There weren’t many other people in the cemetery. A few old folks stood contemplatively beside graves. One elderly woman shuffled along a lane using a cane. Cole wondered why he only saw older people. Was it because they didn’t have to work? Maybe they had more close friends and relatives who had passed away. Or maybe it was just coincidence.
Skye and Dalton exited the cemetery through a small gate. Cole doubted it could be the main entrance. He followed them through the gate and along a walking path. Glancing back, he saw Jace trailing well behind.
As they continued into the city, Cole walked on the opposite side of the street from Skye. Jace continued to hang back. With each block they traveled, Cole felt himself unwind a little more. It looked like they had made a clean getaway.
Up ahead, Skye and Dalton stopped at a street corner. After a glance from Skye, Cole realized she was waiting for him. He crossed the street and joined them. A few moments later Jace caught up.
“We’re almost there,” Skye said. “I don’t think we’re being followed. Stay with me.”
She proceeded along the street, then turned down a shadowy alley. After going a short ways, Cole could see that it was a dead end. A large black dog lay in the corner near the far wall of the alley. As Skye approached, the dog raised its head and growled. She kept coming, and the dog growled more intensely, showing teeth.
“Skye?” Cole asked uncertainly.
“Trust me,” she said, stepping through the dog. Reaching up high, her hand disappeared into the wall and came out with a key. After feeling lower along the wall, her hand sinking a couple of inches into the bricks, she inserted the key and pulled open a door that had been masked by illusion.
“The dog looks good,” Dalton said, walking through it.
“A friend made it,” Skye said. “It’s permanent. You can’t open the door without disrupting it, and I can tell if it has been disrupted by anyone besides me. Nobody has bothered it.”
“Who would mess with a growling dog?” Jace asked.
“Especially in an alley with no entrances to homes or businesses,” Skye said.
“The shadows?” Dalton asked.
“Good eye,” Skye said. “I layered some false, permanent shadows, so you can’t see the back of the alley from the front. That way we’re sure to go in and out unnoticed.”
They passed through the doorway and into a long, narrow corridor without doors or windows. Skye produced a ball of light that she held in her hand. Halfway down the hall she stopped.
“There’s a ladder built into the wall, buried under a seeming,” she explained. “Climb to the top, then make yourselves at home.”
Cole reached out for the plaster wall, and his hands sunk into it and found rungs. He climbed up, passing through the fake ceiling and eventually entering a spacious room lit by a variety of lamps. The comfortable furnishings included a low table, two sofas, and a couple of cushy armchairs. Art hung on the walls, and carpets covered much of the wooden floor.
Skye came up the ladder last. “Have a seat, everyone,” she said. “It’s time to meet our new friend.” The seemings masking their identities melted away. They all looked like themselves again. Just seeing Dalton again made Cole grin.
“Thanks for rescuing me,” Dalton said, a little uncomfortable.
“Thank Cole for that,” Jace said, plopping down on one of the sofas. “Now we’re just hoping you know something useful.”
They all sat down.
Cole knew the first question he wanted to ask. “Have you heard anything about Jenna?”
Dalton shook his head sadly. “She came with us to Junction City. I haven’t seen her since I was split into the group headed for Elloweer. I don’t know what group she ended up with. But she was okay the last time I saw her. They treat the slaves pretty well—the ones who can shape, anyway.”
“Any local news?” Jace asked.
“I’ve been working at the Silver Lining,” Dalton said. “I’ve heard all sorts of things. What do you want to know?”
“We’re wondering about a secret prisoner at Blackmont Castle,” Skye said.
“Wow,” Dalton said. “You guys don’t mess around. That’s a big deal. Hardly anybody talks about it. Nobody knows who it is.”
“Are there any rumors about her?” Cole asked.
“It’s a she?” Dalton asked back.
“We think so,” Cole said. “Have you heard something different?”
