Page 37 of The Fury She Holds
Tal stopped a few paces ahead of him while Carrick continued walking. “Do you know where she is?”
A shout in the distance forced them to quicken their pace and ignore the hanging question. When they reached the outskirts of the village, a cart waited for them, as the noble had said. An older man sat at the reins while his wife stepped down to greet them. She asked Faron questions about Luan’s condition before hopping in the back of the cart where Carrick laid him. She uncovered a large crate filled with glass bottles of elixirs and salves.
Faron took Carrick aside and spoke too quietly for Tal to hear, handing him a leather pouch. The two exchanged a few short words, and Carrick left with a gesture to Tal to stay put. Tal watched him head south and disappear into the trees, then stood back as the woman pulled out several bottles and jars, poured one liquid over the cuts on his skin, applied a salve over the top, and instructed Luan to drink another.
“Brigid—” Faron began.
“Where’s the girl?” the woman, Brigid, asked.
“They’ve taken her to a place up north,” Faron answered. Something passed between the two that Tal couldn’t discern.
“It is not safe for you to go after her. Hire another who has the manpower to deal with this.” The old woman spoke to the noble as if she knew him well.
Tal contemplated the reason for this concern for the man beside her, not quite like a mother’s worry for her son, but certainly more than what could be considered common for acquaintances.
Faron gestured to Tal. “I’ve hired the best bounty hunter in Meladair and her muscle. They are more than capable,” he said with a wink, to which Brigid scoffed.
The healer rummaged through her cart and insisted Faron take a satchel filled with glass vials. She didn’t describe thecontents, but Tal suspected Faron already knew. He protested briefly but thanked her when she wouldn’t take them back. He then went and spoke to Brigid’s husband, who said they would ride further north and wait until sunrise. If the group had not rescued the servant girl by then, they would have to arrange other transportation for her.
The man urged the attached horse forward at a slow pace, so as not to draw attention, while his wife cared for the unconscious boy in the back of the cart. Shortly after, Carrick returned on a large horse with two more in tow.
“I sent a message to Rainier,” he spoke to Tal quietly. “He’ll meet us there if he gets it in time.”
“Where?”
“Silaron, the royal family’s holiday home,” Faron spoke before Carrick could respond. “It’s a two-hour ride from here. We should go.” He mounted the brown mare and eyed the remaining horse meaningfully.
Tal briefly considered the significance that the kidnapped servant had been taken to one of the king’s additional homes, but even Carrick seemed to urge her to get on the horse. She complied reluctantly and they set off.
11
“They’re spaced three minutes apart,” Faron observed.
The trio hid among the trees outside the property. Thirty paces ahead, Eddard stalked after a cloaked figure that patrolled the grounds. Lights shone through most of the windows of the four-story mansion. A shadow appeared in a first-floor window on the eastern side of the building. It waved and then disappeared again. Waylon had made it inside. Faron hung his head, hiding his smirk, and Carrick snorted.
“Guards are placed at each of the entrances. I don’t see any among the grounds,” Carrick added.
“Pretty bold of them to assume they don’t need more patrols,” Tal said.
“What worry do they have of someone rescuing a palace servant? This place is virtually unknown. It should have been abandoned nearly twenty years ago. Though it doesn’t look like it’s been abandoned at all,” Faron added under his breath.
“A false sense of security. That’s good for us. It’ll make it easier to go unnoticed. Can we hope this also means there aren’t hordes of them inside?” Tal asked the noble.
“There are no rooms underground. Everything you see is the whole compound.”
“Well, they can’t be watching from inside with the intent to create more apparitions at the first signs of an intruder.” Carrick paused. “Both Eddard and Waylon made it through the grounds without issue.”
“Maybe they are too bold for their own good. How much of an offense would the king take if he knew mages took over his holiday home? That is, assuming he didn’t give them permission to occupy it in the first place.” Tal’s suspicion pulled a scoff from the noble beside her.
“The king would never consort with mages, especially those that torture and kidnap innocents,” Faron huffed.
“That you know of,” Tal muttered under her breath.
They reached the mansion half an hour ago and were no closer to discerning whether the abducted girl was inside or not. Tal and Carrick exchanged doubtful glances, knowing any conflict with mages would be dangerous, but Faron seemed determined to search the building regardless.
A tortured scream broke the silence of the starry night, and their attention shot to a window in the top corner of the west side. Tal noticed the ivy snaking its way from the ground up past the window to the roof.
“That’s the queen’s quarters,” Faron said with a determined glint in his eyes.
