Retribution (55 page)

“Absolutely,” Morrigan agreed, but neither she nor Layla left their safe havens.

“Was anyone hurt?” Quin asked.

“Both shops were closed,” Caitrin answered. “Have been for a week.”

“Good,” Quin sighed, thankful the day's fires hadn't taken any lives. He didn't know how much more his angel could handle. Picking her up into a hug, he met Caitrin’s stare. “Grandpa Cat will be here soon. We’re going to hunt down some of Cinnia’s coffee before moving the volunteers.” Then he walked away, leaving them to their grief while looking for a way to soothe Layla’s.
 

Nervous and emotionally exhausted, Quin and Layla descended into the volunteer’s clearing with more than two dozen friends and family members. Quin kept Layla in his arms when he landed, and while he gauged the crowd and eyed the mercenaries, Caitrin and Catigern called for everyone's attention.

After explaining their intentions, Caitrin called for those with superior concealment spells, tested their claims then sent them to the new location with Lann's and Rhiannon's visible auras leading the way. The mercenaries refused to be concealed by someone else, so Caitrin sent them with several intimidating wizards from the Cormac family, who were instructed to abandon the mercenaries if trouble arose.

“They’re not worth dying for,” Caitrin quietly told Conan. “If they turn on you or get spotted, leave them.”

The remaining guests needed to be concealed by Quin, so Caitrin gathered a group of twenty and instructed them to stand in a row.

Quin gave Layla a kiss then shifted her to his back. “Are you comfortable?”

“Yes,” she answered, resting her chin on his shoulder.

“Good,” he approved, “but stay alert. We're getting closer than I want to.”

She kissed his neck then looked at the line of magicians, searching every face and aura. “Let's get this over with so I can have your chest back.”

“Good idea.” He walked forward and gave the first wizard in line a nod. “How's it going?”

“Could be worse,” the stranger replied, looking at Layla.

“A beautiful woman makes everything better,” Quin returned, “but this one’s mine.” He waited for the stranger to look at him then reached for his shoulder. “Are you ready?”
 

“Does it matter?”

“No,” Quin smirked, concealing the man and his aura.

“Why are you doing it?” the next wizard asked. “You’re just a bonded child. Why aren't your parents doing it?”

“My concealment spells are better than theirs.”

“How's that?”

“Does it matter?” Quin asked, taking a page from the first wizard's book.

The second wizard closed his mouth and glanced at his invisible neighbor. “Guess not. It seems to work perfectly.”

“Then you're ready?”

“Yeah.”

Quin touched his shoulder and made him disappear. Then he moved to the witch beside him. And that's how it went time and again. For three hours he walked along rows of twenty, concealing bodies and auras. Then he’d wait ten minutes before starting on a new batch.
 

They were on the second to last group when Layla’s gaze landed on a familiar wizard. He was looking right at her, so she casually turned away, trying to figure out why she recognized him. When she found the answer, she found it detailed and had to stop herself from reacting like a prospector who'd just struck gold. He was Agro’s spy, the one due back today. She'd seen him in Killian's head, standing next to a fire in a blood red cloak, standing beside other Unforgivables. She even knew his first name, because Killian had been eaten up with envy over his notoriety. He was a new guy known for being either really brave or really stupid.

She mind searched Kegan, who'd been in the clearing all day providing security. '
Kegan, it's Layla.
'

'
What's up, doll?
' Kegan asked, curiously glancing over.

'
Do you know the name of that tall wizard in the last group?
’ she asked.
‘
Black cloak, black hair, the one right in the middle of everyone, with a murky aura.
'

Kegan scanned the group, quickly finding who she was talking about. Then he took a moment to recall his name. '
Sid Freeman.
'

That wasn't right. That wasn't his name. She broke back into Kegan's head.
'Act casual, Keg. Don't freak out, but you need to get Bri and get away from them. He's not who he says he is.
'

Kegan's eyebrows furrowed, but he immediately obeyed, taking Bri's hand and strolling away from the group of strangers. His uncle was nearby, so he slapped him on the back as he passed, sparking up a conversation and urging him to walk with him and Bri.

Layla returned her chin to Quin’s shoulder and mentally called his name.

'
Is everything okay?
' he asked.

'
Stay calm,
’ she warned.
‘
Don't react.
'

Quin paused for a tiny moment then returned to his task. '
What's going on?
'

'
He's here. The spy Agro’s waiting for is here.
'

Quin’s jaw flexed as he moved to the next person in line. '
Where?
'

'
In the last group. The tall wizard with a murky aura, black cloak, black hair. Kegan told me his name is Sid Freeman, but it's not. His name’s Dolan and he's an Unforgivable.
'

'
Are you sure?
'

'
Positive. I saw him in Killian's head. He was standing with other Unforgivables in their camp, wearing their colors.
'

Quin threw the waiting magicians a short glance then looked forward. ‘
He’s surrounded by innocent people. Just stay put. Don't do anything.
'

'
Okay,
' she agreed, touching her lips to his pulse.

With only three people still visible in the group he was working on, Quin calmly finished up and moved toward his family. Mind searching his dad, he filled him in on the situation. Then he repeated the process with Caitrin and Serafin. By the time Serafin was relaying the message to Daleen, every family member and friend in the clearing knew who the spy was, but they didn’t give any inclination something was amiss.

