Brandon Delacourt had ensconced himself properly with Morgana. That snake! Every time I thought of him my blood boiled. He had tricked me into believing him a friend and betrayed me to Morgana. Now he had procured the most powerful post in the land. How he had managed to get her to appoint him archmage, I didn’t know. But I knew he was clever, and combined with Lilith, they were a formidable enemy. I would have to be very careful if I wanted to help Rafe and those children. If I managed to return them to their families, then I knew at least some of the nobles would switch sides and join Rafe, and he needed all the support he could get. Even with Tristan and Cade, going up against an army of warrior-mages, the odds were not in our favor. I had to figure out how to do it, but doubts about my ability to do the impossible were slowly creeping in.
Tristan and Cade sat on the opposite side of the table, a swarm of serving girls attending to their every whim. Cade seemed to be enjoying the attention of the scantily clad girls, but Tristan looked like he didn’t even notice them fawning over him. Ever since I expressed my desire to help Rafe, Tristan had hardly spoken to me. He just kept throwing me fleeting dark looks from across the room while Penelope was engaged in a lengthy discussion with the emir.
Marcus suddenly slipped into the hall from God knows where and whispered in Santino’s ear.
Santino’s eyes narrowed and he nodded. Leaning over, he spoke softly to me. “Marcus has news. A High Fae lady matching the description of Andromeda was seen near the city a few days ago.”
“Do you think it could be her?” I whispered, and moved to get up.
Santino shook his head and put his hand on my arm, sitting me back down. “I don’t know, but you must stay here. If you leave, Varian will definitely get suspicious. I don’t want him to know what we are looking for. I don’t trust him. I will take Tristan and check it out.”
Santino got up and gestured to Tristan and Cade to meet him outside.
All throughout dinner I tried to nod and answer in monosyllables to some irritating nobles while my mind was elsewhere. I saw Varian whisper to the emir and excuse himself.
Where was he going? I would find out.
I pretended to feel unwell, excused myself from dinner, and followed Varian as he scurried through the courtyard, shrouding myself in shadows. I crept through the darkness after him; he was heading toward the barracks. Looking around once, he pulled on his hood. He was definitely up to something.
I felt a presence brush up behind me and I whirled around, my hand beginning to light up.
“It’s just me,” whispered Marcus, his hands up.
“Stop sneaking up on me, Marcus,” I ground out. I looked back, but Varian had disappeared.
“But it’s okay for you to sneak around?” Marcus asked, scrunching his eyebrows and stroking his wispy beard.
“I was following Varian; he’s up to something. I think he left the citadel through the barracks.”
Marcus’s eyes sparkled at that piece of information. He put on his hood. “I’ll follow him and let you know what I find out.”
I put my hand on his arm. “I’m coming with you.”
“It’s too dangerous in the city, Aurora. Santino would have my head if anything happened to you.”
“Well, then, we mustn’t get caught,” I said, creating a cloak out of glamour and pulling up my hood. When others saw me now, they would only see an old lady in a worn brown cloak.
Marcus’s eyes widened. “Impressive! Your magic has really grown since we last met.”
“You have no idea,” I said darkly. “Let’s go.”
Marcus knew the way out of the barracks into the city. It didn’t take him long to find Varian—the short, shuffling figure was hard to miss. Protected with glamour, we traversed the smaller alleyways into numerous by-lanes when we spotted Varian entering a wide archway into the main town square.
“Where’s he going?”
“The Night Bazaar,” whispered Marcus as we turned into the archway.
I stopped and couldn’t help but stare.
The square had been transformed into maze-like streets winding in and out of bright-tented stalls. Crowds of people flocked to the elaborate market selling everything from jewelry and trinkets to lengths of brightly colored fabrics and handmade crafts. We passed sellers of leather goods, which lay next to weapons and armored headgear in the style of the Brandorian cavalry.
I couldn’t help stopping at one stall, which sold brightly dyed sandals, wonderfully detailed and studded with glittering gemstones.
Marcus grabbed my arm and pulled me away. “Come on, we will lose him.”
We followed Varian to the middle of the bazaar, which was a whirl of sounds and activity. The smells of spice stalls and grilled meats wafted toward me as customers sampled savory pastries and sweet confections sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon from the next stall. A snake charmer entranced customers, who looked horrified at what he was doing with the snake.
Honey cakes and frothing, creamy drinks were being enjoyed all around, as the citizens of Sanria laughed and chatted in the marketplace. I was struck at how different this city was from Nedora, which was more gloomy, unkempt, and dangerous. I had a feeling the rulers of each city had something to do with it.
Varian moved toward a wall between two tents; he looked around once, then turned and vanished.
My eyes widened. “Where did he go?”
Marcus fondled his beard, and his eyes twinkled. “I know exactly where he went.” He walked to the gap between the tents. “Follow me.”
The wall behind looked ordinary enough—made of stone and separating two houses—but I could see it was no ordinary wall. The people in the market would not give it a second glance; my fae senses and spirit magic could pick
