(eng) Mickey Zucker Reichert - Bifrost Guardians 04 by Shadow's Realm

Author:Shadow's Realm [Realm, Shadow's]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

CHAPTER 7 : Ladies of the Shadows

I like not fair terms and a villain’s mind.

—William Shakespare The Merchant of Venice

Back in the inn room, Taziar Medakan huddled on the stacked logs, feeling weak and as tattered as an old rag. Everything he had done since arriving in Cullinsberg replayed through his mind in an endless loop of accusation. He had not asked Rascal to drag him, unconscious and bleeding, from the whorehouse alley. Even if Taziar had been coherent enough to warn the children, he had not known the danger. No one could have guessed that Harriman would choose that moment to demand his share of the day’s take, nor just how cruel and warped his anger would become. Still, Taziar could not help feeling responsible for the children’s deaths. And after he revealed the information to his friends, the fact that Larson, Silme, and Astryd sat watching him in silent sympathy only strengthened his guilt. Taziar wished just one of his companions would chastise him for running off alone.

Larson crouched in a corner near the window, saying nothing. Astryd sat among the packs, tracing a pattern on the hilt of Taziar’s sword. It was Silme who finally broke the silence. “What time of day is the baron planning to hang Shylar and the others?”

Taziar stared at his hands. “Tomorrow sundown, almost certainly. Aga’arin’s High Holy Day is the most sacred day of the year. His followers, including the baron, will spend most of daylight on the temple grounds.” Taziar looked up, plotting diverting his thoughts from the orphans. “The number of guards on duty won’t change. Atheists and worshipers of Mardain will work. But many of the shops will close early or won’t open at all, and the streets will be nearly empty.” Taziar sat straighter, touched by the first familiar stirrings of excitement that accompanied planning the impossible. “The holiday won’t make the escape any simpler, but once we’ve freed them, we should be able to move through town without much difficulty.” Uncomfortable with leaving his friends in prison any longer than necessary, Taziar frowned. “Assuming we wait until tomorrow to release them.”

“Which gives us tonight to remove Harriman,” Silme spoke gently, but her suggestion inspired a flare of guilt that made Taziar squirm.

“Forget Harriman for now.” Taziar’s words did not come easily. “We can kill him any time, but my friends could die tomorrow.”

Larson looked pensive. “Silme’s right, Shadow. Breaking your friends out won’t do us any good if we leave an enemy at our backs. Harriman got them thrown in prison once. He can do it again.”

Silme continued. “You couldn’t talk a gang of frightened children into leaving Cullinsberg. Do you expect Shylar and the others to run away from the only home they know, passively waiting while Harriman destroys the part of city life they created?”

“Of course not.” Mercifully, Taziar’s remorse and the burden of blame retreated behind this new concern. “At the least, we have to know just how much control Harriman has over the remainder of the underground.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.