darkened blade_ A fallen blade novel - Kelly McCullough Page 0,115
the Signet-finger keys I had brought with me.
“Deeply ugly,” agreed Kelos. “I’m beginning to think we’ll have to do this in two stages. First, we go over the outer wall shortly before dawn and hole up in one of the lesser temples until morning drives the risen off the walls. Then, when they’re clear, we do the rest of the job out in the sun.”
“That’s suicide,” said Triss. “We can’t hide you in the direct sun atop those walls.”
“It’s not suicide,” said Kelos. “Not if we’ve got the Signet’s ring and finger, and it still works for most of the wards. Not if we can move fast enough once the alarm sounds. There are places where we’ll have to take to the rooftops and brave the direct light, but fewer than you might think. There are shortcuts between many of the loops, narrow gates and deep tunnels known only to a very few. The Signet’s ring of office opens most of them. Or, at least, it used to.”
Faran spoke. “You just said, ‘once the alarm’ sounds. Does that mean you’ve given up on our getting in and out without being caught and killed?”
“No,” said Kelos. “I think our chances of making it all the way in without setting off the alarms is pretty close to zero given the things Siri and I have been able to learn in the past few days and the risks that a sunside approach are likely to add to the endeavor. That’s why we’re not going to be the ones triggering the alarm. But that’s Siri’s show, and I’ll leave her to explain it after I’m done.”
Kelos continued, “Once the alarm sounds, things will get hairy everywhere, but if we do this right the pressure will actually be lightest in the heart of the temple. If we strike fast and kill the Son of Heaven before what risen are there can swarm us, the resulting chaos when three-quarters of the curia and nearly all the inner temple guards die with him, should provide us more than enough cover to get back out.”
I rolled the finger in its box. “And if this thing doesn’t work anymore?”
Kelos smiled grimly. “Then we might as well go home, because we are well and truly fucked, and the Son of Heaven will soon become the uncrowned emperor of the eleven kingdoms. And since his life is tied to the life of the curse that is his familiar, he might reign for a thousand years. I think we have to try this, and I believe that we can succeed.”
“Why am I not reassured?” said Faran.
“Because you’re a hopeless cynic?” I asked.
“Yeah, that’d be it. Well, I know this isn’t going to fly, but I’m going to vote we fix Aral’s problem now, and leave the Son of Heaven for another day. Any takers?”
Silence.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Faran sighed. “Moving along, when do we go after the Son of Heaven?”
“Given how fast the rot is traveling,” said Kelos, “and that we have no idea what will happen when it gets to the base, or even what the mechanism of the spell is, I’m thinking that as soon as humanly possible is the only sane answer.”
“Is that because you’re worried about Aral?” Faran asked bitterly. “Or is it because you’re afraid the key will stop working and ruin your chance at starting this glorious revolution of yours?”
Kelos frowned at Faran. “You’re smarter than that, girl. It’s not an either/or situation. I’m obviously concerned about both, if not in equal measure.”
“Faran,” I said quietly. “Let it go. Kelos, Siri, it sounds like you put together quite a detailed plan while you were poking around. Let’s hear what you’ve got.”
“Well,” said Siri, “it starts off with us violating the hell out of Jax’s desire that the youngsters remain in the background. They’re full Blades now and I think we should treat them as such. I love Jax, but she’s wrong to coddle them.”
“Damned right she is,” said Roric. “It’s about time we got invited to sit at the adults’ table.”
“Not,” said Ssolvey, from his shadow, “that we weren’t going to just go ahead and move up on our own if we didn’t get the nod.”
“What’s our role?” asked Maryam. It was the first time she’d spoken in nearly an hour, and I was surprised at the obvious eagerness in her voice. I’d expected her to back Jax, but maybe she was tired of being treated like a kid, too.