Canus struggled as Avian and Kiri dressed him in the Casi uniform. Avian pulled a dagger from her belt and pointed it at him. He clenched his jaw, then huffed, putting his hands up and allowing them to finish. After inspecting their handiwork, Avian tied his hands behind his back.

  “Careful,” Canus said. “I’m covered in bruises.”

  “You’ll live.” Avian pushed on his ribs, in a spot where I had punched him earlier.

  “Oww.” He shifted his weight, trying to move away from her.

  “Such a baby.” She stuffed a rag into his mouth and used a rope to secure it. Then she put the sack over his head.

  “Are you sure about this?” I asked.

  Avian glanced at Kiri. “Do you sense your friend out there?”

  Kiri nodded. “He’s close, and he understands the plan. He’ll release Canus as soon as we are clear.”

  Avian nodded to Sani, signaling him to help her. They each grabbed one of Canus’s arms and escorted him through the gate, across the field and to the closest tree. Then Avian tied him to it. She didn’t force him to hug it as she did with the Casi guard and prisoners. Instead, she tied it around his waist, leaving enough line that he could move a few paces.

  I didn’t like leaving him out there. He wasn’t nearly as afraid of that forest as I was, and he had a strong sasquatch watching after him, but the Forgotten were ruthless. If they found him tied in their forest, he would never be seen again.

  As much as I disliked the idea, it was going to make getting out of the village possible. The next watch would arrive soon. If we had left Canus tied up inside here, the next soldier would have found him and alerted the watch captain, who would have rung the bells. Whenever the bells were ringing, the roads leading from town were shut down, even to a trader as influential as Yauri.

  Instead, the next watch would see a Casi soldier outside and call for the watch captain. They wouldn’t ring the bells, since he wasn’t inside the walls. Instead, the soldiers would handle it. By the time they gathered a party and investigated, we would be out of town.

  Sani and Avian rushed back. After they came through the door, I locked it. Before we left the room, I glanced at the wall again. Soldiers would leave each other notes scribbled with chalk on the slate wall. My note read, “Someone outside. Went to Watch Captain. Will return.” That will cause an additional delay before the oncoming watch sought the watch captain, especially if he realized how long it should take to wake the drunk man.

  Once on the street, Sani escorted the apprentice to the lock-up, while the rest of us kept to the shadows, watching Sani as we moved.

  Before making it halfway, I noticed a figure sneaking down a back road. I put my hand on Avian and Kiri to stop them. Then I pointed in the direction.

  “He is too far to hear us,” Avian whispered. “Who is it?”

  I squinted, trying to get a better look at the man. Just as I was about to admit defeat, he glanced up at a candle, illuminating his face. “Lar.” I held my breath as my heart sped up.

  “Sani has already passed that road. It doesn’t appear that Lar saw him.”

  I nodded. “But what is he doing out so late? Either he is going to make a spell, or he is meeting with some of his accomplices--the type he wouldn’t want people to see him visit. Why else wait until dark?” I paused. “You keep moving. I’m going to follow him.”

  Avian shook her head. “Yauri knows you. She won’t trust us. I’ll follow him. Meet me on the trail outside of town.”

  I never said she knew me, but didn’t want to argue over that as we stood helpless in the shadows. Instead, I asked, “With your eyesight, are you the best choice?”

  “What’s wrong with her eyes?” Kiri asked.

  Avian frowned, obviously not liking others to know about her situation. “I see well enough when close. And I can get right next to that amateur without being noticed.”

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  I nodded. “Be careful.”

  Avian disappeared into the shadows without saying another word.

  “We have to go,” I told Kiri.

  By the time we caught back up to Sani, he was nearly at the lock-up. As we discussed earlier, he hooked a left down the side street, moving from the center of the road to the edge, while trying to keep the apprentice quiet.

  I made a little noise as we approached, not wanting to startle him. He turned as we neared and waited.

  “Yauri’s cottage is up here.” I pointed at the small wooden structure.

  “You’re sure you can get inside without waking them?” Kiri asked.

  I nodded. “Duclos bragged about his affair with her to any soldier who would listen. He went into painful details, including how clever he thought he was for gaining entry.

  Once I reached the front door, I stopped. Buried in the dirt to the right were two small metal rods. One with a rope tied around the end, and the other with a small hook. I inserted the first rod into the crack between the door and its frame, above the wooden plank that barred entry. The rope dangled behind the plank. I used the hook on the other rod to snatch the rope and pull it to me. Once I had it, I tied a knot, creating a secure loop around the plank.

