Page 127 of To Kill a King
Including Jalius, only three mages could make it to Lions Grove in time for the solstice—Karlee, a mousey girl about five years older than Aliya, with a thick braid that did little to tame the jungle of flyaway hairs that crowned her head, and Kord, a lanky man who had to duck to fit through the warehouse door. He seemed content to glare at the world through the front window. His sour expression, however, did nothing to diminish Karlee’s infectious enthusiasm.
“Your Majesty!” The girl curtseyed. “It’s an honor.”
Aliya studied the other girl. “Wait—I’ve seen you before. In the alley, when I first met Jalius.” She’d had a black eye at the time.
Karlee blushed. “Yes. He’s an old family friend.”
The gnome in question stepped up beside her. “That we are. I’m sorry we couldn’t rouse more mages, but there are a few more stationed in strategic places around town.”
Aliya raised her eyebrow. That didn’t bode well. “Oh? They didn’t want to come?” The three she’d rescued yesterday were also conspicuously absent. She sighed…so much for gratitude.
“Most of us are healers and whatnot. We don’t have many skilled in subterfuge or combat.” One corner of Jalius’ mouth turned up. “But they can initiate a carefully planned distraction on the far side of town when the time calls for it.”
She studied him. Based on the sparkle in his eye and the secretive smile he flashed her, he probably wouldn’t tell her until the distraction was already in play. Still…
“What’s the plan?”
He shrugged. “I was going to ask you the same thing. A few days ago, we started a rumor the Mage Underground was going to meet at a safehouse across the city. Hopefully by now, word has reached the king and his Arcane Inquisitor.” He glanced out the window at the sky. “When the sun reaches its peak, a warehouse on the northern docks will explode.”
A shock of lightning burst through her muscles. She opened her mouth to protest, but Jalius held up his hand.
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. It’s a storage depot with supplies for the army, but we went to great lengths to guarantee no lives would be lost. Hopefully between the meeting and the warehouse, we can put our plan into action while the guards are looking the other way.”
Well, if they didn’t kill any innocent bystanders, then as far as a distraction went, the two-pronged plan was better than any she’d have come up with herself. She nodded.
Jalius waved around the room. “All we need now is direction. How do we approach King Malkov?”
Hmm. She glanced around the room, studying Karlee and Kord again. With so few, a direct assault was out of the question. Aliya kicked the dirt floor of the abandoned warehouse.
“Can we walk right through the front gate?” she asked. “Get ourselves arrested for using magic?”
Jalius raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “Too risky. You emptied his dungeon. What’s to keep the guards from dumping us there until he’s ready?”
“You don’t think, knowing they caught me, Malkov’s men won’t march us straight to the throne room?”
Karlee shrugged. “It’s possible. But to be successful, we must take the king by surprise, or his magic will overwhelm us. There’s no telling how much he’s stolen and stored. He may well be the most powerful mage in the realm.”
Of that, Aliya had no doubt. The man had literally stalked her in dreams for the last six weeks. “Trust me. Security will take me right to him.”
Kord cleared his throat. “Then we’ll need to make sure we’re stationed wherever he is, so we can be ready when that happens.”
Jalius fixed her with a pointed stare. “Can we sneak eyes into the castle to confirm the King’s whereabouts?”
Aliya shook her head. She had no friends at court, no contacts to call on.
“Your Majesty,” he said, “a cat, or a rat, perhaps?”
Oh! That’s what he was asking. She patted the sword at her hip. “No. I—I don’t think so.” There was no way she’d go into the palace without a weapon. A small animal would make that impossible.
But Shadow was in the castle, and might be willing to act as a second set of eyes, if Aliya could find a way to ask her… But there was no time. The deadline for her vow was tonight.
She shook her head. “I can give you a basic layout of the castle, and a little more detail about specific areas I spent more time in.” At Jalius’ nod, she squatted, drawing in the earth. “Here’s the banquet hall, and the throne room. To the north is the royal wing, with Malkov’s chambers. Servants' quarters are in the eastern wing, and guest rooms in the west.
“I remember the throne room had a mezzanine that circled three of the four walls, with lots of dark alcoves. The main space has a raised dais, here, for his throne, opposite the imperial staircase.”
Karlee leaned forward. “How many exits?”
Aliya closed her eyes, clawing through her memory for details that hadn’t seemed relevant at the time. “I only used the main stairs, but I think I remember doors here and here.” She pointed to the left and right of the throne. “They didn’t seem more than servant exits, though the guards used them, too, so they might lead to a security office of some sort. Duke Penn and his mistress snuck out this door an hour into our reception.”