THE SABLE SPY | THIRTY

"WE GOT ONE OF THE MAIDS— there's two entrances and exits they often use. I also picked the servant's door key from the girl." Luke scratched his head. "A few more coins, we could probably get them to make sure no one uses those passageways tonight." All of them were back but Sterling, who Luke had posted while the rest of them gathered and discussed.

"We have money to spare." Tyler shrugged.

Ciri tapped her finger against the table. "And what of the Panther? What if he runs out for help? We'll need someone to quickly block off the door, I think. Or take him down first."

"No bullets. Not even the chaos of that damned place could hide the sound of bullets." Marcus cracked his knuckles. "Knife, maybe? I don't really feel like killing the man, though."

The Panther was a mercenary. He worked and lived for money. He was no more than a sword wielded by more powerful men. They'd leave him alive. "I could convince him to go, probably, if it's just money," Cass hummed. "Point out the amount of people who'd be on his ass otherwise. We could easily convince the Saians to send out the Iron Wolves. Ciri?"

"It works," Ciri shrugged. "If not, we can even straight-up offer him cold, hard cash. I've dealt with him before."

"He aided in kidnapping you, Ciri."

"Oh, he has no honour, and is a major prick more often than not, but money can always sway him. And he's logical. I'm willing to bet that he's severely reconsidering his choice of helping Hua Jueying by now." Ciri waved her hand in the air. "Leave me to deal with him."

"That leaves the rest of us trying to figure out how we'll sneak the child and Hua Jueying out. If the child is being kept there."

"Probably is," Luke said. "The maid said that one of the rooms had been completely locked. Only one maid was allowed in and out, and she's sworn to secrecy. The child's there, probably."

"We get her out first." That came from Tyler, whose jaw was set. "Sterling can drive a carriage. We'll get her in it. Then we head to get Hua Jueying."

"Should work," Cass remarked, leaning forward. "Tonight or tomorrow?" It couldn't have been later than ten. They were tired, but they could catch a few hours of sleep right now and wake early in the morning to execute their plan. Or they could wait until tomorrow.

"Tomorrow," Luke muttered.

"Tonight," Tyler argued. "They wouldn't have time to prepare, or time for any words to reach their ears."

"We're exhausted," Luke pointed out. "And I'd need to fetch Sterling and get a carriage to transport us."

"They have a kid there, Fitzwilliam." Tyler sounded exasperated. "A fucking kid."

"The kid's been there for at least a couple weeks," Ciri murmured. "I don't like it, but I agree with Luke. Tomorrow night. We need time to prepare. Gear, a detailed plan... Whatever more information we could procure. Moli can stay there for another night."

Cass shut her eyes. "Liu Moli. It's still hard to deal with the fact that she's real."

At this point, Luke made use of his excellent talent for disappearing and left the room. Tyler followed a few moments later. Marcus lingered a little longer, but finally snuck out as well.

Ciri said, "How do you think the family would react?"

Cass's answer didn't require any thinking. "Horror. They're old-fashioned bastards, Ciri. She won't be accepted."

"The only real opinion that matters is the Duchess's."

"Aunt Vinelle will accept her if she has intelligence. But her father has the sense of a gnat. I hate to admit it, but I'm not looking forward to much in that department."

Ciri fell silent. "Then we just let Ned continue to raise her in secrecy? It's no life for a child. I've met bastards. Some of them are like Io. Others... the ones raised in shame, they're not happy, jiejie. I don't want any relative of ours to be raised like that, legitimate or not."

Cass's mind turned. Then, a thought struck her. "The cottage in Kon Ria. Bianca always wanted a child."

Ciri straightened. "The cottage isn't too far from the sea. Ned would be able to visit. Bianca can tolerate him once in a while." Far enough from their family and society's scorn. When she was of age, and if she wished to, Moli could be introduced to the haut monde as a distant relative. God knew they had enough of those littered around. No one would question it, not really.

If they did, their family had more than enough strings to pull.

"She'll be okay."

"Once we get her out of this." Ciri's eyes flashed with anger. "And we will. Poor girl. First she loses her mother, then she gets kidnapped by a madman to force her cowardly father into submission."

Cass stayed quiet, tugging at her bottom lip with her fingers. People have survived worse. Little Moli would be fine, with the right help and companionship. Bianca, tough as steel and a lonely soul, should be able to help with that. Ned should agree. Even he could see that tucking the girl away in Barlen, far away from any family, with only a few visits from her father once in a while was no way for a child to live.

