Chapter 6

Vitorcine and Yoyox rushed into the private meeting room for the cabinet of Dove's rule.

The first thing out of their mouths was: "Aly's alive!"

What they didn't notice was that they were in the process of being chewed out by Aly's family in Tortall. Everyone froze at the remark. From the other side of the visual speaking spell, Alanna the Lioness stopped pacing; King Jon's head shot up from his desk, his queen's quickly following; Tortall's spymaster stopped ranting; Myles of Olau froze; Dove, standing in front of the vision, stopped everything and collapsed into the nearest chair; Chenaol dropped the bottle of Arak; Taybur's hand had jumped to his knife, showing his stress level; Ysul's mouth dropped open; Fesgao's mouth fell open as his butt fell in a chair; Nawat jumped up, froze then jumped like a crow to stand in front of the two leading Aly's pack.

"What? How do you know?" he demanded.

"We went out, I'm sure Taybur told you, we leaked information just in case we failed miserably. But anyway, we went out, not expecting to attract any attention, and a full platoon is just standing with their backs to us. Smack in the middle of he city!" Yoyox said enthusiastically.

"We kicked their asses of course, but it's proof! Only Aly had any inkling of what we were planning. And Trick is still missing! Trick must still be with Aly! Trick must be passing information through!" exclaimed Vitorcine.

"And look what came in right as we were coming to see you!" Yoyox said with a slight smile, smoothing his mustache, as he held up a crumpled piece of paper, in handwriting that no one recognized. But it sounded so much like Aly that there was no doubt that it was from her. It read:

I hope you liked your present

Only Aly would consider that a present, or have the nerve to send a message like that up through the ranks.

Only Aly.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

WITH ALY, BEFORE THE PACK'S STRIKE

David tended to his patient's wounds thinking over what his options were. If he left, this girl died. If he stayed, he remained oppressed by his brother. He could try to put message through, if this girl could really provide enough information to put his hide on the line for her.

"Your so much more powerful than this. Why do you do it?" Aly asked. She had watched him think. Watched him tend to the same wound twice now. She jarred him out of his thought process. She shifted her Sight to detect lies.

"Why do I do what?" David asked.

"Why do you stay here, do petty work, when you could be one of the strongest mages in this empire?"

"I stay because I'm the only one that Bastard would trust. He believes he has me wrapped around his finger," David said sourly.

Aly eyed him. He did not lie to her. Why is he telling her the truth?

"Why are you telling me the truth?" Aly asked.

"Because you probably won't make it home…" David paused, thinking. "It is whispered that the Spymaster has the ability to see lies…"

Aly adopted a totally blank expression. Let him make of it what he will. "People often embellish those they think are better than them."

"In this case," David said, a smile lighting his features, "I think not. I think they were telling the absolute truth."

There was a pause, both of them measuring the other. David weighing whether it would be worth it to try to get a message out for her; Aly whether it would be better to figure out where he had heard that from or just kill him and take the consequences.

"You know," David said, catching on to her train of thought, "I might be able to get a message out for the Spymaster. She said herself that I could be one of the strongest mages of this empire."

Aly, her Sight still set to sniff out lies, Saw none. He was telling the truth. He would be willing to betray his blood for her. She decided that he would be of more use to her if he could do this and keep her secret.

She gave him a simple one lined message. Then when he left, put Trick to listening to the other darkings. If the message made it to her people, then up from there, unedited, she would trust this man.

The next day, after being grilled and beaten by a pissed Bastard, Trick gently woke Aly with news. They had been given the message. Almost all of the darkings in the palace had read the note. It was word for word what Aly had said. Well, yippee, I have an ally. Let's play ball.