Page 29 of War Mage

“How will we adapt the plan then?” I query. “The lighthouse keeper only reported one castaway and apparently reported you dead. When the city guards arrive they’ll findhimdead and the two of us very much alive.”

“As I said, things have become more complicated,” Urim says evenly, as calm as ever, even as he’s telling me we’re fucked. “Intelligence states that an outsider killing a vampire citizen of Barakrin is one of the ultimate sins. I’ll try to spin a tale where I was defending Grazrath’s property and use the contract I have to give my words weight, but there’s a high likelihood I’ll be put to death.”

“Death?” I ask, alarmed. In the bond, his feelings remain steady. How can he be so calm about the “high likelihood” of his death? “But who will deliver me to the demon?”

“When they take us before the magistrate, I’ll try to appeal to their loyalty to Grazrath to get them to deliver you to Evernight themselves. I’ll emphasize the reward Grazrath has promised in return for magical blood slaves and put pressure on their greed and ambition. Then, if they kill me, you’ll still be able to carry out the mission.”

“But what will I tell the queen?” I demand. “You are important, right? She said I needed to bring you back. I’ll be blamed if you don’t return!”

“It was always a possibility that I wouldn’t survive this assignment,” Urim replies calmly, sounding as emotionless as one discussing the weather. “The queen knew that when she gave it to me. I knew that when I accepted it. Just as you knew that there was a possibility that you wouldn’t survive it either. There are no certainties in the life of a spy or assassin. You'll just need to explain what happened and they’ll find you blameless.”

“There has to be another way,” I argue. “We could leave now, without seeing the magistrate. Forge travel papers. Something. The chance of success on this mission falls drastically if we don’t have a soultie and I would like at least a fraction of a chance to survive this whole thing!”

“I am no forger,” the orc says, still maddeningly calm. “Are you?”

“Well, why didn’t we forge them before we left?” I ask, exasperated. “I’m sure you have forgers in your network of contacts. If you knew about the travel papers, why not bring them?”

“I do have excellent forgers,” he admits, sounding closer behind me. “But we didn’t have any travel papers to copy and no idea what they looked like. It was why the original plan necessitated being brought before the magistrate as castaways, like I said. And you’ll still have a chance to escape. You have your voidwalking. You can still get away after attacking the demon.”

“If I survive! And what if they don’t even deliver me to Grazrath?” I challenge. “What if they just decide to take me for themselves, like the lighthouse keeper wanted to?”

“Then you can use voidwalking to escape them and travel to Evernight yourself. Make your way to Tevin in the Fabric District. He is one of my assets and is connected to the resistance. He can help you get in front of Grazrath another way.”

I turn, confrontationally, and find that Urim is so close behind me that I almost bump into him as I whirl around. He’s dressed in his Terrian outfit again, that bandana covering his false brand. He looks every inch a Terrian slaver-pirate.

“The plan can’t just be to turn ourselves in and wait for you to be executed!” I exclaim. “It can’t just be up to me and atailorto bring down an archdemon. I need my partner! There must be another way.”

“If there is, we don’t have time to find it or put it into action,” Urim says firmly, though perhaps a touch resignedly. “Because they’re here.”

Chapter 12

Urim

“What?” hisses Adara like an angry feline. “How do you know that?”

“I can hear them coming up the path to the lighthouse,” I tell her. “There’s two of them and a wheelbarrow. You should get your manacles back on, so that they don’t put different chains on you and possibly cut you off from your gift.”

“Urim!” she exclaims. “This is no time to calmly march to your death! We have to fight! Or at least come up with a different plan!”

“I told you, there’s no time,” I say firmly. “And this is the perfect time to be calm. Panic will solve nothing and fear is a disease that will get both of us killed and destroy the mission. Now, put your manacles back on, quickly.”

Adara gives me a mulish, rebellious expression, but moves past me, knocking my arm with her shoulder as she goes to grab her chains and put them back on.

She barely has cuffed herself when there’s a booming knock on the door, a heavy armored fist banging against the wood.

“Shadeswick!” calls a voice from outside. “We’ve come for the body. Open up!”

“Shadeswick is not here,” I call. “He lied to you.”

There’s a pause and then I hear the tell-tale hiss of swords being drawn.

“Who are you, stranger?” the voice calls again. “Where is Dristan?”

“Dristan is dead,” I say bluntly. “I killed him in self-defense and defense of my slave.”

“Slave?” the guard asks, confused. “Dristan only reported one dead castaway.”

“There are two survivors from my ship,” I tell them. “He tried to kill me so that he could take my only surviving property as his own blood slave, even though I told him she is earmarked for Grazrath himself.”

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