“I have no idea,” Dalton said. “I’ve never directly overheard anybody mention the prisoner. It’s still a well-guarded secret. I’ve picked up a little gossip from the other slaves. Nothing specific. As a group, we hear a lot. Do you think it’s somebody you know?”
“Yes,” Cole said. “What do you know about the High Shaper’s daughters?”
“Is that a good topic?” Jace asked.
“We can trust Dalton,” Cole said. “He’s with us now. He needs to get up to speed.”
“I just became a fugitive,” Dalton told Jace. “That was blind faith in my best friend. Lots of people will want to find me. I’m marked as a slave. I’m doomed without you guys. I’m on your side, man. The more I know, the more I can help.”
“Have you heard about the High King’s daughters?” Cole asked.
“Not much,” Dalton said. “They all died a long time ago, right? He has no heirs.”
“He faked their deaths in order to steal their shaping powers,” Cole said. “Taking their powers stopped them from aging.”
“What?” Dalton said in surprise. “Where did you hear that?”
“I know one of his daughters,” Cole said. “And we think another one of them is the secret prisoner at Blackmont Castle.”
Cole went on to explain about meeting Mira and fighting Carnag to get her powers back. He told about shapecrafters and how the High King was planning to do shapecraft experiments on the gifted slaves he had bought from Ansel.
“He can shape the shaping power?” Dalton asked incredulously.
“If he can’t, he has people who can,” Cole said. “Carnag is proof. We met one of the shapecrafters. The High King only wanted you and the others he bought to develop your powers so he could mess with them.”
“Does he want to steal them?” Dalton asked.
“We don’t know,” Cole said. “Maybe. The shapecrafter lady wouldn’t spill the details.”
“Where is Mira now?” Dalton asked.
Cole explained about losing Mira to the Rogue Knight. He told how Joe and Twitch went after her.
“And you think the big threat to the northwest is really Honor’s power?” Dalton verified.
“That’s our best guess,” Cole said.
Skye leaned forward. “It fits so well that if we can’t identify the prisoner, we’ll proceed as if it’s Honor.”
“And do what?” Dalton asked.
“Free her,” Skye replied.
Dalton whistled and shook his head. “Good luck.” He looked at Cole. “You’ve gotten mixed up in some crazy stuff.”
Cole gave a little shrug. “After I met Mira and we escaped together, it just sort of happened. It was thanks to her contacts that I found Jill Davis, who led me to you.”
“You saw Jill?” Dalton asked.
“She’s in Carthage,” Cole replied. “She wouldn’t come with me. She was too scared.”
“I see why,” Dalton said. “If you guys are going to Blackmont Castle, you’re looking for trouble. It’s the strongest prison in Elloweer.”
“I know,” Skye said. “I grew up here.”
“We’re talking about their most closely guarded prisoner,” Dalton emphasized. “Nobody has even seen this person.”
“Somebody has seen her,” Skye said.
“Somebody who knows how to keep a secret,” Dalton said. “The Dreadknight is champion of Edgemont. H
e watches over Blackmont Castle personally.”
“The Dreadknight?” Cole asked.
“The most feared champion in Elloweer,” Dalton said. “Nobody knows his real name. He’s been unchallenged for almost twenty years.”
“All true,” Skye said. “But we can’t let any of that stop us. The High King is losing the powers he stole. People would rally around his slighted heirs. With the help of his daughters, we can finally overthrow him and restore our old freedoms. But first we must free Honor and help her get her powers back. Until we do, the monster in the north will keep rampaging.”
“What do you know about the monster?” Jace asked.
Dalton shrugged. “It’s becoming a cause for real panic. The monster seems to be heading this way. Towns and cities are emptying as it gets closer. Anyone who doesn’t run away disappears. But you guys should know more about it than I do.”
“Why?” Skye asked.
“You know,” Dalton said. “The soldier.”
“What soldier?” Skye asked.
