A Call for Brighter Days: Aeriel Trilogy #2

“In that case, I’ll go with you.” Ruban collected the empty coffee cups and rose. “I’m sure Janak will be happier to see me, anyway.”

“He will. He’ll also be happier to kill you.” Kaheen’s voice was steady, matter-of-fact. “He considers you the greatest threat of all. Everyone does. After all, you killed both Reivaa and Tauheen.”

“I didn’t–”

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that Janak believes you did. Everyone in the castle believes you did. You’d be dead before I could drag you over the threshold.”

Ruban raised a defiant eyebrow. “And Simani wouldn’t?”

Kaheen shrugged. “It’s a possibility, of course. But the odds are better, in her case. I could convince Janak to keep her alive, use her as bait to lure you in. Then, both of you can be executed together.”

“Reassuring,” Ruban muttered, moving to deposit the cups in the sink.

“It’s not her he wants,” Kaheen continued, undeterred. “I mean, it is, insofar as she’s a Hunter. Dead Hunters are always a plus in Janak’s book. But he doesn’t consider her a threat, no more so than any other Hunter in Ragah.

“You’re the one he’s desperate to get rid of. And if he thinks Simani can be used as bait to lure you in, he’d take that chance. In Ghorib, you traded Shwaan to save her life. It wouldn’t be hard to convince him that you have a soft spot for her. That you’d try to rescue her again, if you believed she was still alive. And hence, there’d be an incentive to keep her alive.”

“The problem with that plan,” Vikram said evenly, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “Is that it’s all true. Ruban does have a soft spot for Simani, or ten. He would try to rescue her if she was taken hostage, willingly or otherwise. And Janak Nath would be waiting for him to do just that. Seems to me like we’d be walking right into the trap we’re setting for him.”

“Not if you use the tunnels,” Kaheen interjected softly.

Vikram’s eyes widened. “Of course!” He murmured. “Reivaa’s castle was abandoned after the Rebellion, so the original structure would still be intact. Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Care to clue us in?” Simani asked, watching her husband through narrowed eyes.

“These old castles were kind of a mishmash of Aeriel and human architecture. You can see something of it in the IAW headquarters. But Tauheen’s old palace has been renovated and modernized numerous times since the Rebellion, so it’s not that obvious. Most of the original structure has been remodeled beyond recognition.”

“Where do the tunnels come in?” Ruban urged, pulling the conversation back on track. Vik was always looking for an excuse to get carried away with this stuff.

“Well, they weren’t exactly tunnels,” Kaheen said. “More like, passages. Dark, cramped passages that the servants sometimes used to slip in and out of the castle when they had free time. We used them too, Shwaan and I.”

“Which castle?” Ruban asked.

“All of them.” Vikram’s voice rose slightly with excitement. “That’s how the Rebellion began, you know. The original rebels sneaked information in and out of the Aeriel strongholds through these manmade tunnels and walkways. After the IAW commandeered Tauheen’s palace, most of these were boarded up and paved over. Same goes for the other Aeriel forts and strongholds. But Reivaa’s old castle is one of the few that never fell into human hands. It was too remote to be worth the trouble of renovating.”

“So, you’re saying that some of these…” Simani frowned, as if trying to concentrate. “Passages in Reivaa’s castle might still be functional.”

“It seems likely to me. I’ll try and find a blueprint of the original structure in the National Library archives.” Vikram grinned. “There are plenty of those available for Tauheen’s palace. I’m sure they’ll have a couple for Reivaa’s HQ as well. After all, her vicious bloodlust was second only to the queen’s. She was certainly notorious enough for records to have been maintained, especially in the first few decades after emancipation.”

Kaheen’s gaze shone with quiet amusement as it rested on Vikram. “Your knowledge is impressive. I lived in that castle for over a century, and that was more than I could’ve told you. With you at his side, Ruban will have no trouble gaining access through the tunnels, when the time comes.”

“No way in hell is Vik going anywhere near that place,” Simani snapped. “It’s too dangerous.”

“You think?” Vikram’s tone was sardonic.

She rolled her eyes. “It’s not the same thing, and you know it. This is my job. I’ve received extensive combat training and–”

“And I’m an adult capable of making my own decisions,” Vikram interrupted, patient but firm. “Even when those decisions aren’t in line with what you think is best. I’m not sitting on my hands when there’s a real chance I could help improve the odds in your favor.”

Ruban sighed, running a hand through his unruly hair. “But Janak’s been holed up in that castle for months, now. He must know about some of those passages, at least. And if he does, he’ll have guards posted at the entrances. Especially if he thinks I’m liable to wander in, looking for Simani. We’d have no way of knowing which tunnels are being watched, not until we’re at the other end staring down a barrel or three.”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that.” Kaheen smiled cryptically. “I’ll take care of the guards. If you can find your way to those tunnels, I’ll make sure you’re able to enter the castle unimpeded.”

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