As night fell, Storm Port lit up with scattered lights, and the bustle of the day died down.
A small flock of seabirds had come from who knew where and settled lightly on the walls and rooftops around the residential quarter for the Church of Truth and Justice. They huddled together in pairs and threes, looking ready to spend the night there.
The guards chased them away several times, but before long they came back. The guards watched them for a while, saw nothing unusual, and decided to leave them alone.
A black crow stood on one leg among a flock of gray-black birds, its eyes closed as if already asleep.
The crow was, of course, Beatrice.
As the night wore on, Ian wasn't in a hurry. He simply waited in silence.
The shops along the main street closed one after another, and the lights in the residential quarter gradually grew sparse. The stupid birds beside him had all fallen asleep for real, too.
Ian had observed the guards' shift-change schedule in advance. Taking advantage of a lull, Beatrice flapped her wings and glided into the inner district, landing silently on a flower trellis.
Patrols were infrequent inside the residential quarter. Getting this far meant they had already succeeded halfway, after all, it wasn't an especially secret location. Still, several Extraordinary members of the Church lived here, so it was best to avoid them and stay cautious.
After a few short flights, Beatrice landed beneath the eaves of the target building. Ian helped her rein in her spiritual energy, and they prepared to check the rooms one by one through the windows.
Ian was lucky. In the first bedroom, he spotted a small figure fast asleep.
Rebecca's brow was furrowed in her sleep. Her once-golden hair had nearly turned dull