Chapters (46)
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- Thirty-six
- Thirty-seven
- Thirty-eight
- Thirty-nine
- Forty
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
The bell tower was strangely peaceful. There was a platform where the bell was supposed to be, and everything was covered with a thick layer of dust. From there it was easy to find the stairs back down, and it was indeed about a quarter hour after she started when Kyra turned the bolt and opened the front door. She caught different expressions as the men passed by. Some regarded her with appreciation. Rand stared at her as if seeing her for the first time. More than one looked at her with fear in their eyes, and she caught Alex making a sign to ward off evil spirits. Bacchus’s gaze still wasn’t friendly, but it didn’t hold his usual sneer.
James was the last to enter. After he passed, Kyra let the door close. When she turned around, all the men except James had gathered below the atrium’s high archways. The head assassin stood next to her.
He caught her eye. “You did well.”
It was the first time since she joined the Guild that he’d praised her, and she found it surprisingly hard to hold his gaze. She looked away, taken aback at the flush rising in her cheeks and glad that the darkness kept it hidden. She was a professional, not some giddy farm girl.
“It’s what I do.”
They walked in silence to rejoin the group. Right before they reached the rest, Kyra remembered. “The guards. What happened to them?”
“They’re being held outside. We’ll release them once we’re done.”
She searched his eyes for as long as she dared. James looked back at her, gaze calm and steady.
“Come see me tomorrow before you go into the Palace,” he said. “We can discuss your next step.”
Nine
N I N E
The beagle loped through the sparse underbrush, stirring up dust with her nose and ears as she zigzagged along an invisible trail. She’d tracked without fail this morning, but now her focus was wavering. Any rustle in the bushes became an excuse to slow down, any birdcall an invitation to look around.
“Let’s take a break,” Tristam said. The dog talker, a young shieldman named Martin, whistled sharply. The hound made a tight turn and sat down, tongue lolling. Tristam leaned against a tree as the five shieldmen with him settled nearby.
Martin poured some water for the beagle and scratched it behind the ears. “She’s bored with the scent,” he said. “And her left paw is sore. I don’t think we’ll get more work out of her today.”
“How do you see all that?” Tristam asked.