Ciri, after realising she wasn't about to say anything, said, "I'll be taking the next watch. I'll head out, now. Go take a break, get some rest." That seemed to be anything anyone was saying to anyone besides planning. Take a break, we all deserve it. Go to sleep. Try not to imagine the kid being locked up in an inn full of questionable characters and the fact that this might be our one shot of completing this damned mission. Did I mention that we're breaking into the inn full of criminals?

"Alright." Cass tugged at her hair, and the raven dark locks tumbled onto her shoulder. "Do you mind getting one of the maids to bring me some dinner? I'll have it here."

"No problem." Ciri shrugged and walked towards the vanity, smoothing her qipao, visibly much more exposed. She quickly tied her hair into a bun, making sure she was presentable before flashing Cass a grin, sheathing the knife she had left on the table and leaving the room. Cass watched it all with a smile. When her sister left, her expression crumbled.

God she was exhausted.

They had travelled non-stop for five hours, with Ciri and Cass dressed as men to avoid suspicion. Once they had arrived, they'd snuck into the inn, where the two had changed while the men explained the situation. Almost immediately after that, she had left to scout out the location with Marcus. Upon return, she'd been too busy coming up with a list of supplies and trying to find a proper plan to rest.

Cass practically collapsed on her bed, but forced herself up to change into a nightgown, wrapping herself in a shawl. The maid Ciri must have sent up knocked on the door a moment later, and Cass took the tray and placed it on the table where Ciri's knife had been, flopping into the chair the others had been sitting on moments earlier.

And then she ate in the silence, until there was another knock on her door. Pulling open the door slightly, she raised a brow when she saw who it was on the other side. "You should not be here."

Marcus shrugged. "Never did quite do what I should around you, I must admit. Are you going to keep me out here for the entire inn to gossip about, or are you going to let me in?"

Letting out a huff, Cass flounced towards the centre of the room, and Marcus slipped in after her, the door locking with a quiet click.

"Thought you might want company," he said, motioning to the half-eaten meal.

"I'm not sharing."

"Didn't expect you to. I brought my own." She noticed, then, that he was grabbing a sandwich in one hand. Pulling a chair out, she motioned to it, and he sat. She took her place at the other side of the table, returning to her meal.

"Clever," she said when she finished a bite. "Any other reason you're here?"

Marcus raised a brow. "I suppose I could be here to do something wholly improper, like ravishing you."

She didn't blush. She never did. She just raised a brow, mirroring his expression, and said, "I'll knee you in the groin."

Marcus's mouth twisted into a wry smile. "No doubt about that, Cass. I've seen it happen before." When the people they dealt with got a bit tipsy and handsy, she had to handle the situation quickly. A nice kick usually did the trick.

Usually, it was followed up by a few nicely aimed, clean punches from Marcus. And Laurence's snort and mocking comments. The three of them had always been a team. She wished Laurence was here, instead of recuperating back in Caling. He'd probably have just gone in with Ciri and dazzled everyone in the inn. They wouldn't even need Benjamin's expertise.

"Tell me about Sai."

The comment came so randomly, so suddenly, that she blinked, nonplussed. "You've been there, have you not?" He must have. He wasn't used against the Saians much— probably because their interests were aligned for now— but he had to have visited, even just as a lord.

"I've been once or twice. Nowhere interesting. Lai Yang. Kuo Jing." Still major cities, but relatively unimportant in the grand scheme of things. "When we get Hua Jueying and I accompany you to Sai, it would be the first time I've been to Hong Cheng."

"I grew up in Dai, as you'd know. The full name is Dai Cheng, really. The City of Dai."

"One of the most powerful dukedoms in the kingdom."

A shrug. "The second, I think. The Dukedom of Mo Yi always beat us. Which is why the old duke was executed, though I suppose it might also be because he was the old dynasty's staunchest supporter. He was a bloody bastard anyways, so I don't give two whits for him."

"Tell me about it."

A moment of silence. Then she spoke. "Most of us lived nearby. The closest and favourite to the Duchess lived in her estate." The estates in Sai were nothing like the ones in Arecia. It could be an entire town within itself, especially the large ones. The entire family— cousins, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles— lived together in one location. "The Diao fu. The Diao estate. In the centre was a massive pleasure garden. That was where we spent most of our days. My family spent a fortune on it."

