Ghost in the Flames by Moeller Jonathan

Author:Moeller, Jonathan [Moeller, Jonathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Azure Flame Media, LLC
Published: 2013-12-01T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15 - A Master of the Magisterium

As dusk fell, Caina and Ark rode to the chapterhouse of the Magisterium.

Caina had thought herself ready for this. She suspected at least one of Rasadda’s magi was involved in the murders, and when Ark had mentioned that the Black Wolves had worked for the Magisterium, her interest had only sharpened. Yet as the coach drew closer to the chapterhouse, black dread settled on her heart. Old memories, dark and rotten, fluttered in her mind, and her hands tightened beneath her soft gloves.

She hated the magi, hated them more than she could ever say.

The coach stopped before the chapterhouse, and Caina climbed out. She had chosen a formal green gown with a high collar, and a jacket with embroidered sleeves. It was not nearly as alluring as the dress she had worn to Romarion’s house, but that was by design. Romarion might have been a rogue, but at least he had been polite and charming. Caina doubted that Ephaeron and Kalastus would share his courtesy.

The chapterhouse itself looked like a smaller version of the Imperial Basilica, though built of black Saddai marble. The sigil of the Magisterium, a pair of eyes looking from an open book, had been carved into the lintel. A wave of nausea went though Caina as she looked at the sigil, and she desperately wanted to leave.

No. She had her duty, and she would do it. Her face remained a calm mask as she walked to the doors, Ark at her side. He had insisted upon wearing his armor, and walked with only the faintest trace of a limp, his face grimmer than usual.

Two soldiers stood besides the chapterhouse doors, dressed all in black. Even their breastplates and helmets had been enameled black. The Magisterial Guard, the bodyguards of the magi. They were just as brutally murderous as their masters. But they bowed to her and pulled open the doors, and Caina entered into the chapterhouse.

She found herself in a great hall, similar to the Imperial Basilica but smaller in scale. Long tables stretched the length of the hall, covered in strange mazes of glass tubing, odd mechanical devices, and piled books and scrolls. The enchanted glass spheres so favored by the magi lit the hall with unnatural light. Caina’s skin began to crawl. Somewhere very close, she knew, someone was performing sorcery.

A brother of the Magisterium, in a black robe with a red sash, hurried over and bowed.

“Countess Marianna Nereide, I presume?” the magus said.

“I am,” said Caina.

“The masters awake you eagerly.” He lifted his hand and whispered something under his breath. The crawling on Caina’s skin intensified, and she felt the faint surge of sorcerous power. An apple-sized sphere of blue light appeared between them. She resisted the urge to recoil. “Simply follow this simulacrum to the masters’ chambers. It will guide you there.”

“Thank you,” said Caina.

The magus bowed, and the blue sphere began to drift forward. It led them across the hall and up a flight of stairs.

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.