THE SABLE SPY | TWENTY-SIX

  "THAT SMELL..." Today, they chose Kon Rian, which they both spoke fluently. In the dark, Ciri stumbled closer towards the bars of the cell, trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on outside. It smelt like someone had just spilled an entire bottle of expensive perfume all over the place. All their guards seemed to be male, so it had to be someone else. She wrinkled her nose, sniffing, wondering why it smelt so familiar...

As realisation dawned upon her, a languid grin appeared on her face. "Oh, Cass, you sly fox," she muttered, walking back into the shadows of the underground cell.

"What?" Laurence demanded, apparently not recognising the smell. Had she not brought it while he was there? Though he probably didn't remember very well.

"I brought Cass that perfume from Kon Ria." Ciri beamed. "We won't have to stay in here for long, I think."

Then they heard the sound of metal hitting something. Both of them snapped alert, and a few moments later the guards outside went running. The two of them exchanged a glance, muscles tense. Laurence pushed himself off the makeshift bed, taking long strides towards the bars.

They heard the sound of a door opening. "That's the trapdoor down," Laurence murmured. "The guards are leaving. Think it's Cass?"

Ciri narrowed her eyes."I can hear people upstairs. It's the afternoon, I think. Seems an odd time to grab us, don't you think?"

"You think it's something else?"

"The perfume was a message," she deduced. "Cass's way of telling us to stay on our toes. That was a distraction. They're careful enough not to make any sound. We'll be out of here soon, then."

"Not today." Laurence had caught on. "There's too many people here. That's why they haven't come in, guns blazing yet. Innocents would get hurt. She wants us to move."

"So she makes it clear she knows exactly where we are, and exactly how to get to us." Ciri combed her fingers through her knotted, dirty hair. "I suppose we are to prepare for a journey. Not that the journey would get past the first few minutes, I think."

"No. They're giving Hua Jueying a taste of his own medicine. An ambush. Does he know, you think?"

"If he does, the plan fails," she pointed out. "For our own sake, we better hope he doesn't."

✴

THEY LAID IN WAIT across the street, where a nice bribe had sent the small group of children and teenagers residing in this room scurrying off. There was only a single window, dirty and small, but they've made do with worse. They kept it slightly open. Luke waited in the pub at the end of the street, barely visible. Tyler stayed upstairs with them. He'd be recognised now. Benjamin, Sterling and Jackson were going through the area, pretending to be young sailors having a bit of fun before returning to sea.

A messenger had been sent out minutes after their apparent attempt. Luke had already been waiting up here and observing. But Hua Jueying had not arrived yet. So they continued to wait. It was night by now, almost nine o'clock. If he was to come, he'd come soon. Perhaps he thought coming in the daylight was too obvious, too difficult to explain. At night, he could fit in perfectly, a gent looking for a bit of fun and danger. Not that he truly needed to pretend, since all the Ivory Rats were in his pocket.

Cass had done the little she could do to make this place comfortable, which wasn't much. But they'd be here for a while. She wrinkled her nose as she surveyed the room for the fifth time that hour. Ten years ago, she had lived in a place much like this. But this Cass was much more refined, more pampered. And this place truly was disgusting. At least Ciri and Cass had kept their little home as neat and tidy as possible.

Now she was just being ridiculous and spoiled, all the things she claimed she hated in an aristocrat.

"He has to come soon," Tyler murmured. "If he doesn't, colour me shocked."

"He has, so far, displayed a knack for surprising us," Cass replied slowly, though she privately agreed. He would at least send someone to check, even if he had guessed what they were trying to do.

"Stop talking," Marcus demanded, apparently now requiring silence to concentrate. Cass rolled her eyes and Tyler let out a silent snort, but they obeyed. When the agent on duty asked you to shut the fuck up, you listen. It was one of those unspoken Service rules. You try your best not to piss off the guy making sure you're not about to get a bullet through your head.

