Inkling of Truth by Saffron Bryant

Author:Saffron Bryant
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Saffron Bryant
Published: 2022-03-18T10:52:39+00:00

CHAPTER 27

Skylar pulled the floppy hat lower over her face as she approached the prison. The puffy shirt and skirt she'd taken from Emili's cupboard felt wrong; they tugged in the wind and pinched at Skylar's shoulders, making it harder for her to move. If someone attacked her while she was in these ridiculous clothes she'd lose, even if they didn't have any Traits. She felt naked without her usual supplies; knife, rope, flint. There'd been no choice though; the City Watch knew her, they'd recognize her cloak and hood from a dozen paces and never let her near the cells.

The low security prison adjoined the Hall of Justice; making transfer for court hearings easy. In the middle of the massive square at the front of the halls towered a statue of the Goddess of Justice; Katombi. She stood tall, a balance held in one hand. Her face would have been beautiful if not for the rough gouges where her eyes had been. Katombi had taken a knife to her own eyes and carved them out to better administer justice—blind to all biases of race, sex, or wealth. A nice concept in theory, but in Skylar's experience, an ideal rarely held up in the city's Hall of Justice.

The Hall of Justice was a gleaming building made from white marble with six columns out front. People streamed through the wide double doors, their shoes clicking on the marble steps. In contrast, the prison beside the hall was made of ordinary stone, weather-beaten and chipped.

To the side of the prison entrance squatted a narrow building with one door, one window, and a desk crammed inside. A thin man sat behind the desk, his long, pointed nose currently buried in a thick book of ledgers. He peered at Skylar over the top of the book. "Can I help you?"

"My name is Emili, Trait transferist. I should be on your records."

"I know the name. I didn't know we had any transfers happening today?"

"No, sir. But I prefer to get to know the prisoners before I perform the transfer. It makes the conversion more efficient."

He snorted. "Rubbish. The Guild have the right of it. If it were up to me all of you freelancers would be out of a job."

Skylar bit her tongue. Now was not the time to lose her temper.

"Fine. Go on. I assume you know your way?"

Skylar nodded once and left. She brushed past the guards at the door, into the stone building that housed the cells. Cold stone lined the floor of the hall which made a straight line from the entrance to the far wall. Cages no more than four feet in any direction, lined each side of the corridor, separated only by thick iron bars. A narrow set of stairs led to the second floor. Skylar didn't bother going up. The guards were as predictable as a summer storm; they filled the cells from closest to the door, only moving to the second story when every cell on the ground floor was full.

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