THE SABLE SPY | TWENTY-NINE

BECAUSE THEY WERE ALL obedient children, they found themselves gathered in the library once more, staring expectantly at Cadieux with equally placid smiles on their faces. Not that it wasn't obvious to any of them that the smiles hid much more.

"No midnight escapades to the docks," Cadieux started. "None of the places Liu gave us fits the bill. The Ivory Rats barely blinked an eye at the missing men."

"He's vanished. Clean off the earth," Marcus was murmuring to himself. "Keeping his head low. But he knows we'll be sending a message straight-off to the Bone Court now. They'll set the Iron Wolves after him. He's dead meat."

All eyes on Ciri, the only one among them who'd know the Iron Wolves best. "They won't even need all the Wolves," she admitted with a small shrug. "From what I've seen of them, the Briar could take down Hua Jueying alone." The Briar, the only known female member of the Iron Wolves, because female wiccais often had their powers repressed from birth. A near legendary figure, though like most of the other Wolves, remained a mystery and anonymous to the public.

"It might be too late by the time the Wolves get him," Cadieux said. "That's his plan. I've already sent something off to the Saians, with Lady Kuroki's help. It'll reach them in a few days. We need to find him and silence him now."

Luke, still visibly weary, rubbed his eyes. "He won't dare stay in the city. If not the docks, he'd head for the inner land."

Cass shook her head. "He'd try to stay near the sea, just in case he needs to leave Arecia. But he won't stay in Caling."

Cadieux turned to the map of Arecia on the wall, running his fingers up and down. Caling was close to the coast, but nowhere close enough to the actual sea. The way any boat got access there was through Bridemore River, which ran down. He tapped his finger on the coastal area. "Kneighton," he announced. "He'd head to somewhere familiar. He's probably used the docks at Kneighton before, and the town's practically the aristocracy and upper-class's backyard anyways."

"He'd be almost there by now," Cass commented. "It takes around five hours to travel down there by carriage."

"Are we preparing for a road trip?" Ciri asked, tilting her head. "If we want to catch him, we'd have to go quick."

"Cass, Dalton, Tyler, Fitzwilliam, you four and Sterling head to Kneighton. Dumont, son, you're in no state to travel. Ciri, are you up for it?"

Ciri shrugged. "Can't guarantee I won't fall asleep on the way there, but I'll be fine."

Laurence didn't seem too pleased at being left out, but he knew very well that Cadieux made perfect sense. Instead, he chose to say, "Kneighton's a big place."

"Smaller than Caling," Marcus shrugged.

Laurence glared. "What I mean to say is, where would he be hiding? He doesn't seem to own any property there."

Benjamin, who had remained quiet until then, spoke. "No, he doesn't. But the Ivory Rats do. A nice little inn near the sea. They use it to smuggle. If he hasn't burned all his bridges with them, he'd go there. I'll need to go to my contact for the exact address. Shouldn't take too long."

"What will he do?" Tyler demanded. "Just stay there?"

Cass paused. "Kneighton's not a bad place to dump a child. Especially in a busy smuggling inn, where no one would have time to question anything. He might be staying there until he figures out his next move. It's our best bet."

"We don't have any other leads. If we go, we have to go now. Before he manages to regroup his efforts." Marcus raked his fingers through his blonde hair, eyeing the map. "Cadieux?"

"Sinclair," Cadieux responded, eyes locked on Benjamin, "go fetch the address. The rest of you, pack up. Dumont, I want you back in bed. Ciri, you too, we'll wake you up in time for the journey. Grab some breakfast first if you want, but make it quick. I'll arrange for transportation and send some missives."

"Aye." No one questioned the order. That was Cadieux's power. The group trickled out of the room, each off to prepare. They'd get Hua Jueying this time. He wasn't about to slip through their fingers again. Io had said that Hua Jueying was persistent.

Well, he was about to learn that the Diao sisters were worse.

✴

THEY REACHED KNEIGHTON at nightfall.

Kneighton was one of the closest and biggest seaside cities to Caling, so she had been here a number of times. Unsurprisingly as well, Arecian Services knew quite a few innkeepers around town, so they managed to find accommodations quickly. There were six of them, and they shared rooms. Cass roomed with Ciri.

They first asked the innkeeper about the Ivory Rat's place, and the innkeeper quickly informed them that its reputation was notorious around the area. A twenty minute walk away, he added. They sent out Sterling and Luke to check the place, and they came back with a positive report.

"Messily ran," Luke said. "A gathering of criminals, that's what it is."

