Chapter 9

"Did you just say she fetched herself?!" Sasha asked incredulously. She was completely stunned by the first part of the statement and thus took a second to register the second, "The Codricks!?"

:It is her gift.: Lanya interjected, :Both fetching and trouble. It is how she got here.:

Sasha, startled at the mind voice, jerked her head from Kristov to Roya. A companion was speaking to her directly. kristov's words flashed through her mind. Vanished like she had appeared. It clicked into place. "Grove born."

"Yes," Roya agreed, "both of them." Sasha stared at the king's own. She'd heard to rumours on the road but having just returned from her circuit a few days ago, she was yet to substantiate the claims. Or rather had been. A grove born herald and companion pair. What was Valdemar coming to face that such a pair were needed.

Roya placed a hand on Sasha's shoulder. "Time is of the essence. I need you to go now. Lanya will fill you in on the way. Companion's speed my friend."

Sasha nodded and and was already running when she called to her own companion. :Zakten,You ready?:

:Always.: was the prompt response.

. . . . . . . .

Kagiso's question made Arturo look up from where he had been messaging circulation back into his feet. "We control the crime in and around Haven."

Usually Kagiso loved being right. This time she really wished she hadn't been. "You're the fuckin' mob." she breathed. The mob. Well that was a short life. "You lead the crime of Haven."

Arturo tilted his head to one side. "We are the line that should not be crossed. We stop others from passing it."

"And who exactly drew this line!" Kagiso demanded.

"Morality." Arturo responded with a straight face. "Certain things are not meant to be done."

"Who decides what is and isn't acceptable? So you have a code. That doesn't mean shit if its a bad one." Kagiso glared.

"You're more perceptive than you appear." Arturo mused, "This leads me to believe you are aware there are times when the laws are folly. Even where they are true, how many heralds are there? 150? How many citizens? While a herald may be mighty young grey, there is only so much they can do."

150 . That's all there was!? Kagiso's stared dumbfounded. For the whole country? Realizing she needed to count the companions she brought the total up to 300. Still an alarmingly small number.

"The Crown and The Line, my family, have an understanding. We both value honourable conduct. Those who enter my world know the rules going in. We hide nothing. Well that's not true." Arturo corrected himself with a chuckle. "We hide everything. My point being, that which can be done, and that which won't be tolerated are made very clear. The line never break their word."

"I'm assuming Myer's group does not follow this conduct." At Arturo's confirmation Kagiso asked, "Where does that leave an innocent bystander?"

"You are to be protected and would be even without the debt I owe you. Innocents are not to be harmed." Kagiso eyed him warily. Given the alternative she chose to believe him. Either way she was certain her life was at stake. Enemy you know and all that.

She inched up on her tiptoes and peered through the door's window again. She could see some sort of padlock on the other side. The angle was all wrong for trying ti pick it. She eyed the doors frame again. The struts supporting the frame were solid and connected to the beams that reinforced the room. A smile widened on Kagiso's face. Other than the beam supporting the door frame, the wall was dirt. They must have never expected their prisoners to be untied.

The dirt was well packed and took much more effort to dig than she expected. She continually stabbed the dirt to break it up. Her arms were tiring and a headache was pounding in her skull. She wondered if the headache was a delayed reaction from her jump. How long had she been here? She glanced up at Arturo who was watching the stairs through the door. He looked worse off than she did. He was wavering slightly where he stood. When was the last time he'd eaten? How long has he been held here? She turned back to the wall and dug with more vigour. A bead of seat dripped down her brow.

"When are the vindictive bastards due?" Kagiso asked without stopping her work.

Arturo shrugged, "I'm not really sure. They like to keep me off guard. Sometimes they wait a long while. Other times they're back right away."

"They feed you?"

"Barely." Arturo's stomach seconded his statement with a growl. Kagiso's echoed the sentiment. Arturo and Kagiso shared a quick look before muffling their laughter with their arms. Arturo sighed as he leaned back against the door. He kept his gaze out the cell door. "So how did you get in here?"

It was Kagiso's turn to shrug. "I teleported. Fetched myself." she corrected. Arturo's head whipped around to meet her gaze.

"No, you're right," Arturo said as if negating an unspoken argument. "I saw you do it with my own eyes. It's just, I've never heard of a person capable of it."

Kagiso nodded. When Kristov and Lanya explained the psychic gifts of Valdemar, mind magic she reminded herself, she'd noticed hers was not included by itself. It only showed in a form of telekinesis. "It's only my fourth trip. I assure you, had I any control over it, this is not where I would have come. No offence."

Arturo inclined his head. "None taken. Its hardly where I wish to be. The sooner we're out of here the better." Kagiso couldn't agree more.

Kagiso finally broke through the wall. She barely suppressed a yelp of glee. She started grabbing and pulling the edges of the hole bigger. Arturo bent to help. When the hole was big enough Kagiso gestured for Arturo to go first. She gave him her dagger. He looked at her surprise clearly evident on his face.

"You can use it better than I." Kagiso explained unabashed, "In my hands it would more likely provide the opponent with another blade."

Arturo looked pensive. "You are indeed wiser than your years. Upon my life you will escape with yours."

:Would you look at that.: Kagiso mused to Lanya, :I've got my very own knight in shining boxers.:

An unladylike snort traversed their bond. :Just be careful.: Kagiso nodded assent as she scrambled through the hole.

They were both covered in dirt dust from head to toe. Kagiso stretched to her full height of 5'5. Arturo stood a head taller than her. In the brighter light she had the sensation she recognized him but couldn't place how. He held his arm out to caution her back and slowly made his way up the stairs to the trap door. He listened intently before lifting the door a sliver. He waited another minute than lifted it the rest of the way. He gestured for Kagiso to follow. Arturo offered her his arm and pulled her up into a tool shed. Dawns rays filtered in through the cracks between the boards.

The small shed held slabs of stone, chisels, hammers and shovels. The shape and size of the stone slabs had Kagiso's hair on end. She felt a shiver when she read what was carved into the one on top of the pile. The Myer's were never planning on returning anyone. The tombstone read Arturo Codrick. Kagiso's head snapped up at the sound of someone approaching.