The Traitor Queen

“This makes Cery the ideal bait to lure Skellin with. Which is his own idea,” she reassured him. “He said to tell you he is prepared to do it and proposes you meet with him to work out a place and time.”

“Hmm.” Kallen frowned and looked away. “That is a very generous and brave offer. One that I admire and appreciate and I’m sure the rest of the Guild would too, if they knew of it. One that we might take up.” He shook his head. “But not right now. We’re exploring another avenue. I can’t tell you the details yet, but if it succeeds we will not need to risk Cery’s life at all.”

Lilia felt a brief disappointment, then relief, followed by anxiety. “How long until you know? Cery’s hiding place is... well, it’s his last safe place. If Skellin discovers it, Cery won’t have anywhere else to go.”

“What we’re doing can’t be hurried. It may take weeks, or months. How long does Cery believe he can remain hidden?” Kallen asked.

Weeks! Months! Anger flared inside her, but when she looked at Kallen she saw genuine concern in his eyes. The anger ebbed away.

“I don’t know. He doesn’t know. Skellin could find him tonight, he could find him in a few weeks. Getting food without being seen is difficult. Each time they go out it’s a risk.”

Kallen reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder briefly.

“I understand. We are doing everything we can, Lilia. Tell Cery we appreciate his offer, and may take it up if our other plans fail. In the meantime, he should do all he can to stay hidden.”

Lilia nodded, and sighed. “I’ll tell him. He won’t like it, though.”

“I don’t expect he will.” He gave her a sympathetic look, but it suddenly changed to a frown. “He won’t do anything foolish out of impatience, will he?”

She swallowed a bitter laugh. “I don’t think so, but he’s a Thief. He’s used to being in charge of his life.” Seeing Kallen’s eyebrows lower further, she shook her head. “Anyi and I will do all we can to talk him out of it, if he tries. And Gol is used to talking sense to Cery, I suspect.”

Kallen nodded. “Good.”

Getting to her feet, Lilia smoothed her robes. “I had better be going. Goodnight, Black Magician Kallen. I hope your plans are successful.”

He nodded. “Thank you. Goodnight Lady Lilia.”

As she turned toward the door it swung open. Stepping out into the corridor, she breathed the cleaner air outside with relief. Then her mood darkened again.

Cery isn’t going to like this. But I think he trusts... no, it’s more that he respects Kallen than trusts him... enough to wait and see if these other plans work. That wasn’t the main problem, though. How am I going to keep them fed and undiscovered for weeks – perhaps even months? Someone’s bound to notice something eventually.

She could only hope that, with Jonna’s help, they could prevent that, or for Kallen’s “other avenue” to succeed.

Chapter 12 Spies

“Do you think we should wait until Lilia is with us?” Anyi said as she eyed the roof of the tunnel. Cery lifted his lamp. “It doesn’t look like it’s about to cave in this very moment.” The tunnel was long and Anyi had set a brisk pace. Too brisk. He’d taken advantage of the sagging roof to pause and catch his breath, hoping the others would think he was being cautious. “But then, how do you tell?”

“I don’t know,” Anyi admitted. “I figure it won’t collapse so long as we don’t touch anything. But we shouldn’t hang about.”

Gol made a low noise that suggested they were both crazy. He was regarding the tree roots hanging from the ceiling and matted over the sides of the tunnel with a frown. As he took a step toward it, Cery realised it wasn’t a frown of disapproval but of interest.

Then he saw what Gol had noticed. Light didn’t penetrate beyond some of the roots as it should have. Behind lurked a stubborn darkness. He moved closer then hooked his fingers in the cascade of white roots and pulled gently. They swung forward with no resistance.

They’re not attached to anything. There’s a hole behind here.

“Remember what I said about not touching any...” Anyi began as he pulled the roots aside. “Oh.”

The entrance to another tunnel opened before them. The same deteriorated brickwork held back the earth and supported the roof. He glanced at her and smiled as she came closer and peered inside, eyes bright.

“Now that’s a bit of luck,” she remarked. “If we have to make a run for it, we can slip through here. So long as whoever was chasing us didn’t see us do it they’d never know where we’d gone.”

“Want to explore?” Cery asked.

“Of course.”

Cery looked back at Gol. “Stay here. You hear anything like a cave-in, go get Lilia.”

Gol looked like he was about to argue, but then heaved a heavy sigh and nodded. Cery held back the roots so that Anyi could slip through. She moved slowly, lifting her lamp to examine the walls, roof and floor. The passage was in no worse condition than the one they had been following. Parts had deteriorated, but most still looked solid.

As they made their way along it, Cery wondered how Lilia’s conversation with Kallen had gone. They wouldn’t hear from her until the morning. Cery had decided that they should spend the night exploring the passages and considering where they might set their trap for Skellin. Anyi believed they should lure Skellin to the underground rooms near the University, so they could escape to the building. The rooms were the ones Cery had found Anyi and Lilia in. He felt his face warm as he remembered. In the whorehouse he’d grown up in, he’d known women who sought other women’s affections, some forming bonds that lasted many years. It had been one more of many ways that he’d seen people seek pleasure, companionship and love. Yet he also came to realise that he was living in a particularly tolerant world. Outside it were people who did not approve of anything different from their own experience and tastes. And not just people from the higher classes. The underworld was no better or worse.

I wonder if her mother knows. Vesta always enjoyed feeling that she was better than others. She was always looking for something to disapprove of in other people. Sometimes I think the only reason she wanted me was because I was a Thief. It made her feel more important than most other people. Well, it did for a while.

The last thing he wanted Anyi to feel was disapproved of. He certainly didn’t mind her being with Lilia but... He felt a small pang of envy. I once loved a Guild magician, but the only kind of love I got in return was friendship. He shook his head. That sounds peevish. Sonea’s friendship is no small thing, and I did find love elsewhere.

He wondered if Anyi had had many previous lovers, then remembered her story of the one who had betrayed her. Aha. That must be why I never found him. It wasn’t a “him”, it was a “her”.

Anyi gave a little gasp. “Look!” she whispered.

The tunnel ended at a brick wall, but it was no ordinary wall. A familiar mechanism had been attached to the brickwork – the workings of a hidden door. Cery located a brass spy hole cover. It was stiff and green with age, but he was able to force it open. Looking through, he saw only darkness.

“Can’t see anything,” he said.

“Do you want to try opening it?” Anyi asked.

Cery considered. If he let his imagination go where it pleased, it conjured up dangerous prisoners or incarcerated monsters waiting for the chance to be free – killing anything that stood in their path.

More likely it’s another old storeroom. Besides, there’s no lock preventing anyone opening the door from the other side, as far as I can see.

He nodded.

Anyi took the lever and hauled on it, but the door did not budge. Looking closely at the mechanism, Cery saw that it wasn’t rusted. There were black lumps around the joins. He poked at them. They were soft. Probably old oil