The night was cold and the winds blew wildly; a testament to the windy quarter. The winds would carry in the cold from Other-side soon, ushering in the white cold. Still, Shilla moved around swiftly, her dress flapping in the wind as she moved. The school grounds were silent, as the night was deep and all were under heavy covers. She moved through the east garden, then through the untamed woods behind the school, before reaching a small gate. Taking out keys from her skirt, she opened the gates and raised the lantern in her hand and waved. Soon, a man in black emerged from outside and entered through the gate into the school grounds. Shilla closed the gate behind him and led him back the way she came. They walked silently, till they came by a patch of grass, a mall clearing under hooded trees. There, Lucy waited with a lantern in hand. The man only saw her white hair under the moonlight and knew who it was. He arrived before her and bowed.
"My lady," he said in greeting.
"How was it? You said the spy north sent a message?" Lucy asked.
"The house of bloom was up in flames. By the time the message reached us, it should have happened two days ago," the man answered.
"The opal vein changing hands is enough to know that they are moving. But their destination and where they were, were unknown. With this message, I know they are coming here. Predictable," Lucy said, her eyes glittering in the moonlight.
"Who? My lady, I understand watching the opal vein, but the house of bloom?" the man asked.
"You don't need to know, you must only do as told," Lucy said lightly and the man nodded. He had always thought the lady was interested in money, but after working with her all this time he understood that she had bigger plans. It was the only explanation, why every time they had come across a profit, the lady used it as a bargaining chip for more information. In truth all these years, she was just watching; keeping tabs on different things, things he could not understand. Things he was not supposed to understand.
"City Lord Gunter, you must do well tonight," Lucy said.
"Of course. I just don't know who I'm looking for," he asked. He was the almighty City Lord of the capital city, yet he was here receiving a job that he had to do himself. Regardless of who he was, he dared not disobey.
"Three men. You will recognise two; Lord Morge and Lord of Merve. You are not to disrupt them. Just scare them enough to lead their movements to Barkley Lane. You must give them no way to out but to move towards Barkley Lane," Lucy instructed.
"What if they resist?" City Lord Gunter asked.
"They will not. They will be carrying precious cargo. You must not interrupt their work. If someone tries to intercept them, stop them. Your only job is to make them think you are the enemy, letting them run towards Barkley Lane. Do you understand? Given that what they carry is too precious, you must account for people trying to stop them," Lucy instructed.
"So, my job is to make sure they move smoothly but steer their movements towards Barkley Lane; I understand," City Lord Gunter nodded.
"You may go," Lucy said and the City Lord bowed and turned to leave.
"Wait," Lucy called out and he stopped. "Take the girl hiding in the corner with you," Lucy said and the City Lord's eyes turned cold. He had already noticed the girl's presence since he arrived. Moving swiftly, he grabbed her from behind the bushes before she could react. The girl yelped but was immediately silenced with a hand over her lips. Shilla stared at the girl in the City Lord's grasp and smirked.
"You should have stayed inside, Taylor," Shilla said. The girl before them was Taylor. She had followed Lucy and Shilla, the moment Shilla had left her bed. She was hiding behind the bush listening with her eyes round. What was Lady Wickshire doing, having the City Lord come out to meet her and planning things in secret? She heard every word; spies in the north and all those things. She had always known Lady Wickshire was rather odd, but she had never imagined this odd.
When she heard her tell the City Lord to take the girl hiding in the corner, she knew they referred to her.
Before she could run, she found herself lifted off the ground and a hand clamped over her mouth, preventing her from screaming. This was bad; with what she had heard, they would kill her. She looked up at Lady Wickshire with pleading eyes. Either the lady did not see her eyes in the darkness, or she didn't care.
"What do I do with her?" City Lord Gunter asked.
"Do what you will," Lucy said and the city lord hit the base of her head rendering her unconscious. He then threw her over his shoulder and left. Shilla followed behind him and locked the gate behind them, then returned to Lucy's side.
"Have a letter placed under her pillow. Make it out that she wished to quit her job. It must not be convincing; it should not be. That should warn that woman," Lucy said and Shilla nodded.
"Yes, my lady,"