The Spirit Thief

CHAPTER 9

Miranda stormed into the stable yard, scattering the crowd of boys who had gathered to watch Gin eat the pig he had helped himself to from the swine pen.

“We’re leaving,” she said. “Now.”

Gin looked sadly at the pig, then pulled away with a sigh, licking his mouth clean as he trotted over. Miranda stuffed the bag of traveling food that she’d frightened out of the kitchen staff into her rucksack and slung it into position over Gin’s neck. Gin lay down with uncharacteristic meekness as Miranda clambered into her riding position.

“Get us out of here.”

The hound rose swiftly, but before he could spring forward a familiar voice called out: “Lady Miranda!”

Miranda looked up in surprise as Marion jumped down the castle steps and hit the stable yard at a dead run. She didn’t stop until she reached Gin, slamming into his foreleg rather than taking the time to slow down.

“Here,” she gasped, and thrust her hand out. Miranda reached down and plucked the creased slip of paper from her fingers. As she unfolded it, her face lit up. “How did you get this?”

Marion grinned from ear to ear. “All important papers go to the library for storage. Sometimes being a junior librarian does have its advantages.”

“Won’t you get in trouble?” Miranda frowned. “You know I probably won’t be able to get this back to you before they notice it’s gone.”

Marion shook her head violently. “So long as the king comes back, I don’t think they would care if I raided the whole treasury.”

Miranda smiled. “Thank you,” she said. “I won’t forget this.”

Marion waved and pushed off the ghosthound’s leg.

Waving back, Miranda gave Gin the go-ahead. The ghosthound sprang forward, leaving the boys gawking as he disappeared over the gates in a cloud of dust.

“How convincing should I be?” Gin said as they jumped the final gate of the city.

Miranda glared darkly at the rolling countryside as it streaked by. “And what makes you think we’re not actually leaving?”

She could feel Gin’s chuckle through his fur. “You don’t normally lose this gracefully. The castle isn’t on fire, so far as I can see.”

“Smart aleck mutt.” Miranda smacked him good-naturedly. “You’re right, we’re not leaving. I’ll give up my rings before I let that jerk have his way.”

“What jerk?” Gin panted.

Miranda gave him the short version of her meeting with Renaud. When she finished, Gin growled thoughtfully. “Politics and gold are human vices, so maybe there’s something here I don’t understand, but I have trouble believing that an exiled prince like Renaud is really that concerned over the recovery of the little brother who took his throne.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Miranda leaned over to scratch his ears.

“What are we going to do, then?”

“That part is simple. We’re going to find Eli first.” She pointed to the left, where a thick line of shaggy conifers separated two fields. “Duck into that copse.”

Gin picked up the pace, and a few seconds later they were hidden behind the small stand of pines. Miranda jumped down and, after checking the area for any stray watchers, pressed her thumb against the fat, smooth sapphire on her right index finger. “Allinu, wake up, I need you.”

A moment later, a small, white spout of pure water bubbled happily out of the ring, forming a small pool in Miranda’s cupped hand. When the water was up to her thumb, Miranda shoved the ransom note in. “Find this ink’s source.”

“Yes, mistress,” the water whispered, and began to churn.

Miranda kept her fingers pressed as tightly as she could, though she knew it was not needed. Allinu was a mountain mist. She could stay together in a sieve if she needed to. Still, it made Miranda feel better when the water was splashing in all directions like it was now.

A few moments later, the note floated to the top, perfectly dry.

“I’m sorry, mistress,” the water said. “The ink’s been dry too long. It doesn’t remember anything.”

“I figured as much,” Miranda said, shifting the water to one cupped hand and plucking the note out. She looked at it once more before stuffing it into her pocket. So much for that.

“The paper was a bit more helpful,” the water added, almost as an afterthought.

Miranda’s head jerked up. “The what?”

“The paper,” Allinu said again. “I noticed a few rips on one side, so I asked it what had happened. Once it realized I wasn’t going to drown it into pulp, it told me about the bird. Apparently, your thief had the note delivered by falcon. In the falcon’s talons, actually, which the paper did not appreciate. Claws are very hard on paper, and—”

“Yes, of course,” Miranda said. “Did the paper say anything else?”

“I was getting to that,” Allinu sloshed, insulted. “It said, ‘At least the trip was short.’ ”

“How short?”

