Chapter Nine
We stabled our horses and paid for three rooms at the ramshackle inn named The Pilgrim, and then the six of us went to our beds to get some sleep. We’d ridden at a breakneck speed to reach Kassar, and I knew my companions were more exhausted than they let on. I snuggled Elissa and Mahini in my arms, but Evangeline chose to spend the night with Caelia since the timid shopkeeper felt lonely in the room by herself.
I smirked to myself as I envisioned the dark-skinned beauty joining my ladies and me in our bedchamber someday, but I reminded myself to be patient with her.
Caelia wasn’t the warrior Mahini was, nor was she the fiery breath of fresh air Elissa was, and she definitely wasn’t the type to run away from her father to follow a god like Eva had, but the shy shopkeeper had a strength to her I hadn’t expected. She’d brought herself up from poverty with hard work and determination, and I was honored to have gotten to know about her past.
Elissa let out a sleepy, contented sigh, and my heart grew two sizes at the sound. I pulled her closer against me and nuzzled my nose into her hair before I began to drift off into slumber. I planned on finding out what Lord Exavier knew about his father the next day, but for the moment, all I had to do was sleep.
Morning dawned bright and early, and the room was already considerably warm. It had been chilly the night before, but I could already feel the heat of the sun bearing down on me through the window.
I got out of bed and got dressed, and I made a new save point before I moved to the window to peer outside. Kassar was already bustling, and I watched the people moving about the street for a long moment while I thought about my plans for the day.
“Good morning, Bash,” Mahini’s sultry voice said from behind me. “You’re not trying to sneak off without me, now are you?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I assured her with a grin as I turned to face her.
“It’s too early,” Elissa groaned, and she pulled a pillow over her head to block out the light and noise around her. “Let’s go back to sleep, Bash… The duke’s son can wait til the afternoon, right?”
“You can sleep in, if you like,” I suggested. “I’m sure growing a baby takes a lot of energy.”
“She’s always been a late riser,” Mahini pointed out. “But I expect it will get more aggressive as she progresses.”
“Why are you two being so loud?” Elissa complained in a muffled voice from beneath her pillow.
“We’ll let you sleep,” I chuckled, and then I gestured for Mahini to follow me.
The desert goddess nodded curtly, and a moment later, she was pulling on her clothes. Then she grabbed her sword in its scabbard, attached it to her belt, and pulled on her boots. Once she was ready for the day, she followed me from the bedroom and down the stairs to the inn’s common area.
Ako and Caelia were sitting at a round table near the front window, and the two waved their arms over their heads when they saw us. I crossed the distance to take a seat between them, and Mahini grabbed a chair opposite me.
“Where’s Eva?” I asked.
“Sleeping,” Caelia supplied with a wry smirk.
“Elissa, too.” Mahini shook her head. “Where is their excitement for the new day?”
“The flame-haired one is growing a human now,” Ako mused. “But what keeps Lady Bullard from rising?”
“She’s never been one to get up early,” Mahini informed him.
“I don’t understand it,” Caelia giggled. “I’ve always been up with the sun.”
“Good.” I grinned. “I need more people who are early risers. Time waits for no man, or woman, after all.”
“Does it wait for a god?” Caelia tilted her head to the side, and a spring of curls cascaded down her face. Her chocolate-brown eyes were full of mischief and courage as she held my gaze, and I stared into the depths until her loose hair caught my eye.
I couldn’t stop myself from reaching over and tucking the tendrils safely behind her ears, and my fingers brushed against the soft skin of her cheek. Caelia’s face bloomed a dark shade of red, but she didn’t look away.
Progress, however small, was still progress.
“It certainly does,” I laughed. “Still, I’ve been getting up with the sun ever since I was summoned to this world.”
“Someone summoned you?” Ako’s tail flicked with an air of curiosity. “I didn’t know that.”
“Raijin Thornheart,” I explained, but then I flashed him a devilish grin. “He’s dead now. His intention upon summoning me was to kill me and steal my power, but he didn’t take into account I could use my powers against him. He was an evil sorcerer, though, so I don’t feel bad about taking him out.”
