Chapter 19

19

If you don't have a purpose in life, someone will use you toward their purpose.

~ Lord Professor Varhesson, Port Jirador University

The tower at Stillguard Castle was glowing purple, its window visible over the courtyard wall.

Kaylina bit her lip. She and Frayvar had come through an alley a couple of buildings down the block and stood in the shadows, peering toward it from across the street. She longed to charge straight in to investigate—and to see if the druid honey would affect the plant even more than Grandpa's had—but her instincts told her to be wary. Between the guards looking for her and the mauled corpses appearing in the city, she dared not assume it was safe to enter the castle.

"Interesting." Frayvar gazed at the tower.

"Yes. It must take some time before the honey fertilizer affects its glow."

"But it didn't take any time for the plant to attack and brand you." He glanced at her hand.

Even though he hadn't been there, she'd shared the details.

"The first time, it didn't do that. Last time, it was… perkier."

"Perky like a hungry viper?"

"A hungry viper with a branding iron, yes."

Kaylina looked up and down the street, peering into the dark shadows. As usual, there weren't any streetlamps lit near the castle, as if the city workers responsible for the duty didn't want to encourage anyone to visit this particular block at night. Or ever.

It was on her second perusal of the area that Kaylina spotted a human-sized shadow against the wall a few buildings away. It was on the same side of the street as they were, opposite the castle. The man wore a cloak with the hood pulled low while watching the front gate. Was his job to alert someone in case Kaylina returned? Since it was well past midnight, the watcher had no other reason to loiter there, facing in that direction. Someone else might be keeping an eye on the back gatehouse.

Kaylina pointed the person out to Frayvar.

He pulled her back into the alley. "It's too dangerous for you to go in. They're probably expecting us to visit."

"Because the inherent appeal of a cursed castle naturally draws people."

"It's drawing you ," he grumped. "Let's go visit the glassmaker. Or paint-poison maker. And then we can find someplace to sleep. I'm exhausted."

"I am too."

"Are you sure? Two days ago, you were in a funk deeper than Braleor Bog. Now, you're perkier than that plant."

"I'm… on a mission."

"The wrong mission."

"Just help me with it. I'll explain everything later." Kaylina paused. "I'll explain most things later."

She peered out again, catching movement in the street near the castle, and didn't hear her brother's reply, other than to note its sarcastic tone.

The person watching the gate had disappeared, but four people with lanterns were heading toward the gatehouse. They also wore cloaks and hoods, but Kaylina glimpsed a braid of long brown hair hanging down one person's curved chest. A woman.

Her first thought was that Jana Bloomlong was visiting the castle for some reason, but she had gray hair. This woman moved like a younger person, almost skipping as she led the group. The others were hesitant, warily eyeing the gate and courtyard wall—and especially the glowing tower window.

Given how rare visitors were, Kaylina was surprised when they all entered the courtyard. Before disappearing through the gate, the woman glanced down the street, and Kaylina glimpsed her face.

"Mitzy," she whispered.

Frayvar peered out. "The Virt girl?"

"The Virt girl who tried to get me to agree to help the rebels the day of the assassination attempt. Well, not exactly. She told me their people would be making their move that night instead of during the day, so it was a test. Like the fire. They were trying to see whose side we're on."

"By lighting me on fire? That doesn't make me inclined to join their cause."

"Me either."

"Why are they going into our cursed castle at night? They're not going to light it on fire again, are they?"

"I wouldn't think so. They have to be looking for me."

"Uh, why?"

"I heard Spymaster Sabor—the guy who ordered those guards to search ranger headquarters—say the Virts are claiming I'm on their side. Apparently, they heard I tried to poison the queen and liked that."

"But you didn't do that. And why would they care that much about you, anyway?"

"I'm not sure," Kaylina said, though she had a feeling this had to do with the brand and her helping Jankarr. Somehow, word about her supposedly having magical power was spreading fast through the city.

"Maybe they're heading into the castle because it's an access point into the catacombs," Frayvar suggested. "The Virts could be starting a new plan to try to get what they want."

"That is possible."

Lantern light grew visible through a second-floor window, one high enough to be seen over the courtyard wall.

"But there isn't a catacombs entrance up there," she added.

"Weird."

"Are they going to see the plant?" Kaylina wondered as the lantern moved away from the window. "Or searching for me?"

"I don't know, but why don't we avoid them? And the castle? Let's get some rest, then go see?—"

"The glassmaker and the poison-maker, I know, I know. I'm willing to do that, but let's see what the Virts are up to first. I'd like to hear what they're saying about me."

"Nothing flattering, I'm sure."

"You don't think they've noticed and are admiring my sling abilities?"