He waited for her to continue, so she did. "We were so removed from the rest of the family, so distant, that most of them were rather surprised my great-aunt let us live there. But the Duchess was fond of my parents, and of me and Ciri, so we lived there. We had a pleasant siheyuan where we lived with my grandmother. She died shortly after I was born, so it was really just the four of us. We spent our days with the other children, in the garden. It's... it's a beautiful place. The Yie dynasty still keeps it maintained, I think. There was talk of them using it as their own secondary palace— that was how beautiful it was— but it fell through once we made progress on lifting our exile. Since my great-aunt's title was not stripped, the estate is still hers. We'd be significantly poorer, though I think we've mostly earned it back, and less powerful, but we'd live there again."

"Tell me about Hong Cheng."

Her lips tilted upwards in a one-sided smirk. "The busiest damned city you've ever seen. Beats Caling, in my opinion. Sedan chairs and rickshaws running around the streets, bustling marketplaces filled with vendors yelling at the top of their lungs. Our idea of propriety is much more loose than yours, actually. Not as, but we still have more freedom." She couldn't hide the hint of dissatisfaction and disgruntlement in her voice.

"Did you like it?"

"Of course I did." She frowned. "Why wouldn't I? I spent my early days running through the gardens or the markets, when we were brought out, running roughshod over the other children. Once or twice I was brought to the Palace. It was... amazing. Five or six times bigger than your Vanhen Palace, I think."

"I think so," he nodded, no doubt during the calculations in his head.

"If Diao fu was a town, the Palace was an entire city. No one could go in or out without permission. It was filled with the best officials, the old Emperor's concubines, his children, some of the more important nobles... I'll enjoy returning there, I think."

There was wistfulness in her voice. She didn't bother hiding it. Had her family not been exiled, she might be living there as the princess's lady-in-waiting or something along that line. Maybe a nobleman or a high-ranking official's wife. Instead of a country half an ocean away, trying to capture a madman.

"The new Emperor doesn't have concubines anymore. What happened to all those houses?"

She shrugged. "He invited quite a lot of nobles to set permanent residence there. Officials, too. Instead of crowds of beautiful women, it's now people with half a brain. Though I suppose most of the concubines were rather intelligent. Very cut-throat. You've heard the stories."

"I haven't."

She raised an eyebrow, the most amount of shock she'd show. "No? The story of the concubine who poisoned her rival and caused her to lose a child? Or the concubine who sabotaged her rival's horse and had her tossed from horseback and killed? The maid who was sent to murder her mistress's rival's child? The—"

He held up his hand, a grin flickering on his face. "Alright. I get it. So now it's a town of intellectuals. Maybe that's why the Yie dynasty has been so efficient so far." He eyed her. "They say the princess is one of the reasons. Tell me of this princess."

"Longyu gongzhu?" She asked, tilting her head. "I will call her Princess Irina, as you westerners know her, for simplicity. She is sixteen, and rather brilliant. A progressive through and through. They say her cousin, the Crown Prince, takes her advice very seriously. She is his most trusted advisor."

"He doesn't see her as a threat? She's the third in line for the throne."

"All reports point to a healthy and close relationship. No rivalry between them, I think. He uses her counsel and she helps him gain power. The next generation of the Yie dynasty is safe."

"Not much is known about Crown Prince Ruge, on the other hand."

"He goes by Ryan as his western name. Considered more quiet, more reclusive. A serious man. They say he is handsome and can be charming if he wishes to be, but is rather removed and aloof." She glanced at him. "Much like you, I think. His feats are rarely broadcasted, but it doesn't take much digging to figure it out."

"A man of my heart."

She shrugged. "You will meet him soon. You can decide then." He was an earl. A future marquess. The Prince would receive him, no doubt, especially since he'd be bringing along a traitor to his empire. "Lady Asteria is said to have the ear of the Princess, and hence the Prince by extension. And she claims to be the friend of one Myrina, Countess of Li Han. I didn't remember the name at first, but now I do. The Princess's lady-in-waiting."

"So what you're saying is I should really prepare to meet royalty."

"I'm suggesting that you should prepare to be constantly around royalty if you head to Sai with us."

He frowned, eyebrows knitting together. "I was raised heir to a Marquess, Cass. I know how to handle myself around royalty."

"Saian royalty?" She asked, pursing her lips. "The etiquette has relaxed, but it's still quite different from Arecian and western ones."

"I don't have to tiptoe and walk facing the back now, if I remember correctly."

"Yes but—" she sighed, waving her hand in the air. "You know what, damn it. I'll teach you when it's time. I can remember that much, at least."

