Queen (Brotherhood of the Throne) by Jane Glatt

Brenna
finished. “He would be worse if he knew you had people you cared about ,”
she said sadly. She felt Beldyn’s agreement – and his fury - through their
link. “ Take a deep breath. I need you and Jemma to be calm and very still.
I’m going to try something. Get somewhere near the wall or under a table,
somewhere out of the way where you won’t be tripped over .” She turned her
attention to Kane and Dasid.
    “ I’m not even sure I
can do this but if I can I’ll need to draw from you both .” She felt Kane’s
resolve through the old steel.  
    “Take what you need,” Kane said. “ May the
gods aid us.”
    “Jemma,” Brenna called . “Are you out of the
way ?”
    Jemma replied that they
were hunched in a corner, half under the worktable. Brenna took a deep breath and
recited the words to the invisibility spell. Gently she drew energy from Kane
and pushed the spell across the link to Jemma and Beldyn.
    Brenna looked up - the colors of
the room were muted and she could no longer see Kane sitting beside her. Dasid
was still visible where he sat on the chair, hunched over the weapons on the
bed. Again she pushed the spell across the link. She drew more power
from Kane before she gently tapped into Dasid’s strength. His eyes widened as
she siphoned energy from him - soon he too was invisible. She heard a sound and
glanced over at Neemah, who was staring their way, her eyes wide and one hand
covering her mouth.
    “We’re still here,
Neemah,” Dasid assured her. “You just can’t see us.”
    “ Jemma, what’s happened ?”
Brenna called.
    “ Please help ,”
Jemma called. “ They’re coming up the stairs now. ”
    There was panic in the
girl’s voice and Brenna prayed that the spell was working.
    “ Jemma, listen to me,
this is very important. Can you see Beldyn? Do colors look muted to you ?”
    “ I can’t see Jemma ,”
Beldyn said. “ But I can feel her right beside me. What’s happened ?”
    “ Jemma can you see
Beldyn? No? Thank the gods .” Relieved, Brenna sucked in a shuddering breath.
“ I’ve spelled you invisible. I don’t know how long I can hold it but you
both need to be very quiet and very still .” Brenna paused to repeat the
spell and push it towards the two, out along the connection through old steel. “ You
both must keep holding onto the knife. Don’t let go .” It was her only link
to them, if they let go of it her spell wouldn’t reach them.
    “ We’re really invisible ?”
Jemma asked.
    She sounded so afraid - Brenna
closed her eyes. This had to work, it had to.
    “ Yes ,” Brenna replied
with more confidence than she felt. She looked at the empty spaces where she
knew Kane and Dasid sat. “ Just stay calm and quiet. They’ll leave soon .”
They had to leave soon. Brenna didn’t know how long she could hold this even using
Kane and Dasid’s energy.
     
    Duke Thorold wandered
around the shop while his men checked the storage areas and the upstairs. The
lamps were still lit so the wench couldn’t have gone far.
    “Guard, are you sure
there’s no back way out of here?” he asked the Kingsguard who stood at
attention near the front door.
    “My men have found none on
this floor, my Lord, but there may be one on the second floor.”
    “See that you check
carefully.” Thorold said. “No, I’ll look myself.” He started up the stairs.
    Finding out where the little
weaver lived and that she was alone in her shop had been simple. It seemed her
father had been out of Kingsreach when the edict had been proclaimed and had
chosen not to return.  No doubt she would be ready for some company, he thought
as he reached the top floor. The single room upstairs contained two beds, a work
table and chair and a wardrobe. There was yet another lit lamp, but no sign of
the girl.
    “If there’s another way
out I want to know about it,” he said.
    Two Kingsguard looked
under the bed and inside the wardrobe.
    “She couldn’t have gone
far,” Thorold mused.