Deadly Night: Ageless Mysteries - Book 1 by Vanessa Nelson

Author:Vanessa Nelson [Nelson, Vanessa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-05-12T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Thea and her mother had sat in the shop and talked into the night. So late, in fact, that when Thea did make it to her bed, Gilbert had already taken his place on her pillow, grumbling when she moved him so she could settle under the covers.

Her mother had not wanted to be alone for a while, not until the shock of Reardon’s arrival had settled in her. And Thea had not wanted her to be alone. It had been the two of them for a long time, and it was only as she had grown to adulthood that Thea had begun to slowly understand just how strong her mother had been. Removing them from the far away Ageless Citadel where Thea had been born. Taking them halfway across the world to a new city, where her mother had no connections or friends, and settling them in with new names and a made-up background. A young widow, her husband a soldier who had been lost in the Archon’s wars, and her daughter.

It was a familiar and believable tale. There were a lot of widows and orphans across the Archon’s empire, their husbands and fathers sacrificed to the Archon’s never-ending ambition.

No one had questioned the tale, or asked where Thea’s supposed father, Josiah March, had come from, and why they had not gone to stay with his family when he had apparently died in the Archon’s wars. Thanks to the Archon’s wars, there were a lot of families displaced and trying to make new homes in new places.

Apart from their names, the tale also had an element of truth to it. They were, in many ways, a widow and orphan, as Reardon had chosen service to his ruler.

And now he was in the same city.

There was nothing either of them could do. The Ageless went where they pleased and did what they wanted. No human had ever stood against them. And the true Ageless looked down on Ageless-born as almost less than human.

Despite the cat curled up next to her, Thea did not sleep well when she did get to bed, dreams full of the rush of air against her face and the sound of wings beating around her.

She reported to the Watch Station in the morning with a thick head and a sick feeling in her stomach, only to find more trouble waiting for her. Two more troubles, to be precise.

Mage Niath was standing in his customary pose, hands folded behind his back, apparently inspecting the station’s filing system.

The Sergeant was nearby, and Thea had to choke back a laugh at his expression. The Sergeant did not know whether to be obsequious to a Citadel mage, or furious that his station had been invaded in this way.

“Officer March,” Niath said, without turning around. “You are late.”

“I am?” Thea asked, startled. “I wasn’t aware we had an appointment.”

Niath turned, a slight frown on his face. “You are right. I just assumed I would find you here with the day shift.

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