Chapter One
Gavin crept along the tall stone wall surrounding the manor house, staring outward against the night. Lights within the house behind him made it easier for him to see, but he still struggled to make out much of anything in the distance. Shadowy forms moved along the pathways leading up to the house, their circuitous route predictable now that he’d been watching for the last few hours.
How am I supposed to finish the job in this place? Gavin wondered.
“You need to stop watching and get to doing,” a voice said in his ear.
Gavin tapped the small metal chain leading from his ear down to the patch on his chest. The enchantment enabled him and Wrenlow to communicate, though there were times when he wished it wasn’t quite as effective as it was.
“You need to be quiet,” he whispered.
“You’re just mad that you can’t talk back to me the way you want to. And here I can go on and on and on and—”
Gavin tapped the metal enchantment again, welcoming the silence, though he knew it wouldn’t last long. He needed Wrenlow in his ear. This was his plan, after all. The only problem was that Gavin didn’t care for listening to the chirping in his ear during the entire mission. While scouting and observing like he had been, it wasn’t quite as bad, but as they got closer to completing the job, it would become distracting.
He tapped the enchantment again and heard Wrenlow cut back in. “You still there?”
“I just had to take a break from you,” he whispered. Even with whispering, Gavin wasn’t entirely sure whether he was making too much noise. The night was silent. A soft breeze sighed through the trees surrounding the house and rustled the thick, waxy leaves he’d seen earlier in the day. He couldn’t make out the trees as anything other than darkened shapes, though he knew they were there. Someone could be hiding within those trees and could spring up on him. That was what he planned on doing, anyway.
“Take a break from sitting there. It doesn’t make this get any easier.”
“It’s not you who’s risking themselves going down in there,” Gavin said.
“I risk plenty every time you go out.”
Gavin smiled. It wasn’t untrue, though it would take someone with more resources than most within the city to track the enchantment back to Wrenlow. “What do you propose I do? There are at least five people patrolling the grounds.” And the fact that he had seen five suggested that there were probably two more he didn’t see.
“Drop down next to the wall. Use the trees. The first one should be only about five paces from your position. From there, you can—”
“I know what I can do. I’m just saying I’m not convinced it’s going to work the way you think it is.”
“And I’m telling you it will. Just trust me on this.”
“Trust you. Trust is a little difficult for me these days. Especially with what happened the last time.”
Wrenlow’s voice cackled from the other end. It went up an octave, as it often did when he was really amused. “The last time wasn’t my fault. You were the one who strayed from the plan. If you would’ve only followed my suggestion, you wouldn’t have had any difficulty.”
Gavin shook his head. “You know, Wrenlow, things have a way of going a little different when you’re out on the job.”
With that, he dropped down behind the wall and surveyed the grounds. The grass was short and damp, and the scent of flowers drifted up to him, almost cloying. Dozens of different fragrances reached his nostrils. He hesitated a moment, listening for any movement near him. The only thing he heard was the sound of the breeze drifting through those leaves.
As Wrenlow had said, the nearest tree was only five paces away. Gavin darted toward it and pressed against the rough bark, which scratched at the fabric he wore and clung to him. He avoided the leaves themselves, knowing how they could cut if he were to get too close. Though they might look attractive, these bells trees and their leaves could be incredibly deadly.
He hesitated there. Movement could be noticeable in the darkness, and he waited for any sign of being spotted, but he saw nothing. Taking a deep breath, he started forward. The next tree should be only twenty paces away, if Wrenlow’s intel was correct. Having scouted here throughout the day, Gavin knew the information was good. The real challenge was whether or not something would go off plan. Something always went off plan.
As he neared the tree, a shadowy form headed toward him.
Balls.
He unsheathed one of the knives at his waist and darted forward, reaching the figure before they could raise the alarm. A sword started coming free, but Gavin slammed his fist into the guard’s chin and slowly lowered them to the ground before they had a chance to unsheathe fully. Still, there was a soft, guttural sound that escaped their lips.
Please let that sound fade into the night.
He wasn’t sure whether or not his prayers would be answered, but he focused instead on dragging the body closer to the tree. If nothing else, he thought he may be able to prop the body against the tree and hide the guard there. It wouldn’t be long before someone would recognize that the patrol was off and sound the alarm. He worried about what would happen at that point. Half of the technique in doing what he did required he get some place quietly and without any alarm raised.
He hesitated near the tree and felt one of the waxy leaves carve through his shirt. He jerked his arm back, clutching it to his chest, and glanced down to make sure there wasn’t any blood drawn. The bells tree could inflict pain, but that wasn’t the worst of it. At least the sap hadn’t trailed through his bloodstream and left him incapacitated. It was unlikely someone in this house knew the trees were capable of that. They probably thought the trees were simply pretty, as most people did. Given the nature of the bell-shaped yellow flowers they bore that gave the trees their name, it wasn’t an inaccurate statement.
When he was certain no one else had noticed him, Gavin darted forward. He clutched the knife in hand, hoping he wouldn’t have to use it. Now that he was out in the open, he needed to get closer to the house.
As he approached the next tree, movement drew his attention. The patrollers had shifted the course of their patrol.
Did they hear the guard?
Gavin didn’t think that was likely. Maybe he hadn’t watched long enough to observe this part of their pattern—a potentially dangerous oversight. If he didn’t pay enough attention, he ran the risk of the guards not only noticing he’d disrupted their patrol but also summoning others.
“How’s it going?” Wrenlow asked.
“Can’t talk now,” he whispered.
“Is the plan working?”
“Not yet.”
“You know, all you have to do is take a dozen steps off to the right of the third tree, dart toward the doorway, and you should be in the clear. Once you’re inside the house, it’s just a simple matter of going up the staircase, down the hall to the right, and it should be the third or fourth doorway.”
Gavin nodded. “A simple matter,” he repeated.
“Well, maybe not quite as simple as that, but I’m sure you can manage.”
Gavin resisted the urge to tap on the enchantment again. He might still need Wrenlow’s help as he made his way through the manor house. He looked around and didn’t see any further movement. The other patrols had moved off to the side. They were far enough away to not have to worry about them coming to him. He hesitated where he was, staring at the doorway.