Chapter 17
“In my eyes, you have the powers of a god. A god who grants an extra spark of life to everything he touches. I didn’t breathe properly until I was blessed by you.”
- Excerpt from a love letter to Gear Master Marbrey Small from Duke Justin Lear
Ittooktwo hours and countless arguments before we had a solid plan to investigate the warehouse and free anyone imprisoned there. Oss and Justin were able to make an agreement without Oss bringing out his knives. I count that as a win.
I had to fight to come along. Justin wanted to wrap me in cotton and keep me safe, but I had pointed out I would be more helpful if there were any mechanical issues. The others supported me, agreeing with my logic, and ignoring Justin’s pout. For a tough duke, the jutted-out lip was adorable.
When the sky was still a little dark, we headed to Affie’s address.
The long grimy building squatted on the edge of town against the city’s northernmost border. Maybe it was my imagination that evil oozed from its rusted shell, but my companions also appeared uneasy.
No guards stood outside the rusty doors.
“This it?” I whispered.
“Yes.” Thorne scooted closer to Oss. “According to the map.”
I hid my smile over his protective stance. Between the pair of them, I would put my coin on Oss coming out of a fight in better condition. A guard like Thorne was trained in a fight to subdue. Oss had no such restrictions.
“Looks abandoned,” Justin said.
“Lock is new.” Across the front door, a shiny padlock held the ends of two thick, rusty chains together.
Justin nodded. “You’re right. How are we going to get that open?”
Oss scoffed. “Not a problem.”
Justin blushed. “I keep forgetting.”
I didn’t blame him. It wasn’t as if Oss went around announcing his skills. That would bring the wrong kind of attention. The magistrate would be far more interested in Oss if he were aware of Oss’s abilities.
After a careful walk around the factory, we found no other entrances. The back doors had been boarded over long ago. “I wonder if there’s a tunnel to get in and out of there.” Oss eyed the boarded-up doors suspiciously.
“Maybe,” Justin replied. “Or they could have guards inside.”
“No,” Oss disagreed. “Affie would’ve said.”
“What if he didn’t know?” Thorne rubbed a reassuring hand up and down Oss’s arm. “You told me he doesn’t see everything.”
“He doesn’t,” I agreed. “But when he’s certain about something, it’s always true.”
Justin took charge. “If you two are that confident, we’ll go on Affie’s word. Oss could you open the lock please.”
A minute later, the padlock dropped to the ground. If I didn’t love my mechanical abilities so much, I would envy Oss’s talent.
The chains were tossed out of the way.
“I’ll go in first,” Thorne stated. He pulled open the right door and peeked inside. He didn’t speak before stepping into the warehouse and disappearing.
Oss cursed, then promptly followed.
“I think we need to work on our communication,” I muttered, then followed Justin as he rushed after Oss. Our tentative plans didn’t survive past the unlocking.
I stepped inside and gagged at the stench.
A wall blocked my view, but I could hear misery in the faint whimpers and moans. A short hallway led from the entryway to the main section.
