“Of course you do. But Governor Arnold is the only one who has access to the records of the people contained in the slave caravans. There are dozens of mines. Katlyn could have been transported to any one of them. We’ll need a look at the records first.”
“Then we’re going to find the Governor and make him tell us which mine.”
“It’ll have to wait until tomorrow,” Jacques said.
“Why is that?”
“He’s out of town. Out north on an inspection. That Arcanist, Maximilian, he’s furious because the Trade House won’t give him his taxes without the Governor’s personal approval. Messages have been sent, and the gossip is that he’ll arrive back tomorrow.”
“We can’t break into the Trade House and steal them?” I asked.
“As much as I don’t like thievery, that does sound like it would be up your alley, Jacques,” Amelia said.
“I’ve tried to break into that damned place, and I’ve succeeded a few times, but I’ve never been able to access the room where the records are kept. Besides, that bastard Maximilian is staying in the lodgings above the Trade House. I don’t want to step a foot near the place with him in there, and breaking in right now is a death sentence that even Loku’s luck couldn’t prevent. Like I said, we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to ask Governor Arnold about the records.”
I growled under my breath. “Well, as soon as the Governor enters Brightwater, we’re going to have a word with him. I’ll rescue Katlyn from the monster mines whatever it takes.”
Veronica and Amelia stepped up and stood on either side of me, and I knew Amelia was speaking for both of them when she said, “We’re with you all the way, William.”
I looked at them both. Jacques was right. With these two at my side, there was nothing I couldn’t do.
Chapter Eighteen
There was nothing we could do until the Governor returned, so the best thing to do was to get some rest. We headed upstairs. Mistress Blossom led the way, closing the secret door behind us once we’d passed through.
After Jacques’ revelation, I wasn’t feeling in the conversational mood. I wanted to think about how we were going to meet this challenge. Rooms had been prepared for us, and soon I found myself sitting alone in my chamber; Amelia, Veronica, and Jacques had been given rooms further down the hallway.
My thoughts turned to Katlyn and how we might go about rescuing her from her captivity. I had rescued Amelia from the worst of it, but if Katlyn had passed through Brightwater two days ago, as Jacques had said, then she was likely at the mines now.
Whether I liked it or not, I had to remain here, in the tavern, until the Governor returned. He was on his way back, but it looked like he wouldn’t return at least until the next morning.
I was deep in thought about how I might use my powers to free Katlyn when the door creaked open. I expected to see Amelia standing there in a nightshift. Instead, it was Veronica’s silhouette outlined in the doorway.
“Do you mind if I come in?” she asked.
“Sure,” I said. It was good to see her. I’d thought things through as much as I could on my own.
She entered the chamber and closed the door quietly behind her. The flickering candle beside the bed cast long shadows over her shapely form. It was only as she came to sit next to me on the bed that I noticed she was only wearing a simple blue gown. It was mostly untied at her back, revealing the tattoo I had drawn not more than an hour ago.
Rather than speak, for which I was grateful, she placed her hand on my thigh. For a few long minutes, we didn’t talk.
“I need to find her,” I finally said when I was ready.
“We will find her,” Veronica said. She sat silently for a long moment as if considering what to say next. After a while, she said quietly, “When I was twelve, my sister was taken.”
“By slavers?” I asked.
“No. By an unwanted suitor. He was a Duke’s son who lived far from my family’s estate. My father wanted the dowry, and he wouldn’t listen to my sister’s pleas.”
“That’s terrible,” I said.
“I should have done something.”
“What could you have done?”
“Probably nothing, but I still ought to have tried. I live with that guilt every day. It’s why I went to train as a Mage. I thought that maybe I would have been able to find my sister and break the bond of marriage. When I discovered that Mages don’t have the political power I thought they had as a child, I broke away from my training and left Astros. Filled with rage, I came here, to the north, hoping I could channel that wrath into killing monsters, or maybe even a few slavers. My sister’s plight was not dissimilar to that of a slave. She was taken against her will. I couldn’t kill my father, but perhaps I could kill a few people like him.”
I glanced up at Veronica’s face. “So, by helping me rescue Katlyn, you’ll be dealing with what happened to your sister?”
“Partly,” she said. “Maybe I’ll never forgive myself for not trying to do something, but at least helping you will mean someone else doesn’t end up enslaved.”
“Maybe, once we’re done in the north, we can figure out some way to rescue your sister.”
“I’ve almost given up hope of that, but it means a lot to hear you suggest there might be a way.”
“Never give up hope,” I said as I took Veronica’s hands and faced her.
Veronica leaned in toward me, her lips parted. Her breath was warm on my neck, her eyes stared into mine. It had been an intense day for both of us, and I sensed that she wanted the comfort of physical contact with me as much as I wanted it with
