Page 94 of Liar Witch

“I’m going to sneak out of a gun port,” Klaus mutters, sticking his head around the door.

He’s wearing a dark, lightly armoured shirt which will help him blend into the night, and a matching cap covers his distinctive golden hair. Klaus’s pteruges fall to his knees, protecting his upper thighs while allowing him to shift between forms. There’s a bandoleer strapped across his chest which holds a string of small, spherical devices. Each one is etched with Val’s transmutation circles. Hopefully, they’re crammed with enough magic and explosives to take down a full ship or two.

“Stay safe,” I whisper.

“No unnecessary risks,” he replies, the words as much of a reminder for me as they are a promise.

“No unnecessary risks.” I nod jerkily. “Lady’s shadows hide you.”

The traditional witch blessing slips out, and I blush, embarrassed. Klaus just smiles, moving into the room to pull me into his embrace.

“And you,” he mumbles into my hair.

His head dips to brush a kiss against my lips. He’s soft and gentle, but I’m not. A strange, melancholy desperation takes over me and I wind my hand around his nape, holding him to me as I deepen the kiss, stroking my tongue out to taste him. I have the sudden, fierce need to stamp him into my cells before he leaves.

When we break apart, we’re both breathing heavily. My eyes flutter closed for a second as I commit that kiss to memory. I’m not foolish enough to take it for granted. It could be the last one for either of us. I’m sorely tempted to dive back in for another taste of him, just in case.

When my lashes flutter open, he’s gone.

With a sad sigh, I head for my drawers and start pulling on something for the mission ahead.

Butter-soft leather trousers, a long-sleeved top and a small cape, lined with secret pockets filled with charms to help me blend into the shadows. The cape has sigils sewn onto the hood, keeping my identity concealed, even if I am spotted. It was a gift from Reva, and I hope it won’t be necessary.

If all goes well, no one will see death coming for them tonight.

I double check the pouch on my belt, feeling through it for the necessities. Charms to hide bodies from sight, potions which can dissolve locks, a few smaller explosives which can serve as a distraction or a destructive force, depending on how much magic I charge them with.

I have everything.

With a last look around the room, I grab my broom, sling my leg over it, and take off from the window. Soaring high into the sky with Opal behind me, I take a last, long look at the shrinking figures of my men on the deck.

I’ve timed the whole thing perfectly. Cas and Kier are just setting off in the empty longboat, and I follow them from high enough that they won’t be able to see me. They mentioned earlier that they don’t hang around on these visits. They go in, collect the cargo, then leave as fast as they can. It means I’ll have to fly farther to catch up with them once I’ve finished, but it also provides a safety net. I don’t intend to let any of the guards inside Ignira live, but if I fail or one of them does survive, they’ll report to the Eagle that theDeadwoodwas already long gone by the time I attacked.

I intend to keep my mates safe, no matter what.

They head straight for the small cliff on the far side of the bay. The black rock juts out over the water, and that’s when I notice it.

A cave.

Only accessible from the sea, and with barely enough clearance for even the small boat my pirates are rowing.

I’ll never get through there without them noticing me, so I hang back, waiting for them to go in first before I follow. It’s dark, damp and cramped. Some sections of the cave’s ceiling are so low that my toes almost skim the water as I fly. The Lady’s magic flows straight to the camouflage sigil on my spine as I cling to my broom, trying not to focus on the waves below.

What follows is a maze. If I wasn’t following my pirates, I have no doubt I would be lost by now. Tunnels interlink with one another in a complex weave that makes no sense, and I waste a lot of my focus on memorising the way back in case I need a quick exit.

The farther we go, the more I start to wonder if the tunnels we’re in aren’t natural. They never get any narrower, or wider, and the tunnels they intersect with are exactly the same size.

Surely, even with mage magic, something of this magnitude is beyond possible?

I shake the thoughts from my mind as we go deeper into the strange web of tunnels.

We must be quite far inland by the time my pirates start to slow.

It’s dark, but my eyes have no trouble spotting the small jetty up ahead. Two men are waiting there, both human, guarding six barrels sealed in wax with the Eagle’s emblem.

Six.

How many sirens had to suffer to fill those?