Aizel took a deep breath. “Thank you,” she said, hoping Robin understood she was talking about much more than the hat.
Robin nodded. “Let’s go save Celesta.”
As they made their way through the city streets, it was easy to blend in. People were all working their way in the same direction.
“Are Quotidian people always this excited to witness an execution?” Aizel’s stomach churned.
“From what I hear, King Gareth prefers them to be well attended,” Robin responded.
Aizel nodded. That answered her question, even if it didn’t fully make sense. Occasionally, she caught a glimpse of other men and women dressed similarly to Robin, weaving their way through the crowd. They were meant to be inconspicuous, but Aizel knew what to look for.
None of them had slept the previous night as they spent every moment perfecting their plan. It was risky, but if everyone played their part, it just might work.
Robin had left early in the morning to inform the other members of the River’s Talon of their role.
Doona had fed them a hearty breakfast, and even Peter was participating, though his part would only come in at the end.
Eventually, they arrived at a cobbled square in front of the marble palace. The white walls of the massive building were so bright, Aizel couldn’t even look up at them. At the far end of the plaza, a wooden dais was set up. It was currently empty.
They’d arrived early, but the large area was already filling up.
Robin led Aizel around the edge of the square, pretending to look for a place for the two of them to settle.
“There,” Aizel whispered, pointing discreetly toward a hooded figure standing near two shops. She couldn’t see his face, but his hood was of the same fabric and design as the two Quotidian mages who had used their magic on her they’d locked her up in the dungeon.
Robin strode forward, stopping near the man to yawn and stretch. After she walked away, two men who were also dressed in forester’s clothing positioned themselves near the mage.
“This a good spot?” one of the men asked his companion.
“Perfect. Good view. Won’t get trampled by the peasants,” the other responded.
They continued to carry on a casual conversation as Aizel moved past them to follow Robin. Together, they made their way through the entire square, identifying at least five Quotidian mages, and alerting members of the River’s Talon to their presence.
“I’ll meet you at the dais.” Robin pulled a small chunk of wax from the sack on her belt.
Aizel nodded, swallowing her fear.
Robin was putting herself in the most dangerous position in case anything went wrong. Aizel was going to head back toward the opening to the square to carry out her part of the magic.
With an encouraging smile on her face, Robin disappeared into the crowd.
Aizel wished they could have stayed together. The crowd was almost too dense to walk through, but she pushed herself back through it to get to her place.
The overwhelming noise of people’s voices as they chatted in the square was enough to make Aizel wish she had thought to bring some wax of her own. She could sense the nervousness in the crowd as their voices climbed higher and higher in an attempt to be heard over one another.
This was going to be difficult.
By the time she got back to where they had started, a change of energy had come over the crowd.
Aizel peered back toward the dais, but she was too short to see anything through the crowds in front of her. She bounced on her tiptoes, catching a tiny glimpse of the dais.
Guards surrounded the edge, but a single figure knelt in the center of it. It looked as though they had put a cloth over Celesta’s head.
Aizel’s heart snapped. How dare they treat her sister this way? She wanted to stamp her foot into the ground and shout the angriest song she could think of. Or, better yet, she wished she could use Quotidian magic and bring these people to their knees in pain.
But she contented herself with balling her hands into fists.
Robin had told her to wait until after they started reading the proclamation. She’d said the entire plaza wouldn’t dare to make a noise while a messenger of the king was speaking. As soon as he finished, though, the plaza would erupt into cheers or jeering, and her song wouldn’t be heard.