"The girl..."

"No sign of her," he replied, looking grim. "But that's expected. He won't be advertising the presence of a two-year-old child at a place like that."

Ciri winced. "That bad?"

"That bad," Luke confirmed. Sterling, besides him, looked thoughtful.

'The City Guard was definitely paid off to not look at that place," he muttered. "We won't be able to use them. No real option except breaking and entering. It looks bad enough that we could climb in through the window and have no questions asked, to be frank."

Cass and Ciri shared a glance. "Then we break and enter. Again. Seems like our specialty these days."

Marcus drummed his fingers against the table of the room they had gathered in, deep in thought. "He'll still have the Panther. Don't know if he'll take any more of the Ivory Rats with him. We'll need to watch out for him."

"There's six of us," Cass snorted. "We can take down the Panther." The mercenary was good, but so were they. Not even he'd be enough to shield Hua Jueying from whatever came next.

"We just need to figure out where he is, and hopefully the girl as well. Once that's done, we can break in, grab them and haul them back to Caling."

"Sounds simple enough." Cass stood up and stretched. "We can take turns heading out to this inn. What's it called again?"

With a hint of humour, Sterling said, "The Golden Mice. These people have no taste in naming establishments." A small bit of laughter passed between the six, kept quiet, not wanting to attract attention. While the innkeeper knew who and what they were, the other guests wouldn't.

"I'll take the first watch with Cass. The rest of you take a break." Marcus's face was stony, impassive. No one commented, wisely. She had no interest in listening to their eyebrows and expressions. She was frisky enough today. Learning that your cousin was aiding someone kidnap you because his own child was being held hostage wasn't fun, and neither was travelling five hours in a coach in pursuit of said villain.

"I want to grab food first." She started towards the door. "Has to be a bakery on the way there. Sterling?"

"Two. Smells good enough. You got money?"

Cass's lips twisted into a half-smile. "Who do you think I am? Of course I do. Come on, Dalton. Get moving. We'll be back in a few hours. Don't get too comfortable."

Marcus muttered his goodbyes and trudged after her as the two started down the corridor, making their way down the stairs until they reached the centre courtyard, and then the main door of the inn. Marcus glanced around before stepping out. Neither knew who would be watching.

"When I came here on that ship, I didn't exactly expect to have to end up rescuing my own cousin's illegitimate daughter."

"I'd be surprised if you did." He strolled forward, and she followed. "What were you expecting?"

"For everything to be tied up within a few days. I was fervently hoping, you see, that it would all be a bad dream, or a nasty coincidence."

"There's your mistake. You had hope. Fate's a bitch, Miss Diao."

"Why is it you only call me that when spouting some kind of lesson?" She scowled, smoothing her qipao with her hands. No one glanced twice in her direction. There would be plenty of young and wealthy Saians traversing this area, seeking fun and adventure. Her people were everywhere you looked. She chose black tonight, with flowers of purple and red stitched all over. Ciri's.

"The same reason you do for calling me Lord Farnsworth." He scratched his head. "This way, I think. I could use a bit of pastry as well. Been a while since we've sat down at a nice shop and had pastry."

"We're not going to sit down. It's risky to leave the Golden Mice— is that truly its name?— unguarded for so long, potentially with two enemies and a hostage inside."

Marcus gave a half-shrug. "Fair."

"There is a cha lou— a tearoom, as you'd know, since you speak Saian– near the Palace in Sai. My mama and baba used to bring me there as a child, I've been told. When they died, my great-aunt ordered us dim sum from there whenever we were sad. Perhaps when we go to Sai, I will bring you there."

"Not so against spending time with me now, aren't you?" She didn't need to glance to know there was an arrogant smirk on his face. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm hoping you'd be too busy stuffing your mouth with food to notice I had snuck away."

"I'd always notice, Cass."

At that, she shook her head incredulously. "We consider Laurence the charmer, but you could give him a run for his money if you want to."

"Ciri's supposed to be the beautiful seductress and temptress, but I know if you wanted to, you could have the same amount of men wrapped around your fingertips. Ciri and Laurence are both excellent fighters as well. We choose our battlefields. Our skill has little to do with it."

"We adapt, we are malleable."

"We were trained by the best of the generation." His lips were lifted in a half-smile. "The Duchess of Dai, Cadieux, St. Honore, Jack Dumont. We are nothing but adaptable."

"Here we approach the first store," Cass slowed her steps, sniffing the air. "Well, I'll give Sterling this. It does smell great. Cinnamon, I think."