Since only one of them was necessary to spy whatever vehicle Hua Jueying arrived in, the other two rested in the back, catching a break before their own shifts. Cass's had ended a few minutes ago. It was her second, each of them taking an one-hour session.

She let the seconds trickle by before asking, "Anything?"

Marcus snapped back, "If I saw anything, Diao, I'd immediately inform you. Now get off my ass. I can't concentrate with you hovering over my head. I'm scared I'll straighten and knock your jaw clean off."

"Haha, very funny." But once more, she listened, trudging back towards where Tyler sat, slumping into the ugly, uncomfortable wooden chair.

Bored, she took out one of the knives she had strapped to her belt, spinning it around the tiny table round and round. Tyler ignored her, having taken out a book to read. She should have done that, damn it. Maybe she'll borrow it when he's done. Her gaze drifted around the room once again, taking in the moldy walls and the creaky wooden planks. The money they had given them could be used to fix up this place a bit. These were where the invisible people lived, those who hadn't the luck to be born into wealth or aristocracy. The world gave them nothing and they made do anyway. On days like these, she always felt guilty. She knew what it felt like to starve, but she had always seen a way out of it.

There was no easy light at the end of the tunnel for these people. She chewed her lower lip, not bothering to hide it.

Neither man glanced her direction. She lifted her gaze again.

She missed Ciri. She freely admitted that. She missed Laurence too, though that would be said much more reluctantly. She blinked once. Twice. And her heart was missing something a bit more. In the past six years, this was the kind of camaraderie she had missed. Being with people who spoke of the game without darting around the bush. The only other person she could do that with was great-aunt Vinelle, who usually spent those discussions reminiscienting over her glory days. She missed not having to tell people what to do, to have people understand what needed to be done immediately.

And most of all, she missed her friends.

This was why she hadn't come back for so long. Because once she did, she knew she wouldn't be able to turn away again. And the spell had already been casted, and she was finding it more difficult to resist by the second.

She barely stopped the frustrated groan from escaping her lips. Sloppy. Letting her emotions rule her was dangerous. That had been lesson number one. Let your rage fuel you if you wanted, but never let it take the reins. Your head must remain clear, even when your heart was a swirling vortex waiting to be released on an unready world.

It was painfully cliche, but it was true. She had seen too many cautionary tales to neglect such lessons. Only a fool would turn a blind ear to the croning of the old. But a wise man would choose the ones they took carefully.

"Someone's coming."

The words were soft, but both she and Tyler snapped up, quietly making their way towards the window. Marcus shifted sideways to grant them a better glance, tugging the window shut. That was their symbol to the men beneath— be on alert. Cass could faintly spy Luke shifting his body to gain a better glance at the road behind him.

It was a carriage. It wouldn't have been suspicious, since the carriage itself was built rather roughly. The curtains gave it away. That was expensive fabric. A rookie mistake.

Benjamin and Sterling appeared within view, laughing and chortling. No one would glance at them and think they were spies. Their intention was to keep it that way for now.

Since they were across the street, they weren't able to see the man who got off the carriage clearly. But then the carriage left, and they managed to catch a glimpse of his back. Black hair, cropped closely to the scalp, tall and lean.

Sterling took off his coat. Io had described in detail to him his appearance, and Luke said he had seen the man before. The coat was another message. Here's our man.

He did not seem to have brought anyone else with him. A moment later, the tavern door burst open and a few of the men ran out, surrounding him. Hua Jueying was composed as he stormed inside. Cass wasn't sure she liked that.

Benjamin and Sterling went in as well a moment later, the door swinging shut behind them. Cass let out a breath of relief. "Well, he's here now, at least."

Marcus nodded stiffly. "Tyler, can you head back and tell the others? Send something to the Lady Kuroki girls too. And bring a few extra men. We can't ambush a bloody carriage with two apprentice agents and four experienced ones." Technically, they could, but they'd need to at least spare an agent or two sneaking Ciri and Laurence away. Not to mention the fact they wanted Hua Jueying alive.

