Lost Magic (The Swift Codex Book 3) (34 page)

“Everyone into position. Stagger out, set up your blinds. We're as ready as we will ever be now.”

It was a slow time before everything was settled and we had our blinds and the mouse was put in position. I wore the soul gem and drew strength from it as soon as the mouse snuck into the house via a hole for the plumbing. Surprisingly, no wards disturbed the mouse.

I set it towards the dark rooms.

Avoiding the house guests proved problematic. An hour into the hallway brought no advancement, but I remained patient. Skitter by skitter, I found the wrinkle in a carpet, the shadow of a houseplant, then the blessed length of a fainting couch. The puppet crossed a vast expanse of empty room in the two seconds it was clear thanks to someone deciding that it was time to command the string quartet to play.

When the puppet mouse ducked into a darkened room, I stilled to adjust the illusion to compensate for low lighting.

A cradle stood to the side of the room, nestled beside a plush chair. Noises echoed behind the puppet, it dodged to the shelter of the edge of the wall. The door swept open. Ugly plastic shoes filled the puppet's vision and I resisted the urge to move. The person who had come into the room didn't seem to hesitate before going to the cradle and bending over it. A woman adjusted a nightlight. She reached into the cradle and the sheets rustled.

“There you are, little sweet pea,” the woman said. “Such rosy cheeks. Shh, shh, keep sleeping, I'll go.”

But she didn't go, not for several more minutes. Nor did she touch Anna again, she just stood there smiling at the baby.

The scene tore me into pieces. A blast of outraged jealously drove me into wanting to barge into the house and tell her new guardian to stop partying. Yet another part of me felt guilty for wanting to take her away from people who had wealth and resources to devote to her. That was short-lived. I knew the real reason she'd been removed from my care to start with. What was not so quickly resolved, though, was the lingering question of if I could stand to part with her again.

“I found her,” I muttered to the others as I saw that the illusion spell was starting to fade, the puppet having drawn too far away from me.

“Are you all right?” came the whisper on the wind, the first words I'd ever heard spoken to me by using the stealthy communication spells.

“Feeling tired,” I admitted. “Do I leave the mouse where it is or do I try to extract it?”

“Best get it out. Leave no trace.”

Despite that I was fairly sure no one would be horrified by glimpsing a mouse, I was just as careful while guiding the puppet out of the house as I had been when I put it inside. Returning the mouse to my hiding spot seemed to take even longer than anything else, and I was in physical pain when I pocketed the puppet and limped back to where Mordon and Valerin waited for my return.

“I'll take you to the others,” Valerin said. “Mordon, hide us from view and take care of any unpleasantries which might arise.”

A short time later I was back in Selestiani. A group of people were waiting for our arrival, storming out of their homes as soon as we shook ourselves free from the aftermath of the portals.

Julius elbowed his way to the front as soon as the portal closed behind us, searching around until he spotted me taking a seat on a bench.

“Did you see her?” he asked. “Do you know how to get her back?”

“One thing at a time,” I said. “Yes, I got into the house where she was, and yes, she seems well. We haven't decided yet how to do the break-in—”

“I don't care how you do it,” Julius interrupted. “You've found her.”

“I could find it if my wings were clipped,” Valerin said.

“Hopefully that won't be necessary,” Julius said, pacing back and forth so fast that I heard the rustle of fabric following in his wake. “It is amazing to me that, after all this time and effort, we might at last be able to bring her home. It's possible, it's going to happen. Instead of chasing after her, we can get there. Assemble and prepare—we'll take them by sheer force if need be.”

“Not a wise idea,” Leif said, standing in front of Julius. “Absolutely not. Even if wrong, this was done under the approval of a legitimate agency. We can file for an unsafe environment, and that will be enough to put her back in your hands—legally and with the blessing of others. If you violate their ruling, think of the consequences which could result.”

“We don't acknowledge their authority. She was taken from us and we're going to get her back. Before they have the opportunity to relocate her again and hide her from even your agency. Don't make the mistake we made when we tried for the same tactic you are proposing. They took her and hid her and we were not able to find her. Now that we know where she is, we are going to go to her.”

“Think,” I called after Julius, who had started to leave to get the others. “If you attack them in force, they'll pack her up and take her away. All that will happen is you'll fight, you'll kill some of them, they'll kill some of us, and Anna will still not be in our hands.”

The sitting area was getting crowded as the entire population of Selestiani tried to witness the excitement. Julius, almost to the door of the main building, spun on his heel to stare at me.

“And you propose we do nothing?” he asked. “That we sit back and watch as your coven does the same thing we did—and failed at doing. Is that what you want? Do you think I could entertain such a notion for an instant? When I speak, I'm speaking for all of us, not only for myself. We would rather fight for each other and take a long shot than to give up and know that we will fail again. We will defend and protect each other through easy times and hard times, and we will never, ever give up on one of our own no matter how terribly the odds are stacked against our favor.”

The listening Selestianis cheered their agreement. But in an instant, all was silenced as I froze the air so no sound could travel. When they were stunned, I released them and said in a clear, piercing voice, “I am the Lady Feraline of the Swift Clan and I can get our Anna back, without bloodshed, without losing her again. But this will not happen unless you hear and obey.”