“I don’t blame you,” Ako said. “The story raises more questions, but I don’t want to bother you with them first thing in the morning. Maybe when this quest is over we can have a few drinks sometime.”
“No time like the present,” I said with a broad grin. “I could use something to moisten my throat, anyway.”
“Let me go get you something from the innkeeper,” Caelia offered, and she flashed me a bright smile. “I haven’t done nearly enough to help out during this mission, and I wish for that to change.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I chuckled. “Careful, I’ll be putting you to work more than you anticipated.”
“What kind of work?” Caelia asked in an innocent tone, but I saw the twinkle in her eyes.
“The best kind.” I winked, and then I slowly scanned her person up and down. “But I’ll give you the details later since I don’t think you’re up for it just yet.”
Caelia picked up on my suggestive tone, and her face darkened into a red shade once more. She dipped her head and turned away without another word, and I chuckled to myself as I watched her walk toward the counter.
Soon, Caelia Stone would be mine.
Evangeline and Elissa joined us right as breakfast was served, and I complimented the two on their perfect timing. Then the six of us turned our attention to the food, and we ate greedily in silence for several minutes. I enjoyed the perfectly cooked biscuits and gravy immensely, but the crunchy, crispy bacon was my favorite part. The eggs were seasoned with savory herbs, too, and I moaned as they hit my tongue, then I washed it all down with fruit juice. The innkeeper and her staff were attentive, and my cup never emptied once during the meal. When we’d eaten our fill, I leaned back with a contented sigh, and I placed my hands behind my head as I looked around the table at my companions.
Ako swiped the back of his fuzzy hand across his mouth and flashed me a fang-toothed grin. Caelia dipped her head and avoided my gaze, but Mahini met my eyes with a warm expression. Elissa and Eva smiled brightly, and I winked their way. Everyone looked ready to tackle the day, so I cleared my throat.
“I’m going to capture Lord Exavier and ask him some questions about his dad,” I explained. “But I would like your input on what you think the best way to approach would be.”
“He won’t be an easy target to access,” Ako mused, and his tail swayed thoughtfully. “He will be surrounded by heavily-armed men at all times, and I doubt he’s staying in someplace like this inn. No offense.”
“None taken.” I smirked. “What’s wrong with the inn I chose? Not fancy enough for you?”
“It’s fine for me,” Ako said. “But the duke’s son will have a different opinion. I have little doubt he will be set up with the finest quarters available in all of Kassar.”
“So, step one will be finding out where he is staying,” I said as I scratched the stubble of my beard. “Once we locate where he’s sleeping, we will have to scope it out. It might be best for us to split up to cover more ground.”
“Why don’t you just kill anyone who gets in your way?” Elissa asked with a tilt of her head, and her emerald eyes were lit up with a fire I’d only seen in the heat of battle.
Was pregnancy making my wife more bloodthirsty?
“I’m not sure if that’s the best approach…” I shot her an amused smile. “But we can keep it as a backup plan if all else fails.”
“You could always just request an audience with him,” Eva suggested with a shrug. “Play to his ego and pretend to grovel before him in order to get the information you need. You could talk the crown off the king, Bash, so I’m sure you wouldn’t have any issues getting what you need out of him that way. Plus, no one would get hurt.”
“True.” I frowned as I thought it over. I didn’t like the idea of groveling before Lord Exavier even if I was pretending, but she had a point. I could just do things in a straightforward manner and see how much I could learn from the duke’s son. “What other ideas do we have?”
I could already tell this task was going to take several lives as I tried out everything my companions suggested to see which approach worked best.
“Maybe we should just leave the duke’s son alone.” Mahini shook her head. “He has plenty of men at his back to throw in your way. Is it really worth it?”
“We have to find the Duke of Edinburg as soon as possible,” I reminded her. “And so far, we have no leads other than what he would be likely to do. I’m ready to find out where he is hiding so we can get back to Bastianville for the wedding, and his son is the best lead we have.”
