Page 129 of A Pact of Blood

“I assumed you would be,”I reassure him.

“What exactlyarewe doing, Lore?” Raul asks, still sounding amused by the fact that I’ve taken charge.

It’ll be easier to explain—and to convince them—when we’re already in place.“Follow me. And keep quiet.”

Once we’ve left the passages behind, I lead them out the doors to the gardens. As soon as we step into the cover of the orchard, I cast a larger illusion around us, giving the impression to any patrolling guard who glances over that there’s no one among the trees.

Thankfully, my foster brothers heed my request for quiet. They walk alongside me in silence. It’s easier to hold the illusion when it’s only visual rather than needing to alter the impressions of sound as well.

I bring us to a halt when we reach the wall around the imperial grounds. Staring up at the immense stone surface, my stomach drops.

It's at least half again as high as the wall that separated the inner gardens in the Rexoran palace. Have I been overly ambitious?

Raul is watching me with one eyebrow cocked while Bastien and Neven wait more patiently. I drag in a breath.

I shouldn't assume what they're capable of when I never thought I'd be suggesting an idea like this to begin with.

There’s no one else around. I let my concealing illusion fade for long enough to explain myself.

"We've been supporting Aurelia's cause in bits and pieces where we can. I think we need to start making a bigger effort. We can't go through the gate without the guards catching us, but they can't monitor for magic all along the walls. So we go over, and then we head into the city and do everything we can to convince people of our empress's greatness."

Raul lets out a sputter of a laugh. "Gods above, when did Lore take over as the bold one?"

"When he took over as the idea man too, apparently."Bastien gives me a crooked grin that turns more hesitant when he considers the wall. "I don't know... Lifting all four of us that high without any falls will be hard."

Raul is already swiping his hands together. "Not a problem. I'll get us up and you can just cushion us on the way down. That's the easier direction, right?"

"I suppose, but?—"

Raul reaches into other shadows along the wall, and Bastien's mouth snaps shut. The three of us gape in awe as the swath of darkness quivers and hardens into an immense, lumpy shape that looks almost like?—

"Stairs!" Neven says with a trace of a gasp. "That's incredible, Raul."

None of us have been able to test our powers to their full potential before. Raul smirks, but his eyes have widened with a little awe of his own.

He keeps his hand braced against the step at waist height. "I need to be touching it to hold the shape. You three go up first, and then I'll follow. Less risk of me dropping you."

I summon the illusion of the untampered wall again. Neven starts up the steps first without hesitation. Bastien follows him, no doubt flexing his gift with the air, ready to catch any of us if we take a tumble.

I start up next, running my fingers over the wall beside me as I climb. The hazy darkness beneath my feet stays perfectly solid, as if I'm walking on smoked glass.

When we reach the top, I find myself gaping again. We're standing on a span of stone only a couple of feet wide, a little higher than the nearby treetops. Beyond the parklands beside the palace and stately buildings of the nearby noble homes lies the sprawl of Vivencia proper.

The people Aurelia's fate depends on.

Raul steps onto the top of the wall next to us and releases his grip on the shadows. When Bastien glances at us, we nod.

The air whirls in front of us with a whoosh of sound. I focus on my own gift, still projecting the appearance of a bare wall to anyone who glances this way.

Bastien motions to us, and we step onto the cushion of air.

It's more pliant than Raul's shadowy stairs, my feet sinking a few inches into the blustering surface. But it stays stable, carrying us down to the ground on the other side.

As we hurry over to the road and begin the hike into the city, I glance around at the others."I'll project voices speaking support for Aurelia and pointing out her accomplishments, as I have before. Raul, you can shape the shadows into "omens." Maybe we should swing by a couple of temples where that tactic will be most effective."

Bastien nods. "I can make omens of my own, harassing anyone who speaks against Aurelia.And Neven…”

We all pause to study the youngest of us. Neven makes a face at us in return. “As long as Lorenzo can hide me with his illusions, I can shake things up a little when we need it. I’ll be able to reach higher and push harder than any of you.”

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