“Two, three minutes from when the falcon grabbed him until the falcon dropped it on some guards,” Allinu bubbled.

“That’s more like it.” Miranda grinned. “Thank you, Allinu.”

The water rose in a white mist, swirling and then vanishing back into the sapphire, leaving Miranda’s fingers damp and cold.

“Two minutes,” Gin said. “That’s a pretty big area.”

“Not everything’s as fast as you are,” Miranda said, wiping her hand on her trousers. “Coriano did say Eli wouldn’t run far. Besides, if he wasn’t close by, how could he see the signal when they meet his demands? He specifically told them to fly it from the second tower, which is barely visible above the wall.” She smiled at the castle rising over the city, less than a mile behind them. “Look, you can hardly see it even at this distance. He must be close, and when they give the signal, he’ll need to send another note to set up the trade and deliver the king. When he does that, we’ll be ready.”

She reached into the neck of her shirt and pulled out a silver pendant of delicate spirals wrapped around a large, white pearl. It was a lovely piece of work. She’d had it made especially for the spirit she kept inside, before she caught him, which wasn’t the normal order of things, but Eril had been worth it. The number of Spiritualists who kept wind spirits could be counted on one hand. Wind spirits were almost impossible to catch, and nearly as impossible to control if you did catch one. That was why she’d chosen a pendant to house him. It kept him close. A Spiritualist never forced her spirits to serve, but some spirits required more supervision than others.

“Eril,” she said, holding the pendant out. “I need you.”

At first, nothing happened. Miranda stood stone still, eyes on the pendant, until a soft breeze tangled the wispy hair around her ears. “You called?”

Miranda grimaced inwardly. Talking to a wind spirit was uncomfortably like talking to thin air. Eril, of course, took full advantage of this.

“I need you to keep an eye on the castle and all surrounding land for the next few days,” she said, careful to keep her face in the determined but slightly bored expression that worked best with flighty spirits. “You’re watching for a white flag from the second tower. The moment it flies, you’ll be looking for a bird, likely a falcon, but it could be anything, with a note in its claws. I’ll want to know where it came from, where it goes once the note is delivered, plus anything else of interest you might see.”

“Bird watching?” Eril said and sighed dramatically, blowing Miranda’s hair into her eyes. “That sounds so boring. Can’t I do something else?”

“No,” Miranda said firmly. “Don’t forget to keep an eye on all the surrounding territory—the city, the countryside, and the forest to the north where the king keeps his deer. I’ll want reports on everything.”

“All right, all right, I heard you the first time,” he huffed. “Never get to have any fun,” Miranda heard him mutter as the wind began to die down.

Miranda stayed frozen even after the air was still, a scowl etched on her face.

“He’s gone,” Gin said.

“Good,” Miranda said, giving herself a little shake. “He likes to hang around sometimes, just to see what I say about him. Gives me the jeebies.”

The hound snorted sympathetically. “How did you catch him in the first place if you couldn’t see him?”

“I used smoke,” Miranda said, untying Gin’s pack and dropping it on the ground. “But even when I could see, it took me a solid month before I managed to catch hold of a wind spirit long enough to convince him to join me.”

Gin shook his massive head. “I will never understand how you humans manage to get through your short lives being spirit blind. That’s probably why the Powers gave your kind the ability to command spirits. It’s a survival mechanism.”

“We get by well enough.” Miranda pushed aside the thick branches for a better look at the castle. “It might have been a little much, sending him so early. The riders won’t even reach the Council city until late tomorrow, and that’s if they ride through the night. Then there’s the wait while the bounty is approved.”

“So what?” Gin flopped down on the thick carpet of pine needles. “I could use a break.”

“Lazy mutt.” Miranda grinned. Still, he was right. Ever since they’d gotten Coriano’s tip that Eli was in Mellinor, they’d been constantly on the move. She hadn’t had more than three hours of sleep in one stretch since she’d left the Spirit Court.

“All right,” she said, slumping down next to him, “you win. But since you got to sleep while I was searching the castle, you get first watch.”

Gin snorted, sending pine straw everywhere, but he moved to the edge of the clearing where he could lounge and watch the road at the same time. When he was settled, Miranda lay back, looking up at the deep blue sky through the tree tops. Eventually, they’d need to find a better hiding place, but this would do for now. Anyway, the sun was warm here. She closed her eyes. When Eli made his move, they would be ready. The thought made her smile, and with that, she fell asleep.