The smell of chloride lime made her sick. It was too similar to the summoning room, though the undercurrent of foul smells from Kazen’s lair were lacking in this place. It’s just clean, she told herself. Clean, and sparse. There was one chair for guests, a single desk with an immaculate woman sitting behind it, and a plant in the corner. A real plant. That was a good sign, wasn’t it?
Her tamped hope dared to flicker.
The woman looked up. “Ah, Mr. Verlad. We have no appointments with you today.” She glanced at Sandis and raised an eyebrow.
Something about what she said, about the look she gave, made Sandis shrink in on herself. So this is it, she thought. This was where Rone came while she waited for him at Kurtz’s home. Or had he made the arrangement earlier, while she fretted at the inn? This was where he’d made the deal to trade her life for pocket money. Sandis couldn’t help but think she was worth more than paper.
She’d thought he’d valued her more than that, at least.
She swallowed to prevent her throat from swelling. Cleared it. “I’m here to see Talbur Gwenwig.”
The secretary started. Rone hadn’t known Talbur was the man he’d met here, so the name must have shocked her.
She smoothed back the hair pulled into a tight bun at the back of her head. “Pardon?”
Rone strode past Sandis to the door near the desk. The secretary stood but didn’t stop him from wrenching it open. “I’m guessing he’s in?”
The woman frowned. Nodded.
Sandis didn’t need more of an invitation than that. Keeping her gaze focused ahead of her, she passed Rone and started down a cramped set of stairs into a cold basement. It was all one short hallway with a low ceiling, the sole light coming from a room at the very end, to the right.
She marched toward it. The door was cracked open. Holding her breath, Sandis pushed against the wood and let lamplight spill over her. Rone appeared at her side.
A man about Kazen’s age sat at a desk within the room. His eyes were wide set, but he had her grandfather’s nose, from what she remembered of him. He was stocky, and his thinning brown hair was combed away from his forehead and oiled to stay that way.
The man looked up, his dark eyes first finding Sandis, then drifting up to Rone. He straightened. Opened a drawer and pulled out a cigar and a matchbox.
“Why, Sandis,” he said, striking the match and setting it to the end of his cigar. “I was so hoping I’d get a chance to meet you.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I have so much gratitude to give for the fruition of this book. Smoke and Summons is possibly the best book I’ve written to date, and I most certainly didn’t do it alone.
First, I must thank my editor, Jason, and my agent, Marlene. Not just for handling all the boring businessy stuff, but for pushing me to write something bigger. The idea for this series came after a somewhat stressful phone call that encouraged me to expand my horizons (and ultimately take ideas from five other projects and mash them together into one trilogy). The end result is something I’m thrilled to share with the world, so thank you, thank you.
Being a mom, I could never get my words down without help. I want to thank my husband and my assistants, Cerena and Amanda, for making sure I got the time to plunk out my words and for being sounding boards and readers for me. And thank you to my two little ones, who still love me even when I spend the mornings hunkered down in our orange-painted basement.
Thank you so much to my alpha readers, who helped me get my hot messes in line: Caitlyn, Laura, L.T., Rebecca, and Kim. And a huge thank-you to my beta readers, who read my novel in a week so I could meet my deadlines: Whitney, Rachel, Tricia, and Leah. Thank you also to Joseph, who knows a lot more about guns than I do.
I must, of course, thank my developmental editor, Angela, and the 47North team who edited, proofed, and formatted this book. Though unbeknownst to some, commas, leading, and kerning are crucial aspects of every novel.
And, as always, my utmost gratitude to God, who watches over me and mine and keeps my mind sharp. He has had His hand in all my achievements, big and small.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in Salt Lake City, Charlie N. Holmberg was raised a Trekkie alongside three sisters who also have boy names. She is a proud BYU alumna, plays the ukulele, owns too many pairs of glasses, and finally adopted a dog. Her fantasy Paper Magician Series, which includes The Paper Magician, The Glass Magician, and The Master Magician, has been optioned by the Walt Disney Company. Her stand-alone novel, Followed by Frost, was nominated for a 2016 RITA Award for Best Young Adult Romance. She currently lives with her family in Utah. Visit her at www.charlienholmberg.com.
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