Page 67 of Inferno

What if Zandro or Maky took a stick over to him?Yorin suggested.Dogs play with sticks all the time.

I need a couple of sizable logs,Nerik corrected him gently.Nothing the fire-dogs could bring would be large enough, and they might only get away with it once before the guards chase them off.

Can we distract the guards?Forlegard suggested.

Unlikely,Rimdolen replied.Warriors-in-training stationed to guard an unknown demon, after what happened to the captain last time around? They’re not going to be easily pulled from their posts.

So what do we do, then?There was no way Yorin was going to give up, but if they couldn’t even come up with a sensible idea at the first hurdle, what hope did they have for putting the rest of the plan together?

A minute or two passed in silence, while Kit, Mintesh and Beetie whispered to each other and everyone else wracked their brains for an idea that might work.

I think we might be able to do something,Kit said eventually, but from the looks on the witches’ faces, Yorin guessed that it was going to be either highly daring or highly difficult.

A moment later, he realised it was both.I could make myself invisible for a short period of time and deliver some wood to Nerik,Kit said. Immediately, Gosta and Forlegard both gasped, Tschecee choked on the mouthful of pastry he was eating, and Rimdolen stomped his back hoof.

Arix preserve us,Forlegard said, breathing slowly and looking steadfastly at his feet.That’s one mighty big ask for a witch. No offence, ladies, but invisibility is usually in the realm of the mages.

For his part, Yorin had no idea what the difference between a witch and a mage was, other than that the latter were more powerful.

I’m quite aware of how much of an effort it would take,Kit said, calm and polite, taking no offence whatsoever to Forlegard’s apparent lack of faith in her.For an inanimate object, it would be a difficult task. To disguise a moving target…She breathed out a sigh and shook her head.Mintesh would have to help, and it would drain both of our magic for the next two or three days. Which means that if we’re left needing any more magic before this is over, Beetie’s all we’ve got.

Perhaps we should figure out what the rest of the plan is, before we go all in with this part,Yorin suggested.That way, we’ll know if we’re going to need more magic.

Nerik?Gosta’s voice was sharp and stern.How are you doing?

Nerik was a little more hunched over than he had been, and he took a moment before answering.I need more fuel.

As the night of the storm had proven, Nerik was nothing if not stoic, and for him to be focusing on fuel now made Yorin’s hopes waver. The more he learned about what they were up against, the higher the stakes seemed to get.

You’ll need to be ready to absorb the wood as soon as I get it to you,Kit told Nerik.The guards can’t see it lying around, even for a few seconds. And we’re only going to get one shot at this. If anything goes wrong, we’re up shit creek.

What do you need the rest of us to do?Yorin asked, not caring if it made him sound naïve.

Stay still and don’t clog up the mental link with chatter. Rimdolen, if I need someone to create a sudden distraction, can you kick up a fuss? Ram the cart into something, if you have to.

I’ll be ready,came Rimdolen’s confident reply.

Beetie, I don’t want to drain your magic, but if it’s that or exposing ourselves, we might need you to jump in.

Ready and waiting,Beetie agreed.

Maky, Zandro, I need both of you to stay exactly where you are. No running about and accidentally tripping me over.

Both dogs wagged their tails and promised to stay put.

Right then. I’ll go and borrow some wood from Vanceline,Kit said, naming the baker who ran the patisserie across the square.She’s a hadathmet,she added, presumably for Yorin’s benefit, though Yorin had no idea what a hadathmet was.Feel free to talk amongst yourselves until I give you the word.With that, Kit got up and hurried off, while Mintesh and Beetie moved to a table closer to the patisserie, under the pretence of ‘getting out of the sun a little’.

Yorin felt a gentle nudge against the mental link.The hadathmet are the green ones,Nerik told him, a soft aside that could nonetheless be heard by everyone in the conversation.

Yorin blushed, and this time, he did feel thoroughly naïve.Right. Thank you.

Gosta and Forlegard are salases. They’re jet black all over with horns on their heads. And Tschecee is a fenrig, which means his skin is purple and he has a short row of spikes on each shoulder.

I hardly think this is the time for extended introductions,Gosta snapped. Nerik turned his face towards her, and Yorin thought he heard a low hiss coming from the cage.

I think it’s the perfect time to give Yorin the information he needs to be able to work with the rest of you. And while we’re exchanging information, can someone tell me what happened to the unicorn that the warriors captured?

Don’t worry about the unicorn,Gosta scolded him.You’ve got bigger problems right now.