Aether Shift by Alex Shepherd

Author:Alex Shepherd [Shepherd, Alex]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: darkstroke books
Published: 2021-07-15T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Once it became clear that the creatures freed from his menagerie were not going to be captured, Duke Kieron called off his soldiers. It grated on him, to let whoever had orchestrated such a direct insult to his house get away with their success. He also recognized the futility of wasting his men’s energy on it. The Rose Guardsman had wanted to take at least some of the creatures back with them, particularly the dragon, but that seemed to have taken a backseat to bringing the Amishi boy to the capital to face the King’s justice. Kieron still wasn’t even certain it was his burden to take, but he was unwilling to go against his liege.

The men from the capital were leaving tomorrow, with or without him, and he would not be seen as obstructing his ruler. He would deliver the boy to King Samuel, as he had promised; regardless of who he was, the boy’s undoubtedly public execution would be a slap to the face of the Resistance.

With a reluctant sigh the man rose from his desk, taking his notes and tucking them into the inside pocket of his jacket. Since he had caught Ascindra snooping, he had been far more careful about leaving sensitive information unattended. His brows drew down over his eyes as he frowned, wondering now how long the little chit had been doing it right under his nose—it had taken him a while to discover her vapid mannerisms were almost all for show. When she had first been given unto his care after her parents’ deaths he had often allowed her to accompany him, even to sit quietly reading or playing games in this very study while he worked. Even—and here he cringed—when he received reports from his soldiers or hosted a visiting noble or...received the Rose Guard. He did not often consider himself such, but in this, he thought, he had been a fool.

Kieron exited his study, locking it behind him—which he was sure he had done the other night, as well—and turned right down the hall, towards his niece’s apartments. She was not going to be happy to learn that she was losing her favorite toy, but she didn’t have a choice. She’d forget the offense when he dangled something new in front of her, although in the meantime she was going to be difficult to live with.

When he reached Ascindra’s rooms, he offered a fallacy of courtesy by knocking, and then opened the door and strode inside. He had not gotten more than two steps into the parlor, however, when he stopped.

His niece was seated on a velvet settee, and in front of her on the low glass table was one of his binding collars. She stared at it with such intense concentration that she had not seemed to notice his appearance, and what was worse, there was a faint glow surrounding the collar like it emitted its own light, pulsing softly at approximately the same tempo as a human heartbeat.

“What is this?” Kieron demanded, and Ascindra’s eyes snapped up.

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