In Which Somewhere High is Broken Into


Xanaria and Lupe grabbed their bags and were gone in minutes. They followed the main road until, as evening wore on, Lupe turned off down a side road.

"What are you doing?" Xanaria asked. "The Baron's keep is still days away up this road."

"We'll need horses." Lupe didn't look at her. "There's a town this way."

Xanaria had grown up on a farm and near a small town. She knew just how badly the loss of a horse could mess things up for a poor family, and she knew Lupe did too. But before she could protest, the memory of Justina lying battered and bloody on Skipper's moss flash through her mind. I… I can't fail her again.

"Okay." Xanaria said in a small voice, following Lupe.

Lupe squeezed her hand. "We'll try to return them when this is over."

Before reaching the town they saw an inn and circled around through the forest to come up behind the stable. They waited until night fell and the last light went out in the windows. Then almost another hour for good measure.

Lupe pulled up her deep hood and slipped in through the stable's back door. The young stable hand inside turned at the breath of cool air from the open door. He blinked bleary-eyed and squinted at them in the dim firelight of the banked stove.

I didn't think anyone would be here. Of course there's someone here!

"What-" was all he got out before Lupe had him in an expert chokehold.

He struggled but she knew what she was doing and in less than a minute the boy was slumped unconscious on a pile of hay.

For the first time since coming home Xanaria began to notice differences between this woman and the one she left behind so many months ago.

I wonder… but Xanaria shook her head. There's no time to dwell on this now.

They stole tack, saddles, and a pair of horses before disappearing back into the night.

Trying to put as much distance as they safely could between themselves and pursuit, they walked the horses through the night.

When dawn began to brighten the sky Lupe ran a hand over her face. "There'll be enough light soon to ride without the horses breaking their ankles."

"Thank the Sleeping Goddess." Xanaria couldn't help yawning.

The horses grumbled when they mounted. Poor things must be as tired as we are. Xanaria tried to feel bad about that, but the thought of getting off and walking again made her want to cry.

Lupe was looking for something, scanning the side of the road ahead. Xanaria was about to ask what she was looking for when Lupe sat up very straight.

"There!" She pointed to a narrow trail barely visible in the still pale light.

"What is it?" Xanaria asked as they drew level with it.

"Hunting trail. There's a whole network of them in these hills that can take us most of the way to Grayson Keep. The locals know it, but they won't expect us to."

"Won't a trail take longer than the main road?"

"You'd think. But the road loops out and around by Willow's Circle and Butterpond, whereas the trails cut straight through the hills. The rougher terrain does make it slower going but it's still faster than walking. I honestly don't know if we'll be able to get ahead of the Baron's men, but it's worth a try."

Lupe guided her horse onto the trail and Xanaria followed. They rode quietly for a while listening to the birds waking up.

Eventually Xanaria broke the silence with a sigh. "We'll need a plan before we get there."

Lupe glanced at her and nodded. They talked as they rode trying to remember as much as they could about the Keep, and coming up with ideas for how they could get in. Xanaria was struck again by how much harder Lupe had grown.

"Lupe…" Xanaria began, feeling out the edges of a question she should have asked when she first saw the resistance. "How long have I been gone? For you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Time moves strangely between metaverses, and I didn't think to ask before."

"How long has it been for you?"

"Around eight months. Maybe a little over a year if you count the summer I spent here in a forest cave thinking you were dead."

Lupe looked like she'd been hit. "A year? Just a year?"

Xanaria nodded, "And you?" She whispered, dreading the answer.

Lupe looked down at hands that had gone white on her reins.

Xanaria let her think but when the silence became too much she asked, "Are you okay?"

Lupe looked up and tried to smile. "Just about four years. At first all of this: The rebellion. Fighting the Baron's men. All of it was just revenge. For you. And then it grew and I grew and we became so much more and… I was moving on. I hadn't even noticed until Tina said your name and it all came rushing back."

"But that's good." Xanaria tried to swallow past the hard knot in her throat. "I thought you were dead too and I hadn't even let myself begin to process. I just kept running, Lupe."

"It's odd. I felt guilty for giving up when you so clearly hadn't… but you just hadn't had the time to get there yet."

"Don't feel guilty. I would want you to move on, to be happy."

"I know that. I do. It's just strange. We're not quite on the same page at the moment are we?"

"Yes we are. We're both here now."

Lupe smiled with only half her mouth. "Well, we will be anyway."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"Then that's what matters." Xanaria said firmly.

Lupe nodded and reached out to squeeze her hand. They rode in silence for a long time thinking their own thoughts.


After days of riding they finally saw Grayson Keep. They had made good time, all things considered. But they had no way of knowing if the Baron's men had made it back first. So they split up. Lupe took their horses and found a good place for them.