Even Julius was shocked in mute compliance. I sat upright, tucking my shoulders back as regally as I could despite the way I was worn out from the magic and the day's events.

When I steadied my nerves, all were watching me intently—even Mordon. He had the same shocked look as the rest of them, but there was another emotion playing in his eyes.

He knelt before me, took my hands in his, and said, “I hear you, milady, and I offer my services to be used as you see fit.”

Surprised into reacting, Valerin quickly followed suit, kneeling and repeating Mordon's words. A ripple effect rolled through the drakes in the assembly, each one promising to hear and obey. When I looked up at Julius and the others, they were in clear debate as to if they should do as their comrades had or stay on their feet. Julius held my gaze.

“What about it, Julius Septimus? Will you hear what I have to say?” I asked.

“I will hear,” he said. “But I promise you nothing. If the plan seems feasible, then I will agree to it, so long as we hurry.”

I stood off to the side and waited for the tactical team to return from their mission. The air was frigid. A cloud of fog rolled over our encampment, leaving behind tiny fractals of crystallized frost on my jacket, dew on my skin. The Selestiani were shushed and somber as they waited and waited. There was no reason to be quiet, we had sound-dampening wards in place and we were in no risk of there being people nearby to hear us talk besides, but it was as if by being quiet ourselves we could impart silence to those who needed it.

Julius ducked under the low-hanging door of the supervisory tent, an olive green military surplus officer's tent which had a camp stove inside. He joined me by pressing a hot mug into my hands. For a minute he said nothing. On the hillside opposite us, the log cabin had two lights still on but they were low and I hadn't seen any shadows fall over the windows since the cleaning staff had made their final rounds and gone to bed.

“I am grateful to you for all you have done for us. You have my deepest appreciation,” Julius said.

“The night isn't over yet,” I said. “And I must admit that I have some investment in seeing things ending well.”

“That does not matter, unless it is to give me hope that you will consider joining us when all is done.”

A chill went through my body. “I promised that I would consider it.”

Julius proved to be too good at understanding me. He said, “Perhaps now is not the time for you to make such a change. This being the case, you will keep us in mind for when your circumstances change?”

I blushed, remembering the way that the Wildwoods had asked me the same thing. Was I a likeable person, or was the universe trying to tell me to move on, or was it all test of some kind? In the end, all I knew to say was, “Thank you.”

Mindful of sleeping potions and the variety of ways Lilly had managed to drug me into resting, I didn't take a sip of the drink Julius had given me. Just in case he's doped it up with something. Julius didn't seem to be paying attention but neither did he leave. He stood there beside me, his hands folded in front of his body, watching the dark shapes under the trees. The tactical team consisted of seven volunteers. They'd been gone long enough that they should be returning now—but if we saw them it was because they were allowing us to do so. I'd hate to think that Mordon or Barnes would be so sloppy. Only a warning of wind and the briefest trace of black pepper and nutmeg warned me that they'd returned.

“Slight problem,” Mordon's voice said over my shoulder.

Julius jumped, swinging to face the man who'd startled him. I grabbed Julius's hands before he could start a spell of some kind and said, “They're back.” I glanced at where Barnes was starting to unshadow the party, leaving Mordon's upper body visible. “What's the hitch?”

“The part where the nursery maid is the only one allowed into the nursery, and that's enforced by a golem who compares the maid with a chalk outline on the wall. Unfortunately, not even Barnes is her-size.”

Barnes grinned. “Too wide about the middle.”

“Too much homemade brandy,” I said, smiling despite the obvious failure of the first plan. If I let myself think on it, the tightness of my throat threatened to overtake ability and reason. “I assume, then, you have plans for a substitute?”

“Regrettably, yes,” Mordon said and tossed a folded-up uniform at me.

Valerin scowled. “Fera's too tall. She's no where near wide enough, either.”

At this, a smug expression crossed Mordon's face. “I think I know her dimensions better than you do.”

To cut off any reaction that comment was bound to unleash, I stripped off my own jacket and shirt and thrust them at Mordon. Julius, Valerin, and Barnes immediately turned away or hid their eyes or cleared their throat. Mordon did not do any of that, but he did stare down at my clothes instead of at me. The night air made my skin tighten and I hurried to replace the clothes I'd taken off. Within a couple of minutes I was dressed in the uniform.

“Done,” I said, winding my hair up into a bun. “Fits like a glove. Just a bit large about the middle. Does she wear flat shoes or heels?”

“They're similar to what you are wearing,” Mordon answered.

“Do you know if the golem has any passphrases or anything of that nature?”

Valerin said, “According to the runes on his arm, he's deaf. I assume that there's no verbal communication, but he has eyesight so there's a possibility that the maid has to give a hand signal of some kind. If we discover this the hard way, it's going to be loud.”

“And very bad,” Barnes continued. “He has that place so wired up with enchantments, wards, and goodness knows what else that even putting a toe into a room where you are not permitted will set them all off.”

“That's an alternative,” I said. “Find a way to trigger everything simultaneously and escape in the aftermath.”

“We'd need time to organize it. Swapping you for Valerin is the best thing to try for now,” Leif said. “Bear in mind I would never consider it unless I thought you could do it.”

“
Sneak in, rob the cradle, sneak out. Done and done,” I said, feeling both relieved and anxious to have something important to do.