Robert Newcomb - Blood and Stone 04 by Savage Messiah

Author:Savage Messiah
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf

CHAPTER XLVI

THE SUN WOULD SOON RISE, SATINE REALIZED. IN ANOTHER four hours or so, she would be discovered. She didn’t need that much time to complete her next sanction, but she appreciated the margin of safety. The nighttime sky was cloudy, and for that she was also thankful. Moonlight would have proven a deadly adversary.

From her place in the bushes, Satine watched carefully as a pair of stern Minion guards strode in opposite directions along the base of the castle wall. The light from their nearby campsites sent the patrolling warriors’ shadows crawling across the dark gray stones, adding to her tension.

Despite the bravado she had displayed for Bratach, this would be the most dangerous sanction of her career.

Lying upon the dewy ground, the Gray Fox watched as the two warriors reached the limits of their patrols, smartly turned, and approached one another again. She had been watching them for some time now, so as to make sure that there would be no sudden change in their routine. She had chosen this section of the palace wall because it was the most remote, and therefore less guarded.

As they neared, the warriors took no heed of one another. When no more than a foot separated them, they stopped, spun briskly around, and then walked away once more. They would do the same thing over and over again until they were relieved.

The next time the warriors met and turned, Satine began counting to herself. She continued to count until the warriors reached the lengths of their patrols; at forty, they did an about-face and walked back.

Looking at the top of the wall, she knew that what she had planned would be difficult. When the guards met and turned again she began to count again, this time looking at the area between her hiding place and the base of the wall. Still counting, she visualized her run, and her ascent to the top. When she envisioned herself on top of the wall, she had reached forty-one. But by then the unsuspecting warriors had already met and turned yet again.

Satine sighed. There would be barely enough time, and even then it would have to go perfectly. If she made any noise or didn’t move swiftly enough, the Minions would notice her, and both her mission and her life would come to an abrupt end. Her run would have to be silent, her throw perfect, and her climb swift. Bringing the rope up after her quickly enough was yet another concern.

Unlike the night she killed Geldon, Satine was dressed in peasant garb. She wore a short tunic, brown breeches, and a pair of very worn knee boots—all purchased that morning at a secondhand shop. A battered leather belt was cinched around her middle. She wore no hat; her

dark braid was tucked inside the neck of her tunic. Except for a single hip dagger, she carried no weapons. She felt naked without them, but for her plan to work, she had to appear as one of the innocent citizenry in all respects.

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