Child of the Flames (The Seven Signs Book 1) by D.W. Hawkins

Author:D.W. Hawkins [Hawkins, D.W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Laconic Press, LLC
Published: 2019-01-27T22:00:00+00:00

Dancing with the Fire

“What do you mean ‘gone’, soldier?” Grant tried his best not to toss everything on his writing desk into the floor.

“She was just gone, sir.” Ferun gulped. “Disappeared. We chased her, but she outran us, and when she went around the corner…just gone, sir. I can’t explain it.”

Grant tapped his finger on his desk, grinding his teeth. “That’s twice the bitch has escaped my grasp.”

Ferun kept his mouth shut—he was more intelligent than Formin had been.

Grant sat down in the chair at his desk and gazed out the window. He wanted to throttle the private. He wanted to scream.

The emperor will have me dismissed for this, and I’ll be strangled. I know too much to left alive.

“Sir, if I may offer an opinion?” Havram said from behind him.

“Speak, Lieutenant.” Grant sighed. He was yet unsure if he could trust his aide, but the child was gone now—either stolen from him in the night or escaped. The point of contention between them was removed, and Havram had always been otherwise professional.

Did you help her escape, Havram? I saw that look in your eyes.

“There’s something interesting going on.” Havram stepped forward, hands clasped behind his back. “We’ve received the reports from the docks. That ship they had requested sank in its berth, and the sails caught fire.”

“Yes.” Grant scowled. “Those gods-damned bells were ringing for half the night.”

“One of the men from the quay said some of his comrades were pulled into the water, as if something invisible had come out of the harbor and jerked them under.”

Grant turned a raised eyebrow on Havram. “Go on.”

“Not long after, the Baroness appears at the North Gate, leads our men on a chase, and just disappears around a corner. It’s more than a little odd, sir.”

“The flames, the ship, the disappearance,” Grant mused. “This mysterious Sevenlander we heard about—you think he’s a sorcerer?”

“It sounds like a definite possibility at this point, sir. Ships don’t just break open at anchor and sink to the bottom of the harbor. They certainly don’t just catch fire on their own.”

“And you think the appearance of the woman was done with magic?”

“I think so, sir.”

Grant looked out the window. “The westerners are known for their tolerance of sorcery. They celebrate it, even—or so I’ve read. I believe you’re right, Lieutenant. Quite perceptive. Ferun!”

Ferun stiffened. “Sir!”

“Find one of Lindesholm’s servants and bring me a map of the countryside. Quickly, now!”

“Yes, sir!” Ferun’s footsteps faded into the hallway as the man went to his task.

“So, Lieutenant,” Grant said as Ferun left the room. “Do you think the Baroness is still in the city?”

“I don’t, sir.”

“Why not?”

“We know they were trying to find passage over the Stormy Sea. If the Baroness appearing at the gate was a trick of sorcery—an illusion, perhaps—its intended purpose was clearly to get our men to abandon their posts.”

“So our quarry could slip out when they did.” Grant nodded. He wanted to put his head in his hands and scream with frustration, but he contented himself with a cleansing sigh.

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