Page 101 of Bittersweet & Strange

There is always another entrance.

“That’s him!”

Boone grabs my arm hard enough to make me turn, then points through the thicket with a trembling finger.

“That’s Lucien.”

I follow the direction of his hand toward the street, where two men have emerged from between the buildings and are walking toward the magistrate’s hall.

“The dark-haired one?”

Boone nods and drops his trembling hand into his lap.

I look at Lucien again.

So that is him.

He is taller than I expected, well dressed despite the late hour, walking with the relaxed confidence of someone who has spent his entire life believing the world will move aside for him. One of the guards at the magistrate’s hall straightens when Lucien approaches. The other opens the door without waiting for him to reach the top step.

How interesting.

Lucien disappears inside.

Boone shifts beside me. “What do we do?”

“We wait.”

His head snaps toward me. “Rhys—”

“Your father has been there for days. Another twenty minutes will not change that. Charging through the front door without understanding what is inside might get him killed.”

That silences him, although I can see how badly he hates it.

I return my attention to the building and begin counting.

Two outside.

At least one inside.

Lucien makes four.

There may be others downstairs with the prisoners, although a village this size is unlikely to waste half its able-bodied men guarding cells no one ordinarily attempts to escape from.

“What’s behind the building?” I ask.

Boone blinks. “What?”

“The magistrate’s hall. What is behind it?”

He leans forward slightly to look through the branches. “An alley, I think. Then the old cooper’s shop.”

“Think?”

“I’ve never had a reason to sneak into the magistrate’s hall.”

I glance at him.

“Sorry.”