I climbed out of the passage and into a cave. Kegohr trailed after me. Vesma swept her long hair out of her face and tied it back. We crouched at the edge of a rock pool in a cavern lit by a pair of lanterns. Condensation dripped onto cold rock and echoed through the rough-edged cavern.
“Follow me,” Labu said as he took one of the lanterns. “And keep quiet.”
I took the other lantern, and we ghosted him up the stairs.
We emerged through a low doorway into a cellar. Labu moved a rack of barrels back into place to hide the doorway, and we moved on. Our soaked clothes left a trail of wet footprints as we moved quietly over the flagstones. These traces weren’t ideal, but the constant use of water Augmenting in this guild wouldn’t make the footprints too noticeable. I hoped.
We crept through the corridors in total silence. The Radiant Dragon had taught us plenty about stealth, and sneaking around for a living even before I’d landed in this world gave me an extra edge over the others. We left the cellars and storage rooms behind us and approached the servants’ rooms and guards’ quarters.
Labu made a signal, and we all froze and pressed ourselves back into the shadows. I closed the shutter on my lamp half a second faster than the prince. Torches burned in the corridor up ahead and cast a flickering pool of shadow across us.
Footsteps approached along the corridor, and a conversation came into earshot.
“. . . doesn’t matter; he’s one of the initiates,” a woman said. “You know they’re not allowed to fraternize with maids.”
“That’s part of what makes it so exciting,” her companion replied. “Sneaking around at night, trying to steal a moment to ourselves.”
Two women in servants’ livery and aprons appeared, walking along the corridor ours was about to join. They paused, and one leaned against the wall. Her back was to us, but her friend couldn’t see us. If she paid any attention to the shadows beyond, we’d be spotted in an instant.
“He only wants you for your body,” said the one with her back to us. She was short and wore a white ribbon in her hair.
“And you think I want him for his sparkling personality?” asked her friend, who was tall, wide, and not exactly attractive from the back.
“He barely even treats you like a person!”
“Still makes a change from serving my own needs. I swear, those two fingers were starting to cramp up!”
“Betha! You’re awful!”
“He’s not brilliant either, but he’ll get there with practice.”
They both laughed.
“All right, I need to get a little something from the cellar.” The maid with ribbons in her hair jerked a thumb toward where we stood.
I opened up the ash channel, and readied myself to summon a cloud and choke them unconscious before they could raise an alarm. I didn’t want to hurt the cleaning staff for the sakes’ of their masters, but Kumi’s life was on the line.
Betha laughed. “If you’re looking to skim the brandy barrel again, forget it. I have plenty stashed away.”
“Then let’s finish our shift and get started!” exclaimed the girl with ribbons in her hair.
Their voices disappeared down the corridor. We continued along our path as the sound of their footsteps finished their echo on the stone walls. That had been way too close of a call.
Two corridors and a set of stairs later, we found ourselves in the main structure of the guild house. Spheres glowed softly against tiles and illuminated abandoned display sections in the walls. Men’s voices and the sound of hurrying footsteps forced us to press ourselves against the walls and hide the sound of our breathing.
There wasn’t time to get back around the last corner, certainly not without making a lot of noise. Instead, we drew back into the nooks and hoped that the shadows would keep us hidden.
Half a dozen guild guards marched into sight in full armor. Bright spears shone in the light as they rested against the owners’ shoulders.
“. . . says he spotted a boat,” the leader said, “so now, we have to bring it in and tie it up at—wait, who’s that?”
He turned to look directly at the nook where Kegohr was hidden.
There was no time to hesitate.
“Keep it quiet and non-lethal,” I muttered urgently to the others.
I squeezed water Vigor through my flesh and flung a Smothering Mist around the guards. Thick white fog surrounded them and blocked their view.
“What the hells?” the lead guard exclaimed. “Is this another damn training exercise?”
Labu and I leaped forward. We could make out the vague outlines of the guards through the mist. I struck with the pommel of my sword while Labu used the shaft of his spear. There were cracks of wood and metal as they hit skulls, a couple of strangled yelps of alarm, and the thud of bodies hitting the floor.
The last couple of guards only just realized that something was seriously wrong. They raised their spears hesitantly and opened their mouths to scream out. One weapon jabbed at me, and I dodged aside so that it missed me by six inches. Labu grabbed it by the shaft. While the guard struggled to yank his weapon free, I punched him in the jaw and put him to sleep. The last one turned to run, but I swept his feet out from under him, and he fell to the floor. Labu landed on him in a flash, knocked the air from his lungs, and
