Songbird

Chapter Fifteen - Escape

After exploring the city, Kal returned to the Water Dancer to bathe, relishing the chance after so many weeks of washing in rivers on the road to Bellhaven. He wished that he could wash away his guilt along with the dirt, but he supposed that he would just have to live with the decision he had made. And now he would make another.

Downstairs, Alice was minding the inn, with Charlie in his wicker crib. She looked up as Kal entered the room.

"Hullo," she said. "Need something?"

"Are the others awake yet?"

She shook her head. "Still napping, I think. You hungry?"

He nodded. "Famished."

She retreated into the kitchen, returning a few moments later with a plate of pork slices and diced potatoes drizzled with seasoning. Kal wolfed it all gratefully down. This, too, was a change from the meager meals of water and stale bread he had endured on the road. He washed the meal down with a glass of cider.

"Alice," he said. "I'm leaving tonight." He held up the bottle of sedative that Corvin had given him, lowering his voice. "Will you make sure that the others sleep through the night?"

She gingerly took the bottle from him. "What is this?"

"Corvin called it a sedative," he said. "If you put it in their food, they should sleep for some time."

"Had a change of heart, did you?"

"Something like that," he said. "Will you do it, then?"

The baby started to cry, and she took him into her arms to calm him. "Where are you going?"

"To the Songbird," he said. "The Hounds want to kidnap her—I'm going to rescue her."

"And how do you know that she needs rescuing?" she asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

She regarded him for a moment, then shrugged. "Alright. When they wake up, I'll make sure their breakfast is spiked with this."

"Thank you, Alice, for everything," he said. "I wish there was something I could do for you in return."

"Now that you mention it," she said. "There is something."

"Name it."

She reached into her pocket and handed him a coinpurse. "I recently had a man repair some of the furniture in one of the rooms," she said. "This is his payment. His name's Daran, you'll find him at his shop near the docks."

She gave him detailed directions, and he set off right away, heading past the gate toward the docks, at the lowest part of the city. The streets were as busy as ever, and he jumped back as a carriage passed a little too close for his liking. The salty scent of the ocean grew stronger as he followed the street ever downward, and the passersby at this level were about their business rather than leisure. Various merchants plied carts full of good-luck charms for sailors and travelers, smiths hammered on glowing bars that would become sabres, hangers, knives, and daggers, as well as barrels for pistols, muskets, and rifles, while fishermen sold and traded their catches, exchanging stories of deadly sea creatures, massive fish that they had almost caught, and lovely mermaids that haunted lost isles.

Kal found the carpenter's shop just where Alice had told him it would be, next door to a smithy near the docks. From here he could see the masts of the great ships that plied the Middle Sea, and hear the calls of the men loading and unloading cargo. But he kept his attention on the task at hand and entered the shop.