Page 20 of To Kill a King

“Shh! Keep it down, will yeh?” The guard gestured inside the stockroom. “Get in here, before someone sees you!”

Elessan nodded. “Yes, get off the street. And take the wheat-chewer with you,” he mumbled. That way, he could get close enough to find the intel he needed.

If he waited up here much longer, his legs would fall asleep.

Infiltrations like this were better done at night, but his new travel companion complicated the situation. He fought back a smile as her eyes, crinkled with amusement, drifted through his mind. She was his primary mission at the moment, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed.

The three humans below disappeared into the gloomy storeroom.

For this, late afternoon would have to do.

He vaulted across the alley and landed with the grace and silence of a cat, catching himself on the tiles above the stockroom awning.

He scrambled until he lay adjacent to the skylights. The roof creaked beneath his weight. He frowned. If only the windows were open to ventilate the heat of the day. Then he might be able to hear anything said inside.

He climbed up to examine the hinges. They were rusted. Best to not risk opening them.

Looking over his shoulder to confirm the angle of the sun wouldn’t cast a shadow below as he peeked through, Elessan turned and squinted into the gloom.

The building was empty.

But that couldn’t be right. This was a major military supply depot for the southern quarter of the realm.

He craned his neck, searching the vast area of the storeroom. There—in the corner.

Was that everything?

The single pallet of bales wouldn’t support the village through the winter, much less the rest of the kingdom. Especially if it was in no better shape than the wheat stalk the sentry had been chewing.

If the elves could hold out until the first freeze, the human problem might just solve itself.

He reached into his pocket and removed the oil cloth he used on his swords. Perhaps he could work enough grease into these hinges that he could crack the windows open without anyone noticing.

When the area was as lubricated as possible, he popped the latch. The rusted metal snapped in his fingers, and the window fell inward with a crash.

Valek!

So much for the element of surprise.

He threw himself through the opening, falling to the ground in a shower of fractured glass. His knees bent, absorbing the impact. He reached for his swords and brandished them at the three humans.

Smirking, he imagined what sort of demon he must resemble among the shards and gloom. “Who’s in charge?”

The two newcomers looked at the sentry. The lazy man stepped forward, attempting to shield the others with his body, and drew his sword. “I am. The name’s Therolis. Who’re you?”

Only by Abaddon would he be stupid enough to give them his name. “I’m looking for the Mage Underground. Where are they?”

Therolis’ lips pressed into a thin line, and he jutted his chin out. “What’s it to the elves?”

Elessan tilted his head. Therolis was braced to block a high lunge. If he needed to, slicing the arteries on his arms was an option, but the angle had to be just right. Inner thighs would be easier, but the man was more likely to bleed out.

Unless… He could play with the human a little, see if he called on magic.

It risked further alienating the Mage Underground, but Tsara was waiting, and the princess expected results. The consequences for failure were steep.

Elessan swung his first sword in a slow overhand attack, letting Therolis block it, and stepped back before his opponent could react. “We want the same thing…your king, dead. We should be working together.”

The human jumped forward, swinging. “If we ally with you, you’ll kidnap our women and enslave them.”