"We should close the drawbridge and make an immediate search," Adrian insisted. "We already know what she looks like. Perhaps she's still here."
Abbey shook her head ruefully. "Trust me, she's long gone. It is far easier to depart this place in the daytime than it is to sneak in at night. My guess is that she waited, then simply sauntered out through the gate this morning with the usual smattering of wounded well enough to leave. How clever! Tell me, can you place the same azure field around Lionel's corpse that Faegan did for Geldon's?"
"Yes," the First Sister answered. "But it will not be as strong. If a necropsy is to be performed, it will have to be soon."
Abbey looked over at Vivian. "If you will excuse us, the First Sister and I were about to meet in the Conclave Chambers. We have much to discuss. Please stay here and see if you can discover anything else that might help shed some light on what happened."
Vivian bowed slightly. "Of course."
After the other women left the room, Vivian's face darkened. She had not attended the interrogation of the captured Valrenkian, and yet Adrian and Abbey had spoken of Satine as though the assassin's identity was something Vivian already knew.
Abbey was no fool. Had the herbmistress' comments about Satine been merely an oversight, or something else? As she continued to gaze out the window, Wulfgar's servant came to several disheartening conclusions.
Not only had the Gray Fox's identity been uncovered, but Vivian would have to be even more careful from here on. She must immediately return to the fountain in the middle of the square. Her thoughts turned to the message she would be forced to leave in the burbling water.
Bratach would not be pleased.
CHAPTER L
Shailiha shivered. it was painfully cold at this altitude, and more than once she had been forced to wipe frost from her hair and eyelashes. She and Tyranny wore heavy cloaks to help ward off the weather. As usual, Scars was dressed only in his torn trousers. Smiling, Shailiha shook her head. Like Ox, he never seemed bothered by the weather.
K'jarr and three other handpicked warriors-Crevin, Micah, and Lan-sat quietly beside them. Six additional Minion bearers bore the litter though the nighttime sky. When they landed, Tyranny wanted the four idle warriors to be fresh. All their lives would depend upon it.
They had entered the fog bank two hours ago. Once there, Tyranny had carefully consulted her enchanted sextant, and then told the warriors to change course slightly. She had been eager to confirm the additional enchantments that would allow the sextant both to operate in the fog and to read the stars as well as the sun. She had been greatly relieved when it worked as promised.
The mist surrounding them was wet and dense, making it impossible to watch the ocean sliding by below. But K'jarr had a considerable talent for dead reckoning, and he was reasonably sure about when to order their descent. Until that time they would take advantage of the welcome cover. It was not their intention to immediately approach the fortress.
The previous day had passed calmly enough, giving the Reprise's canvas-masters a chance to finish repairing her sails. The frigate now had more speed, but she still lumbered more than Tyranny liked.
Before leaving the ship in charge of her boatswain, Tyranny had ordered that the frigate sail in circles, always staying near the same relative position. If the raiding party was to find the ship again, this would be crucial.
Shailiha looked over at Tyranny. The privateer's expression was grim. Other than when she gave directions to the warriors, she had said little. Shailiha couldn't help imagining that the captain was thinking of Tristan, and of the private conversation the two of them had shared in Tyranny's stateroom.
The princess rubbed her fingers together. The tingle in her hand told her that Faegan's spell was still working. May it continue to hold, she thought.
K'jarr leaned toward Tyranny. "It is time!" he shouted. Tyranny nodded back. K'jarr gestured to the warriors carrying the litter and they started down.
When they broke through the bottom of the fog, they saw that the Sea of Whispers was calm. From this distance, all they could see of the Citadel was a smattering of twinkling lights that floated ephemerally above the waves.
The litter descended in a tight spiral. When they were no more than a hundred meters or so above the waves, the warriors widened the spiral and held their altitude. Tyranny nodded to Shailiha and Scars.
Tyranny, Scars, and the princess stood up, as did the four waiting warriors. The two women removed their cloaks and checked their weapons. Crevin and Micah lifted Tyranny and Scars into their arms, and K'jarr took Shailiha. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. By previous agreement, the princess would go first.
K'jarr climbed onto the sturdy sidewall of the litter, snapped open his wings, and promptly stepped off. The warriors carrying Tyranny and Scars went next. Lan followed.
At first Shailiha was sure that she was about to die. The wind tore at her hair and clothes, and K'jarr had difficulty stabilizing his flight. He finally leveled out and soared low over the waves, waiting for the others to join them. Soon the four warriors closed ranks, waiting for the next stage of their plan to unfold.
The litter and the other warriors broke free of the fog. Fanning their wings to gentle the descent, the bearers dropped the litter atop the waves then landed themselves, one by one, and climbed inside it.
Shailiha listened as Tyranny shouted out a series of commands in Old Eutracian. The litter began to glow. Shailiha winced, knowing that this might give away their position, but it couldn't be helped. Faegan's enchantment would hold the litter in the same place on the sea, so that on the return leg of their mission they could find it again.
Watching the glow fade away almost immediately, Shailiha breathed a sigh of relief. As long as night reigned, the litter would prove nearly impossible to see. Once Tyranny was again within the prescribed range of the spell, she would utter another set of orders, and the litter would glow once more. It was imperative that they return from the Citadel before dawn-otherwise, the litter would prove an all-too-vulnerable target.
Satisfied, Tyranny ordered the others to form up on Crevin, and they flew toward the Citadel.
There was still a good bit of distance to cover, and the tension-filled trip took some time. As they neared the island, Tyranny ordered the warriors to take them higher, so that she could better scout the terrain.
There was no fog here, and the moonlight revealed the Citadel in all its menacing splendor. Several slaver frigates patrolled the sea around the horseshoe-shaped bay at the island's southern end, where the rest of the demonslaver fleet lay quietly anchored. But there was no sign of the Black Ships, or the skeletal captains K'jarr had warned them about.
After carefully surveying the island, Tyranny ordered Crevin to lead the group down. They landed behind some rocks, on a part of the shore that closely bordered the fortress' walls.
The Minions lowered their passengers to the ground. As the warriors closed their wings, they and the women drew their swords. Scars smiled and cracked his knuckles. The only other sound was the restless sea, its waves crashing over and over against the rocks. About a hundred meters ahead, the Citadel beckoned.
The ground rose dramatically, ending at the sheer rock walls surrounding the fortress. Demonslavers patrolled the guard paths at their tops. Tyranny looked over at the warriors.
"Crevin and Micah, I want you to circle around the walls as far as you dare," she whispered. "See if you can find a way in. The rest of us will wait here. Be quick."
The two warriors ran to the base of the wall, then crept away in opposite directions.