily saw Selena’s point. Dad was versed in the art of stealth. She bet he could whip up a solid plan to save the two girls, and the plan would go accordingly. More so, Aunt was a seasoned rove. They needed delusory magic, and though Michael was quite impressive with that kind of magic, Aunt Anastacia was the best they had.
With the combined force of Aunt and Dad—and, of course, with Michael’s floor plan to the castle—they were surely going to rescue the girls.
But how could she dissuade Michael from going out now?
“What happens if things go wrong?” asked Emily. “Who do we run to for backup?”
Michael looked annoyed. “We won’t need backup.”
“Yeah, but what if we do?” Emily pressed. “What if something unexpected happens? What if Alice decides she wants to torture the prisoners, or what if some maid spots us coming in, or what if we’re somehow exposed? Who do we run to for help?”
Michael had nothing to say. He remained silent, glaring at her and silently seething. Emily didn’t need to be told that Michael was now angry at her. He’d come to her hoping for her to run off with him into the night. But here she was being the voice of reason.
Michael looked away and grunted.
He must really hate me now, Emily thought to herself, feeling the snap of guilt. Maybe she should have agreed to his impulsive plan. Anything to get in his good graces. If she forced her way into his good graces, then maybe there was a chance they could be brother and sister—not just by blood but also by relationship.
Nevertheless, could she sit there and agree to a plan that was likely to come unhinged the moment they stepped into the castle? Yeah, sure, Michael had made it to the master bedroom because he knew the floor plan. But that
