Lochlan shrugged. “Similar to this one—abandoned but a good place for a hideout. The roof leaks a bit. There are only three beds, so Roderick will try to make you sleep on the floor again, but you can have my bed.”
“I won’t take your bed. I’ll sleep in the hammock again.”
Peter bounded down the front steps and I hastily stepped away from Lochlan before he could answer.
“All good,” Peter said. “Now let’s get out of here. We have some pixie blood to steal.”
Lochlan leaned into the handles of the cart and followed Roderick stumping through the woods. I kept my distance from Lochlan and couldn’t bring myself to look at him. I’d been too bold. Somehow, I’d gotten much too close to him…probably in more ways than one.
Trust gets people killed, I reminded myself silently. I couldn’t trust Lochlan, no matter how attractive he was.
I needed to find my family, no matter the cost. I couldn’t afford to get distracted. Once I intercepted the pixie blood and gave it to Ambrose, I would have enough to bribe Lochlan into telling me where Roderick’s vault was, or else hire mercenaries to beat their location out of Roderick.
CHAPTER 17
Peter crouched beside me on the ridge overlooking the compound, a thin blade of grass hanging lazily from the corner of his mouth. His hair caught what little moonlight slipped through the clouds, giving the impression of a fox lurking just beyond a henhouse. Roderick had insisted that Peter rub boot polish all over his hair and eyebrows to hide the redness, and he looked strange with it so dark.
“Busy place,” Peter muttered, nodding at the building.
I went back to staring at it. The wide stone warehouse stood at the edge of the river docks, its lanterns glowing softly in the fog rolling off the water. A boat rocked in the water, ramp lowered as a crate was unloaded. Anyone glancing at it from the main road would assume it was nothing more than another merchant depot storing cargo before it sailed downriver and back out to sea.
After the men unloaded the crate, they heaved it onto a wagon that they rolled up to the warehouse’s front. A lantern swung from one side of the wagon, casting long shadows across the iron bars built into the back. I felt like I was about to vomit.My family had likely been sold by these vermin. The burning desire for revenge had never been so strong.
Burning…
“We should light the whole place on fire,” I muttered.
Peter let out a quiet breath. “And torch all the slaves inside? You’ve got a mean streak, Gil. Besides, that would destroy the pixie blood, wherever it is in there. Now help me count.”
A pair of guards patrolled the inside of the gate, their lanterns bobbing slowly as they walked the perimeter wall. Another stood posted near the warehouse doors with a cutlass strapped to his side. I counted them silently, as well as the seconds between guards passing each entry point.
“Six outside,” I said. “And based on the last shift change, at least another dozen inside.”
Peter nodded toward the roof. “Look up there.”
I followed his gaze. A silhouette moved along the ridgeline of the warehouse, pausing briefly before disappearing again into the darkness.
“Seven outside,” I corrected.
Peter grinned faintly. “At least.”
The river lapped quietly against the docks below, carrying the smell of damp wood and tar. From somewhere deeper in the compound a man shouted an order, followed by the slamming of a door and a pitiful wailing.
I studied the walls surrounding the facility. The guard routes repeated every few minutes, predictable when watched long enough.
“We might be able to get inside,” I said slowly.
Peter tilted his head. “And get out again in one piece? I disagree. That’s a near-impossible place to break into with so few of us. This will take a lot more planning and more people than what we have time for. We’ve seen enough. We need to go tell Roderick and Lochlan.”
“They’ll want a plan.”
Peter smirked. “Lucky for them, I’m working on one.”
I cast one last look at the compound below before turning toward the forest path.
“I hope it’s a good one.”
Peter started talkingthe moment we opened the new cottage’s door. “We won’t be able to fight our way into that, not without hiring many more mercenaries.”
