“Here,” she gasped, and thrust her hand out. Miranda reached down and plucked the creased slip of paper from her fingers. As she unfolded it, her face lit up. “How did you get this?”
Marion grinned from ear to ear. “All important papers go to the library for storage. Sometimes being a junior librarian does have its advantages.”
“Won’t you get in trouble?” Miranda frowned. “You know I probably won’t be able to get this back to you before they notice it’s gone.”
Marion shook her head violently. “So long as the king comes back, I don’t think they would care if I raided the whole treasury.”
Miranda smiled. “Thank you,” she said. “I won’t forget this.”
Marion waved and pushed off the ghosthound’s leg.
Waving back, Miranda gave Gin the go-ahead. The ghosthound sprang forward, leaving the boys gawking as he disappeared over the gates in a cloud of dust.
“How convincing should I be?” Gin said as they jumped the final gate of the city.
Miranda glared darkly at the rolling countryside as it streaked by. “And what makes you think we’re not actually leaving?”
She could feel Gin’s chuckle through his fur. “You don’t normally lose this gracefully. The castle isn’t on fire, so far as I can see.”
“Smart aleck mutt.” Miranda smacked him good-naturedly. “You’re right, we’re not leaving. I’ll give up my rings before I let that jerk have his way.”
“What jerk?” Gin panted.
Miranda gave him the short version of her meeting with Renaud. When she finished, Gin growled thoughtfully. “Politics and gold are human vices, so maybe there’s something here I don’t understand, but I have trouble believing that an exiled prince like Renaud is really that concerned over the recovery of the little brother who took his throne.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Miranda leaned over to scratch his ears.
“What are we going to do, then?”
“That part is simple. We’re going to find Eli first.” She pointed to the left, where a thick line of shaggy conifers separated two fields. “Duck into that copse.”
Gin picked up the pace, and a few seconds later they were hidden behind the small stand of pines. Miranda jumped down and, after checking the area for any stray watchers, pressed her thumb against the fat, smooth sapphire on her right index finger. “Allinu, wake up, I need you.”
A moment later, a small, white spout of pure water bubbled happily out of the ring, forming a small pool in Miranda’s cupped hand. When the water was up to her thumb, Miranda shoved the ransom note in. “Find this ink’s source.”
“Yes, mistress,” the water whispered, and began to churn.
Miranda kept her fingers pressed as tightly as she could, though she knew it was not needed. Allinu was a mountain mist. She could stay together in a sieve if she needed to. Still, it made Miranda feel better when the water was splashing in all directions like it was now.
A few moments later, the note floated to the top, perfectly dry.
“I’m sorry, mistress,” the water said. “The ink’s been dry too long. It doesn’t remember anything.”
“I figured as much,” Miranda said, shifting the water to one cupped hand and plucking the note out. She looked at it once more before stuffing it into her pocket. So much for that.
“The paper was a bit more helpful,” the water added, almost as an afterthought.
Miranda’s head jerked up. “The what?”
“The paper,” Allinu said again. “I noticed a few rips on one side, so I asked it what had happened. Once it realized I wasn’t going to drown it into pulp, it told me about the bird. Apparently, your thief had the note delivered by falcon. In the falcon’s talons, actually, which the paper did not appreciate. Claws are very hard on paper, and—”
“Yes, of course,” Miranda said. “Did the paper say anything else?”
“I was getting to that,” Allinu sloshed, insulted. “It said, ‘At least the trip was short.’ ”
“How short?”
“Two, three minutes from when the falcon grabbed him until the falcon dropped it on some guards,” Allinu bubbled.
“That’s more like it.” Miranda grinned. “Thank you, Allinu.”
The water rose in a white mist, swirling and then vanishing back into the sapphire, leaving Miranda’s fingers damp and cold.
“Two minutes,” Gin said. “That’s a pretty big area.”
“Not everything’s as fast as you are,” Miranda said, wiping her hand on her trousers. “Coriano did say Eli wouldn’t run far. Besides, if he wasn’t close by, how could he see the signal when they meet his demands? He specifically told them to fly it from the second tower, which is barely visible above the wall.” She smiled at the castle rising over the city, less than a mile behind them. “Look, you can hardly see it even at this distance. He must be close, and when they give the signal, he’ll need to send another note to set up the trade and deliver the king. When he does that, we’ll be ready.”