Quin connected to Kemble’s mind once more. '
What do you suggest?
'

'
This is a precarious situation, Quinlan. Are you sure he's guilty?
'

'
Layla's sure. That's good enough for me.
'

'
Okay, but we can't act while he's surrounded by innocent people.
'

'
I know.
'

'
We'll wait for them to line up, and when we see our chance to safely secure him, we'll take it. His eyes are always on you and Layla, so don't do anything out of the ordinary. Just complete your task and we'll take care of him.
'

'
And if I get to him before you?
'

'
Stall, but it shouldn't come to that. If it looks like a struggle might break out, you and Layla need to get away from him. It won't do to have the two of you injured on the eve of battle. You're the best chance this army has.
'

Quin severed the mental connection and pulled Layla around to his chest. “Hey,” he whispered, happy to see her beautiful face.

“Hey back,” she returned.

He glanced at her lips then touched his forehead to hers. “Don't let go, okay?”

“Okay.”

After a soft kiss, he shifted her to his back then headed for the only strangers left in the clearing. “Let's get this over with.”

Caitrin called for them to line up, and a kink was tossed into their obscure plan when the enemy wizard wrapped his arm around the shoulders of an innocent witch. The two of them followed orders, obediently falling into line, but he kept his friendly hold on her the entire time. She didn't seem to mind and had turned her body toward his, offering him her undivided attention.
 

Quin moved to the end furthest away from them and began his task, taking his time without drawing too much attention to the fact. The rest of his friends and family kept tabs on the spy, watching him flirt with the witch next to him while flipping his gaze to Layla every few seconds. The first time he looked at something besides Layla or the witch under his arm, he uncomfortably shifted, his eyes flitting around the clearing as his speech faltered.

Kemble broke into Quin’s head. ‘
He's suspicious, Quinlan.
’
 

Quin concealed the guy in front of him then glanced over. The spy was eyeing Kemble, Caitrin and Serafin, who were chatting a few yards away. Then his suspicious gaze flipped to Quin. Their eyes met, and as the spy looked at Layla, Quin looked at the witch unknowingly tucked under the arm of an Unforgivable. She smiled as he pulled her into what appeared to be a hug, but Quin knew better. He was using her as a shield.
 

Quin mind searched his dad. ‘
He knows. Get that witch away from…
’

Too late. A large hole opened in the land shield as three of Weylin's cousins dropped in, unaware of the situation at hand, and the spy tightened his grip on the witch as he shot toward freedom.

Quin cursed, jolting Layla to attention, and everything seemed to move in slow motion as the unsuspecting woman was taken hostage. Quin watched the scene play out with perfect clarity and awareness – the tension in the spy, the shock on the woman’s face, the flutter of their cloaks… and Layla’s arm stretching out beside his head.

Her breath fluttered over his ear when the spy was less than ten feet from freedom, and a thin stream of bright-blue electricity shot from her hand. The hair at the nape of Quin’s neck stood on end as her spell charged the atmosphere. Then a yell echoed through the clearing when the electricity struck the enemy’s rotator cuff. His flight slowed as his hold on the hostage loosened, and Layla’s hand closed into a fist, her magic grasping the woman and yanking her free.

Shaking off the shock, the spy darted toward the exit, but Quin threw out a hand, hitting him with a strong gust of wind. The spy grunted and flailed, slamming into a solid section of the shield, but he managed to grab the edge of the opening and hefted himself toward it. Several people on the ground aimed palms at the hole, trying to close it before the spy could get through, but he slipped free without a second to spare.

Caitrin and Kemble shot after him, and Layla lowered the stunned witch to the ground next to Serafin. Quin waved a hand through the air, releasing all the concealment spells he'd just set. Then he pulled Layla to his chest and flew away from the restless crowd.

“That was amazing,” he whispered, touching his lips to her forehead as he watched the sky.

She wedged her trembling arms between them, inundated with adrenaline. “I hate that it came to that. I was so scared I’d hit her head.”

“You’re the only person here who could have done that without hitting her. You were fantastic.”

“Do you think they got him?” she asked, looking up. “I hope they're okay.”

“If he had enough sense to conceal himself, he'll probably get away. There are a million places to hide around here.”

“I should have grabbed him when I grabbed her. Why didn’t I grab him?”

“Stop, Layla. There wasn’t time to think things through. You saved that woman's life, which was more important than his capture.”

“I guess. Do you think this will give Agro the edge?”

“It would have been a lot worse if he’d made the move with us. As it is, he has no idea where our army is, only that we have one. Hopefully that won’t convince Agro to collect more soldiers before attacking. If that happens, we’ll have to change our plans.”

Kemble and Caitrin returned empty-handed, and Quin sighed as he looked at Layla. “They didn't find him.”

“Damn.”

“It's okay, love.”

“We hope.”

“That's all we can do.”

Chapter 38

Guthrie sighed at the sky, watching the afternoon sun sink into evening. Then he sat and leaned against a tree. Silestra slithered from his sleeve, and he lowered his hand to the forest floor, encouraging her to go play.

A few yards away, a hole opened in the camp’s land shield, and Token emerged with a jug. He looked at the wizard standing guard at the entrance. Then he pointed over his shoulder. “Take a break, soldier. The lieutenant and I got this.”

The guard glanced at Guthrie, who gave a nod, and Token waited for the soldier to enter camp before resealing the barrier. Taking a seat next to Guthrie, he handed over the jug. Then he pulled a pipe from his cloak and loaded it with herb. “How long have you been out here, man?”

“All day,” Guthrie answered.

“Hmm…” Token mumbled, pulling in a hit. “I’d say the guy isn’t coming.”

“I would, too, but when I told Agro that, he told me to get my ass back out here. Dolan’s his final hope for evidence the witch is with her family. We’ll be going on blind rampages tomorrow night if he doesn’t show.”

“And if he does?”

“He’ll probably die. Nobody keeps Agro waiting this long without consequences.”

“What if he has the proof Agro seeks?”