Child of the Ghosts by Jonathan Moeller

Author:Jonathan Moeller [Moeller, Jonathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fantasy, Science Fiction
ISBN: 2940012589194
Goodreads: 11674411
Publisher: Jonathan Moeller
Published: 2011-05-24T16:00:00+00:00

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And true to her word, Caina kept busy. Theodosia knew countless tricks of makeup and disguise, and as the months went by she taught every last one to Caina. Soon Caina knew how to disguise herself as anything from a starving commoner to a highborn lady. From time to time Theodosia had her don a disguise, and walk unseen and unnoticed among the crowds of Malarae.

It was a strange feeling, but one that Caina enjoyed.

She spent time among the nobles’ servants, regaling them with tales of Theodosia’s erratic moods and irrational demands. Soon they shared lurid tales of their own. Many of the Restorationist nobles abused their servants, who in turn had little compunction about spying upon their masters.

And many of the nobles had secrets, though most were harmless. One lord carried on affair with three different merchants’ wives, another schemed to steal control of a copper mine from a rival, and still a third planned to embarrass the Lord Governor of the Pale at a ball.

But sometimes the lords had darker secrets; correspondence with slave traders, or shelter for renegade sorcerers, or secret messages sent to the Empire’s enemies.

Caina suspected Theodosia sent Riogan, or someone like him, to pay those lords a visit.

Theodosia kept Caina practicing different accents. Sometimes Caina spent the entire day speaking High Nighmarian with a Caerish accent, or Cyrican with a Saddaic accent, or Anshani with a Kyracian accent. She taught Caina to alter the pitch and tone of her voice, when to slur her words and when to speak faster, and soon Caina could disguise her voice with ease, picking from a dozen different voices and accents.

Lucien’s attentions to her did not flag, either. Caina would have been more impressed had she not known that he had slept with a dozen different women at the Grand Imperial Opera.

One day he cornered her in a narrow hallway.

“It grieves me,” Lucien said, “to see you working so hard. Theodosia does not appreciate you, Marina.”

Caina shrugged. “She keeps me from starving, no? And she even let me go on stage once or twice.”

Lucien scoffed. “As an extra! Little more than scenery! You deserve more. You should be on stage with me, in jewels and in silks.” He touched her shoulder for a moment. “I can arrange that.”

“I can’t sing,” said Caina.

“You wouldn’t have to,” said Lucien. “Your beauty alone would fill the theater with song.”

Caina laughed. “That’s a terrible line.”

But he did indeed look handsome. And he always smelled nice, too. Malarae stank of salt and fish and tar and worse things, as one might expect in a city of a million people, but somehow Lucien always managed to smell nice.

“But,” she said, “you are almost charming enough to pull it off.”

“Almost?” he said. “You wound me terribly. I think you are very bold, Marina.”

Caina shrugged. “Boldness has its uses.”

“Really?” said Lucien. “Then perhaps I shall be bold.”

And before she could react, he leaned closed and kissed her.

That…felt nice. It felt very nice. He was good at it; undoubtedly he had had a lot of practice.

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