“Then do as Eva suggested,” Mahini urged. “Request an audience and interrogate him that way. Or we can question his servants. A few well-placed coins will loosen lips.”
“What if…” Caelia trailed off in a hesitant voice.
“What is it, Caels?” Elissa pressed. “Speak your mind.”
“Please,” I added.
“Well,” the timid shopkeeper murmured. “What if we could trick the duke’s son somehow?”
“What are you thinking?” I asked as my lips stretched into a wicked smile.
“Disguises?” Caelia shook her head. “No, that’s a bad idea…”
“It’s a good idea, Caelia,” I reassured her. “Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We could find a way to hide among Exavier’s servants, and then we could snoop around without him knowing.”
“We will need to replace someone already working for him,” Ako pointed out. “And keep them out of the way while we poke around.”
“Good point.” I frowned. “We’ll have to divide our forces, then. Some will have to stay and guard our prisoners while the others dress up in their uniforms.”
“This plan is starting to come together nicely,” Elissa observed in a pleased tone. “So, first, we need to locate where the duke’s son is sleeping. Then we need to find good candidates to borrow disguises from, but what do we do after that?”
“Then I need to know Exavier’s schedule for the day down to the minute.” I grinned. “I’ll gather as much information as I can and then formulate a plan to get past his guards. This is going to be fun.”
“That’s one way to entertain a god, I suppose,” Ako mused. “You’d probably like a good heist, too.”
Elissa and Eva giggled while Mahini’s lips stretched into a knowing smile, and the cat-wizard’s honey-colored eyes filled with curiosity.
“Am I missing something?” he asked with an amused smile.
“We’ve been down the heist road before,” I explained. “It was pretty awesome, I’m not going to lie, but I bet we can make this mission twice as fun.”
“So, when do we get started?” Mahini asked, and her ice-blue eyes were bright with anticipation.
“First, I’m going to reset back to my save point so I can come up with all the ideas myself.” I grinned as I watched the confusion on their faces grow, and then I reset with a wave of my will.
Chime.
As the familiar tingling sensation passed, I stared out the window of my bedchamber at the city of Kassar. Somewhere out there, the duke’s son was probably still blissfully asleep and unaware of the plot to kidnap him, but soon I would have all the information I needed to find the runaway duke.
The Duke of Edinburg was going back to prison if it was the last thing I did.
“Good morning, Bash,” Mahini’s sultry voice said from behind me. “You’re not trying to sneak off without me, now are you?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I assured her for the second time as I turned to face her. “Be quiet, though, Elissa is about to snap our heads off.”
“It’s too early,” Elissa groaned right on cue.
“Saw that one coming, did you?” Mahini chuckled as she got out of bed.
“Hurry up and get dressed,” I instructed the desert goddess with a grin. “We have a duke to find.”
“Oh, thank goodness,” she sighed, and she quickly got dressed in her traveling clothes.
We left my pregnant wife to sleep in peace, and the two of us snuck out of the room to the common area. I led Mahini straight to our friends before Ako and Caelia could spot us, and the timid shopkeeper jumped when I appeared behind her.
“Good morning,” I greeted with a wide smile. “Are you guys ready to hear my plan?”
“Shouldn’t we wait for the other two?” Ako asked.
“They’ll join us in a bit, and I’ll catch them up on what they’ve missed, but time’s a wasting.” I turned one of the empty chairs around and sat down on it backwards. “I’m going to need all of your help to get the information we need about where the Duke of Edinburg is hiding. I have a feeling his son knows something, and I’m going to find out what.”
“What do you need from us?” Caelia asked in an eager tone.
“We’ll split up and comb the city in pairs,” I explained. “We need to find out where Exavier is staying. Once we know that, then we can move on to the next phase of the plan.”
“Intriguing,” Ako said as he scratched his chin thoughtfully. “I’m sure the lord will be in a fine establishment, so that rules out any places like this one.”
“Should we leave a note for the other girls?” Mahini frowned. “I hate to think of them waking up and not knowing where we went.”
“I’ll have a message delivered with their breakfasts,” I assured her. “We’ll meet back here in a couple of hours, and I’ll catch them up then. They’ll be awake in a bit, but I want to hit the streets as soon as possible.”
