Cloak of Night (Circle of Shadows #2) - Evelyn Skye Page 0,42
the last time Daemon was here. Many of the rooms flickered with candlelight, and the one in particular that he wanted to break into glowed through its two-story windows, a large fire in the hearth. The flames silhouetted eight people inside, sitting formally in a circle.
“That seems like it could be an important meeting!” Fairy shouted into Daemon’s ear over the wind and rain.
“What should we do?”
“Take a closer look, I guess.”
“But how?” Daemon hovered in the air. It was uncomfortable, not having a plan. If Sora were here, she would have mapped out what to do ahead of time. Fairy, on the other hand, had no problem with winging it.
“Fly in,” she said. “We can cling to the walls and eavesdrop.”
It was as good an idea as any. He swooped in toward the castle.
Fairy began to whisper a gecko spell to stick to the wall.
“Wait,” Daemon said. “You don’t need to do that.”
He concentrated on the ledge right beneath the tall windows and imagined it extending itself.
“What are you doing?” Fairy asked.
The stone glowed blue at the ends. Then the ledge began to grow sideways, until it was five feet longer on one side of the windows.
“Making you a foothold.” He smiled and flew over to deposit Fairy on it.
“Wow.” She tested its sturdiness with one foot, then, judging it strong enough, hopped on with her other. “Much better than clinging with a gecko spell.”
Daemon landed on the ledge a bit precariously—it was hard to fit the width of his wolf body and all his paws in a narrow line—and shifted into human form. He was happily covered in a proper uniform and cloak, too. All his practice had paid off.
It wasn’t a moment too soon either, because a patrol rounded the corner of the castle below. “Guards,” he whispered.
They pressed themselves against the wall and remained still.
When the guards had marched out of view, Daemon and Fairy cast moth spells, which not only allowed them to communicate ultrasonically, but also gave them exceptional hearing. They leaned harder against the wall to try to listen to the conversation inside.
Even with their best eavesdropping spell, though, the voices were muffled. The bloodstone was too thick to conduct sound well.
Daemon began to miss Sora again. She would have thought through all this beforehand, and they wouldn’t have gotten stuck like this, perched uselessly on a narrow ledge in the rain.
“I’m going to peek in the windows so we at least know who’s in there,” Fairy said.
“Don’t! You might be seen.”
“I’ll be quick, and I’ll stay low. I’m small. No one will notice me.” She lowered herself to all fours and slithered forward on the ledge on her belly. When she was beneath the windowpane, she lifted her head just enough to spy through the glass.
“It looks like a study or library,” Fairy said. “Prince Gin’s in there. And a grizzly-looking old ryuu, a couple of younger men, and three women.” She ducked.
“That’s only seven.” Daemon paced along his short stretch of the ledge. “I saw eight silhouettes when we flew in. I’m sure of it.”
Fairy raised her head and peered in again, scanning the room a little too long for Daemon’s comfort.
“Get down,” he said. “What if the eighth person was Sora’s sister, but she went invisible when she saw us?”
“Then she’d pounce on us any moment now,” Fairy said.
Daemon prepared himself for an attack. Fairy crawled back from the window and readied her knives.
But there was nothing, not even a gust of wind, and after a few minutes, Daemon relaxed.
“It must have been shadows playing with my eyes,” he said.
Fairy nodded. “There were definitely only seven people in there. One of the women was talking and using a pointer on a map on the wall.”
“We have to get inside and see it for ourselves,” Daemon said.
“We’ll go as soon as the meeting ends.”
Time seemed to slow as they waited, as if the hourglass had been turned sideways and the sand forgot to fall. Eventually, though, the glow from the windows dimmed as the fire inside died down. Daemon snuck a peek through the windows.
“The room’s finally empty,” he said. “Can you break us in?”
Fairy nodded. “I’ll need to remove a pane of glass big enough for us to fit through.” Although the wall was floor-to-ceiling windows, most were too small. “The ones at the top will work,” she said, pointing.
Daemon squinted at them, looking from the narrow window frames to his own body. “It’s going to be a tight squeeze.”