Teeth, Long and Sharp: A Collection of Tales Sharp and Pointed by Grace Draven & Antioch Grey & Aria M. Jones & Jeffe Kennedy & Mel Sterling

Author:Grace Draven & Antioch Grey & Aria M. Jones & Jeffe Kennedy & Mel Sterling [Draven, Grace]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Draven/Grey/Jones/Kennedy/Sterling
Published: 2016-10-04T05:00:00+00:00

Alair had decided to travel using the family boat rather than hiring a passing boatman. It was black, like most of the boats in the City, with a covering at one end to shelter passengers from rain and hostile watchers, though the large sigil painted on the side in gold did mean that anyone could tell who owned the boat if not who rode in her.

It was typical of the City that you should both skulk around and be seen doing it so that people knew you were skulking but not why.

They slipped through the shadows of night, oars making splashes that sounded like thunder claps in Martis’ ears. They stopped by the central square that dominated the centre of the City, which was surrounded by the Master’s palace on three sides and the canal on the fourth. Usually lit by hundreds of small lamps, tonight there was only a line of faintly flickering torches leading from the pier to the main door into the Master’s palace. It was flanked by two large stone lions with emeralds for eyes, with a stone arch surmounted by a bacchanal of rioting angels.

“His idea of a joke, I suspect,” Alair murmured. “Just to annoy the Trinitarians.”

“I didn’t know that was possible,” Martis replied, just as quietly.

“It probably isn’t, if you’re human,” Alair replied, eyeing the angelic orgy clinically. “Perhaps if you’re double jointed, and very supple.”

Martis snorted. “From what I hear, there will be somewhere in the City where you can purchase the opportunity to try this.”

“I can find out, if you’d like to try it?”

“No, thanks, all the same—I can’t put my shoes on without my back complaining these days.”

The arch led through to a courtyard, again dimly lit with no concession to human eyes and their need for light. In the shadows there were tall, blocky shapes with glowing eyes that could be either statues or guards. Martis felt no inclination to investigate further, and even Alair’s wild curiosity seemed stilled in the face of whatever lurked in the dark. Another door stood ajar at the right hand side of the space, and the sound of laughter and chatter came from within.

“Is that the way, do you think?” Martis asked. He was unnerved by the lack of servants and normal people scurrying around about their business. There should be someone to determine whether they should be there, someone to take their cloaks, and someone to offer them a drink. At the very least, there should be someone to announce their arrival to the other guests. There was none of that.

If you had to be announced, Martis supposed, then you shouldn’t be there.

They moved to the door and peered into the room, assessing the lie of the land before venturing onto enemy ground. This room was more brightly lit, whether in deference to human eyes or to blind them after the gloom outside, but there were still fewer candles than would be expected at a human gathering. The light of a hundred

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.