“I understand.” The desert goddess nodded. “I’m going with you.”
“Good.” I nodded, and then my gaze turned to Caelia and Ako. “Do the two of you mind working together?”
“Not at all.” Caelia gifted me with a sweet smile. “I’m just happy to be of service somehow.”
“I will keep her safe,” Ako assured me. “Although, I’m certain the two of us can stay out of trouble for a couple of hours without you.”
“I have no doubts, my friend,” I replied. “It’s settled, then. Get what you can to eat quickly, and then we will meet back here for lunch to discuss what we’ve learned.”
Then Mahini and I grabbed some muffins from the innkeeper before we hit the streets of Kassar in search of the duke’s son. I took a right and headed toward the wealthier districts of the city, but it was hard to fight against the dense crowd of people going about their days. We ended up going with the flow of the people, and a short while later, the two of us found ourselves in the market square where we’d first encountered Lord Exavier.
The duke’s son was back on his stage, and the wails of the people hurt both my heart and my ears. A man with a cane was being beaten by the soldiers with his own walking stick while a woman with a crying infant begged for mercy. It made me sick to sit back and watch, but I couldn’t do much about it yet, so I turned away with a sigh.
I wanted more than anything to end the citizens’ suffering, but the best way to do that was to find the Duke of Edinburg and return him to Vallenwood to stand trial for his crimes. Once the people of Sorreyal knew what the duke had done, they wouldn’t be so forgiving of his asshole kids robbing them of their hard-earned coins.
“His rooms must be nearby if he is coming to this square every day,” Mahini observed. “We should check all the inns in this area.”
“Good idea.” I nodded. “We’ll circle the square until we find one.”
The two of us kept our guards up as we made our way through the densely packed crowd, but we managed to evade the duke’s attention, and I breathed a sigh of relief when we left the square behind us. We walked at a brisk pace as our eyes swept over the businesses on either side of the road, but a few moments later, I spotted a sign that read The Steward Inn.
“Let’s try this one,” I said as I gestured to the sign, and Mahini nodded in response.
The two of us climbed the steps, and I pulled open the front door to allow the desert goddess to enter ahead of me. I’d brought enough gold with me to bribe the innkeeper for information, so I headed straight for the counter with a friendly smile on my face.
“Morning.” The innkeeper was a middle-aged man with a balding head of brown hair, and he watched me approach with a neutral expression as he leaned against the counter.
“Good morning, my friend,” I said. “My name is Sir Sebastian, the Archduke of Bastianville. I wanted to ask you a few questions.”
With any luck, my name and titles would be enough to loosen his lips, but I pulled a couple of coins out of my pocket just in case.
“The Archduke, huh?” The innkeeper’s face shifted into a much friendlier expression, and he stuck out his hand for me to shake. “What can I do for you? My honeymoon suite is available, it’s the nicest one I have.”
That already told me all I needed to know. If Lord Exavier was staying in this inn, he would have undoubtedly gotten the nicest room available, but I had to make sure.
“The duke’s son Exavier is in town,” I said in a nonchalant tone. “Any chance he is staying here?”
“Lord Exavier?” The innkeeper’s eyes widened, and his gaze flicked to the front door anxiously. “He’s in town? I-I need to prepare…”
“Prepare for what?” I asked.
“He will come for my tithe soon,” the older man explained. “Last time, he took some of my best pots when I fell short on my payment.”
“That’s awful,” Mahini said in a sympathetic tone. “Is there anything you can do to stop him?”
“It’s his right as our lord.” The innkeeper shook his head.
“That’s not entirely true,” I informed him. “The Duke of Edinburg was arrested for treason, so whatever power his son got through him is gone.”
“While that may be true, I have no guards to protect me against his soldiers.” The innkeeper’s shoulders slumped. “I must comply.”
“It will be different soon,” I promised. “I’m changing the way things work around Sorreyal, and a new day is coming.”
“That sounds nice,” he allowed. “But I’ve gotten distracted. You two were wanting to rent a room, yes?”