"Ciri knows more than you, I think. She can indulge and drill us with Saian etiquette when it's time."

Cass rolled her eyes and threw her head back, shoving a handful of food in her mouth. "You are insufferable. You do not want to cause an international incident, Marcus."

"I'm bringing them a bloody traitor. I think they'll treat me nicely enough."

She glared. He glared back, meeting her gaze, refusing to look away. She growled, sucking in a breath, visibly exasperated, which made him smirk. They've had hundreds of interactions like these over the years. People seemed to take great joy in irritating her. She could not for the life of her understand why. She was rather insufferable when she was annoyed.

"We take manners very seriously," she said matter-of-factly. "Don't embarrass me."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he demurred. She pinched her nose, screwing her eyes shut.

"Someday," she began, eyes still tilted heavenwards, "you are going to meet my great-aunt, and I am going to watch with glee as she chastises and demolishes you for your lack of manners, grace and elegance."

"That doesn't sound very filled with any of the three, if you ask me." When her furious gaze turned to him, he shrugged, hiding a surreptitious grin dancing on his lips. "Sorry."

They fell into that comfortable silence that seemed to accompany them so often, both of them eating away at their food, looking so far away yet knowing full well their attentions were still on each other. She placed down her utensils when she was done eating. He had already finished his sandwich.

"You've already completed your purpose, my lord. I've finished my meal."

"What? You want me to go? That's frightfully rude, isn't it?"

"You're in my bedchamber," she pointed out. "We live with spies. They're going to notice and assume something's up. I have a reputation to uphold."

"Since when have you given a damn about your reputation?" There was amusement laced in his voice as he studied her, blue eyes gleaming.

"Since five seconds ago, apparently," she muttered under her breath, annoyed. "Are you going to go or what? And give me a proper answer."

"I'm staying for a bit, if you don't mind," he said with a slight shrug, still inspecting her with those eyes.

Ignoring him, she stood up, cleaning up the tray. She'll get one of the maids to pick it up later. She glanced at his side of the table. He hadn't dropped any crumbs. How annoying. It was one of those little things about him that made her insanely jealous— she couldn't eat without dropping a bit of food everywhere.

She said, "I hope you don't expect me to serve you tea."

"I've drank plenty today, thank you." They'd all needed it. Their journey had taken hours, and none of them had truly rested until now. Not that Cass considered her talking to him truly resting. She was... preparing to rest. Yes, that was it.

Cass hiked over to the bed and sat down with a grunt. His eyes followed her across the room. She pretended not to notice, pulling herself over the bed, facedown, groaning into the mattress. She could sense his amusement rolling off him like waves.

She looked up slightly, glared at him, and growled, daring him to comment. He smirked and stayed silent.

"Why are you here?" She snarled, unable to keep the irritation out of her tone, knowing full well it'd probably just incite him to stay longer just to annoy her. Fuck. Or maybe that was what she wanted. She didn't know anymore.

There was silence, and when she looked up from the mattress again, he was standing only a few feet away from the bed, leaning against the wall, expression barely hiding his amusement. She scrambled upwards into a sitting position, tugging down her gown over her knees.

Still glaring.

"I like being around you." He said this without embarrassment, meeting her gaze full-on. Her eyes narrowed, her hands now wrapped around her legs. "This shouldn't come as a surprise, you know."

She shut her eyes and sucked in a deep, deep breath. Forcing herself not to explode. Or do something else that she shouldn't.

Like murder.

Or kissing him.

Both were horrible ideas. Both were terribly tempting.

She tore her gaze away.

"How do you feel about all this?" He asked, tilting his head, stalking forward. She didn't bulge.

"I greatly anticipate the moment this is all over," she admitted. "And when I can finally go back to Sai after all these years."

"You've been, haven't you? Secretly."

She nodded. "Of course. But it's not the same. I went to small villages near the coasts. It's the big cities I grew up in, and the big cities I remember." And the big cities I miss, came the last, unfinished words. He knew, of course, offering her a sad smile.

"You'll have to give me some tours."

"Of course," she replied, a faint smile on her face. "Don't think I'd be a great tour guide, though. It's been years since I've been there." Sai would have changed since then, greatly. She wasn't sure she'd even recognise it. There was a new dynasty, new people, new life. She wasn't even sure if she'd belong there, not that she thought about it. Sai wasn't hers anymore. It was Lady Asteria's. Miss Daneira's. Miss Iolanthe's. And the Princess's.

But she'll find a way to make herself belong. She always did.