Artemis

  I left them in the trees and started down the slope alone.

  I could still feel the weight of her head against my shoulder, the warmth of her body radiating against my arm.

  I found myself thinking about what I would say to her when this was over. The thought carried a fragile kind of hope… and the old fear that it might change everything.

  The forest floor was soft beneath my boots, damp leaves swallowing what little sound I made. I kept low, moving from shadow to shadow, letting the darkness do most of the work for me. Below, the compound lay quiet beneath the moon, lanternlight pooled in small circles across the yard.

  The wall rose ahead, darker than the trees behind me.

  I slowed as I neared the edge of the forest, lowering myself behind a cluster of brush and studying the stretch of stone where I knew the hidden door lay. My eyes tracked the top of the wall.

  A guard passed along the parapet, a slow, unhurried walk. He carried no lantern, only the faint glint of metal catching the moonlight at his belt. He moved the length of that side, paused briefly near the corner tower, then turned and continued on, disappearing from sight as his round carried him away.

  I waited, counting the seconds in silence until I was certain he wouldn’t return too soon.

  Then I moved.

  I crossed the open ground in a low run, Wind cushioning each step. Up close, the stone was colder, rougher beneath my fingertips. I found the seam where the hidden door lay. Even knowing it was there, the seam was nearly impossible to see. I traced it lightly with my fingertips, trying to find any sign that it could open from the outside.

  It couldn’t.

  I stepped back and studied the wall again, letting my eyes search for the cleanest line over.

  A few paces to the right, the stone was clear of brush and loose rock, the ground firm enough for footing. Nothing overhead to catch on.

  That would do.

  I drew a slow breath, letting Wind gather quietly around me, lightening my weight.

  Then I jumped.

  My hands caught the top of the wall, fingers finding purchase in rough stone. I pulled myself up in one smooth motion and swung over, dropping silently into shadow on the far side.

  I landed in a crouch and stilled, listening. The compound breathed around me.

  And I was inside.

  I started to rise—

  A shape formed a few paces away.

  I froze.

  A man stood with his back to me, half-hidden in shadow, close enough that I could hear the soft hiss of liquid striking dirt. He was faced the wall, one forearm pressed to the stone, his head bowed against it like he needed the support.

  I hadn’t seen him from above. The angle, the failing light—he’d been directly below the parapet when I dropped. If he’d been facing my way, I would have landed in his line of sight.

  I cursed inwardly. It was darker here than it had looked from outside, the wall throwing deeper shadows.

  The man transferred his weight to his other arm, still unaware. He wore only his undergarments, boots unlaced. Not a sentry. Just a man who stepped out to relieve himself. Unlucky timing.

  I moved.

  Two silent steps closed the distance. My hands clamped over his mouth, dragging his head back before the first startled breath could become sound.

  His body jerked once in shock.

  Ice answered my will before the motion finished. A narrow spike formed in my palm and drove forward, sliding cleanly through the base of his skull and out through the roof of his mouth, ending the struggle before it truly began.

  His weight sagged against me.

  I held him a moment longer, listening, to be certain no sound had carried.

  Nothing stirred.

  I eased him down and pulled the spike free, letting it dissolve into cold vapor that vanished into the night air. Then I dragged his body deeper into shadow, tucking him behind a stack of empty crates near the wall where the darkness pooled thickest. Anyone passing would have to be nearly on top of him to see.

  I wiped my hand once on the dirt and straightened slowly, listening again.

  The compound breathed on, unaware that one of its own had already vanished into silence.

  I turned back toward the wall, moving along it at a careful pace, keeping to the shadow where the lanternlight didn’t reach. I counted doorways, corners, and stacked supplies as I went, searching for the seam I had seen from outside.

  At first I saw nothing.

  The stone was as seamless from this side as it had been from the forest. Moss clung thick in the joints, darkening the mortar, and the wall curved just enough in places to break the eye’s sense of line.

  It was meant to disappear.

  I slowed, studying each section in turn, fingertips brushing the surface as I passed. Cold stone. Damp moss. Nothing.

  Then I saw it.

  A crate sat pushed against the wall. Empty, from the looks of it, its placement at odds with its surrounding. I crouched and slid it aside just enough to expose the stone behind it.

  A faint seam, barely wider than a thread, ran vertically through the wall.

  I pressed against it.

  The stone moved outward with surprising ease, gliding just enough to open a narrow gap, barely the width of a man’s shoulders. It wasn’t a true door, not meant to swing wide, only to allow one body at a time to slip through.

  And on the other side, already waiting in the darkness, were Celeste and Lioren.

  Celeste’s eyes found mine first. She said nothing, only moved forward at once, turning sideways to pass through the opening. Lioren followed close behind, ducking slightly as he squeezed through.

  I gripped at the stone, trying to move it back into place, but there was no way to pull it back in. I swept my hand along the wall, searching for a hold, until I found a missing rock at knee level—a gap just large enough for my fingers. I hooked them in and pulled, guiding the slab back into place until the seam vanished once more.

