The Outskirts: The Rogue Knight (Jace x OC) BOOK 2

The Rogue Knight: 14

We exited the crypt without difficulty. Full of weathered tombs and diverse monuments, the cemetery looked more like a forgotten statue garden than a graveyard.
With the bells of the Silver Lining still clamoring in the distance, Skye cloaked them in seemings, this time grubby people in worn clothing.
"I can do myself," Dalton offered.
"Me too." I added.
"I've got it," Skye said. "Without the scrubbers to interfere, I'd like to think I could handle four temporary seemings from my deathbed."
"Where to now?" Cole asked.
"I did some scouting this morning," Skye said. "One of my old hideouts was untouched. Nobody has used it in years. We'll go there. Until we arrive, let's spread out. They'll be looking for a group."
Me and Jace hung back, and Cole strolled off to one side. Dalton stayed near Skye.
"You can really do seemings?" Jace asked.
I didn't reply. I concentrated and made myself look like Jace. It was relatively easy for how often I had caught myself staring at him.
He grinned and shook his head. "That's crazy."
"I wonder if I could do more than one . . ."
I concentrated again.
"Oh, come on." Jace complained, checking his reflection in a puddle. "You turned me into Cole?"
I laughed, letting the seemings drop. I was about to say something more, before I realized the others were waiting for us. I tapped Jace on the arm before jogging over to them.
"We're almost there," Skye said. "I don't think we're being followed. Stay with me."
She proceeded along the street, then turned down a shadowy alley. After going a short ways, I could see that it was a dead end. A large black dog lay in the corner near the far wall of the alley. As Skye approached, the dog raised head and growled. She kept coming, and the dog growled more intensely, showing teeth.
"Skye?" Cole asked.
"Trust me," she said, stepping through the dog Reaching up high, her hand disappeared into the wall and came our with a key. After feeling lower along the wall, her hand sinking a couple of inches into the bricks, she inserted the key and pulled open a door that had been masked by illusion.
"The dog looks good," Dalton said, walking through it.
"A friend made it," Skye said. "It's permanent. You can't open the door without disrupting it, and I can tell if it has been disrupted by anyone besides me. Nobody has bothered it."
"Who would mess with a growling dog?" Jace asked.
"Especially in an alley with no entrances to homes or businesses," Skye said.
"The shadows?" Dalton asked.
"Good eye," Skye said. "I layered some false, permanent shadows, so you can't see the back of the alley from the front. That way we're sure to go in and out unnoticed."
"That's smart." I breathed.
They passed through the door way and into a long, narrow corridor without doors or windows. Skye produced a ball of light that she held in her hand. Halfway down the hall she stopped.
"There's a ladder built into the wall, buried under a seeming," she explained. "Climb to the top, then make yourselves at home."
I reached out for the plaster wall, and my hands sunk into it and found rungs. I climbed up, passing through the fake ceiling and eventually entering a spacious room lit by a variety of lamps. The comfortable furnishings included a low table, two sofas, and a couple of cushy armchairs. Art hung on the walls, and carpets covered much of the wooden floor.
Skye came up the ladder last. "Have a seat, everyone," she said. "It's time to meet our new friend." The seemings masking their identities melted away. They all looked like themselves again. Just seeing Dalton again made me grin.
"Thanks for rescuing me," Dalton said, a little uncomfortable.
"Thank Kendal and Cole for that," Jace said, plopping down on one of the sofas. "Now we're just hoping you know something useful."
They all sat down.
I knew the first question I wanted to ask. "Have you heard anything about Jenna?"
Dalton shook his head sadly. "She came with us to Junction City. I haven't seen her since I was split into the group headed for Elloweer. I don't know what group she ended up with. But she was okay the last time I saw her. They treat the slaves pretty well the ones who can shape, anyway."
"Any local news?" Jace asked.
"I've been working at the Silver Lining," Dalton said. "I've heard all sorts of things. What do you want to know?"
"We're wondering about a secret prisoner at Blackmont Castle," Skye said.
"Wow," Dalton said. "You guys don't mess around. That's a big deal. Hardly anybody talks about it. Nobody knows who it is."
"Are there any rumors about her?" Cole asked.
"It's a she?" Dalton asked back.
"We think so," Cole said. "Have you heard something different?"
