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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ladybird" data-source="post: 2913209" data-attributes="member: 10689">After lunch, the Canberry party waited while Lady Brightspan’s staff went off to the stables to requisition horses for them. (Kit wasn’t about to let an offer of free horses go to waste, and it amused her to be able to inconvenience Lady Brightspan.)As Kit was wandering around a narrow corridor, she caught sight of a familiar-looking face – one of ‘her people,’ as she was coming to think of them. One of the Mouth’s spies within Brightspan. This one was Henry, an under-steward in the palace – high enough to see things; not high enough to get noticed too often. Kit made a quick hand gesture – meaning ‘I’m the Mouth. Report.’ Henry returned his side of the code-signal, slightly surprised. He was even more surprised when Kit dropped the Mindlink on him.Welcome to the new way of doing things, Kit thought, with a grin and a quirk of her eyebrows. Absolutely secure, and absolutely silent. No possible way of being overheardHow do I know it’s you? Henry thought back, slightly suspiciously.Kit made the hand gesture again, accompanied by another grin. Henry shrugged, and grudgingly thought, All right…So, what’s the news? Kit thought. What’s going on with these new troops?Surprise registered in Henry’s mind. They were brought in four weeks ago. Didn’t you hear? Almost all of the regulars were sent off to the west, dressed as civilians. I sent word to the capital – didn’t you get it?No. Kit thought flatly, and her cocky grin faded into a discontented frown.I can’t imagine what went wrong, Henry thought. I know I sent it…Congratulations, Kit cut him off. You’re in charge of figuring out what happened. You find out, and you report back to me. No, wait, I’ll get in touch with you. This way, she added, with a tilt of her head to indicate their present form of mental communication. And if Brady so much as steps out the door to this castle, you tell me and you tell the capital. Understood?But – but – Kit didn’t think it was possible to splutter when you were only thinking, but Henry was managing it. Brady? He can melt into walls! He can practically turn invisible!I have faith in you, Kit thought back sweetly, before her mental words turned chilly again. You’re my representative here, and he’s the Brightspans’ chief assassin. You had better figure out a way of seeing him.</blockquote>

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