  The wall looked whole again.

  I turned to them, keeping my voice low. “Stay in the shadows. Don’t move until I signal.”

  Celeste nodded once, her hand rested lightly on the hilt of her blade, already scanning the yard.

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  “I’m taking the tower first. Once it’s clear, I’ll come back down, deal with anyone nearby, then move through the yard like I’m one of them. Watch for me.”

  “And the signal?” Lioren asked.

  “I’ll flash a lantern toward you. Three times. After that, you move for the basement entrance.”

  Celeste met my eyes. “Be careful.”

  I gave the smallest nod, then turned and slipped back into the darkness, already angling toward the leaning tower.

  I turned and slipped along the wall, keeping low and moving where the lanternlight failed to reach.

  The tower stood on the far side of the compound, leaning slightly away from the central buildings, its dark stone broken by a long pale scar where the masonry had cracked years ago. From here, it looked even more unstable than it had from the forest.

  I moved quickly, keeping to the edge of the yard where stacked crates, troughs, and shadow gave me cover.

  A guard stood near a wagon ahead, his back turned, adjusting the strap of a saddle slung over one shoulder.

  I slowed, watching him.

  He wasn’t in my way. I passed behind a stack of timber instead, circling wide enough that he never knew I’d been there.

  Above, another sentry moved along the parapet, boots scraping softly on stone as he made his round. He paused once, leaning on the wall to look out into the trees, then turned and continued on.

  Killing him now would risk drawing eyes from the tower, so I left him as well.

  I reached the far wall where the parapet joined the main structure and waited. No voices nearby or footsteps above.

  I gathered Wind quietly around me and jumped, catching the parapet and pulling myself up. From there, the tower loomed only a few strides away, its stone darker where shadow pooled deepest.

  I crossed the narrow stretch of parapet and swung onto the tower itself, flattening myself against the cold stone as I edged toward the side that faced the forest.

  I began to climb.

  The first few body lengths were easy enough. The stone was rough, the mortar worn and crumbling in places, giving my fingers purchase. I moved slowly, testing each hold before trusting it, letting Wind lighten my weight so the strain on my arms never grew enough to make tremble.

  The outward angle steepened as I climbed, forcing me closer to the stone. My boots found narrow seams between blocks, toes braced on edges barely wider than a coin.

  Halfway up, my hand slid into the long crack I’d seen from below. It ran deep enough to take my fingers, the edges worn but solid. I used it as a ladder, edging upward a span at a time.

  Near the top, the crack narrowed and vanished, leaving nothing but smooth stone above me.

  Then I saw it—an arrow slit, narrow and dark, cut just below the platform. The lower edge jutted out by the width of two fingers.

  I drew a slow breath, let Wind gather once more, and pushed upward, catching the lip with one hand, then the other. My boots found a seam beneath me, and I pulled myself higher until my chest cleared the edge of the platform.

  Boots scraped lightly on stone. The guard couldn’t have been more than a few steps away.

  I pulled myself up the rest of the way up—and froze.

  The man rounded the tower at that exact moment and his eyes found mine.

  For the smallest fraction of a second, neither of us moved. Surprise flickered across his face, breath already drawing to shout.

  I moved first.

  Wind answered my will in a narrow, silent arc. The blade struck his throat before sound could leave it.

  The man staggered, hands flying to his neck. Blood burst between his fingers, swallowed by the dark—the lanterns glow from the yard below failing to climb this far.

  He tried to breathe, a wet choking sound catching in his throat as his knees gave way. He fell hard, gasping, the sound fading into a thin, ragged wheeze as life poured out of him onto the stone.

  I stood still, pulse hammering in my ears.

  This was already going poorly. I hadn’t been caught yet on skill alone. Luck had been doing half the work.

  I crossed the platform and crouched beside him, watching until the last movement left his body.

  I stepped to the edge of the tower and took the watch he would never finish.

  The yard spread below in broken pools of lanternlight and shadow. From here, the compound felt smaller, every movement easier to read.

  I counted two men at the main gate. Three more spaced along the parapets, moving slowly. One walking the interior of the yard, a lantern swinging lazily at his side.

  Six that I could see. More inside the buildings, sleeping or drinking or waiting for a shift that would never come.

  My gaze drifted toward the far side of the compound, to the lean-to near the hidden entrance.

  Celeste and Lioren were exactly where they were supposed to be—out of sight.

  I let out a slow breath and rested my hand lightly against the cold stone of the tower. Now the real work began.

  The men on the parapets worried me more than the ones below.

  Up here, they could see one another. A body left in the open wouldn’t stay unnoticed for long.

  I watched them for several seconds, studying the rhythm of their rounds. The nearest one was the same guard I had passed earlier, the one whose patrol carried him along the wall near the tower before he turned back.

  I waited until he turned away and then I moved.

  I stepped onto the edge of the platform and dropped, slowing my descent slightly by Casting Wind around my body.

  I landed directly on top of him.