"I have no idea," Dalton said. "I've never directly overheard anybody mention the prisoner. It's still a well-guarded secret. I've picked up a little gossip from the other slaves. Nothing specific. As a group, we hear a lot. Do you think it's
somebody you know?"
"Yes," I said. "What do you know about the High Shaper's daughters?"
"Is that a good topic?" Jace asked.
"We can trust Dalton," I said. "He's with us now. He needs to get up to speed."
"I just became a fugitive," Dalton told Jace.
"That was blind faith in my best friends. Lots of people will want to find me. I'm marked as a slave. I'm doomed without you guys. I'm on your side, man. The more I know, the more I can help."
"Have you heard about the High King's daughters?" I asked.
"Not much," Dalton said. "They all died a long time ago, right? He has no heirs."
"He faked their deaths in order to steal their shaping powers," Cole said. "Taking their powers stopped them from aging."
"What?" Dalton said in surprise.
"Where did you hear that?"
"I know one of his daughters," I said. "And we think another one of them is the secret prisoner at Blackmont Castle."
I went on to explain about meeting Mira and fighting Carnag to get her powers back. I told about shapecrafters and how the High King was planning to do shapecraft experiments on the gifted slaves he had bought from Ansel.
"He can shape the shaping power?" Dalton asked incredulously.
"If he can't, he has people who can," I said. "Carnag is proof. We met one of the shapecrafters. The High King only wanted you and the others he bought to develop your powers so he could mess with them."
"Does he want to steal them?" Dalton asked.
"We don't know," Cole said. "Maybe. The shapecrafter lady wouldn't spill the details."
"Where is Mira now?" Dalton asked.
I explained about losing Mira to the Rogue Knight. I told how Joe and Twitch went after her.
"And you think the big threat to the northwest is really Honor's power?" Dalton verified.
"That's our best guess," I said.
Skye leaned forward. "It fits so well that if we can't identify the prisoner, we'll proceed as if it's Honor."
"And do what?" Dalton asked.
"Free her," Skye replied.
Dalton whistled and shook his head. "Good luck." He looked at me and Cole. "You've gotten mixed up in some crazy stuff." Cole gave a little shrug.
"After we met Mira and escaped together, it just sort of happened. It was thanks to her contacts that I found Jill Davis, who led me to you." I said.
"You saw Jill?" Dalton asked.
"She's in Carthage," I replied. "She wouldn't come with us. She was too scared."
"I see why," Dalton said. "If you guys are going to Blackmont Castle, you're looking for trouble. It's the strongest prison in Elloweer."
"I know," Skye said. "I grew up here."
"We're talking about their most closely guarded prisoner," Dalton emphasized. "Nobody has even seen this person."
"Somebody has seen her," Skye said.
"Somebody who knows how to keep a secret," Dalton said. "The Dreadknight is champion of Edgemont. He watches over Blackmont Castle personally."
"The Dreadknight?" Cole asked.
"The most feared champion in Elloweer," Dalton said. "Nobody knows his real name. He's been unchallenged for almost twenty years."
"All true," Skye said. "But we can't let any of that stop us. The High King is losing the powers he stole. People would rally around his slighted heirs. With the help of his daughters, we can finally overthrow him and restore our old freedoms. But first we must free Honor and help her get her powers back. Until we do, the monster in the north will keep rampaging."
"What do you know about the monster?" Jace asked.
Dalton shrugged. "It's becoming a cause for real panic. The monster seems to be heading this way. Towns and cities are emptying as it gets closer. Anyone who doesn't run away disappears. But you guys should know more about it than
I do."
"Why?" Skye asked.
"You know," Dalton said. "The soldier."
"What soldier?" Skye asked.
"The guardsman from Pillocks who saw the monster," Dalton said as if relaying common knowledge.
"I haven't heard about this," Skye said.
"Aren't you part of the Unseen?" Dalton asked.
"Yes, but I haven't been in touch with my contacts for several days," she said.
"Sorry, I figured you knew," Dalton said. "There was a guardsman who saw the monster and got away. As far as I know, he's the only person who ever came close and then escaped. I'm not sure what exactly he saw, but apparently some of the champions and aldermen were worried his stories could cause panic. They sent him to Blackmont Castle."
"Is that where they put everyone?" Jace asked.
