The Invisibility Cloak’s Last Thread

In the dark tunnel, Reagan and Elisa waited for Liam’s signal to open the hatch. The thick fabric of the cloak over their heads made it harder to breathe in the damp underground, but at least it suppressed some of the rotten smell.

“Be careful where you step,” Reagan whispered. “Make sure nothing sticks out from beneath the cloak. All edges have to be touching the ground for it to work, as far as I know. I never tested it after that first use…”

Elisa nodded. She had cinched her coat tight around her waist and tucked the bottom half of her dress into her pantalettes to keep it from moving as she walked.

Reagan had strapped his sword against his back and dropped his satchel, keeping only the tinctures and a roll of bandages in his pockets, but separating the glass bottles so they wouldn’t clink together when he walked. Elisa had taken a vial of healing salve, and the rest had to be left behind.

I don’t know how long this will last… Reagan thought, pinching the top seam of the cloak between two of his fingers. It felt thin and loose, and with the knowledge that enchanted items were more brittle, he feared the cloak could fall apart at any second.

“Stay close to me,” he said. “And try not to speak. They’ll still be able to hear us.” As an afterthought, Reagan removed his shoes for fear that the hard soles would make an audible noise inside, and he heard Elisa do the same behind him.

Liam poked his head through the closed hatch. “The guard left again. It’s safe to come out,” he said.

Reagan reached forward for the handle of the hatch. He’d tested it the last time the guard had moved out of the hallway, and it had taken some effort to pry it open. Having loosened it, the hatch opened smoothly this time, making almost no sound.

Flickering lantern light spilled down into the passageway, and Reagan squinted into it. The fabric of the invisibility cloak had gone transparent, so it provided no protection from the light. Even the dim illumination proved too bright after being in a pitch black hallway for so long, and he had to almost close his eyes as he crawled out with Elisa close behind.

“Careful,” Liam said as Reagan turned around to close the hatch and straighten. “The cloak lifted, so Elisa’s legs were visible for a second.”

Although he knew Liam wouldn’t see, Reagan nodded in response. Elisa shrunk behind him, taking hold of Reagan’s sword holster and clinging to his back. Her toes touched Reagan’s heels, ready to match his steps.

The pair stood still, breathing in the clear air of the hallway as Liam scouted ahead. Reagan felt like he had inhaled fire, and it took all of his concentration to suppress each cough that bubbled up his throat. He breathed into his sleeve to muffle the sound of his wheezing, and Elisa did the same behind him.

A shadow across the hall announced the guard’s return, making it all the more critical for neither him nor Elisa to make a sound. He breathed hard into the sleeve of his coat, but he didn’t cough.

Liam flew over the immobile shadow. He looked down as he approached and used the angle of the tether attached to his chest to figure out Reagan and Elisa’s relative position. When he was directly above them, he said, “There are only two guards in this hallway. Turn left at the end of it, and that hall will be empty. We’re at the opposite end from Dietfried’s office, but I saw his advisors standing outside the door, just as Alan described.”

Liam hesitated, then grimaced. “Dietfried wasn’t in his office, but I haven’t seen him in these halls either. I don’t know if he’s in the building, but I’ll keep checking every room we pass.”

Reagan nodded, ignoring the knot in his stomach, and took a slow step forward, making sure Elisa was ready to move, then picked up the pace and followed Liam to the other end of the hallway. His socked feet slid across the smooth, polished wood, and the flickering lamps along the red-and-gold wallpapered wall lit their path well, now that Reagan’s eyes had adjusted to them.

The shadow at the end of the hallway belonged to a dark-haired man in the plain white uniform worn by most of the capitol guardsmen. He glanced up and down the hallway, passing directly over Reagan and Elisa, then sidled a little closer to the other man, nodding a greeting as he approached.

Reagan clung as close to the opposite wall as he could without touching it. Elisa pressed so tight against him that she breathed down the back of his neck, and he shuddered at the ticklish sensation. The cloak around them rustled, but the sound was soft enough that Reagan hoped it wouldn’t draw either of the guards’ attention.

The guards spoke to each other in low voices. Reagan paid them little mind until he heard the name “Dietfried.” He stopped, forcing Elisa to halt behind him. She dug her fingernails into his back to keep from losing her balance, and he winced but refrained from making a sound.

“I heard his caravan pulled in late this evening,” said the first guard. “And he was even more displeased about that than the extra day he spent in Apolde.”

The other leaned against the wall and sighed. “The mages who returned with him said he had to investigate a suspicious barrier failure in Vierdorth.” He had pale blond hair and dark brown eyes. White hairs peppered the stubble along his chin.

“Something was bound to go awry when you leave the townsmen unchecked for so long.”

“He thinks it might have something to do with the girl who was here yesterday,” the blond said. “That she was colluding with one of them. I don’t know the details, but he sent Edvard out to look for her in town.”

“Isn’t one of the Vierdorth guardsmen here?” the dark-haired guard asked. When the other nodded, he sighed and said, “I’d hate to be that bloke when Dietfried finds him.”

“If he hasn’t already.” He shrugged, and both of the men looked down. A heaviness dropped into the atmosphere as they separated again.

Alan… Reagan thought, and his body went numb. He closed his eyes and hoped the green-haired mage would be safe. A feeling of nausea rose up from the pit of his stomach, and he had to swallow it down to keep from gagging.

Behind him, Elisa tightened her grip on Reagan’s holster, and her breathing quickened. His own heart pounded hard in his chest, and he feared the sound would reach the guards.

We can’t stay here, he thought. The guards’ conversation had all but confirmed Dietfried was in the building and searching for Alan, and Reagan didn’t want to think about what would happen if Dietfried found them instead. He reached behind him to signal to Elisa that he was about to move again.

As he did so, Liam spoke: “I still haven’t seen Dietfried. He’s not in these hallways, at least, so you should be safe. I’ve only checked a few rooms, but I haven’t seen Alan either, so Dietfried might be out looking for him in town.” But even he was unconvinced, and he grimaced as he turned away.

With measured, silent steps, Reagan and Elisa made it down one hallway and the next without incident. There were no other guards beside the two gossipping ones, much to Reagan relief, and he had managed to calm his racing heart.

Behind him, however, Elisa was taking short, staggered breaths. She pulled at his sword holster with one hand and tapped his back lightly but quickly with her other, stopping him in the middle of an empty hallway.

He slowly turned to meet her wide-eyed gaze as she pressed both hands against her mouth and nose. Her face turned red from the exertion of trying to hold back a sneeze, but her efforts proved futile. The noise was heavily muffled, but in the empty hallway, it sounded deafening to Reagan.

“I’m sorry,” she mouthed, panic running wild in her eyes.

Liam rushed off to the hallway behind them, then rushed past again to check the hallways branching out ahead of them. When he returned, he managed a worried smile as he said, “There was nobody around to hear. We’re still safe.”

Reagan suppressed a sigh of relief, and he mouthed to Elisa, “Are you okay?”

She nodded and offered another silent apology.

Liam, unaware of their conversation, said, “There are no guards in the surrounding hallways or nearby rooms. Stay here -- I’m going to check Dietfried’s office again.”

And with that, he flew off through the wall beside Reagan.