"Someplace with grass, I think." She told Xanaria, "To keep them occupied and calm. But also close to a road. Just in case… just in case we aren't in a position to come back for them later. So, they can call for help and someone will hear them."

"Good. One less thing to worry about."

"I still think I should be the one to talk to the locals."

"I know I'm not as charming as you, but at least I'm not currently the most wanted criminal in the Barony." Xanaria grinned.

"That's not what I meant! I just don't like putting you in danger."

"I've got this. I promise."

It took Xanaria all of five minutes to find the pub in the small town below the Keep. She sat at the bar, ordered a drink, and let herself get folded into the general conversation. She finished her mug and ordered another.

Only then, during a lull in the conversation, did she lean over the bar grinning and say, "I heard the oddest thing in the last town I stopped in. A traveler over there said he saw a whole troop of the Baron's men dragging just two women along as prisoners! Can you believe it?" She chuckled and took a sip of her awful beer.

"Oh aye." A man with close cropped hair and a gray beard nodded. "Not a whole troop mind, but two prisoners got brought through town yesterday."

"One of the women was a witch!" A younger man declared his tufted ears laid flat back against his head. "She was all wrapped up in ropes, but we weren't scared."

Shit. We didn't get ahead of them, Xanaria thought but she forced herself to raise her eyebrows. "Witches aren't real. You're having me on!"

"No, it's true enough. One of the soldiers was in here earlier drinking enough for three and told us all about it."

"I still don't believe it." A woman farther down the bar slurred. "They're cre- crebu- kedi… Gah! They are cred-yoo-lus fools. The lot of 'em!"

"If you don't want your tail cut off one of these days, you won't say such things so loud." The first man said without turning to face her. "Maybe you've had enough."

"Maybe nothing. I'm a grown adult, I do what I want."

As the regulars bickered amiably Xanaria focused on seeming relaxed and unhurried. When her beer was finally finished she left a good tip and went back to Lupe with the bad news.


They watched the Keep from the tree line.

Xanaria finally broke the silence. "Well, this is familiar, any ideas?"

"Not really. How did you get in last time? I always wondered."

"I snuck in with the people decorating for your- for the wedding."

"Hmmm… not exactly applicable now is it?"

"No."

Xanaria was having trouble breathing. She'd been here before; hopelessly staring at the Keep, looking for a way in to save someone she cared about. It was too familiar and she couldn't tell if the panic and despair churning in her gut was from the past or the present. She reached out for Lupe's hand and held on tight.

She's here. It's different. I'm not alone. This is now, not then.

Xanaria breathed as deep and slow as she could.

But it's so similar! I've been all around the keep. I learned the patrol schedules the hard way and I searched every length of wall for an unguarded entrance. I've been all around the keep and every door is guarded!

Xanaria blinked, realizing what she had just thought.

I've been all around the base of the keep… But that was before I met Elizabeth.

Xanaria ran her eyes up the gray stone walls. She smiled.


That night, in the crisp cold starlight, Xanaria and Lupe approached the Keep. They waited for the hourly guard to pass and crept right up to the wall. Xanaria slipped out of her boots and stretched her fingers. Lupe kissed her cheek for luck. Xanaria took a breath and thought of Elizabeth and how she had scaled Jack's house. Running her own fingers over the wall she felt out the lines of mortar between the stones. Pressed against the wall Xanaria climbed with fingertips and toes. Once she'd begun she didn't let herself pause and soon Xanaria was pulling herself up onto a window ledge. With Elizabeth still so clear in her mind Xanaria popped the window latch one handed and slipped inside the keep.

They'd chosen a window that hadn't shown any light or movement over the course of the evening and Xanaria looked around to find herself kneeling on a cloth covered desk. The room was bare, with cloth draped over all the furniture. And that's a bed… Is this a guest room of some kind? It doesn't look like it's been used in a long time.

Xanaria took her rope and tied one end to a bedpost for safety, then let it down for Lupe. She felt the rope twitch as Lupe caught it, then two decisive tugs to let her know Lupe had a firm grip. Xanaria pulled as Lupe climbed. Xanaria was a little surprised at how easy it was. She remembered Patience lifting building equipment in their months together and smiled. Breathing into the steady pull to bring Lupe up the wall, Xanaria sent a thought out into the metaverse. Thank you Patience for sharing a little of your strength. I hope things are going well for you.

In less time than she would have thought possible Lupe was at the window. Xanaria caught her arms, dropped the rope, and heaved. Lupe slid the rest of the way into the room, dragging the cloth cover off the desk. As she got Lupe on her feet instead of letting go Lupe kissed Xanaria fiercely.

"That was amazing!"

Xanaria grinned surprised. "We don't really have time for this right now, do we?"

"Later." Lupe promised and let Xanaria pull away, but her deep black eyes sparkled in the starlight.