Kaylina leaned out again, making sure the watcher hadn't returned. The man was still gone, or had backed off the street, at least. Maybe he'd left to alert his boss about the castle visitors. If he was working for the guard, a bunch of armed men might show up soon. If Kaylina wanted to eavesdrop, she needed to do it now.

"I'm going in the back way," she whispered, making sure her hood hid her face.

"Kay…"

"Wait here. If I get myself in trouble, you can save me."

"With what? I don't have a weapon."

"You can leap out and challenge the Virts to math problems."

"Hilarious."

Kaylina patted him on the shoulder, then strode across the street. Though she wanted to run, she made herself walk. If the watcher remained in the area, she didn't want to draw attention, but she supposed anyone wandering about this late at night would.

Staying outside the courtyard wall, she kept to the shadows and followed it to the gatehouse in the back. A barge floated down the river, a couple of lanterns burning on its deck, but there wasn't anyone on the path or watching from across the waterway, at least that she could see.

Someone had closed the gate since she'd last visited. She eased it open, careful not to let it creak, then padded cautiously toward the door leading to the kitchen. She didn't see any lanterns through the windows on this side of the castle and hoped she wouldn't run into the trespassers.

The kitchen door opened without trouble, remnants of soot from the fire wafting out into the night air. It was dark inside, but Kaylina knew the layout well enough to find her way. Voices floated down from upstairs.

Though worried about being caught, Kaylina felt anticipation too. Even excitement. Maybe she could learn something useful here, such as why the Virts were really looking for her.

But she had to make sure they didn't find her, so she hesitated to climb the steps. The long halls upstairs didn't offer many hiding spots unless one slipped into the rooms, and some of those had skeletons inside.

"I don't think she's here," a male voice wafted down, the words clear.

Footsteps sounded in the upstairs hallway.

"I wasn't sure she would be—she has to know the guards are looking for her—but that plant was red a few hours ago," came Mitzy's voice in reply. It sounded like they were heading toward the stairs, so Kaylina backed into the kitchen. "I think she's the one changing it. That's why I thought she might be here."

"You don't know she's causing it to change."

"No, but it was always red before she showed up. Who else could be responsible?"

"Maybe the druid magic is feeling feisty this spring."

The footsteps reached the stairs, clumping softly as the speakers came down.

Kaylina eased farther away, angling toward the pantry. There weren't many other hiding spots in the kitchen, and she'd eavesdropped on Vlerion once from there. She tried not to think about how she'd been caught eavesdropping on Vlerion.

"Of course it's the magic," Mitzy said, "but s he's the one stirring it up. We need to get her before the guard shoots her or who knows what they want to do."

Kaylina's heel bumped something unexpected on the floor, and she halted. The huge wrought-iron pot rack. She'd forgotten it had fallen during the fire.

Lantern light swung in the stairwell.

"Did you hear something?" the male asked.

Kaylina swore to herself and glanced back. She was almost to the pantry door.

"Rats probably," Mitzy said.

"Or the curse," a second man muttered.

"Relax." Mitzy sounded like she was in charge even though she was Frayvar's age. Maybe they were following her orders because she was the only one who'd been inside before. "The castle isn't moaning and groaning tonight. I bet the purple light means something has changed."

"I wouldn't take that bet," the man said. "We don't need that girl. Besides, she's friendly with the rangers. She fought with them against us in the royal castle. That's what Hokkens said. If anything, it would be better to kill her before the rangers can use her against us."

Kaylina eased the pantry door open and stepped inside, slow to put her weight fully on each foot, remembering broken glass and other debris on the floor. With someone talking about killing her, she especially didn't want to be caught.

"They say she's an anrokk and has druid powers," Mitzy said. "She could help us against the rangers if we could win her to our side."

"It's not worth taking the risk. Besides, druid magic is creepy. That makes her creepy."

"Someone had better deal with her before she becomes a problem," another man said, his voice right outside the kitchen. " More of a problem. We don't need to fight someone with druid magic."

Kaylina closed the pantry door most of the way, leaving only a peep hole. The speakers hadn't yet entered the kitchen, but she could see the light from their lanterns.

"Druid magic." The third man scoffed. "The only magic in the world that really exists is from altered plants."

"The only magic that we know about that's left in the world, but the druids had all kinds of powers. And don't forget taybarri magic."

"All they can do is move really fast."

"According to Cougar," Mitzy said, "our man inside the rangers believes Korbian does have some druid magic. Or it was given to her somehow."

Our man inside the rangers? Targon had been right to assume there was a spy. Or were there two spies? One for the Virts and one for Spymaster Sabor?

Kaylina hoped Jankarr wasn't either of them. She liked him. She liked the doctor too. The rest of the rangers… Well, she didn't know many of the rest of them, but she was inclined to dislike the ones who'd ogled her chest during her training day. They could be spies.