“The guardsman from Pillocks who saw the monster,” Dalton said as if relaying common knowledge.
“I haven’t heard about this,” Skye said.
“Aren’t you part of the Unseen?” Dalton asked.
“Yes, but I haven’t been in touch with my contacts for several days,” she said.
“Sorry, I figured you knew,” Dalton said. “There was a guardsman who saw the monster and got away. As far as I know, he’s the only person who ever came close and then escaped. I’m not sure what exactly he saw, but apparently some of the champions and aldermen were worried his stories could cause panic. They sent him to Blackmont Castle.”
“Is that where they put everyone?” Jace asked.
“Only the most important prisoners,” Dalton said. “The ones they don’t execute. Anyhow, some members of the resistance intercepted the soldier on his way to Edgemont and freed him. Rustin Sage and Alderman Campos were furious. Nobody knows where he ended up.”
“When did this happen?” Skye asked. “Recently?”
“Just barely,” Dalton said. “Like a couple days ago.”
Skye stood up. “This has been useful. You’re a very attentive young man.”
“Thanks,” Dalton said.
Cole couldn’t believe how much Dalton already seemed to know about life in Elloweer. Then again, Cole figured it would surprise others to find out how much he had learned about the Outskirts in the short time he’d been here. It shouldn’t be a shocker—Dalton worked in a confidence lounge where people traded secrets every day, and he had a good brain. Stuck in another world, he had kept his ears open.
“You three will be safe here,” Skye said as she moved toward the exit. “I know just who to contact to find out more about the guardsman. This could be a crucial lead. The more we know about the form Honor’s power has taken, the better chance we’ll have to help her regain her abilities.”
“What should we do?” Cole asked.
“Sit tight,” Skye said. “I’ll return soon.”
CHAPTER
21
MORGASSA
“This is kind of like talking to a dead guy,” Dalton said. “I already mourned for you. I figured I’d lost you just like everything else. Even if you had survived, I knew the chances of seeing you again were basically zero.”
Dalton and Cole sat together on one of the sofas. Jace slept on the other sofa, face against the cushions. Skye still hadn’t returned.
“I could have died,” Cole said. “The sky castles almost got me. And I thought we were goners when we fought Carnag.”
“I can’t believe the adventures you’ve had,” Dalton said. “Sambria sounds crazy! I thought I had it bad, but compared to you, my life has been calm. Since getting sorted at Junction City, I’ve worked at the Silver Lining and practiced making seemings. Part of me still can’t believe you found me.”
“I told you I’d come,” Cole reminded him.
“I know,” Dalton said. “I believed you’d try. It just seemed impossible. Even so, a little piece of me thought you might show up one day. I swore to myself that if you found me, I’d run off. That’s part of the reason I kept track of the secret passages.”
“You haven’t heard about Jenna since Junction City?” Cole asked.
“I’ve hardly seen anybody from home since then,” Dalton said. “I don’t know where they sorted her. I’ve only seen the four other kids they sent to Elloweer—and it’s been weeks since we split up. None of the others are here in Merriston.”
“I saw Jill Davis in Carthage,” Cole said. “She told me how to find you.”
“Really?” Dalton asked. “How is she?”
“Alive,” Cole said. “Kind of like you—doing her job as a slave in a confidence lounge. She didn’t want me to try to rescue her. She was scared the resistance couldn’t protect her.”
“She might be right,” Dalton said. “She’s probably safer where she is.”
“Do you wish I hadn’t come for you?” Cole asked.
“No way,” Dalton replied with enthusiasm. “Jill might be safer working at the confidence lounge, but that doesn’t mean she’s better off. There’s more to life than safety. It was risky for me to leave, but if I didn’t want to do it, I wouldn’t have come. Besides, what was the alternative? Stay here as a slave the rest of my life?”
