“Captain?” I called out, my voice echoing off of the stone walls.
The guard snapped to attention and then pointed towards the barracks—a small, isolated wing of the castle for the guards to rest while they were off duty. It was tucked away from anywhere the King would find himself, never one to stoop as low as the ones who served him. I think they liked it that way, but we never heard any noise in my part of the castle.
I nodded, thanking the male as I strode forward and ducked under the wall to move down the stairs. The guard barely glanced at me, as usual. I overheard voices as I went further down. Caldor’s was easily recognizable, and it twisted something in my chest. Some of them were gracious with me, treating me like some kind of respectable lady, even though I was just the poison master’s wife. Still, many of them avoided me outright, as if I was nothing but a shadowy wraith stalking their halls. And maybe I was.
At the bottom of the stairs in the first room of the barracks, was a table of shirtless guards, playing a game of cards with none other than the shifter himself.
How unpredictable …I mused in my head, pasting a bland look on my face. Apparently, I’d been wrong about the shifter, and I would need to keep a close eye on him to make sure that didn’t happen again.
The men stopped speaking as each of them turned to me. My hood covered the majority of my face, but all of them knew who and what I was.
Remus’s large smile was on full display as his sparkling eyes drank me in, and he nodded in understanding, smug at the fact that he’d caught me off guard. He was also shirtless, which meant he didn’t take my orders seriously enough to make himself suitable.
“Alright, men! I must be off, but do have your money ready for me tomorrow because I won’t forget to collect it!” Remus leaped from his chair and strode towards me. One of the guards watched us with narrowed eyes, but he quickly schooled his features when I met his stare.
I could hear Remus’s footsteps behind me as I spun on my heel and headed back up the staircase, so I quickened my pace. We had a mission, and I had no time to wait around while he gambled, which was probably what got him into thieving in the first place, if I were to guess.
I ducked back under the low wall, then made my way out, nodding to the guard once more as Remus came up behind me. I threw a pack at him without stopping and smiled when he grunted under its weight.
“Change,” I told him. Remus gave me a flirty smile, but I shook my head in exasperation. “Quickly!” The shifter got the hint and dropped his smile. I turned to give him some sort of privacy.
“There,” Remus barked out when he had finished. “What’s this bigmission, oh lovely soon-to-be wife? Who do we have to maim in the name of our great king?”
I glared at him. “You will receive information as I see fit. For now, at least attempt to act like you know what you’re supposed to be doing. We’re getting along perfectly, and you’re so smitten with me you could weep.”
I offered him my arm. Usually, it would be the male who took the lead while his little wife scuttled alongside him. But the circumstances were different this time, and this supposed romance was a joke. Remus glared at me but intertwined our arms together, and we walked calmly out through the gardens.
The darkness was thick and silent as we exited the palace gates. I could feel Remus’s unease over being completely left out of the plan, but I needed him on his toes for this to work. Even in the dark, eyes roamed and ears listened. Knowledge was power in Avedin, and I prided myself on not letting anyone have any control of me. The King’s little spies could scurry back to him with empty pockets tonight.
“While I appreciate the doom and gloom, this particular side of the city isn’t exactly fit for a lady,” Remus whispered, his head on a swivel as if the shadows themselves were about to snatch me from his arms.
I hummed in response, unsure what exactly to tell him that didn’t give away more than I wanted to. He was right, though. The Gallows, as we called it, was a rough part of Avedin. It was where the radicals, heathens, heretics, and vagrants lived. The shifter haters, the Source worshipers and anyone who was not wholly human, claimed these streets. Anyone else was considered an outsider—trouble.
“Whatever scheme you’ve concocted is looking like a very bad idea, Xmara.”
“You worry too much,” I said as we neared a tavern. Over the entryway was a tall spike with the head of a lion piked on the tip. I couldn’t be sure if it was a shifter or actual game, but a shiver ran down my spine anyway.
All eyes turned to us, not in a nice, considerate way. I just offered the seedy patrons a small smile before bringing Remus along with me to the bar, as if we were any normal couple out for a night on the town. The bartender looked less than impressed with my nonchalance, but that was to be expected in a world ruled by males.
“Can’t help ya’, miss.”
“That’s not my problem,” My grip on Remus loosened, and I laid my cloak down. Several hissed breaths filled the room. The sound of scraping chairs and shuffling followed as every man in the room left in a hurry, leaving half finished mugs on their tables.
My lips flattened, unimpressed at the lack of backbone in this establishment. But, I supposed my reputation had really made the rounds.
“I’ve asked you not to come here,” the bartender grumbled, likely irritated that he’d lost his customers for the night.
“I need information,” I said coolly, my words clipped and low. I gave him a single name, and the man winced.
Remus was watching the interaction in both fascination and confusion. I wondered if he was starting to think that the rope the King had planned for him might have been a better choice.
“He’ll be in bed at this hour, and the maids will be in their rooms on the bottom level. He was in here earlier, so he’ll not be stirring easily if ya catch my drift.” The bartender still avoided looking directly into my eyes, focusing just over my right shoulder instead. Coward.
I downed the drink he'd placed in front of me out of habit and nodded my thanks before dragging Remus back out of the tavern.
“What was the point of all that?” he asked, tugging me to a stop once we were shrouded in the darkness of the city street.
I placed my hood back over my head. “An informant. He knows who I am and what I’m capable of, to some degree. He feeds me information, and I… attend to his debts.”