Warrior's Dawn (Fire and Tears) Read Online Free Page B

Warrior's Dawn (Fire and Tears)
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you’re still not telling me something?”
    “I can direct you to the List fortress, and I can lead you to the List of Names inside—if we make it that far. I haven’t kept a secret way to get there from you.”
    “Fine. We’ll have to do what we can once we know more.”
    He edged just a little closer, near enough his hand could easily brush against hers on the retaining wall. He resisted the urge to touch, knowing she’d pull away, but he couldn’t resist the need to hover closer to her heat.
    “Are you still determined to cross the border tonight, then?” he asked.
    “We don’t have time to waste. I planned for us going in tonight.”
    “We’ll be to one of your hiding places before dawn? The patrols aren’t any larger or smaller during the day, but we’ll be easier to spot.”
    “You forget I’ve done this before. You haven’t. I know what I’m doing. We’ll be well hidden before dawn.”
    She stopped short of asking him to trust her. Which was good, as he didn’t trust anyone anymore. But he did believe she knew what she was doing. As she’d pointed out, she was still alive. That spoke well of her skills.
    “Well, then,” he said, staring into the streets of a part of Sinnale he’d never expected to visit again.
    He knew exactly what they were getting into, exactly what dangers lay ahead. Suicide. But he’d made his choice. And sneaking into enemy territory with Mina was infinitely more interesting than his endless days in a cage, reliving and reviling the circumstances that got him there.
    He glanced at his companion. Yes, there were worse ways to spend time. “I’m ready whenever you are,” he said.

Chapter Three
    Using the information on the border protection spells another spy had provided, Mina led Althir into enemy territory. Though she hadn’t bothered to tell Althir, her real reason for avoiding a delay was that the location of those spells changed frequently, and she didn’t want to get caught in one because she was working from outdated information.
    Althir was right. Information was a very valuable commodity, and her life revolved around gathering it now. The risks she and the other spies took helped save lives.
    Though if Althir was to be believed, not all of the facts they’d gathered were correct. The idea that the Sorcerers had allowed them some of those details made her stomach turn, made her feel like a puppet.
    Once beyond the border, she kept to less-used roads but moved slowly and cautiously from point to point. The Sorcerers kept their part of the city brightly lit, which meant there were fewer shadows to hide in. But even with most of the gas lamps turned up, pockets of darkness and unlit alleyways gave them some cover as they made their way toward her first goal.
    The building she intended to hide in during the daylight hours had once been a rival chocolatier’s shop—one of the few chocolate makers in Sinnale who could claim to be any kind of competition for her family. She knew the shop and its surroundings well. Its small size and uselessness in the war kept it from being frequented by minions. There were two rooms above the shop and kitchen where they could hide, giving them beds to rest in—a rare luxury in her line of work.
    Each spy who entered Sorcerer territory had their own hiding places. And they never shared that information with the others. A way to avoid too much movement at those locations, but also, if one spy was captured, they wouldn’t be able to reveal the secrets of any of the others. So far, this practice had kept her safe and alive. The real danger arose when she came out of hiding to complete her missions. When she had to walk beside the enemy to collect information.
    Althir remained silent at her back as they moved through the cobbled streets. His ability to move so quietly was both a relief and a little unnerving. She found herself glancing back at him every so often just to make sure he was still there. And every time she did, he gave
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