Marcus frowned. "I thought you disliked cinnamon."

"I do. Which is why I'm not buying anything with cinnamon. Come on, let us hurry." She pushed open the doors of the shop, glancing inside, lips curling into a smile. It was a cozy little store, and there was a middle-aged woman behind the counter, whose face lit up when she saw them.

"Welcome! Is there anything in particular you're looking for?"

Marcus's eyes darted around the room before returning to the woman's face. "We thought we might grab a little something before dinner. It's been a long journey here. What would you suggest, ma'am?"

Cass wondered who the woman thought they were. Marcus, dressed in crispy clean clothes as befitting an Arecian gentleman, could pass off as an unimportant son of any rich family. Her, on the other hand, decked in blatant Saian clothes with an obviously Saian face... Perhaps the woman saw sweethearts or childhood friends, promenading around Kneighton.

(The more cynical part of her pointed out that the only real thing the woman would care about is that their clothings looked expensive. They'd be more than able to buy anything this store could offer.)

"Personally, I suggest the chocolate cakes." The woman scurried over to the end of the counter, pointing towards a giant brown cake displayed there. "If you're looking for something a bit less sweet... oh! We sell egg tarts in the Saian fashion. My husband— he's the baker, he spent some of his early years in Sai," this was directed to Cass with a kindly smile, "he's very proud of his egg tarts."

She hadn't had one for a long time. Cass didn't have to fake her grin. "I'll take two. Dalton?"

He shrugged. "I'll take two as well. How much would that be?"

They paid quickly, and the woman wrapped four egg tarts and gave it to them in a little box. Marcus grabbed it, the two uttered their thanks and exited. Once outside, Cass took out one and unwrapped it, sniffing. "Well, it smells like the ones back home enough." She took a bite. "Bit too sweet in my opinion. Makes me wonder how much sugar was added in that chocolate cake, but it'll do."

Marcus leaned forward and took a bite from hers. Cass's jaw fell, and he gave her a wink. She growled, quickly scoffing down her tart before he stole any more. Marcus frowned. "How on earth is this too sweet? I can barely taste any sugar. You have the strangest taste buds."

There were a thousand ripostes to that statement, but Cass clamped them all down. All of them provided him with easy ammunition. His eyes twinkled with barely repressed amusement. She glared.

"We're in the middle of the streets, Marcus."

"They'll see us and assume I'm being some dastardly rogue and you're the lady I'm attempting to charm— which is close to the truth anyways. No one nearby is about to recognise you. We're not in the aristocratic side of town."

Cass muttered a swear in Saian under her breath. He let out a laugh, short and hearty. The kind she used to cause all the time. Once, she'd have treasured the sound. Wished she could bottle it up and listen to it daily, until she was drunk on it. Marcus was always cool and composed. But around her and a few others, he'd let his guard down. She loved that. She loved that she was special to someone. That she meant something other than her skills and her purposes and her names and her connections. That she was special to him for being her.

She fell silent. She would not entertain such thoughts.

But truth be told, she didn't quite care anymore. Had he not told her that he was willing to follow her on her dangerous paths? He wouldn't make her stop. He promised her that, and Marcus Dalton didn't like to break promises. Ones that meant something, anyways.

She didn't think she was ready for marriage. Not yet. But...

She could stay. She could stay and see how this worked out.

He saw the moment she made up her mind. She knew he did, but he didn't say anything about it, just smiled and offered his arm.

She took it, leaning slightly towards him. Anyone else would see a couple promenading while eating freshly baked tarts. And maybe, for just that moment, that was what they were.

"Don't let victory get to your head," she murmured into his ear. He snickered. Snickered. She wanted to hit him so bad at that moment.

"Eat your tart," he shot back, barely hiding his grin. She didn't care, she realised. She just leaned into his arms, damned everyone who saw, and continued to stroll with him towards enemy grounds.

The Golden Mice was no impressive inn. It wasn't big, not precisely, but it was busy and rumbling and a general mess to the eye. Cass frowned as Marcus led her to the side. People dressed like them didn't exactly fit in here. They'd have to stay to the shadows.

"It's ugly."

"What, were you expecting him to be staying in the Grand Kneighton Hotel?"

No, but she had expected better than this ugly place. Though it was a haunt for criminals and smugglers and owned by a gang, so she wasn't too surprised. It was three-storeyed, built of grey stone, looking out-of-place next to the white of the nearby houses. People walking by all seemed to cross the street before it, as if it was cursed. Its reputation had been earned.

