It wasn’t a moment too soon either, because a patrol rounded the corner of the castle below. “Guards,” he whispered.

They pressed themselves against the wall and remained still.

When the guards had marched out of view, Daemon and Fairy cast moth spells, which not only allowed them to communicate ultrasonically, but also gave them exceptional hearing. They leaned harder against the wall to try to listen to the conversation inside.

Even with their best eavesdropping spell, though, the voices were muffled. The bloodstone was too thick to conduct sound well.

Daemon began to miss Sora again. She would have thought through all this beforehand, and they wouldn’t have gotten stuck like this, perched uselessly on a narrow ledge in the rain.

“I’m going to peek in the windows so we at least know who’s in there,” Fairy said.

“Don’t! You might be seen.”

“I’ll be quick, and I’ll stay low. I’m small. No one will notice me.” She lowered herself to all fours and slithered forward on the ledge on her belly. When she was beneath the windowpane, she lifted her head just enough to spy through the glass.

“It looks like a study or library,” Fairy said. “Prince Gin’s in there. And a grizzly-looking old ryuu, a couple of younger men, and three women.” She ducked.

“That’s only seven.” Daemon paced along his short stretch of the ledge. “I saw eight silhouettes when we flew in. I’m sure of it.”

Fairy raised her head and peered in again, scanning the room a little too long for Daemon’s comfort.

“Get down,” he said. “What if the eighth person was Sora’s sister, but she went invisible when she saw us?”

“Then she’d pounce on us any moment now,” Fairy said.

Daemon prepared himself for an attack. Fairy crawled back from the window and readied her knives.

But there was nothing, not even a gust of wind, and after a few minutes, Daemon relaxed.

“It must have been shadows playing with my eyes,” he said.

Fairy nodded. “There were definitely only seven people in there. One of the women was talking and using a pointer on a map on the wall.”

“We have to get inside and see it for ourselves,” Daemon said.

“We’ll go as soon as the meeting ends.”

Time seemed to slow as they waited, as if the hourglass had been turned sideways and the sand forgot to fall. Eventually, though, the glow from the windows dimmed as the fire inside died down. Daemon snuck a peek through the windows.

“The room’s finally empty,” he said. “Can you break us in?”

Fairy nodded. “I’ll need to remove a pane of glass big enough for us to fit through.” Although the wall was floor-to-ceiling windows, most were too small. “The ones at the top will work,” she said, pointing.