After wiping the blade clean, I handed it to Cael. She shook her head, trying to hand the knife back to me.
“You need to be able to protect yourself.”
“Not like this,” she said.
I placed the knife back into her hand, cupping her slender fingers around the hilt, noticing how smooth her skin felt to my hand. “Sometimes the threat of a weapon is enough deterrence.”
She took a deep breath, eyes surging varying shades of green as she considered. Finally, she nodded. I wondered what she had Read of me during that time.
Pulling the door open, I stepped into the hall, trusting that Cael would follow. I slowed as we neared each of the doors but did not see or hear anything unusual. That didn’t put me completely at ease, but I didn’t want to waste time searching each room for potential attackers. I’d have to trust that with my Sight and with Cael’s Reading, we’d detect any others.
A small trail of blood ran down the hall at the corner. A dark handprint stained the wall, smearing along the rough wood. Two more doors were on either side of the hall. One hung slightly ajar. Lanterns hung on either side of the hall, burning softly. The dark soot they put off appeared thick to my eyes.
I wondered if the injured was someone after Cael or one of the women. Behind me, Cael’s breathing quickened.
I reached the partially open door and kicked it wide, dropping low as I did. I held my sword loosely in hand, again wishing I had more time to prepare additional darts. Nothing moved.
We still hadn’t come across anyone else killed by my darts. What had happened to the first attackers? Even if the terad failed, it shouldn’t have worn off that quickly.
I motioned to Cael and we slipped further down the hall. The trail of blood was thicker here, soaking into the wide planks of the flooring as it transitioned into the main room of the tavern.
An upended table blocked the transition from hall to tavern. I leaned back against the wall, watching the shadows, but saw nothing. The tavern stunk of smoke. If the Durven blazed, we could be trapped.
Turning to Cael, I started to speak when she shook her head.
“I don’t sense anyone,” she said.
I nodded once.
After lifting the table out of the way, I finally saw a body. It lay sprawled across the floor on its side, a growing pool of blood soaking into the floor. One of Lorst’s slender knives stuck out from his inner thigh. Even without the poisoned blade, that was a fatal shot.
I glanced at the man’s face but didn’t recognize him. He had a long scar running down his chin that reminded me of something, but I didn’t know why.
Another man lay next to him, one I recognized. Talim. A thief usually, but as much coin as Orly offered turned thieves into murderers. I nudged his body, making sure he was dead, before stepping over. A distasteful expression contorted Cael’s mouth as she followed me.
“This may be difficult for you,” I said as we entered the tavern. A thick haze of smoke hung about the room. I still hadn’t seen the fire and hoped the Great Watcher would let us escape before flames consumed the tavern.
“This has already been difficult,” she said and stepped around me.
I grabbed her wrist, holding her carefully. I couldn’t help but notice how smooth her skin felt. She didn’t fight as she turned, meeting my eyes. Hers were pale now, with only flecks of green. How did she manage to make her eyes appear different shades of green? “This will be different.”
Tables and chairs were upended. Some were splintered, broken as if they had been heaved at the stone walls, others simply thrown to the back of the room. I found the fire as it burned in the hearth along the far wall, licking out along one of the upturned tables, working up its legs. Flames stretched to the ceiling, darkening the wood only. It would not be long before the entire tavern burned. And much of the neighborhood.
I heard Cael gasp and turned to see three of the women lying in a heap, blood pooling from slit throats.
“Was this…” she began but could not finish.
“Not Lorst,” I said, shaking my head, and motioned to a pair of men lying along the short bar.
Each had a slender silver knife jutting from their neck. Both were men whose faces I didn’t recognize, and both had long scars running down the side of their faces. Why would they all be scarred?
Others, men from the Eban underworld like Talim but without experience in killing, lay dead around them. They were men tempted and turned into killers by the promise of Orly’s coin. From what I counted, there were nearly fifteen men so far, including myself.
Too many.
With sudden certainty, I knew I was missing something. This was about more than just Cael, about more than just a Reader. Whatever she had taken from Orly had made him send an army after her.
I glanced at the small bundle she carried. Whatever glowed within was what Orly sought.
There wasn’t the time to slow down to think it through. Only time to move and survive. Get Cael to safety. And then find out.
A slight shift in the shadows drew my attention. I turned, spinning with my sword held in front of me. I saw nothing but fire and smoke. “Cael?”
She hurried over. I didn’t need to be a Reader to understand the emotion on her face: fear. This was a woman unused to uncertainty with her Reading.
Flames now raced across the ceiling, filling the room with thick smoke. My Sight would not help once the smoke filled the room.
“It’s time we leave the Durven,” I said. The tavern would soon fall. Probably the other buildings surrounding it as well.
Time to escape and then learn what Cael knew, learn why Orly had sent so many for one person.
5
I stopped on the streets outside the Durven and turned to look. Bright flames lit the night, racing up the side of the tavern. Heavy smoke filled the air, adding to the haze of the night. Firelight reflected off the smoke to create a softly muted light. Were it not so deadly, I would call it beautiful.
