I kept a close distance from the rooftops, catching wisps of her conversations with the guards and trying to determine if she was purposefully throwing them off or if she was incompetent. When one of them asked if they should check the rooftops, she dismissed them entirely.
"That's a myth," she said. "The real Veil, if it is her, usually kept to the streets."
I chewed my lip; clearly, she was up to something. I needed to get her alone, but it was hard with her soldiers appearing out of the woodwork every other block to provide a status update. I didn't want to get her in trouble by being seen with her. If she could be trusted, she could potentially be a powerful ally.
Unfortunately, her destination seemed to be the soldiers' barracks on the west side of town, and I could no longer follow her. I waited on top of the building across the street, weighing my options. Was she going to report to Maarit? Was she going to bed? Either way, I didn't want to lose her.
A pair of Severian guards walked by, one of them about my size. Riya would recognize my face, but in the dark and fog, she might be the only one. I could be in and out before anyone recognized me.
I shimmied down the building and followed my Severian targets. Silently, I crept up behind them and knocked the first out with my conjoined hands then swung the other way and knocked out the other. After glancing around to make sure no one had seen, I dragged both their bodies into a nearby alley and set to work disrobing the smaller of the two. Then, I searched for a place to dispose of them.
I picked the lock on the back door of the nearest building and poked my head in—it was a smithery. But more importantly, there appeared to be a closet big enough to hold the two soldiers. I pulled them inside the room and into the closet, closing the door and propping a chair against the knob.
"Sorry about your headaches," I mumbled, walking over to the uniform piled in the corner. The overcoat was big enough to fit over my tunic, as were the pants, but it made me ill to put the Severian seal at my left breast.
"Just temporary," I whispered to myself. "Temporary and then you can burn it."
Fully dressed, I left the smithery as casually as possible, my slingbag hidden under my overcoat. A pair of soldiers walked toward me, and I steeled my face as they came closer.
"Halt!" they called. "Where's your partner?"
"That drunk," I said, crossing my arms. "Never showed up to work today."
The one on the left—a Severian—eyed me. "No Severian would do that."
"Don't know what to tell you," I said, looking at the Forcadelian and hoping he'd back me up. "Maybe he's sick or hungover. I don't know. But I reported it to Kellis."
"Kellis won't be in charge much longer," the Severian replied. "Maarit's about to fire her."
"Shame," I said, although inwardly, my concern grew. "Anyway, I'm headed back up. I've checked this street. Had to give two citations to some old women. Wish people would just listen."
"C'mon," the Forcadelian said, brushing past me. "I don't want to be out here all night."
Although the Severian was still wary, he followed his partner. And I continued on toward the barracks.
Seeing how they'd reacted, perhaps a drunk partner wasn't the best option. So when I came to the gates, which were closed, I tried a different tactic.
"Help! Help!" I cried, banging the gates. "My partner was attacked!"
"What's going on?" Another Severian guard came to the gate. "Where's your partner?"
"We got jumped by some kids—a lot of them. He told me to go get help." I cast a worried look behind me. "Please! I'm worried they're going to kill him!"
"Why didn't you stay?" he grumbled. "Let him get help?"
"They had him pinned down, I don't know why they let me go!" I cried. "Please, you have to help!"
He grimaced and put a whistle to his lips. Almost immediately, five more guards appeared out of from the darkness, and the gate opened.
"He's down the street!" I said, pointing the way I'd come. "Please!"
"Go with them, you stupid girl," the Severian guard barked at me.
I turned to him, putting as much fear and terror into my eyes as I could. "Please don't make me go back there. I'm so scared. They're going to kill me."
He narrowed his eyes. "What's your name? I'm writing you up for dereliction of duty. You'll be lucky if you don't get court-martialed for this."
I sniffed and wiped my eyes as I checked the surrounding area for other guards. "It's—" I reared back and punched him in the face. "None of your business."
I stuffed the guard in his box near the gate and hurried inside.
I canvassed the building, finding most of the lights off except for a set on the northwest corner. Maarit's office? Probably. The security here was light, with only a few passing guards keeping tabs on things. They paid me little notice as I finished my circle of the building. Once the patrol was out of sight, I hid in the darkness and yanked the Severian uniform off, leaving it in a pile under a bush. It might've come in handy later, but I wasn't sure I could stomach wearing it again.
Instead, I unfurled my cape, glad to be back in my own clothes again. The walls of the barracks were smooth, but I'd packed gloves that could help in this situation. They stuck to the brick, allowing me to ascend the side of the building slowly but surely. When I reached the light of the window, I slipped my hand out of the glove and dug in my bag for my listening cups. With care and balance, I used the small hand-cranked drill to create a tiny hole in the wooden window pane, then slipped the tiny metal tube attached to a long string through to capture the sound. On the other end of the string was a larger metal cup, which I stuck in my mouth as I returned my hand to the glove.
