“How?”Grant asked.
Sa Vis let out a short breath, his mouth twisted.“I do not know the details.There are rumors, of course—talismans and wards, doorways marked with symbols and carved of ghisten wood.The ghistings are guards who never sleep.”
Mary watched Sa Vis, her expression sober.
Our guest went on, “I have some knowledge that will help you.How much are you willing to pay for my good council?”
Deciding on a price was not difficult.The majority of the riches we had brought back from beyond the Stormwall were safely banked in Hesten and Tithe, butHart’s coffers were not light.A few Mereish treasures from bygone eras made Sa Vis’s eyes ignite with want, and the rest of the evening was spent discussing the finer details of the prison’s location, layout and possible avenues of entry.
Two hours later, Illya escorted Sa Vis back to shore, leaving Mary, Olsa, Grant and I in the cabin.We sat in quiet for a moment, each to our own thoughts.I added details to a sketch I had made under Sa Vis’s supervision, depicting the fort from various angles, my head full of possible routes and avenues we might explore.
“Monks,” Grant said, slapping his palm down on the table.“We go in as monks, offering council to the prisoners.”
Olsa shook her head.“Remember there is a shrine inside the fort.They will have their own servants or monks, the order does not matter.”
Grant was unfazed.“We hijack a shipment of supplies and come in as the drivers.”
Olsa looked tired now.“They likely work with one company of trusted merchants.But… it is worth looking into.Put that on the list.”
Pleased, Grant snatched a piece of paper and stylus from the center of the table and leaned over to steal my ink.
“I assume simply throwing a rope over the wall is out of the question,” Grant observed as he wrote.
“As Sa Vis said, the walls are very well guarded.”
“A good distraction can go a long way,” he pointed out.“Or perhaps we can blackmail the warden?Or a guard.”
“Not enough time,” Mary said.
“We hold their families for ransom.”
“Mr.Grant…” I rubbed at my forehead, which was beginning to ache.
“Pardon me,” Grant said without a hint of remorse.“We disguise ourselves as guards.”
“Still, no.None of us look Mereish enough,” Olsa said.
“Sam might.”
“Sam looks like Ben, one of theirprisoners,” Mary countered.
“Thus he shall be in disguise!”
I raised my voice to cut them off and lowered it as they quietened.“Whatever our plan may be, it must be quick—we can risk no more than a few days anchored near any settlement.It should involve as little contact withanyoneas possible.And we must mitigate the risk to ourselves, the guards and the locals.We cannot cause a stir.”
Quiet closed over us again.
“I have an idea.”Mary’s voice finally broke the quill-scratching stillness.She held up her hands, a faint glow coming into sight just above her skin.
“Going over the walls is too risky.But I could walkthroughthem.”Mary laced her fingers together and surveyed us.“You remember how I went into the Other to escape Lirr’s fire?In body, not just in spirit like Sam and Olsa do?Otherwalking.”
Grant looked aghast.“But surely… that was just one time.Is that not dangerous?Unnatural?”
Mary lifted one of her ghisting-sheathed hands.“Very little about me is natural, Charles.So, I suppose it is rather natural…”
I sat back, as if those few inches could distance me from the notion of Mary going into a prison, alone, risking her life for my twin.“What exactly are you proposing?”
“Tane and I walk through the prison walls, find Ben, and release him.”Grant made a strangled sound, but Mary went on, raising her voice slightly.“I have four breaths in the Other before I must come back to the human world.That is more than enough to pass through the walls.I can explore unseen.”
