He didn’t have the key to Piaras’s cell—he was the key. Rance leaned forward, the front legs of the chair coming to rest on the floor. “What brings you up here this time of night?”

“Guess,” I said, my voice flat.

Rance chuckled. “What’d he lose this time?”

“His specs. Again.” I ran my hand over my stubble. “He’s positive he left them up here, and he sent me to look. Do you know which room he was in tonight?”

Rance swore and jerked his head toward Piaras’s warded door. “Guess.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah.”

“I hate to ask, but could you…?” I made a parting motion with my hands.

“Do you know how long it took me to put those up?”

“Couldn’t have been quick; it’s impressive work.”

“Damned right it is. And that inquisitor’s been making me let him in and out all night.”

“Is he coming back soon?” I resisted the urge to look behind me.

Rance yawned and shook his head. “Not for another hour. But the room will be empty then and you can look for specs all you like.”

I stood completely still. “Empty?”

“He’ll be taking his prisoner with him. Fast ship to somewhere that’s not here. Good riddance, too. That inquisitor’s been a pain in everyone’s ass since he got here. But then they all are.”

“It’s been a long day, Rance.” I tried to sound tired and speak slowly, which wasn’t easy since my heart had just jumped into my throat. “An hour’s a long time to wait.” I paused meaningfully. “I’d owe you one.”

“Yeah, you would.” He regarded me for a second or two, then pushed himself out of his chair with a grunt. “You might want to stand behind me. Wouldn’t want you to get hit with the backlash.”

“I wouldn’t want that, either.” I stepped behind him and reached inside my tunic for one of Tanik’s gifts.

Rance deftly parted a section of the wards. “There you go; that’ll stay for a minute or two. Be quick—”

I was, with a blackjack to the back of his head.

Piaras was on a pallet in the corner. He was either unconscious or asleep. I was hoping for asleep. I leaned over him, my hands gripping his shoulders, shaking him gently.

“Sweetie, wake up.”

Piaras opened his eyes, took one look at the man leaning over him and calling him “sweetie,” and punched that man squarely in the balls.

Chapter 23

I swore I’d never punch, knee, or kick a man in the balls ever again—if I lived through the next few seconds.

I couldn’t breathe; I couldn’t move—at least not out of the fetal position I was in—and chances were good that I was going to throw up.

Piaras was headed for the open door and wards.

“Raine,” I croaked. “Me.”

Piaras stopped, looked, then stared in disbelief, his eyes huge.

“Raine, I’m so sorry… I didn’t know it was you. I didn’t mean to… Are you hurt badly?” His words tripped over each other in a rush to get out of his mouth. His feet did the same getting to me.

I suddenly became aware that I still hurt, but not in quite the same way as before. I took my hands from where they’d been clutched between my legs. They were my hands, not Ratharil’s. My body, not his. My dangly bits were gone. My eyes went as wide as Piaras’s.

I’d lost Ratharil’s glamour.

Oh no.

Rance was going to come to; Captain Whoever would be back anytime; and Balmorlan would be here within the hour.

Breathe deep, Raine. Calm down.

I could breathe, but calm was not going to happen. Fine. Nerves could be productive.

Piaras helped me up.

Captain Rance was lying motionless just outside the door. Guess who was about to become my second glamour subject of the evening.

I reached in my pocket for Tanik’s kid’s pendant and gave it to Piaras. “When I tell you to, put this on,” I told him. “It’ll make you invisible for fifteen minutes.”

I went to the door and peered out into the hall. It was empty, and better yet, I didn’t hear boot steps indicating the impending arrival of coffee and trouble.

“Come on, let’s—”

“They said I murdered the archmagus,” Piaras said hoarsely.

I looked back over my shoulder. Piaras was still standing in the middle of the cell, the pendant dangling loosely from his hand. He looked like he was about to be sick.

Any nerves I had gave way to cold rage. “Who said that?”

“Inquisitor Balmorlan and the ambassador.”

“They lied,” I snarled. “You didn’t kill anyone.”

Hope flared in Piaras’s dark eyes. “He’s alive?”

“We don’t know yet.” Best to tell the truth. “Regardless, it wasn’t your fault. Your song was used to cover up the real attack.”

Piaras stood there, absorbing what I’d just said. I could see his anger building. “They tried to force me to sign a confession. Admitting that I’d done it with your help.” His voice had taken on a steely edge. “Balmorlan said you were on the catwalk above me with a goblin spellsinger. I knew he was lying, but I didn’t know what had really happened.”

“That goblin attacked Justinius, not you. I was trying to stop him.”

Taltek Balmorlan had just joined Rudra Muralin on my personal shit list.

I looked back down the hall. Still empty. “Let’s get out of here first, talk later.”

We carefully stepped past the wards and out of the cell. I stared down at Rance, quickly memorizing every detail, internalizing his appearance. I pushed outward with a touch of power. I looked down.

And I was still me.

Oh crap.

Personal pep talk time. Just relax, Raine. You and Piaras are perfectly safe; no one wants to lock both of you up or use and abuse you for the rest of your lives; the Saghred’s not going to eat your soul or drive you crazy. Everything’s good; everything’s fine.

I tried again. No dice.

“Dammit!”

Sometimes nerves weren’t so productive.

If you ignored his clenched jaw, Piaras looked surprisingly calm. “It’s not going to work, is it?”

I rolled Rance over, started stripping him of his weapons and giving them to Piaras. “Doesn’t look like it. We’ll just do it the old-fashioned way. I talked my way into this place. If I have to, I’ll blast our way out. You wouldn’t happen to know any quick and really dirty spellsongs, would you?”

His slow grin told me he did and that he’d welcome the chance to use them.

“Are these sleepsongs or slam-people-into-walls songs?” I asked.

Piaras’s grin broadened. “Dealer’s choice.”

I was glad to see that grin and the resolve growing behind it. I smiled up at him. “Phaelan’s been teaching you cards, hasn’t he?”

Piaras tucked the last dagger into his belt. “And most times now I win.”

And I thought I had corrupted the innocent.

I gave him the blackjack. “Put on the pendant, and let’s see if at least that works.”

Piaras slipped the chain over his head and vanished along with all of his new lethal toys.

I nodded in approval. “Okay, this could work nicely.”

“What could work?”

Piaras’s voice coming from Piaras’s invisible body. Creepy.

“We’ve only got fifteen minutes—or less if that pendant craps out on us,” I told him. “Listen up.”

Everything was right where Tanik Ozal’s embassy blueprints said it’d be, including the narrow service stairwell Piaras and I were now in. I’d told him my plan, but the reality of any plan was that it was subject to change at any time for better or worse.

My plan had just lost most of its options. There were several exits we could have taken from the embassy, but those were for Captain Ratharil strolling out of the embassy with his new invisible friend—not for Raine Benares, elven public enemy number one.

We were moving fast. Any moment, that captain would return with coffee and find Rance, or Rance would come to and sound the alarm himself. Our minutes were numbered. So I was nothing short of stunned when we reached the first floor without running into anyone. There was a definite advantage to after-midnight jailbreaks. I’d have to remember that. According to the blueprints, we had to cross an open office area at the back of the embassy, as well as the main corridor, to reach the entrance to the basements and the tunnel that was our final goal.