  Duclos had told me that lifting the plank was the toughest part. Despite Yauri’s husband being a deep sleeper, he always feared the squeaking would wake him. So, he said he had to lift very slowly. I did as he suggested. By the time the plank cleared the metal holders, the muscles in my arms burned. I had to strain them a little longer as I slowly pushed the plank out and slid it to the right. Once it cleared the holder, I moved the end toward the ground. Then, I used the second rod to hold the plank as far to the left as I could, lowering both rods to the ground and setting the plank down quietly.

  I pushed the door open, which caused the plank to slide across the wood floor. Once inside, I snuck to the back corner of the room, where their bed lay. Leaning close to Yauri, I whispered her name.

  Her eyes popped open. She rubbed them, then squinted. “Duclos?”

  “I’m a friend of his.”

  She pulled the blankets up to her chin. Her eyes widened. “Why are you in here?” she whispered.

  “Duclos is in trouble. I need your help.”

  She looked over at her husband, watching him for a moment to make sure he didn’t wake up. Then she started to slide out of bed, but stopped before coming out of the covers. “Avert your gaze.”

  I turned around and listened as she got out of bed and slipped on clothing.

  Yauri grabbed me by the arm and led me to the front door. She pulled me through, almost jumping out of her skin when she saw Kiri and Sani standing outside. “You’re going to cause an old woman’s heart to freeze.” She put her hand on her chest.

  “You’re far from being an old woman.” As I said it, I realized it might sound as if I was trying to replace Duclos. In reality, the woman only had ten winters more than me, and didn’t look it. She was constantly busy, which kept her in shape. Her fair skin had a few light lines, but they only appeared when the light was bright. “Duclos was arrested.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “If that is what you came to tell me, it could have waited until the morning.” She paused. “I already knew of his arrest.”

  “I mean to clear his name,” I said. “And my own.”

  She stared at my face. “I’ve seen you with him a few times, I think. Are you a soldier too?”

  I nodded. “And a good friend of his. I know he didn’t do what he is accused of, as I know I myself have done nothing.”

  She locked eyes with me and bowed. “You likely already know this, but I’m Yauri.”

  I returned the gesture. “My name is Tye.”

  Her eyes widened, and she stepped back, moving closer to the door. “Please don’t hurt me.”

  “I’m not...”

  “Lar made him look guilty to protect himself, the same thing he is doing to Duclos,” Kiri said.

  Yauri’s body relaxed. “Normally, I wouldn’t believe a wanted man when he claimed innocence. But I know my Duclos didn’t conspire against anyone.” She lowered her voice. “Except perhaps with me, conspiring against my husband.” A smile found its way on her face. She shook it away. “I’m guessing you didn’t sneak back into town and wake me up just to tell me that you are going to clear his name.”

  “No. We are passing through, trying to get to Casi. But we found out the town is in lockdown. We made it this far, but worry we will draw attention if we continue this way, walking in the open.”

  She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. “If I get caught...”

  Kiri’s forehead scrunched. “We didn’t ask you to do anything yet.”

  Yauri grinned. “I didn’t get to be successful in trading without figuring out how to determine what someone wants before they tell me.” She glanced back at her door. “That old lug is going to wonder why I suddenly need to make a trip to Casi.”

  “Tell him you received a message that said that the last batch you delivered had gotten sick before they were all slaughtered, and they will starve if they don’t receive more right-away.”

  “And when I arrive at Casi with more hogs so early after my last delivery.”

  Kiri glared at me, realizing for the first time what cargo we would ride with.

  “Tell them you had a larger litter than you expected, and will sell them the extra hogs at a discount.”

  She crossed her arms. “Except I don’t have extra hogs. They already barely pay me above cost. I’ll lose money with a discount.” She paused. “But for Duclos, I’ll take the loss.” She raised her eyebrows. “How does getting to Casi help get Duclos released?”

  “I need to get to the capital and talk to some connections my father had there about what Lar is up to. But I can’t travel through Mallma. We are crossing into Borra.”

  “Wow.” She ran her hands through her hair. “So he won’t get out anytime soon?”

  I shook my head. “But the faster we get the Casi, the faster we can make our way to the capital.”

  She nodded. “Wait in the barn. I’ll let the old lug know, then I’ll need to get everything prepped.