“The sword,” Azriel and I answered together. I added, “So the Charna will be warned when you melt the links?”
“Something will.” His gaze met mine. “It may not necessarily be the witch.”
“I don’t care what comes after us,” Tao said. “Just get the fucking things off.”
“I wouldn’t advise—”
“Do it,” I cut in. “Silver is poison to wolves, and it’s already eating into his wrists.”
He stared at me for a moment, then said, “If I melt the cuffs, the Charna will know Tao is free. Which may endanger Stane’s life.”
“Stane?” Tao said. “Why the hell would he be in danger?”
“Long story.” I rubbed my eyes wearily. “Azriel’s right. We can’t risk it until Stane and the others—”
I cut the sentence off at the sound of footsteps and moved swiftly to the door. I flared my nostrils, sifting through the flavors in the air, recognizing Stane’s scent mixed with the spice of a stranger. Another human, which was good. He wouldn’t scent either us or the blood.
“Hank, Terry, where the hell are you two?”
The voice was coming from the loading bay end of the hallway. I crept forward.
“Fuck it,” the stranger said. “If you two are goofing off again, there’s going to be hell to pay.”
I lowered myself to the ground and carefully inched forward on my belly. The shadows were thicker near the floor, and while I doubted the guard would actually see me, I took every precaution and moved as quietly as I could. One wrong move could get Stane killed.
I risked a look around the corner. Stane was walking in front of the guard and didn’t appear restrained in any way, though his expression was tight and his shoulders tense. His nostrils flared as he breathed deep, then his gaze flicked down. I held up three fingers, keeping the movements small so as to not attract the attention of the man behind him, and nodded toward the left. He smiled grimly in acknowledgment.
I counted down my fingers. As the last one dropped, he threw himself sideways. I raised the weapon and fired, again aiming for the shoulder. The guard grunted and dropped. Stane ensured he was out with a quick fist to the face, then glanced back at me. “Tao?”
“Alive and well. Was there only one guard?”
Stane nodded as he flipped the man around and pulled his jacket halfway down his arms, effectively pinning them. Then he pulled the man’s belt free and strapped his legs together. “What about the witch and the men in charge?”
“None of them is here.”
“Obviously. But can we trace them?”
“Maybe.”
I turned and walked back to the cell. He followed, and his anger surged, tainting the air, when he saw Tao.
Tao grinned and said, “Hey, you should see the other guy.”
“I can. And I’m barely resisting the urge to kick him repeatedly when he’s down.”
I squeezed Stane’s shoulder and glanced at Azriel. “You want to release Tao now?”
“Do you think that wise when Stane is in the room? You and I can protect ourselves from whatever might be bound to the restraints, but Stane has little except his own strength.”
“Hey, I have Ilianna’s charm and I can fight—”
Azriel’s glance barely even flicked his way. “The charm protects you against being spelled, not magic of this sort.”
“But—”
I touched his arm lightly, stopping him. “He’s right. Ilianna’s in the parking lot across the road. Go keep her safe, just in case the Charna doesn’t send only magic against us.”
He grunted unhappily, but spun on his heel and headed out. I waited until the sound of his steps had faded away, then glanced at Tao. “You ready?”