The Bastard Cadre: Books 1-3 (The Bastard Cadre Box Set) by Lee Carlon

Author:Lee Carlon
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Cyborg Books
Published: 2017-06-09T06:00:00+00:00

8

VALAN’S MAN

KELLY DIVED toward his temporary roost. His wings folded by his side, ready to extend and catch him an instant before impact. From there he would shift into human form and drop a negligible distance to land on his feet. It was a favorite and well-practiced maneuver that could be completed with little conscious effort. Kelly allowed his thoughts to linger on the encounter with Avril Bondsan.

Valan was right. I should have waited.

Valan had told him how to shield himself from his bond to Avril, but he’d forgotten the words when the pull of the bond took over. It had only lasted a heartbeat, but he’d been shocked to see himself through Avril’s eyes.

As shocked as Avril had been to see himself through my eyes.

What other surprises are in store for us?

Directly above the rooftop and ready to shift, he caught a glimpse of a human figure where there should have been only solitude.

He wheeled, the decision to shift into human form already taken, but not quite executed. He beat the air desperately with his wings, even as he forced himself to focus on this form. Kestrel not human. Dualists who failed to commit to their current shape were prone to silly accidents and unlikely to survive for very long. Humans couldn’t fly, and kestrels couldn’t run.

He kept his wings and took back to the sky, avoiding the danger that laid in wait for him.

For once, his luck held true.

He dived past the edge of the building and changed direction to throw off any possible pursuit. The glimpse he’d caught hadn’t revealed any weapons, but he wasn’t taking any chances, and he put as many obstacles between himself and the intruder as he could. His path followed a narrow alley and crossed two more wide streets before he circled back and approached his roost from another direction. He was careful to stay below the tops of the surrounding buildings, and when he alighted, it was in the shadows across the street.

The intruder stood out in the open, face into the wind, with her short mousey hair blowing out behind her. She wore casual clothes, with a clunky laser-cutter strapped to one hip and a staff with a curved blade held in her right hand. She looked young and fit and wore a veil across her eyes.

Kelly took off and closed the distance between them. He landed on the rooftop next to his things behind her.

“What’s it like to fly?” Charsa asked.

Kelly stooped to pick up his trousers. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to make sure I get paid.”

“You’re Valan’s man?” Kelly asked.

“Sure. This time, but never again.”

She turned to face him, but unless her eyes had been repaired since the last time he saw her, she couldn’t see him.

“Never again?” Kelly conveyed amusement in his tone.

“What about my payment?”

“She’s on her way, then?”

“She’s already here, and she’s got a hard-on to kill Lord Obdurin. That girl is either holding a pair of aces or is the best bluffer

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