Page 25 of Storm of Ink and Blood

“Are they even awake?” Yasen whispered. “Some soldiers they are.”

“They’re just hired thugs,” Zarya said, noting their somewhat threadbare clothing. But they also proved the royal soldiers standing out front were only a show of intimidation. The Jadugara were too confident. She hoped she could inflict a crack in that armor.

Yasen snorted. “You get what you pay for, I guess.”

He peered up and then left and right down the alley. Everything remained quiet except for the usual sounds of the city. “Can you do something about them?” he asked.

Zarya nodded and then sent out two slim tendrils of air magic circling around their necks. Just enough to make them pass out but not to kill them, though she did kind of want to kill anyone who willingly supported this behavior. They’d get their chance for their revenge. But first, she had to get to the bottom of all this.

The two guards slumped against the wall, and quick as lightning, Yasen darted across the alley, catching each of them around a bicep and easing them gently to the ground. When Zarya gave him a quizzical look, he answered, “Don’t worry, I wasn’t concerned about them falling. I just didn’t want their weapons to make any noise.”

“Smart,” she said, stepping over one of them.

“I’m not just a pretty face, Zee.”

She snorted. “Sure you are.”

He laughed as she bent down and peered through the keyhole. Using a bit more air magic, she felt inside the lock, probing the mechanism. After she was rewarded with a click, she continued through the opening, coming out the other side and finding the deadbolt before flipping it open.

The door creaked quietly as they entered a dark hallway before closing it softly behind them. Waiting, they listened for any sounds of life.

When all seemed quiet, they ventured down the hall and stopped when they came upon a branching corridor leading towards a brightly lit room. Zarya made out the din of low chatter and the clink of cutlery, plates, and glasses, indicating a kitchen already up preparing meals for the following day or perhaps tending to a few late-night cravings for the Imarat’s residents.

Yasen pressed his finger to his lips, and they scooted past, slinking deeper into the shadows. The polished marble floors gleamed in the streetlights filtering through windows covered with gauzy curtains.

Their earlier reconnaissance had revealed the ink was kept in a cabinet in the front of the building that served as a sitting area. They proceeded down the hall, pausing occasionally to listen for sounds of anyone approaching. A creak from overhead had them pressing against the wall with their breath held. They listened as footsteps neared the top of the stairs before they continued past, receding into another part of the building.

“Let’s move,” Yasen whispered. “This place gives me the creeps.”

Zarya nodded before they searched the sprawling main floor to locate the front hall. Off to the left, they found a large living area filled with plush furniture, perfect for receiving guests.

At the back was a long glass-fronted cabinet that ran nearly the length of the wall. Even in the dimness of the room, Zarya could see the inky reflection of the bottles sitting in neat rows like trophies. She suspected they kept these out in the open as a constant reminder of their power.

“Jackpot,” Yasen said, giving Zarya a triumphant look.

She nodded, and they prowled closer, still keeping one ear peeled, when she noticed the large padlock fastened to the front of the cabinet.

“It’s locked,” she whispered. “They didn’t say anything about a lock.”

Yasen picked it up, studying the heavy contraption before gently laying it down. “I wonder if they added it after we blew up the factory.”

“Great,” Zarya said, her gaze tracing the edges and lines of the cabinet, searching for another way inside.

“Can you use your magic to open it?” Yasen asked as he ran his fingers along the edges of the door, clearly having similar thoughts. There were no visible joints or weak spots, so the lock was the only option short of smashing the glass.

“I’ll try,” she said. As she had with the door, she spun out a thread of air and fed it into the keyhole. With her tongue wedged in the corner of her mouth, she rooted inside it, searching for a way to spring the mechanism.

“Zee, hurry up,” Yasen said, his gaze flicking towards the doorway and back again.

“I’m trying,” she snapped. “This is hard.”

He grunted but said nothing as she continued to poke and prod. This lock was far more complex than the one guarding the back. Perhaps the factory explosion had rattled the Jadugara more than they were letting on.

As she worked, it took her a few moments to notice another sound filling the quiet room. Clinking. A soft chime, like beads tinkling in a breeze.

“What’s that noise?” Yasen asked as their gazes drifted to the bottles that were now… vibrating. Zarya placed a hand on the cabinet while they shook harder, the ringing of glass growing louder.

“My magic,” Zarya whispered in horror. There was so much ink here. Was it reacting to her mere presence? She curled her magic back, hoping to settle the bottles, but they continued to rattle, the sound swelling to fill every corner of the room.