Sounds of chaos—men running, children screaming, the heavy groaning of the Durven as the wood cracked and began to give way—filled the air. The distraction would help us escape but could not be counted on to last for long.
And we couldn’t stay in Eban.
I think I’d known that when I committed to helping her, but had not admitted it to myself. I’d been in the city so long, and had made it something of a home, that coming to that decision hurt. What other choice did I have? Orly had enough power and connections to make it difficult for me to remain, and maybe it was time for me to start somewhere else.
“We need to leave the city,” I said.
The lack of other emotion as she nodded made me wonder how much of this she had planned.
“You will accompany me?” she asked.
We would leave Eban, but for where? Hiding her meant a larger city; otherwise, she’d stand out and be quickly found. If not Lorst, then someone else. After tonight, the price on her would surely climb. Men would not stop at a chance for that kind of gold.
Few options came to mind. To the north was Cort. The sprawling city was much like Eban, huge and filled with corruption. At least Orly didn’t control Cort as he did Eban. Cort could be comfortable for someone like me. Except the rumors said Lorst worked Cort, and with his ability to Slide, if he recovered, I feared I’d come across him there.
Beyond Cort was the massive city Asador. Cael could hide in Asador if needed. Even Orly would struggle to extend his reach that far north. Looking at Cael, beautiful and dark, eyes now pale in the reflected firelight, I didn’t envision her in a place like Asador. It was an enormous city, but my memory of it was that it was darker and more run down than even Eban.
I thought of Thyr to the east and discarded the idea. Cael wouldn’t fit in well in that place. There were other, smaller cities to the west, but none really fit.
“South,” she said.
I looked over to see green flaring in her otherwise pale eyes. “I can’t go south,” I said.
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“Then I’ll go alone,” she said. “For it must be south.”
The top floor of the Durven suddenly gave way, crashing to the ground below in a shower of sparks. A fire line had formed, men carrying buckets of water as they fought to contain the flames, but there was little that could be done to stop the Durven from burning.
“Let me get you out of the city,” I said. “Then we can decide where you can hide.”
She touched my arm with one of her slender hands. I shivered as she did, her fingers like silk across my arm. “Once I leave the city, there will be no hiding. I have to head south.”
“What do you have?” I asked. My eyes flicked to the pack she had slung around her neck. She cradled the contents to her side, one arm holding it tightly. The other hand held the long silver knife I had taken off the assassin. A hint of a blue glow radiated from the pack, possibly imagined.
“Something of value only to me,” she answered.
The image of all the bodies lying in the tavern came to me. “I doubt that.”
“Now you’re the Reader?”
I tipped my head as I studied her. “Who are you, Cael?”
She smiled and I felt a soft rustling around my head, like a breeze blowing. “Just a Reader, Galen.”
Movement down the street propelled me into action. I pulled Cael along the streets. The light from the flames around the Durven faded the farther we ran. The city changed, too. Dark streets lit by poor-man’s oil slowly turned toward brighter sections of town. Ramshackle buildings became tidy shops. Instead of faded signs, lettering almost unreadable, now there were brightly painted storefronts.
We encountered a growing crowd as we hurried away from the Durven. At first, most were dressed in well-worn clothes, some ill fitting, some tattered, more than a few simply dirty. Once I saw a couple carrying a small child covered in soot and wondered how close to the Durven they lived.
As we moved further along the streets, closer to more prosperous sections, the dress of the people we encountered changed. Men wore shirts and pants in the current style, striped and pulled tight around the legs. Women wore a variety of dresses of all colors and cut, but the general theme was conservative. Even here, Cael did not fit in, though neither did I. I was careful to keep my cloak pulled tight around me, sword concealed. At least in that, I appeared little more than a traveler.
As we neared a street corner, I saw a pair of the guard. Dressed in grey, their dull metal helms reflected some of the lamplight. Long swords were sheathed at their waist. Their boots clomped heavily along the stone.
I pulled Cael into the shadows.
She glanced at the guard, the question plain on her face. I placed a finger over her lips and instantly regretted it. My finger seemed to tingle. Her mouth formed a slight smile around my finger, full lips pressing against it. I pulled back.
“Can’t believe they would move this way,” one of the soldiers said.
The other shrugged. “Does it matter? For the price on them, we can look. If we find them, shouldn’t be too hard to capture the woman, at least. The other might be more trouble than he’s worth.”
“Trouble? He’s worth three times as much as her!”
“But this is Galen.”
Their voices trailed off as they moved away, their boots slowly thumping off the stones.
I waited until the sound faded completely before stepping away from the shadows. Orly already knew. At least now I knew my price had gone up. Maybe later I’d feel a bit of pride at how high a price he placed on me.
“You’re now a target,” Cael said.
I nodded, taking a handful of darts from my pouch.
She frowned. “You knew you would be.”
“You either work for Orly or you do not.”
Pulling a small packet of powder from the pouch—crushed dagasn seed, nearly as potent as terad toxin and would last longer in the dart—I tipped it into a small vial and then spit into it. Taking a slender wooden stick from my pouch, I stirred it carefully, making sure to dissolve all of the powder before flicking the stick away.