"No, I suppose not," she sighed, finishing her tart and tucking the wrappings into the bag. "We won't be able to just walk in and bribe the innkeeper."

"No," Marcus murmured. "But one of the maids or grooms..."

She didn't have to look to know that Marcus was already marking down every entrance and exit to the inn. She was doing the same. "The servant's entrance... the little door down the side, yes?"

"We can wait for someone to walk out there. Get them a coin or two for the information."

Cass murmured her agreements, eyes trained on the windows. "He'll be in one of the nicer rooms. He's still rich. Upper floor, probably?"

"Don't want to risk running into the room of some gang boss, which is most likely what we'd have to do, so we have to make sure we know exactly where he is. This place is filled to the brim with criminals. Should have brought Benjamin along. He'd have everyone wrapped around his fingers within hours."

"Unfortunately, he has not graced us with his presence, so we shall have to make do. One of the upper floor rooms does not seem occupied. We can rule that one out, I think?"

"Unless he's keeping the girl there."

Cass frowned. "As incompetent as he is, I think he'd realise that a little two-year-old girl couldn't exactly do anything to escape. I'd say he has a maid in there with her, probably. I'm willing to bet that the maid is distraught while a young child is being kept in a place like this."

"So we bribe the maid. Sounds simple enough."

"We need to find the maid first."

"And there lies the problem."

Of course he chose now to be witty and sardonic. Cass stopped herself from rolling her eyes, choosing to refocus her attention on the task at hand. "We'll get one of them, try to get the answers out. Choose one of the ones that look newer and younger."

"Why do you keep repeating the obvious today?"

She chose to ignore the comment, continuing to inspect the building through narrowed eyes. The walls were easily scalable. This place didn't seem like it would quiet down even in the dead of night, which proved an issue, but they've broken into houses hosting massive balls before. A few figures sneaking into the windows shouldn't raise too much alarm. Though they'd have to get Hua Jueying and a child out.

There laid the issue. Cass frowned.

"We'll have to tie him up," Marcus murmured. "Like what we did with Hightower."

In all the excitement, Cass had almost forgotten about Norman Hightower. "Unlike Hightower, though, we aren't grabbing him from a sleepy townhouse with no one else around. We're also outnumbered here."

"We've had worse odds," he pointed out. "It's the child I'm worried about. I don't much feel like gagging her, and you don't exactly look anything like Ned Liu. I doubt she even knows about your side of the family."

"Ciri has a way with kids. If not, Tyler can practise his fatherly skills."

Marcus stared at her, baffled. "Tyler's the size of a giant."

Cass shot him a look of annoyance. "In this rambling mess, the cry of a child would barely raise any attention. Neither would Hua Jueying yelling, I think. I'm not as much afraid of being heard than seen. This isn't a very hidden spot. We have to get two living, breathing humans out, both of whom probably wouldn't be cooperative."

"We knock Hua out. We'll figure out what to do with the child when it comes down to it. If she's anything like her father, she'll do us a favour and faint of her own accord."

Another warning look. Cass, it seemed, had regained some modicum of respect for her cousin. Maybe the quotes and essays about family that had been drilled into her head as a child had finally managed to resurface. "She's my first-cousin-once-removed," she muttered. "I realise your opinion of her father isn't high, but give her the benefit of the doubt."

Marcus bit his lips, physically refraining himself from speaking. She let out a small huff of amusement. "We'll need ropes. Handkerchief for the gags, you think?"

"We'll need a wagon with hay. We might end up having to push someone out of the window."

Marcus shook his head. "Too high a fall. Can't risk it."

"A servant's corridor? We won't be able to sneak out of the main door, but the servants have to have some kind of path."

"If any of them reveal anything, certainly. Otherwise, it's the window, Cass. We need suggestions on how to get two people down. I'm out of ideas."

Cass stayed quiet. It was a problem indeed when both of them weren't quite sure what to do. Between the two, at least one could almost always come up with a semi-reliable plan. "We'll ask what the others think."

He nodded. "Let's scout out the perimeter. Note any other potential entrances. This building seems old enough to host one or two."

Cass was regarding it with a pensive expression. "A hundred or so years old, I think. I'd expect it to have been the family home of some wealthy-enough merchant sold after their decline. But if it's a place for smugglers, I'm more than willing to agree that there'd probably be a few hidden entrances and exits. We'll just have to make sure we find one abandoned enough.

He offered his arm. She took it. The two of them walked out of the alley they stood in, and continued on their task.