"Would he have a plan so quick?"

"It's possible," Marcus shrugged. "He's taken his merry time getting here."

Tyler grunted in disgust. "I'll get Georgie to prepare some food as well. I'll be back in an hour, probably. Try not to get into trouble before that."

"I'll bloody his nose if he does," Cass snickered.

He raised an eyebrow. "It's not just him I'm worried about." She rolled her eyes, and he smirked. Marcus huffed in exasperation.

"Just go, Tyler. Stop wasting our time."

Now alone, the two of them returned their attention to the bustling tavern across the street. They couldn't see much, but they looked anyways. She wasn't sure why.

"Your bet?"

She didn't have to ask him to elaborate. "Not tonight. He could have made arrangements, but note how the carriage left. He's counting his losses, making his final choice. I say tomorrow, or the day after that."

"Tomorrow," he agreed. "I think he'll try for the docks. Not to leave the country, but I'm pretty sure he owns property in the highlands. It's close enough, and much more difficult for us to chase him down."

"At the break of dawn." They had already discussed that, but she chose to repeat it. Confirmation. "When all the customers have left but the streets are still empty."

Marcus frowned. "I should have asked Tyler to check all the ships leaving at that time. Clumsy of me."

"I already asked Cadieux to, yesterday. Don't worry your pretty head over it."

Marcus looked up, glancing away from the window for a moment. He smiled. "You think I'm pretty?"

Cass sighed inwardly. "You know the answer to that. Do not fish for compliments, Dalton." He'd always been handsome. Always would be, with eyes that blue and hair that glimmered like gold. For all he acted like the dark and terrifying lord, he had the appearance of an angel. It was deceptive. She had seen people approach him grinning and smiling only to be taken utterly aback when he started to speak.

"I like hearing it."

"I do not think you should be happy with pretty, my lord." She tilted her head, returning her gaze to the window once more.

"It is, most probably, the most I'd be getting from you today, so I'll make do, my sweet lady. You starve me." He made a face, and she couldn't help but laugh. It was a joyous sound, albeit a strange mixture between a snort and a giggle.

"If it's compliments you want, just try not to act so aloof during social events. You'd have a gaggle of fawning debutantes falling at your feet immediately." She ignored the way those words made her blood cool. "You'd never be short of praises ever again. Perhaps a poet will write something for your transformation. From lord of ice to..."

"Someone likeable?"

"I'd say you're likeable now, if a person is not immediately chased away by your scowl." She frowned. "But we digress. We distract each other. Focus on the tavern and the game, Marcus."

"We have three men down there, and it's not as if we can actually see through the walls of the tavern. We're both more than capable of holding a conversation while still focusing. We've done it before, we can do it again. You're trying to avoid me again."

To even her own surprise, she only sighed and did not deny it, dragging her chair forward so that they were sitting side by side. Marcus looked momentarily nonplussed, but quickly composed himself.

"So, you're going back to Sai after this?"

Cass felt her eyes roll so hard she was worried they might fall out. Marcus smirked at her reaction.

"Most probably. You're going to follow me, aren't you?"

"Glad we understand each other." Even after six years apart, they still knew what the other planned. It was both a blessing and a curse, understanding someone as intelligent and complex as Marcus Dalton.

A moment of silence. "Why won't you let me go?"

Marcus didn't answer for a while. She didn't think he would, so she turned away again, glancing through the window, tilting her head.

To her surprise, he spoke. "Same reason you keep running."

Cass frowned. "That's not an answer." She leaned backwards into her chair, rubbing her arms.

"You think you're protecting yourself by running, aren't you?" An eyebrow quirked up, as he studied her with an intensity that made her shudder. He noticed, of course, and his lips curled into a smirk. Speechless, she glared. "You know me. When have I ever given up on something I wanted?"