"Only the most important prisoners," Dalton said. "The ones they don't execute. Anyhow, some members of the resistance intercepted the soldier on his way to Edgemont and freed him. Rustin Sage and Alderman Campos were furious. Nobody knows where he ended up."
"When did this happen?" Skye asked. "Recently?"
"Just barely," Dalton said. "Like a couple days ago."
Skye stood up. "This has been useful. You're a very attentive young man."
"Thanks." Dalton said.
I couldn't believe how much Dalton already seemed to know about life in Elloweer. Then again, I figured it would surprise others to find out how much I had learned about the Outskirts in the short time I been here. It shouldn't be a shocker—Dalton worked in a confidence lounge where people traded secrets every day, and he had a good brain. Stuck in another world, he had kept his ears open."
"You four will be safe here," Skye said as she moved toward the exit. "I know just who to contact to find out more about the guardsman. This could be a crucial lead. The more we know about the form Honor's power has taken, the better chance we'll have to help her regain her abilities."
"What should we do?" Cole asked
"Sit tight," Skye said. "I'll return soon."
She went down the concealed ladder, and then she was gone. Jace had fallen asleep, face against the cushions. I couldn't help a smile looking at him.
"I thought you guys were dead." Dalton said.
"We could have died," Cole said. "The sky castles almost got us. Kendal almost lost her leg. And I thought we were goners when we fought Carnag."
"I can't believe the adventures you've had," Dalton said. "Sambria sounds crazy! I thought I had it bad, but compared to you, my life has been calm. Since getting sorted at Junction City, I've worked at the Silver Lining and practiced making seemings. Part of me still can't believe you found me."
"We told you we'd come," I reminded him.
"I know," Dalton said. "I believed you'd try. It just seemed impossible. Even so, a little piece of me thought you might show up one day. I swore to myself that if you found me, I'd run off. That's part of the reason I kept track of the secret passages."
"You haven't heard about Jenna since Junction City?" Cole asked.
"I've hardly seen anybody from home since then," Dalton said. "I don't know where they sorted her. I've only seen the four other kids they sent to Elloweer-and it's been weeks since we split up. None of the others are here in Merriston."
"I saw Jill Davis in Carthage," I said. "She told me how to find you."
"Really?" Dalton asked. "How is she?"
"Alive," I said. "Kind of like you, doing her job as a slave in a confidence lounge. She didn't want me to try to rescue her. She was scared the resistance couldn't protect her."
"She might be right," Dalton said. "She's probably safer where she is."
"Do you wish we hadn't come for you?" Cole asked.
"No way," Dalton replied with enthusiasm. "Jill might be safer working at the confidence lounge, but that doesn't mean she's better off. There's more to life than safety. It was risky for me to leave, but if I didn't want to do it, I wouldn't have come. Besides, what was the alternative? Stay here as a slave the rest of my life?"
"I don't know," Cole said heavily. "I've gotten you into trouble before. Look . . . I'm sorry I brought us to the haunted house. I'm sorry I wanted to see the basement. When we were going down the stairs, you heard them lock the door. You tried to warn me. I should have listened."
"Not your fault," Dalton said. "It was dumb to go into a stranger's basement, but you weren't the only one who volunteered. I was curious too."
"We should have known something was off just because they had a basement." I added.
"What do you mean?" Cole asked.
"Who in our neighborhood had a basement?" I asked. "You didn't. I didn't. Dalton didn't. Do you know anybody who did?"
"I never thought about that," Cole said. "We used to have a basement when we lived in Boise."
"Not that basements are evil," I said. "Just out of the ordinary in Mesa. I noticed the weirdness of having a basement, and I knew it was dumb to go into a stranger's house, but there were lots of kids, so I figured nothing bad could happen. By the time Dalton heard the door lock, it was too late. Once we went down the stairs, we were sunk. If we had gone back up to try the door, they probably would have just sprung the trap earlier."
"Maybe," Cole said. "But going to the spook alley was my idea. I convinced you guys. Jenna, too."
"She went with Kendal and a bunch of other people," Dalton said. "She might have gone whether or not you invited her, or whether Kendal went. Don't worry—she's probably got a cushy job. She can shape. They'll treat her well."
"Until they start experimenting on her," Cole said. "Quima, the shapecrafter lady, made it sound like they had more in store for you guys than just stripping your powers away. But she was pretty bitter about us wrecking her plans.
