Rakel awkwardly nodded and rested her hands on her skirts. “Will that be all for this meeting? I assume this means you’ll be forced to adjust your plans.”
“I’ll need a few hours. We can discuss the changes with Phile tonight,” Captain Halvor said.
“Very well. Thank you, Captain Halvor, Oskar.” Rakel looked to each man in acknowledgement and then burst from the room, fleeing the dreary atmosphere. Her abrupt exit from the building sent several soldiers lurching away. When they uneasily eyed her and offered her stiff bows, Rakel drew up her shoulders and chin, clasped her hands together, and held them in front of her as she glided away.
My first look at an actual city will be a scouting mission. It’s not the introduction I would have chosen, but not even two months ago, I didn’t think I would ever see outside the walls of my castle.Thinking of the weather magic user and Farrin Graydim, Rakel lifted her gaze to the sky.Even so, I hope I don’t meet another magic user while we’re scouting. It would put our mission in jeopardy, I’m certain.
CHAPTER 7
SCOUTING
The night Halvor selected for their scouting party was cold and clear—the kind of night on which Rakel ached to use her magic because the moon would light up snowflakes and ice with the brilliance of gems.
Oskar studied Glowma with a tilted head and furrowed eyebrows. “How will we get inside? The city is built on a hill. They’ll see us coming long before we arrive.”
Rakel fussed with the leadline of her reindeer—the group had traveled in reindeer-pulled sleighs—and relinquished it to Aleifr. “I cannot tunnel us in. The snow is but a few inches thick.”
“You could do something like that?” Phile asked.
Rakel twitched her gray cloak into place so it no longer grappled for her throat and wished she had said nothing. “Yes.”
“How would you get in, Snorri?” Oskar asked.
Snorri shrugged and said something to the ground.
“The city was built for trade—not war or occupation. There are no wall walkways or watchtowers. The only viewpoint in the city is the municipal building,” Captain Halvor said. “There are patrols around the walls, but we can avoid being spotted if we time it right.”
“And what? Scale the walls with our teeth?” Phile snorted.
Captain Halvor eyed the Robber Maiden but had the self-control to refrain from saying anything snippy. “In addition to the large gate, there are a number of smaller ones built for city residential use.”
“They won’t be guarded?” Oskar asked.
A rare bit of anger flashed in Captain Halvor’s placid exterior. “If you two would give me sufficient time to explain, we could be inside by now.”
Rakel studied the city—which wasn’t more than a wooden structure on the horizon. Thinking of Farrin’s revelation about his spy among them in Vefsna, she asked, “You’ve got an inside man paid to open the gates?”
“Yes,” Captain Halvor said, brushing snow from his pants.
“I expected better of you, Halvor, than depending on a cliché like that,” Oskar said.
“The whole point of a scouting mission is toavoidcatching attention,” Captain Halvor growled. “If we don’t move, we’ll miss the appointed time. Aleifr, tend to the reindeer!”
“Yes, sir,” Aleifr saluted.
Rakel followed her companions as they hustled to the city, occasionally darting behind embankments when they saw the glow of the patrolling guards circling the building.
“Aren’t you freezing?” Phile asked, staring at Rakel’s clothes. She wore a light blue Bunad and a dim, gray cape.
Phile, on the other hand, was swaddled in cloth and wore at least two scarves, fur-lined boots, and the thickest mittens Rakel had ever seen.
“It’s not that cold,” Rakel said.
“The sun is down.Yes, it isverycold,” Phile growled. “You have snow bear blood flowing in your veins.”
“Silence,” Captain Halvor snarled, darting the remaining distance to the small supply gate. He rapped a strange pattern on the doors, and they swung open. “Hurry!”
Rakel checked to make sure the hood of her cape covered her moon-bright hair as she followed Oskar inside.