I continued scaling the wall until I reached a small overhang, and pulled myself to sit on the edge. I replaced the gloves in my bag, then pressed the cup to my ear to listen.
"…have sounded the alarm. If she's still in the city, we'll find her." Riya was speaking, and if I hadn't known better, I would've thought her a loyal soldier.
"How in the Mother's name did she get inside the city?"
"I have no idea, but I'm having the border patrol review their protocols," Riya said. "She's slippery, though. It's hard to prevent one person from coming in and out."
"And this woman who appeared tonight," Maarit said. "Are you sure it's her?"
Riya hesitated then her chin dropped. "I know her voice. That was her."
"Convenient."
I nearly fell off the roof. That wasn't the response I was expecting.
"Convenient, how?"
"Because you're the only one who says it's actually her. And you're also the prime suspect in being The Veil of Forcadel," Maarit said, her chair creaking.
"You know as well as I do that Princess Brynna was The Veil," Riya said.
"She was, until she died," Maarit said. "But there have been reports of people picking up where she left off. Queen Ilara told me to keep an eye on you and let her know if The Veil should show up on my streets."
"It's rather hard for me to be The Veil when I have ten soldiers who'll swear that I fought her," Riya said, but the nerves hadn't left her voice.
"Could've been a woman you hired to play the part in your absence. I don't know, Lieutenant Kellis. But what I do know is that the queen will be glad to hear that I've taken care of this new iteration." She placed her glass down. "You are under arrest for crimes against the crown."
Riya's face paled and she snapped to her feet. "What evidence do you have?"
"I don't need evidence," Maarit said. "All I need is a mask and a dead body and Queen Ilara will be more than satisfied."
"Over my dead body," I muttered. It was more important that Riya remain in Maarit's pocket than to hide in the shadows. I pulled the listening cups from the window and dropped myself to hang from the roof. I lurched myself back and forth until I got enough momentum. Then with a heave, I positioned my boots toward the window and swung hard.
The glass shattered beneath my feet, and I landed on the ground, spraying glass everywhere. Maarit's eyes had grown three sizes; perhaps she really had suspected Riya. And to her credit, Riya reached for her sword.
"What are you doing here?" Riya demanded.
"Saving your ass, Lieutenant," I replied, relishing the feeling of control. "It appears you've been mistakenly identified." I laughed and gestured at her. "You're too stocky to climb on rooftops."
Maarit rose from her desk. "Are you…really The Veil? The one from the city of Forcadel?"
She knew exactly who I was. I swept my cloak behind me and bowed. "The one and only. I'm here to make some changes in town. So I suggest you remind your soldiers that they are merely guests in Forcadel. And they have overstayed their welcome."
"Fancy words," Maarit replied, showing no signs of fear. "You've got magic tricks, but you're just one person. And right now, you're in my territory."
"Ah, that's where you're wrong," I said, narrowing my eyes. "This is my territory. And as I said, you've overstayed your welcome."
Maarit cried for guards as Riya rushed toward me. I yanked out my knives and clashed with her. I didn't dare look her in the eyes, not sure if she was quite skilled to hide her emotions if I did. In the interest of time, I pushed her back, then fell to a crouch, swinging my leg around to knock her over. Before she could get up, I flung one of my knives at her, slicing her shoulder and pinning her to the ground.
"I don't take kindly to traitors," I spat, hoping she'd see through it.
Three guards shoved their way through the door, and it was time to make my exit. I backed up to the window and blew a kiss at Maarit. Then with my hands curled around my cloak, I fell backwards and out into the night air. My cloak broke my fall, but not well, and I landed hard on the gravel below. There wasn't any time to think about it, though, as more soldiers would be assembling as soon as Maarit raised the alarm.
I scrambled to my feet and made a run for the open gate, bypassing the guard I'd knocked out and two others who called out in confusion. I made sure to take dark side streets and alleys until I was sure I hadn't been followed. There, I caught my breath, leaning against a wall and wiping sweat from my forehead. Twice now, I'd revealed myself and twice I'd had to make a run for it. Still, both times I'd been trying to help. Whether or not it would come back to bite me remained to be seen.
Two Severian guards ran by, and I pressed myself against the wall. I'd have to find a place to rest for the night, and potentially think about my escape. Maarit knew I was Brynna, which potentially meant that both my masked and unmasked faces would be on wanted posters tomorrow. Things had certainly become more complicated.
But that was tomorrow. Tonight, I needed sleep.
I retrieved my sticky gloves from my bag, not willing to risk walking out onto the street now. And with my arms aching, I climbed the building until I reached the roof—a flat-top with a tall ledge that would hide me. Unless, of course, the Severians got wise to my habits.
I landed in a heap against the ledge and exhaled loudly. My eyes were just about closed when a voice called out.
"Hey."