She might have just been trying to scare us."
"I can't believe we're part of a revolution," Dalton said. "The High Shaper is really powerful. The resistance will need a lot of support to take him down."
"They'll get it once everyone finds out about Mira and her sisters," Cole said. "If we can overthrow the High King, we'll also free the slaves. That includes you and all our friends."
"Even if the revolution works, we may not get to go home. If a Wayminder sends us to Arizona, we'll get drawn back into the Outskirts. Plus, nobody back home will remember us. Our families will look at us like strangers."
"That's what we heard too," I said.
"It could be a sneaky way to keep people from trying to leave." Cole said.
"You think they're lying?" I asked.
"I don't know. Mira seems to think that's how it works too. True or not, there has to be a way around it. We'll talk to the best Wayminders. We'll find their Grand Shaper. Shapecraft might even help us. If it can mess with the shaping power, maybe we can use it to get home and stay there."
Dalton shook his head. "That would be amazing,
he said. "I guess I kind of gave up hope that could ever happen. Home felt so far away. But now, seeing you guys, it seems possible again."
I knew exactly what he meant. It was hard after being back with Dalton not to focus one hundred percent on finding the others from our world and escaping. But Mira had been there for us over and over we couldn't just walk away while the Rogue Knight held her captive. Besides, without Mira's help and connections, who knew how far we would get? No Mira would have meant no Skye and no Joe. No Jace. Without them, we still wouldn't know where to look for Dalton, let alone how to rescue him.
"This place could be worse, at least," Dalton said. "Not that I want to stay," he added hurriedly. "But it's cool to make seemings. Much cooler than anything I did back home."
"It is fun." I said. But I didn't totally agree. Staying here didn't actually seem like a terrible idea.
"Fun for you guys since you're wizards," Cole grumbled.
"You brought that Jumping Sword to life," I said. "That isn't supposed to happen. You've got power too."
"I don't know," Cole said. "That one burst of power is all I've ever done. I can't make it happen again. Declan, the Grand Shaper of Sambria, thought I'd have abilities someday. I figured when things changed, I'd know. How was it for you? Did it come all at once?"
"It's hard to explain," Dalton said. "I never made a seeming until they started training me."
"Our power works like active imagining. You know how you can picture stuff in your head?" I said.
"Like a hamburger?" Cole asked. "I miss hamburgers."
I made a big, juicy burger appeared on the coffee table, ketchup and molten cheese oozing out from under the top bun. It looked completely tangible.
"That's just mean," Cole said.
I waved a hand, and the cheeseburger vanished.
"Skye had me picture stuff in my mind," I said.
"They pushed me to see it really vividly, all the little details. Then I was supposed to picture it outside of my mind."
"And it just worked?" Cole asked.
"For me." I said, looking to Dalton.
"Not at first for me," Dalton said. "But I would get little flickers, so they knew I had potential."
"You have to picture it just right, and push a certain way, like flexing a muscle in your mind. It takes a lot of concentration. After you make the seeming, you have to keep concentrating, or it goes away." I said. "Well, that's what it's like for me anyway."
Cole made a face. "I'm trying to do it," he said. "Where do you push from?"
"It's hard to explain," Dalton said. "Think of it like you're trying to make yourself actually see it with your eyes. That's how I started. Then when it works a little, you begin to learn how you really need to push. After you figure out how to push, it takes practice to build up the strength to push harder. I doubt I'll ever be able to push like Skye."
I nodded in agreement. "Skyes amazing."
"You haven't been here very long," Cole said. "You'll keep getting better."
"I wonder how long we've been here." I said. "What's the date?"
"It's November twenty-second." Cole said. "I asked Skye earlier."
"Wait," Dalton said, turning to me. "Your thirteen. Your birthday was last week."
I realized he was right. We had been so busy I had totally forgotten.  "Huh. Your right."
"And Cole is still twelve." Dalton added with a smirk. Dalton had turned thirteen in September. Jenna's birthday was also in September. Cole was the youngest, his birthday wasn't until December.
"Hey," Cole complained.
"Anyways, I wish I could do seemings like Skye's."  I said.
