Honored (Book 2 of the In Search of Honor series)

A rough shoulder shake and a deep voice broke my slumber, “Time to give your report.”

Slowly the gray world filtered into my eyes, and in front of me a silhouette was standing up and looking at the drawings on the floor. “I guess Silvia really doesn’t like you,” Daniel’s voice said.

“Silvia? Who’s that?” That name didn’t even sound familiar to my foggy brain.

“The red head. I put her in charge of getting you materials to write your plans on. I guess instead we both have to memorize them before leaving this room to present to the people involved.”

“The red head would mean the angry woman?” I asked, my mind still fumbling over his words.

“Yes. Her husband died in the warehouse battle. She informed us that we had to destroy those who killed her husband, but I’m not quite sure if she blames us or the city guards more. Wherever her loyalties lie, she has been useful in providing us information and in berating anyone who dares to let their mind falter.”

“Haha. Very funny,” I replied as I pushed myself to stand up.

“It’s not just you. We’ve had a couple people shut down after we evacuated to the tunnels. Do you remember all the information you need?”

Forty-six explosive sites. Materials for one hundred thirty eight explosives. Eight people minimum for setting explosives. Any soldiers willing to join me on my distraction mission.

“Will you have a map of the basement castle wherever you are having me present this plan?”

“No, you will have to redraw it. We only have the map of the city and a map of the tunnel systems.”

I sighed, “Well at least the tunnel system and city map should be useful. We will be able to figure out the best entry point to get me up on top of the stacks.”

His head tilted as if he didn’t quite understand and shrugged, “I’m not quite sure why you want to get to the top of the stacks but sure.”

I smiled thinking of the fun this last show would be, “Spectacle. I want as many people as possible to see me. What’s higher than the King’s castle? The top of the stacks. Where could most people of the city see a tiny me from?”

“The top of the stacks. Got it.” He interrupted me. “Let’s head out, I will explain more of what’s happening as we head there.” He walked to the door and held open with one hand and held out the other toward me. “Take my hand so I can guide you through the tunnels.”

“I’m all for not knowing what’s happening till it attempts to kill me.” I took his hand and let him lead me out into a pitch black tunnel. “Weren’t there lights before?”

“We are keeping the lights off and have memorized the turns. It makes ambushing the troops the King tries to send down here easier.” His voice drifted out of the eternal blackness surrounding us.

The only thing holding me from feeling completely lost and disoriented was his hand pulling me along. “So who all am I briefing?” I asked to fill the void.

“The women who work in the castle that have volunteered for this. The city guards who volunteered knowing this was a suicide mission. A Dishonored man and the guard who got him out.” He left the last tidbit trailing out like yarn from an unfinished weaving.

“A Dishonored? Clearly this is something more than you are telling me.”

“The man calls himself Jordan.”

I stopped. “No. He’s not on our side. He’s a Spy!”

He laughed. “He said you would say that. He also said that he has always done his best to help your mother. He worked for your father.”

My head was reeling. I gripped Daniel’s hand tighter in the dark, his grip the only thing keeping me standing. Jordan. The man I’d seen turn in other Dishonored. The slimiest man I could think of. The man I couldn’t ever forgive. No. He couldn’t be here.

“The guard who got him out said he was a friend of Bryan and Kyle. Said he didn’t want their deaths to be in vain and came to find us to help fight.”

“How does Jordan,” his name felt slimy in my mouth, “know this guard that helped get him out?”

“I don’t know. I honestly don’t know much more than I’ve told you. Other Undesirables in the unit seemed to know the guard though, and they vouched for him. The gave the prayer of death over him, the Dishonored man, and all the guards who volunteered for this suicide mission.”

I thought of Reese and the warning in the Dishonored dungeon. “I don’t trust them. They are probably Spies like the lady in the safe house. The Spies are everywhere, following us, waiting for us to trust the wrong person.”

His hand tugged on mine, “Come on. We will keep an eye on them so they can’t communicate to anyone outside of us. We won’t let them ruin this operation, and you can’t always be weary of everyone, or nothing will ever get done.”

I let his hand drag me forward. “We can’t trust them. We can’t let our guards down around them. We will use them, but we have to be wary of them.”

“I know. I know we can’t really trust anyone, but we need the people. Our numbers are low, and this plan of yours is going to cut our numbers even more.”

He was right. I was leading a group of crazy people in a charge at a stone castle. I remembered my conversation with the old woman named Emily. I was the Exile. I should tell him of my name change or he would just keep calling me Liv. “When I was talking to Emily, I realized I needed to be more of an ideal than a person. Can you introduce me as Exile?”

I felt his hand shift. “Sure. She mentioned that to me and I forgot to tell you she had mentioned it.”

I didn’t know what else to fill the darkness with, and even our footsteps felt they were strangled by the complete and utter lack of anything. It reminded me of living in the Wall.

He suddenly stopped causing me to run into him and almost topple both of us in the darkness. “One last thing before we go into the briefing room. Remember these people are dying for you. Make this as inspiring as you can.”

Light poured into the hallway before I could respond and he dropped my hand to push open a door with both hands.

“To those of the Rat army, I present our leader, The Exile.”