“No.” I shook my head. “We are looking for the duke’s son.”
“If Lord Exavier is in town,” the innkeeper said. “Then he will be staying at The Garden Inn.”
“How do we get there?” I asked in an eager tone. I was planning to reset eventually anyway, so it didn’t matter that I didn’t have all the answers during this run through.
“It’s not far from here,” he explained, and then he proceeded to give me directions to the inn.
Once we’d gotten all the information we needed, Mahini and I said goodbye to the helpful innkeeper, and then we returned to the streets of Kassar. Now, we had a destination and directions, so our pace was swift. A few moments later, we arrived at the Garden Inn, and I sized up the establishment with a discerning eye.
With white painted columns and flowers arranged in evenly spaced planters, it looked like something out of a catalog. The sign appeared freshly painted as it swung from a pole in the breeze, and the steps were recently swept clean. Kassar was a dusty town, and I was impressed with the establishment’s ability to remain immaculate despite the desert dirt flying everywhere. Two armed soldiers stood on either side of the entrance, and I noticed a couple of men at either end of the street as well.
“Let’s circle around and check out the back,” I suggested to Mahini in a low voice. “The front is heavily guarded.”
“What if they see us poking around?” Mahini asked with a furrowed brow.
“I’ll handle it,” I promised. “Keep an eye out for any of Exavier’s soldiers. I want to know how many and where they are.”
“Sure, Bash.” Mahini nodded, and then her piercing blue eyes swept over the street. “I see one man in the alley.”
“Hmm.” I frowned since that was the path I wanted to take, but we would just have to widen our circle to approach from another angle. “Follow me.”
I led Mahini back down the street and around the neighboring business, but I snuck around to the back alley of the restaurant toward the inn. As soon as we passed by the trash heap, I spotted the soldier standing with his back to us at the end of the alleyway, so the two of us backed away quietly.
When we were a safe distance away, we went around the restaurant to the street once more, and then I approached the inn from the opposite direction. The place was surrounded by soldiers, though, so I wouldn’t be able to explore the inside until I’d gotten past the guards.
At least now I knew where Exavier was staying, so I could reset back to my save point to buy myself some more time.
Chime.
“Good morning, Bash,” Mahini’s sultry voice said from behind me. “You’re not trying to sneak off without me, now are you?”
“Never.” I decided to switch things up a little this time. “But let’s try to be quiet. Elissa needs her sleep.”
“It’s too early,” Elissa groaned right on cue.
“Sorry,” Mahini said in a low voice, and she climbed out of bed with fluid grace. “I’ll get dressed. One moment.”
We were downstairs with Ako and Caelia a few minutes later, and I explained about how well-guarded Exavier’s inn was.
“We’ll have to obtain some of his soldiers’ uniforms to get past the front door,” I said. “Then I can search the interior for his room. Once I have all the information I need, we will move on to the kidnapping phase of my plan.”
“I’ve never kidnapped a lord before,” Ako said with a fanged grin. “Sounds like fun.”
This time, I took Ako with me to the Garden Inn, but I was able to go straight to it. The shapeshifter shot me a few sideways glances as we made our way down the street, but he didn’t question me on how I knew where to go. The next challenge would be how to get the uniforms away from the soldiers without alerting their colleagues, but I had faith in Ako and myself.
I chose the alley behind the restaurant because the soldier in that area had his back turned away and was leaning on the wall. He was right where I predicted he would be, so I pulled Ako back a little out of earshot. The soldier would be an easy first target, so I quickly explained my plan to Ako before I let him take the lead.
The shapeshifter’s form flickered slightly as he shifted onto all fours. His tail grew bushier, and his ears got bigger, but then he crept forward with cat-like grace. I watched from a distance as my friend drew steadily closer to the soldier, but he had his back turned away still. Then Ako pounced with a low growl, and the two of them tumbled to the ground in a tangle of limbs and a tail.
I rushed forward thinking Ako needed my help, but he popped up with a grin as I crossed the distance to him. The soldier laid unconscious beneath him, and I returned the shapeshifter’s happy expression.