"I can't believe how well she did Gustus," Dalton said. "It's hard to make a human illusion move right unless you anchor it to a person. If you tie it to a person, the seeming smiles when the person smiles, walks when the person walks. When you try to do it yourself, stuff moves, but it usually looks wrong. You forget to make them breathe. The joints don't adjust quite right. The feet sink through the floor or float a little. You start to feel like a clumsy puppeteer. Not only was Skye doing three seemings at once, she made a fourth unanchored seeming walk through a scrubber and appear totally natural."
"She's good," Cole said. "You should have seen her dazzle show."
Dalton gave us a shy glance. "She's not bad looking, either."
"I guess," Cole said. "But she's pretty old. Like an aunt or something."
I rolled my eyes. "Don't tell me you're in love with her."
Dalton looked away. "She's just, you know, really nice and cute and talented."
"This is like Miss Montgomery!" I exclaimed. Dalton had harbored a serious crush on their third-grade teacher. "Are you going to write her a poem?"
"That poem wasn't for Miss Montgomery," Dalton said.
"That's right," Cole remembered. "You used her real name. Linda."
"I was just practicing," Dalton professed. "The name was a coincidence."
"Was it a coincidence how you hung around after class with lots of extra questions?"
"Those were legitimate math questions," Dalton protested.
"Maybe you could get some shaping tutoring from Skye," I suggested.
Dalton huffed and shook his head. "A girl can be pretty without me falling in love with her. You're right, she's like an aunt."
"A pretty aunt," Cole teased.
"Forget I said anything." He looked really uncomfortable.
"Okay. New subject. I guess it's hard to do voices? You know, when you make a seeming?" I said, trying to change the subject.
"Sounds are tricky," Dalton said, seizing the new topie like a life preserver. "I can't do them yet. Same with smells. They should work the same way as visuals, but most of us find them way harder."
Cole glared at the table, and I'm guessing he was trying to make a seeming.
"Your face is turning red," I said.
Cole laughed. "I'm not sure seemings are my thing."
"I'd rather have a Jumping Sword," Dalton said. "Those sound cool. I wish I could see one."
"They're awesome when they work," I said. "Skye stashed them somewhere this morning. She didn't want them to get confiscated at the Silver Lining, and she didn't want to leave them at her mom's place. If you think those are cool, you should see Jaces rope. It's incredible."
Cole nodded in agreement.
Stretching, Dalton looked around. "If I have to be stuck in the Outskirts, I'm glad you're with me. I mean, I'm not glad you're stuck here, but, you know-"
"I get it," Cole said. "I feel the same way. The thought of you and Jenna out there someplace helped keep me going. I don't know how I would have been if I was here alone. Less brave, probably."
Jace rolled over. "Less brave? You were already breaking records!" I covered a laugh.
"I thought you were asleep," Cole said.
Jace groaned. "How can I sleep with you three babbling nonstop? Also," he turned to me. "Welcome to the cool thirteen year olds club." He turned back to Cole and Dalton. "Tell me more about the food you miss. Is it peanut butter most? Or cereal?"
"You wouldn't mock it if you'd tried it," I said with a smile.
"Maybe," Jace said. "What are hamburgers?"
I made a perfect burger appear on the table.
Jace leaned forward. "What's in the middle? Ground meat?"
"Yep," Cole said. "Beef."
"Okay," Jace admitted. "That looks pretty good."
I heard a noise downstairs.
"Is that Skye?" Cole asked.
I waved a hand and the burger vanished.
Jace grinned. "Might want to fix your hair a little,
Dalton."
Dalton glared.
"What?" Jace whispered innocently. "Don't you want to be the favorite nephew?" I let out a snort.
I heard soft footsteps downstairs. Dalton quickly ran his fingers through his hair, and I bit back a smile.
Jace rolled off the couch, grabbed a heavy lamp, and crept over to where the ladder came up from below. Holding the lamp ready to swing, he put a finger to his lips.
"This is why it's nice to have Jace around," Cole whispered.
Skye's head came up through the fake floor. She was momentarily startled when she saw Jace, then she smiled up at him. "Expecting someone?"
Jace lowered the lamp. "I'm almost disappointed. It's not very day you get this good of a free shot."
"I have great news," Skye said, not coming all the way up. "I know the people who nabbed the guardsman. We get to go meet him right now. Don't leave anything behind. we may not come back here."