  The air cushioned my fall, but not his. The force drove him forward, hit boots skidding on stone as he pitched face-first into the parapet floor. The crack of bone was loud to my ears, though no shout followed it.

  He lay still, the front of his skull split open against the stone, blood already spreading in a dark, widening stain.

  I didn’t stop to look longer than I needed.

  I ran.

  The parapet ended where the main building’s roof began, the stone sloping downward in a broad, flat stretch without cover. I crossed it at a low sprint, keeping the darker side where the tower’s shadow still clung to the tiles.

  Ahead, the next parapet rose, a narrow line of stone against the sky. I leapt, caught the edge, and pulled myself up in one motion.

  The second guard was walking away from me when I landed.

  Three steps later, he turned to begin his return.

  His eyes widened as he saw me.

  Ice flew from me hand before he could speak.

  The first shard struck his chest, punching through leather and flesh. The second drove into his throat. The third caught him across the face, snapping his head back as blood and frost burst together in the cold night air.

  He staggered, beginning to fall backward.

  I immediately rushed, catching him before he could hit the stone.

  He twitched once, a final shudder, then went completely slack. His weight went dead in my arms. Blood soaked my sleeves.

  I eased him down onto the parapet floor, careful to make no sound.

  The last stretch lay ahead—the parapet above the portcullis. From the tower I’d seen that this section overlooked the gate itself. Two guards stood below, and one more walked the wall above them.

  I crossed the roof at a low run, keeping my weight light, letting the Wind carry me over the stone. The parapet rose ahead. I caught the edge pulled myself up—

  —and came face to face with the guard.

  He froze for an instant, eyes widening. Then his hand flew to the horn at his belt.

  Ice answered faster than breath.

  A cluster of shards tore from my palm, striking him across the chest and shoulder. One punched through his throat. The sound that escaped him was wet and choking, cut short as his body pitched backward over the parapet and outside the compound.

  A dull thud rose from below.

  “What was that?” one of the gate guards called.

  “Sounded like—”

  I was already moving. I stepped onto the parapet’s edge and dropped.

  Wind slowed my fall just enough to guide it. I came down directly on top of the nearest guard, my hand clamping over his face as the impact drove him to the ground. His head struck the packed earth with a heavy crack, his body stunned beneath me.

  The second guard stared, shock locking him in place.

  Ice flashed again.

  Three shards struck him in quick succession as he staggered backward, collapsing before he could even raise a shout.

  Beneath me, the first man was still alive.

  He jerked, twisting violently, and his teeth sank into the flesh of my palm. Pain flared white-hot as blood slicked my fingers.

  Ice spread from my hand across his face, freezing flesh, sealing his mouth and nose in a white sheath that swallowed the last of his breath. His body convulsed once, then went still beneath me.

  I stayed there a moment longer, breathing slowly, listening for any sounds of movement.

  No alarm. No running feet.

  I lifted my head, scanning the yard and the parapets again. I turned slowly, searching the shadows, the far corners of the compound. I couldn’t find the last guard anywhere.

  A tight knot formed in my chest.

  Either he was somewhere inside the yard… or he’d seen something and gone to fetch the others.

  I forced myself to listen harder, straining for the sound of boots or raised voices.

  Nothing yet.

  But the longer he remained unseen, the less I liked it.

  I pushed myself up and flexed my hand. Blood ran freely from the bite, the crescent of teeth deep and ragged across my palm.

  I closed my fingers, drawing on Healing. Warmth spread through the torn flesh, knitting muscle and skin together until only a faint sting remained. I wiped the last of the blood on the man’s cloak and rose, listening once more.

  Still nothing.

  I moved along the inner edge of the wall. The compound felt different now. Quieter, but in a way that set my nerves on edge, as if something unseen were moving just beyond my hearing.

  I passed the corner of a low shed and paused, scanning the yard, until movement caught my eye.

  Two shapes stepped just far enough out of the shadows.

  Celeste and Lioren.

  At their feet lay a body facedown in the dirt, an Ice shard protruding from the back of his skull.

  I let out a slow breath and crossed to them quickly.

  Lioren glanced up from the body as I approached. “Saw him runnin’. Looked like he’d seen a ghost. Figured he might’ve seen somethin’ he shouldn’t have, so took I the liberty.”

  I nodded once, glancing down at the corpse. “Smart move. He probably saw me at the gate.”

  Celeste’s eyes searched my face, taking in the faint dampness on my sleeve. “Is it done?” she asked.

  “For now,” I said.

  I looked back past them toward the central building, and toward the stone that hid the basement below. “Go. The yard’s clear at the moment. I’ll keep watch and deal with anyone who wanders too close.”

  Lioren gave a short nod and rested a hand briefly on Celeste’s shoulder.

  She met my eyes once more, then turned and moved toward the basement entrance, Lioren close behind her, both slipping back into the shadows as if the night itself were swallowing them.

  I remained where I was, watching the lanternlight sway in the quiet yard, waiting for the first sign that silence was about to break.

  And below us, somewhere beneath stone and iron, chains were about to open. Then nothing in this place would remain quiet.