Page 236 of Sword & Shadow
“What?” Isla gasped. “Auden and Ilain didn’t tell us that.”
“We didn’t know until recently.” Deckard hesitated for a moment more, then shrugged. “I assume that means you also aren’t aware that I’m a Mage.”
Isla’s lips parted in shock as a sly grin took over Jarrad’s face. “Well, this makes our lives easier,” he remarked.
The bathing chamber door opened, and Evylin reappeared, dressed in black from head to toe. Jarrad’s chin lifted in her direction. “A Mage and a Warrior already married? What could be more convenient?”
“Not being prisoners?” Evylin suggested as she took up the knives. “Shall we go?”
Deckard buttoned his coat as the trio led them out of the room. He gave the luxurious space one last glance over his shoulder, finding he held an unexpected fondness for their time in the opulent prison. Perhaps it wasn’t the precise location and situation he would have chosen for his and Evylin’s first intimate moments together, but it had served quite nicely.
They stepped into the hall where four guards lay unconscious. “Keep quiet,” Emmaas warned in a whisper, “and to the shadows. There are patrols about.”
Following the Warrior’s lead, they walked carefully through the house. The lush rugs kept their footsteps silent. A ticking clock haunted their trek, only the occasional sound of guards muttering or adjusting breaking the silence. When they reached the main landing where the grand staircases opened up, they had to dash for the far hall, hoping to avoid notice as they passed through the flood of light from the massive entry window.
Nearing their friends’ rooms, Isla moved ahead while the rest of them waited in the shadows. Her silver dress caught the dim lamplight as she approached the guards. They snapped to attention at the sight of her.
“Can we help you, ma’am?” one man asked.
“Yes,” Isla said, her tone flat and emotionless once more. “Lady Renaul requested I bring the pretty one, Thom, to her chambers.”
A huff came from another guard while a few more sniggered. “He’s in that room,” the first guard explained.
“Thank you,” Isla replied, moving toward the middle door. She lifted her hand as if to turn the handle, then flicked her wrist. A gale shot forth, sweeping to the left and right to knock all twelve guards off their feet.
Emmaas and Jarrad hurried down the hall ahead of Deckard and Evylin. At the other end of the corridor, Emmaas produced hidden blades from his sleeves, slicing into the guards readily.With a flamboyant air, Jarrad raised his hands, curled them into fists, and then jerked them back. The wood of the baseboards, molding, and wall detailing sprouted new growth. Jagged blade-like branches pierced through more of the guards.
At the front of the hall, Evylin sprinted before dropping to her knees, matching the fallen sentries’ height as she slid across the rug. She struck out with the daggers, slashing through two men before leaping to her feet with impossible grace. Deckard kept at her side, ready but not daring to use his magic yet. He wanted to save his strength for whatever disasters might come their way.
With the guards quickly felled, Isla tossed a key to Deckard and then another to Jarrad. “Retrieve the other two,” she instructed, lifting a third key. “I’ll get this one.”
“Wait,” Deckard said, reaching out to stop her. “That’s my brother.”
She put the key in the lock. “You don’t think I can handle him?”
Realizing that she could, Deckard still felt the need to warn her. “He’ll try to kill you.”
“Sounds like fun,” she replied, turning the key with a scrape of the metal lock.
Evylin grabbed Deckard’s arm, pulling him in the direction of the first room. When they entered, their jaws immediately dropped. The entire room had been turned over in what looked like a furious search. Curtains were ripped down, the mattress was flipped over, paintings were torn from the walls, and in the midst of it all, Ethenn sat on the floor. In his hands, he held a splinter of the bed frame as he used a broken candlestick to whittle its edge to a violent point. Clearly, his hunt for a weapon was fruitless, so he’d determined to fashion one himself.
At their appearance, Ethenn startled and looked up, dark eyes wide and rimmed with exhaustion. His lips parted in shock. “How’d you get free?” he asked in awe.
Evylin laughed as she hurried over and helped him to his feet. “Come on,” she said. “We’ll show you.”
As they stepped back into the hall, a crash echoed from the next room, followed by a furious string of curses. Deckard sighed and hurried in. Thom stood on the far side of the room, arm reared back, ready to throw another expensive decorative piece Isla’s way.
“Thom!” Deckard called, skidding to a halt.
Freezing, Thom gaped at him. “Jonn?” He lowered his hand and looked at Isla with renewed interest. “You weren’t lying?”
“No,” she said, an amused smile on her lips. “I wasn’t.”
“Sorry,” Thom muttered, then chucked the painted vase in his hand over his shoulder. It shattered on impact with the marble floor.
Back in the hallway, they met Evylin, Ethenn, and Jarrad as Emmaas and Rafferty emerged from the far room. The weasel grinned and kissed Evylin’s cheek when he drew near. “Am I happy to see you,” he said, then his feet backtracked across the floor. “Had to make sure. Wait here.”
“What’s he doing?” Jarrad asked as Rafferty disappeared into his room.