"Humans don't get druid magic," one of the men said after a pause.

"Maybe she's not fully human."

Kaylina had to bite her lip to keep herself from scoffing, the same as the Virts. Of course she was human. What else could she be?

Since the druids had disappeared, the Kar'ruk and the taybarri elders were the only intelligent species besides humans left wandering the world. Legends spoke of Kar'ruk-human mixed bloods who'd once existed, but modern science said that wasn't possible. The two species couldn't produce offspring, even if they deigned to have sex with each other.

"Whatever she is," Mitzy said, "it would be better to get her on our side than to let her help the rangers. They're all rich and noble. They don't need any more help. And we need advantages."

"We've got an advantage happening right now."

Kaylina pressed her ear to the door. What advantage?

"We just need to make sure things don't get screwed up again," the man added.

"Based on who we made that deal with, the odds are in favor of screw-ups," Mitzy said. "That was a desperate move. I'm surprised Cougar reached out to them. There's no way those guys are going to keep doing what we ask without demanding something much more than access to the catacombs. I'd much rather deal with Korbian."

" Korbian hasn't proven amenable to joining us."

"She hasn't said no to it. She's new."

"She's just a girl. Our new allies?—"

" Aren't allies," Mitzy interrupted. "They're using us, the same as we're using them, and that's only going to last until they don't need us anymore."

The man sighed. "If you insist on finding the girl, physical coercion might help get a yes out of her."

Kaylina shuddered. Having them want to use her might be better than them wanting to kill her, but she already had Targon bribing her. She didn't need anyone else coercing her to help. What could she even do for the Virts? Use her anrokk power to round up stray cats to add to their army of rebels?

"We're the good guys, Dendron," Mitzy said. "We're not killing or coercing anyone."

"The ends justify the means."

"It would be safer to get rid of her," another man said. "If she's got magical powers, we don't want her helping the enemy."

"We need allies," Mitzy said firmly. "Commoners, like us, who understand what we want to do. And we don't get rid of people. We want a world that's fair and safe for all, not one where inconvenient people disappear."

A door thumped. Were they still searching the castle? Mitzy sounded like she was standing in one spot, but the men might have been moving around.

If they were searching, the pantry would be an obvious place to look. Kaylina stepped back and crouched, finding the crease in the flagstone floor that indicated the trapdoor leading to the root cellar—and the catacombs. She didn't want to miss anything, but she couldn't let the Virts find her.

"She might come to us naturally when she learns the truth about the rangers," Mitzy said. "About what they're protecting."

Kaylina froze with her hand on the cold stone of the trapdoor.

"Not what," the man said. " Who ."

"It's both, really, isn't it? If Hokkens can be believed."

"I didn't believe him at first, but…."

"He survived the massacre at the castle," Mitzy said, and Kaylina scowled, certain of where the conversation was going. They knew about Vlerion. "He said?—"

"I know what Hokkens said, girl, but men don't turn into animals. There's no magic that can do that."

"No magic that we know about and remember, but the druids had a lot, and there have been stories about a beast ravaging this part of the kingdom for generations."

"Vlerion isn't that old."

Kaylina closed her eyes. Yes, they knew. It was exactly as Vlerion had feared.

"He doesn't seem that old. But if Hokkens is right, he's been turning into that… thing and killing people for centuries."

Kaylina shook her head. They had part of the story but not all of it. They didn't know the curse was linked to the entire Havartaft family, that Vlerion's ancestors had been to blame for previous atrocities.

"When is our paper going to print up the story? Put the blame where it belongs and demand the rangers out him—if they're not in collusion with him? After that, those on the fence about joining our cause should turn. Altered orchards, even the nobility might turn on that ."

"Soon," Mitzy said. "According to Cougar, anyway. They've been laying the groundwork. It's a big accusation to make, but if more bodies show up…"

"Oh, I'm sure they will. The rangers don't care enough to stop it."

"We've searched the entire castle," another speaker said, footsteps accompanying the words. "Except that creepy-as-the-catacombs tower. I'm not going up there. The vines hanging down are twitching."

"I hate this place."

"Check the kitchen, and then we'll go."

Kaylina cursed to herself and lifted the trapdoor as quietly as she could. Footsteps sounded in the kitchen, and a shadow moved in front of the cracked pantry door. Hurrying to climb down, she almost missed a ladder rung and fell. She caught herself, pulling the trap door closed and wincing at the thump it made.

She stepped back, worried she would have to flee into the catacombs, but bumped into something. No, someone . She gasped, barely keeping from making it a cry of alarm.

An arm wrapped around her, pulling her against a hard male chest, and a hand flattened over her mouth to keep her from screaming.