“Awesome job,” I complimented. “Let’s hurry up and strip his uniform off. We’ll need one more at least.”
“What should I do with this one after we remove his attire?” Ako raised an eyebrow. “Leave him naked in the street?”
Leaving an unconscious soldier loyal to the duke’s son unguarded seemed like a bad idea, but we couldn’t carry the man through Kassar without drawing attention to ourselves, either.
I’d have to modify my plan some, and while Ako’s presence would be helpful in every aspect of my mission, I knew I could do it alone if I had to, so I flashed the shapeshifter an apologetic smile.
“I hadn’t thought about what we’d do with the soldiers while we borrowed their uniforms,” I admitted. “I’ll plan better next time, but for now you’ll have to stay and watch him while I go on ahead.”
“I don’t quite enjoy the idea of being left behind,” the shapeshifter said. “But worst-case scenario, I know where our inn is, and I can meet you back there if something goes sideways.”
“Be careful, and keep an eye out for his replacement.” I cast a glance around the alley, but we were still alone.
“I will.” Ako nodded, and then he gestured to the soldier beneath him. “Let’s get you into his clothes, shall we?”
A few moments later, I was disguised as one of the duke’s son’s soldiers, and I saluted to Ako before I trotted away from the alley. I slowed to a reasonable pace as I approached the entrance, and I nodded my helmeted head to the guards who stood at the door.
“Where do you think you’re going?” The man on the left held out his hand to stop me. “No one enters, orders of Lord Exavier.”
“He’s got a task for me,” I lied. “Lord Exavier himself sent for me.”
“If you’re lying, it will be my head on the block,” the man said in a reluctant tone, but I couldn’t see his face beneath the helmet he wore.
“Mine, too,” I said with a shrug. “You think I’m dumb enough to lie about something like that? Nah, I value my life way too much.”
“Fine, go on in,” the man said, and he dropped his hand to allow me to pass.
I nodded my thanks and then pushed open the door to the Garden Inn. The interior was dimly lit, and the common area was empty except for a couple of servants cleaning up the remains of breakfast.
I walked past them to the hallway leading to the rooms, but there were two stories of chambers to explore, so it took me a while to find the duke’s son’s room. The door was locked, and I cursed under my breath. If this was an actual video game, I would have lockpicks and a skill to level up, but here in this medieval fantasy land, I didn’t have any of those things.
I’d used my daggers to open a couple of chests during previous quests, but the locks had been old and easy to break. This one was smaller, too, so I wasn’t sure if my blade would even fit.
Then I remembered the servants downstairs in the common area, so I returned to the dining room in search of an unwitting helper. I found two women in maid outfits, and I greeted them with a wave.
“Lord Exavier has sent me to fetch something from his room,” I lied. “But he forgot to give me the key. Can one of you help me get inside before I get in trouble for taking too long?”
The two women exchanged a worried glance, and I could tell they both fought an internal struggle for a long moment. I’d have to sweeten the pot a little, it seemed.
“I’ll pay you for your trouble,” I said, and I fished a couple of coins out of my pocket. “Gods know the lord doesn’t pay nearly enough for what he puts us through.”
“That’s the truth,” one of the women snorted, and then a blush crept up her neck, but she accepted the coin from my hand. “I’ll help you. Follow me.”
The maid led me upstairs to the locked door at the end of the hallway, and then she pulled a key from her apron pocket. A moment later, the door opened, and I thanked the woman before I slipped inside. I’d have to make this fast since I was supposed to be fetching something and returning to the duke’s son, so I swept my gaze over the room quickly.
There was a four-poster king-sized bed covered with red silk sheets, a wardrobe carved with ornate designs, and a desk littered with papers and scrolls. I quickly crossed the room to the table, and I sat down in the chair as quietly as I could. I didn’t know if the servant girl was waiting for me to lock the room back up, so I needed to be fast.
I scanned over the papers on the desk, but there wasn’t a lot of information to glean. There were tallies tracking how much money the duke’s son had collected in Kassar so far and orders to increase capacity at the local jail. Then, tucked beneath a stack of lists, I found a letter from another one of Edinburg’s sons to Exavier.
