Page 84 of Legacy of Glass
As soon as they stepped outside, the door was shut firmly behind them. Julius hesitated, but Cade moved swiftly, hauling him down the narrow lane that ran between the Larkins’ home and the house beside it. The two girls followed on their heels, everyone’s faces creased with worry.
“We couldn’t stay and harass the poor Larkins,” Cade said breathlessly. “But I don’t intend to leave it at that, and I’ll warrant none of you do either.” He threw a slightly doubtful look at Daphne, but when she didn’t protest, he continued. “Let’s see the letter. It might give us a clue.”
Julius unfolded the top parchment, holding it out so that everyone could read at once. Four heads bowed close to peer at it in the dim light of the laneway.
The note was brief and to the point—addressing the Larkins by name but giving no signature, just like the first one. The straightforward demands aligned exactly with what Larkin had told them, the only new piece of information being the rendezvous location.
“Is it far?” Daphne asked, clearly unfamiliar with the listed spot.
“It’s near the northeast gate.” Julius pulled up a map of the city in his mind’s eye. “I suspect the abductor intends to hand over Elisabeth and then lurk nearby to observe their departure for himself. It’s a perfect location for that since he wouldn’t need to follow them for long.”
“I entered the city through that gate,” Olivia said. “And I remember this square. We stopped there for a drink from the public fountain, and I was so excited by everything I saw that I still remember the name plaque. It’s a small square, yes, but it still seems a very public place for a handover of this sort.”
“The square itself is public,” Cade said, “but it has a number of dark alleys and lanes that feed into it. I think it would work for the purpose. I’m sure they wouldn’t be planning any sort of dramatic meeting. They’ll probably send Elisabeth in to meet her parents alone—with a warning to pass on to them, most likely.”
“What kind of warning?” Olivia asked, her face pale.
Julius grasped Cade’s point instantly, answering for him. “A warning that they’re being watched, and that if they do anything but progress straight to the gate, they’ll be shot. There could be archers hiding in second stories or down alleyways easily enough to make the threat real.”
“They wouldn’t even need real archers,” Daphne added. “We’ve already seen that fear alone will achieve their ends.”
“But what if the Larkins had gone to the guards?” Julius asked, thinking aloud. “At a location like that, it would be easy to surround every alley and lane from the rear and catch the watcher that way. At least that’s what I would have planned to do if we’d had time for elaborate plans. But there’s no time for that now, which I suppose is why Larkin was willing to hand the letter over.”
“I think the Larkins know the identity of the abductor, even if we do not,” said Daphne thoughtfully. “And I think it’s someone powerful enough that he doesn’t fear such an eventuality.”
“Do you really think Master Larkin lied to us?” Olivia didn’t sound convinced. “I looked at himclosely, and he looked sincere.” She gave her cousin a significant look, one Julius couldn’t interpret.
“I looked as well,” Daphne said calmly, “and I saw sincere fear. Deep fear. The kind that comes from an enemy who far outmatches you. I’m not saying he lied outright. The note doesn’t include a name, so he doesn’t know for sure. But I think he’s guessed it anyway. He must know his own business rivals.”
“I have an idea,” Cade said abruptly. “But we have to move fast.”
“You want to go to the rendezvous ourselves?” Olivia asked, sounding torn. “That would mean breaking our promise to Master Larkin, but it might be our only chance to identify and follow the abductor.”
Julius frowned. If he was alone, he would have planned to do just that. But he had no desire to put Olivia at risk.
“We need guards for such an endeavor,” he said, “and we didn’t bring any with us. We’ll have to detour and fetch some.”
But Cade was already shaking his head before Julius finished speaking. “There’s no time for any of that. Even if we leave now and hurry there by the most direct route, we still may not make it in time. If we happen to pass any guards on city watch, by all means, order them to join us. But we can’t take the time to divert in search of them.”
Julius frowned. “Time isn’t quite as tight as that. We won’t have time to set up a proper surveillance operation, of course, but we have plenty of time to reach the rendezvous point, even if we divert for troops on the way. In fact, when we reach the guards, we should trust the matter to them and not go ourselves at all.” He threw a quick look at Olivia who frowned in response to his words.
Cade shook his head again. “You may do what you like—in fact, as crown prince, I encourage you to keep yourself safe. But I will be going myself.”
Julius hesitated, torn. Of course he couldn’t let his best friend go haring into danger alone. But if he said he was accompanying him, then he was willing to bet that?—
“Agreed,” said Olivia before he even spoke. “I intend to go regardless of what you do, Julius.” She gave him a defiant look, and he groaned.
Cade sighed. “I would honestly prefer you all keep yourselves safe, but I don’t mean to waste any time on a losing battle. The key point is that I’m not thinking of going to the rendezvous. Its location—along with the clue about glassblowing—has given me a theory. There’s an old, disused warehouse close to that square. It used to house glass wares, but a water leak on the second floor caused part of the ceiling to collapse, smashing a large section of stock on the floor below. It still hasn’t been repaired, so it’s not in active use and would be the perfect place to stash an abducted victim—or two.”
Julius immediately understood the urgency visibly vibrating through Cade. After all this time, he had a possible location for Marigold.
“But surely they won’t have been keeping Marigold in one place all this time,” he said.
“If they had, she would have found a way to escape by now,” Olivia said with a grin.
Cade nodded once. “Agreed. The neighbors could also become a risk if they stayed anywhere too long. I suspect they’ve been moving around, and it’s likely that after the exchange this afternoon, they’ll move again. They won’t risk staying where they are in case Elisabeth reports them after all.”
“Marigold might be at this warehouse right now!” Olivia bounced on the balls of her feet. “What are we waiting for?”
