Igniting Darkness (Courting Darkness Duology #2) - Robin LaFevers Page 0,123

the king.” A touch of humor softens his words.

“Come now, Lazare, that is what makes her such a good weapon,” Sybella says. “Surely a charbonnerie would know that.”

Father Effram waves us to the front, where everybody else is already seated on the hard wooden benches. We all look—more or less—like servants, although why we are in the chapel in the dead of night would require some explaining.

Father Effram raises his hands in a blessing, just as if he were conducting a true mass. “So how do we get our friend out of his predicament?” His voice is pitched low, as if reciting the liturgy.

“How do we get him out of it without anyone being the wiser or discovering he is gone, is the more relevant question,” Sybella corrects him.

Father Effram reaches for a simple gold chalice, places it on the altar in front of him, and fills it with wine. “Well, the court will be leaving for Amboise in two weeks’ time. Perhaps we need only fool them that long.”

“Unless they’re taking Beast with them.” Sybella’s face is calm, but for a moment, I would swear that I have her gift and can feel her heart racing.

“They’re not.” Everyone turns to look at me. “The king wants to leave him here to avoid upsetting the queen with his presence in Amboise and causing her to fret over him.”

Sybella makes a sound of disgust. “More likely, if Beast is left here, the king can quickly dismiss whatever arguments she tries to bring up.”

The Arduinnite shifts on the wooden bench, tugging at her skirt. “Does anyone know exactly where he is being held?”

“He is in one of the cells in the dungeon at the bottom of the central tower,” Sybella says. “There are four guards in the guardhouse, but none in the dungeon itself. Some of the rooms are cages, but not Beast’s. His door is thick oak bound with iron, with nothing but a small square opening. Even without the iron grate that covers it, it is too small for me or even Yannic to pass through. There are no windows, no drains. Nothing but twelve feet of thick stone wall. What about your favorite weapon?” she asks the charbonnerie.

“Fire won’t work,” he says. “Stone doesn’t burn, and even a diversionary fire in that enclosed space would likely kill us all with its smoke before we could get him out. Not to mention that said smoke would likely draw too much attention our way.”

“And if we disable the guards, we have just announced our presence and lost the advantage of surprise and stealth, and the hunt will be on,” the Arduinnite says.

A melancholy silence engulfs us.

Father Effram sets the chalice of wine aside to make room for the ciborium. “So we must get past the guards, get Beast out of his cage, make sure no one sees us, get him out of the palace, and make sure no one discovers it.” He looks up. “And get him out of the city.”

“That will be the easy part,” Lazare says. “Once he’s out of the palace, we’re free.”

“It is not just the palace but the palace grounds,” I point out. “The larger gate that connects the palace to the city will be heavily manned, even at that hour.”

“You people and your gates,” Lazare grumbles. “The river, then. A boat is easier to get ahold of than horses, anyway.”

Aeva cuts him a glance. “But far less reliable. Or steady.”

“And you still have to get everyone over two walls,” I remind him.

The charbonnerie swears. “I’ll figure something out.” Sybella eyes him as if she is considering taking one of his kidneys as hostage on that promise. “I will,” he says.

“Sybella and I can handle the guards,” I tell the others. That pulls her attention from the charbonnerie. She—just barely—resists asking me how.

“Without killing them?” Lazare challenges. “Because that will alert every—”

“Without killing them.”

Lazare blinks lazily, then is on to the next obstacle. “How do we get him out of the palace?”

I look at Sybella, almost embarrassed to ask the question, as it seems like something I should know. “Is it possible to use the shadows to cover him as well as us?”

“I . . . I don’t know,” she says, clearly never having considered it before.

“Try it.” Aeva’s suggestion comes out more like a command.

Sybella studies the small group, skipping Lazare, who has some command of shadows as a follower of the Dark Mother, and the Arduinnite, as they move more quietly than a shadow