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Marli’s lips quirked as she went back to grab the clothing, tossing it at Sten to wear under the robe. “Let’s go.”
Word spread like wildfire ahead of Marli. Guardians and citizens alike were whispering directions before she even reached them, sending her off on a winding path after herself. Sten trailed behind. On an island that was almost one hundred per cent female, he drew a lot of appreciative attention.
They’d ducked down a cobbled alley after the last woman had signaled to be quiet. Marli’s target was near.
“Stay here,” she ordered Sten, and slipped along the stone wall, crouching below the overhanging thatch. Beyond the cottage, the path opened to a grassy trail that lead toward the rocky beach below the cliffs.
Cliffs that house tunnel exits, much like the ones the mountain had. Only these tunnels were meant to be escape routes for the children and citizens when attacked.
She descended the stone steps, scanning the horizon. The fishing boats were all pulled in for the day, fish cleaned and set on racks to dry.
The beach curved around toward a bay from this point.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when Sten’s shadow loomed over her as he descended the steps to the beach.
“I’m not leaving you alone again,” he growled quietly, so that his voice wouldn’t carry.
“You’re going to give me away,” she growled back.
He raised a brow. “Not unless she believes that I think she’s you and I’m so lovesick that I couldn’t let you leave me.”
Marli rolled her eyes. “Be serious, Sten. Besides, from what I gathered when I overheard her on the phone, she’s meeting someone here.”
“There’s an infiltrator here too?”
Marli nodded as his expression turned serious. “Who was that back there, Sten? Who did Goliath and the deputies take down?”
He swallowed hard, looking wounded. “Eamerson.”
“Dragonsfuckinghell!” she breathed.
“That seal is the real one. It isn’t the fake, Marli.”
Marli’s heart pounded in her ears. “Wh—why would he do that? This is bad. I really need to know who she’s meeting. Fuck. Fuck! I’m so fucking fucked, Sten.” She continued moving forward, whispering. “Find out what’s going on in the mountain, take out any threat, get Kymri home safely. That was my mission. I failed every fucking part of it—Shh!” She ducked back against the cliff face, hand shooting out to press him back too.
She eased forward, daring a glance, straining for any stray words.
Fucking eerie. And why the hell didn’t anyone tell me I needed a haircut? Though my ass looks great…
Marli’s duplicate spoke to someone she couldn’t see.
Sam’s voice rose. “What do you mean he wants me to work here now? The Master promised that he would release my sister, and I’d be made a Founder once I brought him the seal.”
Unable to hear the response, or see who Sam spoke to, Marli eased closer.
“I hate Aeleftheria—my mother is an Aeleftherian whore. You can’t expect me to live here indefinitely. Decades in that mountain was bad enough, this will be even worse. Why did the Master change his mind and have it brought here?”
“Decades?” The unseen woman laughed. “I’ve been at this since the Great Divide. He changed his plan because I convinced him that I could safeguard both seals together, so that all he had to do was bring the third when the time was right.”
“You’re lying,” Sam said. “He wouldn’t risk that.”
“You believed he would, long enough to bring it here, to me.” The woman held out her hand, her face obscured by the deep hood of the plain cloak that draped her shoulders.
“This device is the key to my sister’s freedom.” Sam gripped her rucksack closer to her body.
“It’s the key to many things far more important than your sister.”
“Fuck you, old bitch,” Sam swiped out with a clawed hand when the figure reached for her rucksack.
