(eng) Lindsay Buroker - Emperor's Edge 5.5 by Beneath the Surface

Author:Beneath the Surface [Surface, Beneath the]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 7

Dawn approached as Amaranthe and the others jogged through a light snow, heading back to their cabins. Sicarius lifted a hand before they reached their block of doors, though, and slipped into the shadows along the rail. Amaranthe, Sespian, and Akstyr followed his example. She checked her hood to make sure it hid her face. It was still early enough that she’d expected only her men to be about, but perhaps that was not the case.

She stood on her tiptoes to whisper, “What is it?” beside Sicarius’s ear.

There wasn’t anything to hide behind on the narrow stretch of deck before their cabins, not so much as a lounge chair. If anyone were standing there, even the dim lighting wouldn’t have hidden them. Maybe someone was inside the cabins.

“Visitors,” Sicarius said.

“Are they still here?”

Sicarius tilted his head back, eyeing the deck above, or perhaps the framework below the deck. Amaranthe squinted into the shadows over her cabin door. Did that dark smudge have a human form? Or was it her imagination? She couldn’t remember anything significant to hang from up there, but Sicarius was focused on the spot. It must be something.

The “smudge” dropped from its perch, a human form distinguishing itself from the shadows. Before it hit the deck, Sicarius sprinted across the intervening meters. By the time the figure’s feet touched down, Sicarius had circled behind, a knife in hand. In an instant, he’d turned the person into his captive, the blade pressed to a pale throat. Sicarius nudged the cloaked figure forward, into the light beneath one of the low-burning lanterns.

After a quick scan of the remaining dark spots, Amaranthe walked over. The figure’s hood dropped about its neck, revealing Basilard’s scarred face.

Amaranthe propped her hands on her hips. “You’re not an enforcer.”

Basilard eyed the blade at his throat before signing, No, but I thought you might be. They were just here. Enforcers and steamboat security, using a master lock to open doors.

By the time Basilard finished signing, Sicarius had removed the knife and returned it to its sheath.

“They didn’t catch Books, did they?” Amaranthe asked. That was a further complication they didn’t need.

No. I heard them searching the other cabins. Basilard pointed at doors farther up the deck. I slipped out, warned Books, and helped him pack all his work.

“How’d you manage to pack that library before the enforcers caught up with you?” Akstyr asked, joining the group. Sespian lingered behind, watching the nearest set of stairs.

He had to leave a few things behind, Basilard signed. He was most distraught.

“What about the rest of our stuff?” Akstyr asked, probably realizing he’d left books on magic in his cabin.

They confiscated everything and positively identified it as belonging to us. I watched from above. Basilard nodded to his spot. I thought about attacking, but Books had already left, saying he had to protect his work, and it would have been me against eight men.

“That’s a problem for you? Have we not been training enough of late?” Amaranthe smiled,

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.