Cael watched me for a moment. “I’m sorry, Galen.”
I met her eyes, made sure she heard me and didn’t simply Read me. “I may have taken his jobs, but I never worked for Orly.”
I dipped the darts into the toxin. They were hollow-tipped and pulled the liquid up into their bodies. I felt better knowing I had a few prepared. Most times, poison suited the job better than the sword.
“How will we get through the city now?” she asked.
“Now?”
She nodded in the direction the soldiers had gone. “We can’t hide from the entire city guard.”
I laughed darkly. “I can.”
We stayed in the shadows, slipping quietly along the street. I would have taken to the roofs—I was plenty comfortable there—but I doubted Cael would manage as well. She impressed me with her stealth, though most of our kind could move quietly. I held a pair of darts at the ready and kept my Sight flared, taking in everything around us.
“Why this direction?” Cael whispered as we slipped around a building. A candlemaker, from the sign. “This isn’t the quickest way out of the city.”
“No,” I agreed.
“And you’re taking me north.”
She was a Reader. She knew what I was doing.
Orly controlled the outer sections of town. There, farthest from the seat of the power, the corruption was thickest. Even when they bothered to patrol, the city militia all had their income supplemented by him. Shop owners paid for his protection. His own personal protection amounted to a small army. Attempting to leave the city through that part of town with Cael in tow amounted to a near-certain death sentence.
That left a more circuitous route. Orly’s control extended into the heart of the city, but his grip was weaker. The farther we traveled, the faces watching us would be just that—watchers—giving us freedom to move more quickly. As long as we could stay ahead of the assassins, I could get her out of the city and on the road to safety.
“How will we get past the guards?” she asked.
I glanced over and saw the hint of green in her eyes and knew she’d been Reading me. That made this easier. And harder. Were I to need to, I would not be able to keep anything from her.
“I’ll come up with something.”
We hurried through the street, and buildings began getting smaller and closer together, almost forming a wall. A trio of guards forced me to change directions, and we encountered another four coming toward us. Pulling us into an alley, I waited for them to pass.
There were too many.
Had the entire city guard come out for us?
I wouldn’t put it past Orly. He had enough money—and connections—to make it happen. When the soldiers had moved on, I pulled us back onto the main street, but we came across another group of soldiers, forcing us back. When we rounded a corner, we had to turn again.
As we did, I began to understand. Not only were we being forced away, but we were essentially being herded toward the section of the city controlled by Orly.
We could hide somewhere, but where would we find that would keep us safe? How long could we hold out with not only the underworld of Eban, but the entire city guard set against us?
Cael must have Read me as we paused near a small clearing set between nearby buildings. “You think you can—”
I saw her eyes flare at the same time I saw the shadows change.
Someone had found us.
I saw a slight shifting, a slight shimmer in the darkness. My heart fluttered.
Lorst.
“Drop!” I hissed.
She hesitated too long. Lorst Slid into view. Light seemed to bend around him, making him hard for me to See. Someone without my Sight would probably see nothing. I suddenly understood the way he had been dressed earlier. He had expected me.
A distant lamp reflected off the knife he flicked at me. I spun, feeling the knife as it whistled past my face, se
nding a dart toward him as I did.
“What is this woman to you, Galen?” Lorst asked.
There was the shimmer as he Slid, moving barely a step away.
“Just a pretty face,” I said. Something about him seemed different than before. How had he recovered so quickly? “How did you heal so quickly from the terad toxin?”
I whipped another dart toward him. He Slid again. This time—possibly because of his Sight-blinding clothing—I saw a shimmer of darkness before he Slid, followed by a soft shimmer as he reappeared.
“Terad?” he asked. “Potent when mixed well. Too bad your skills seem to be fading.”
“And yours?” I asked.
I saw the reflection of the knife just in time, spinning down and away from it. Three darts left. After they were gone, I had only my sword. Against a Slider in the open. I did not like my chances.
This time, I aimed the dart where I thought he would be. The light shifting off his clothing made it difficult to know with certainty. I heard a soft grunt of surprise and thought I might have hit him.
“Close,” he said. Then he laughed, harsh and low, as he Slid. There was another shimmer and Lorst reappeared behind me. I saw the flash of light off the blade and ducked.
Too late.
The knife struck my cloak, slicing through it and into my stomach.
I dropped with a grunt.
Warm blood seeped out, spreading across my shirt and dripping down my stomach. Fire burned through my gut, more than the injury would account for. If not for the thickness of my cloak, the knife would have pierced deeper. Even as it was, I knew I might not survive.
Lorst Slid into view and stood over me. His long hair fell in front of his face. Hard eyes surged green. “Why do you help her?”
“She’s one of us,” I said. “A Reader.”
I had little strength remaining. My body raged with pain and fire. Srirach powder, likely. Potent. Painful. Deadly. Even a small quantity killed, leaving the victim alive long enough to retain the ability to speak but do little else. A useful poison.
The Forgotten (The Sighted Assassin Book 2) Page 4