Never. There were plenty of hopeless missions that she and Laurence had been prepared to cut their losses and abandon where only Marcus insisted on pushing through. And since if one of them were going to do something the other two would follow, they'd fight against the impossible and win. Once, she admired it. Now that she was the impossible he was fighting against, she wasn't so sure. One did not easily escape when Marcus Dalton decided to launch a campaign against you.

She was trapped. The spell had been casted. Her strength was draining. She needed to get away, fast. But she couldn't. She was already stuck there, watching the boy she loved look back at her, reading all her cues and seeing the emotion she was trying to suppress through intense blue eyes. His smile had vanished, and his breath was now uneven.

"Marcus..."

"Is it working?"

He wasn't mocking her. It was a genuine question. He was just as nervous as he was. Somehow, that thought made her feel a little bit better. She clenched her fists, nail digging into her calloused palms. She couldn't lie. Not about this, not when he was watching her with pain and longing and regret and love.

"It's starting to. And I hate it."

A breath escaped Marcus's lips. Cass found her eyes dropping to them. She tore her gaze away.

"Tell me, Cass, do I stand a single chance?"

She couldn't meet his gaze. "We should focus. On the mission."

"You're good at diverting conversations to safer shores when you don't want to answer a question. It's a useful talent. But let's try not to do that today."

Cass turned back to him, fury blazing in her eyes. "The hell do you want me to do, then?"

"Talk to me, without trying to steer the conversation off-course. Heart-to-heart. Person-to-person. No lies, no excuses, no avoidance and evasions. Just you and me."

She couldn't stop the bitter laugh that slipped through her lips. "Last time I did that, I ended up running into the night with my tail between my legs."

"Last time, we were both children, and I was a fool. I won't make that mistake again. I made a vow to myself."

"That you won't be a fool? I think that's out of even your control, Marcus."

"That I wouldn't let you go, Cass. Is the idea of being with me really that bad?"

She bit her lips, because it wasn't. Because sometimes, she let her guard down momentarily as she walked around Marcus's parent's home, she could imagine herself there, as his wife. She could imagine living there, raising their children when she inevitably retired. She could dream of herself falling asleep in his arms every night, after they chuckled over some old mission they had gone on together years ago.

Dreams were intoxicating. Dreams were dangerous.

"It's not, then." He saw too much. She wanted to hit him, suddenly. But she also wanted to drag his mouth to hers. No. She was on dangerous territory. Territory she did not know how to navigate.

This was what I was afraid of. Because despite all her attempts to turn away, he still held the key to her heart, and somewhere down the last few weeks he had managed to steal it again.

And I don't want it back.

Maybe he saw the moment she let it settle in. She could hear his breath quickening. Anxiety, tension, fear, anticipation.

She leaned in and pressed her lips to his. His lips were warm and tasted of the tea Miss Danna had given her a few days ago, when she realised that Cass had run out of Saian tea. It was taken from Ciri's stores, she said, but she wouldn't mind.

She could get drunk on its taste mixed with his lips.

He resisted for a single moment, too shocked, but then he pulled her closer. She let him. Suddenly, she was on his lap, and his arms were on the back of her neck, keeping her locked in place. She didn't want to move anyways. Lips and teeth and tongues slid against each other. She wanted that moment to last forever, and it terrified her, that he held so much power over her. She always hated being powerless, but she never hated this. The feeling of his skin against her skin, his hands moving up and down her back, memorising her curves and shape. It didn't matter if she was fifteen or twenty-two or thirty. She'd always love this.

But then he pulled away, eyes glazed with desire, breathing unsteady. She knew if she glanced into a mirror, she'd see the same on herself. She stared at him.

His lips curled into a rueful smile. "That wasn't surrender, was it? You can kiss me and love me all you want, but you're still going to try and run."

"Is surrender what you want?" Because I can never offer it.

"I want you to just stay with me. Stop running away. I don't care if you bring me to Gira or Asayama or Sai. Just be with me. That's all I could ever ask for."