“I don’t know,” Cole said heavily. “I’ve gotten you into trouble before. Look . . . I’m sorry I brought us to the haunted house. I’m sorry I wanted to see the basement. When we were going down the stairs, you heard them lock the door. You tried to warn me. I should have listened.”
“Not your fault,” Dalton said. “It was dumb to go into a stranger’s basement, but you weren’t the only one who volunteered. I was curious too. We should have known something was off just because they had a basement.”
“What do you mean?” Cole asked.
“Who in our neighborhood had a basement?” Dalton asked. “You didn’t. I didn’t. Do you know anybody who did?”
“I never thought about that,” Cole said. “We used to have a basement when we lived in Boise.”
“Not that basements are evil,” Dalton said. “Just out of the ordinary in Mesa. I noticed the weirdness of having a basement, and I knew it was dumb to go into a stranger’s house, but there were lots of kids, so I figured nothing bad could happen. By the time I heard the door lock, it was too late. Once we went down the stairs, we were sunk. If we had gone back up to try the door, they probably would have just sprung the trap earlier.”
“Maybe,” Cole said. “But going to the spook alley was my idea. I convinced you. Jenna, too.”
“She went with a bunch of her friends,” Dalton said. “She might have gone whether or not you invited her. Don’t worry—she’s probably got a cushy job. She can shape. They’ll treat her well.”
“Until they start experimenting on her,” Cole said. “Quima, the shapecrafter lady, made it sound like they had more in store for you guys than just stripping your powers away. But she was pretty bitter about us wrecking her plans. She might have just been trying to scare me.”
“I can’t believe we’re part of a revolution,” Dalton said. “The High Shaper is really powerful. The resistance will need a lot of support to take him down.”
“They’ll get it once everyone finds out about Mira and her sisters,” Cole said. “If we can overthrow the High King, we’ll also free the slaves. That includes you and all our friends.”
“Even if the revolution works, we may not get to go home. If a Wayminder sends us to Arizona, we’ll get drawn back into the Outskirts. Plus, nobody back home will remember us. Our families will look at us like strangers.”
“That’s what I heard too,” Cole said. “It could be a sneaky way to keep people from trying to leave.”
“You think
they’re lying?”
“I don’t know. Mira seems to think that’s how it works too. True or not, there has to be a way around it. We’ll talk to the best Wayminders. We’ll find their Grand Shaper. Shapecraft might even help us. If it can mess with the shaping power, maybe we can use it to get home and stay there.”
Dalton shook his head. “That would be amazing,” he said. “I guess I kind of gave up hope that could ever happen. Home felt so far away. But now, seeing you, it seems possible again.” Cole knew exactly what he meant. It was hard after being back with Dalton not to focus one hundred percent on finding the others from his world and escaping. But Mira had been there for him over and over—he couldn’t just walk away while the Rogue Knight held her captive. Besides, without Mira’s help and connections, who knew how far he and Dalton would get? No Mira would have meant no Skye and no Joe. Without them, Cole still wouldn’t know where to look for Dalton, let alone how to rescue him.
“This place could be worse, at least,” Dalton said. “Not that I want to stay,” he added hurriedly. “But it’s cool to make seemings. Much cooler than anything I did back home.”
“Fun for you since you’re a wizard,” Cole said.
“You brought that Jumping Sword to life,” Dalton said. “That isn’t supposed to happen. You’ve got power too.”
“I don’t know,” Cole said. “That one burst of power is all I’ve ever done. I can’t make it happen again. Declan, the Grand Shaper of Sambria, thought I’d have abilities someday. I figured when things changed, I’d know. How was it for you? Did it come all at once?”
“It’s hard to explain,” Dalton said. “I never made a seeming until they started training me. My power works like active imagining. You know how you can picture stuff in your head?”
“Like a hamburger?” Cole asked. “I miss hamburgers.”
A big, juicy burger appeared on the coffee table, ketchup and molten cheese oozing out from under the top bun. It looked completely tangible. Cole could almost taste it.