Dearest brother,
Father is safe, that is all you need to know. He urges you to remember your duties and to stay focused on your current task. He will make himself known when the time is right.
Yours,
Evyn
Well, fuck.
I stuck the letter back where I’d found it with a frown. Exavier didn’t know where his dad was, but Evyn certainly did. It looked like I would have to go through more than one son to find the duke, but I was even more determined than ever to question the asshole torturing Kassar.
Even though Exavier didn’t know where his dad was hiding, maybe he still had some helpful information to share with me, so I decided to go through with my kidnapping plan. Evyn’s location could prove useful, as well as the oldest brother, Eurikson. King Frederick was fond of the Edinburg boys, so I knew I couldn’t kill them without good reason, but he didn’t say anything about asking them some questions.
Since I’d learned all I could about where the duke’s son was staying, I reset back to my save point with a wave of my will.
Chime.
The tingling sensation faded as I gazed out the window at Kassar. Exavier would be in the market square bleeding the citizens dry shortly, and this time I wanted to watch him go about his day so I could figure out when the best time to nab him would be.
“Good morning, Bash,” Mahini’s sultry voice said from behind me. “You’re not trying to sneak off without me, now are you?”
“I’m sorry,” I said as I flashed her an apologetic smile. “I have some things to take care of on my own today, but I’ll be back before you know it. Keep the other girls safe for me while I’m gone, please?”
“They will not leave my eyesight,” the desert goddess promised with a nod. “Be safe out there, my beloved.”
“Always.” I grinned, and then I slipped out of the room and down the stairs.
I didn’t stop at the table to talk to Ako and Caelia since I wanted to get to Exavier as soon as possible, but I already knew I was going to reset back to my save point anyway. I was in the market square a short while later, and I made my way steadily closer to the stage while I listened to Exavier’s spiel about the good of the land.
Then I situated myself in a position where I could see all the streets leading into the square while also maintaining a good view of the stage. I would keep my eyes on the duke’s son until I figured out the perfect time to grab him and ask him a few questions.
The duke’s son continued to harass the townspeople for a few more hours, but he took a break for lunch. I followed at a safe distance while Exavier and his retinue of guards entered a restaurant, but I waited outside for him to finish. Then I continued to shadow them as they made their way around town to collect money from the businesses. The soldiers were put to work counting the coins and hauling the chests around, but a few hours later, Exavier called it a day.
The duke’s son returned to the Garden Inn, and he disappeared inside the door without looking back. I watched the inn all night long, but nothing happened until the next day. I was yawning and stretching out the kinks in my back from crouching in the alley when I spotted activity on the porch across the street. Exavier emerged wearing his thick fur cloak, and a moment later, a carriage rolled into the street.
The soldiers began to load up the chests of coins the duke’s son had collected from the citizens, and they lined up in a formation around the carriage. Then the whole procession rolled forward toward the main road through Kassar.
I followed as quickly as I could on foot, but they were traveling slow enough for me to keep up. The carriage turned toward the edge of town, and I watched it move out into the desert landscape from the gate.
I’d managed to cross paths with the duke’s son on his final day in Kassar, so I only had a limited window of time to work with. I’d have to kidnap him the night before he left, or be left with the option of chasing down his carriage, but then I’d have to fight all of his men at once, so I opted for the covert option.
A wave of determination settled over me, and I reset back to my save point yet again.
Chime.
“Good morning, Bash,” Mahini’s sultry voice said from behind me. “You’re not trying to sneak off without me, now are you?”
“Nope.” I grinned. “I’m going to need everyone’s help to kidnap the duke’s son tonight, so I hope you’re ready to bring your A-game.”
“I’m ready for anything, my beloved,” Mahini assured me with a confident lift of her chin.
“Me, too.” I grinned with delight.
I was beyond ready to set my plan in motion, and then I’d be able to figure out what our next step should be.
The Duke of Edinburg was safe this day, but he wouldn’t remain hidden from the God of Time for long.