The God Thief (The Master Thief Book 3) by Ben Hale

Author:Ben Hale [Hale, Ben]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Snowlight Publishing
Published: 2016-12-12T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24: Ero’s Staff

“Alidon,” Ero said. “I admit I did not expect you.”

“You walked into a trap,” the high abbot said. “I should thank you for making it so easy.”

The high abbot flashed a smug smile as soldiers filed into the receiving room. Her sword and crossbow in her hands, Beauty retreated, measuring the men. They were not common thugs, and she saw the scars and tattoos of combat littered on their flesh. They were Talinorian mercenaries, the best of the mercenary guilds. Marked by the silver bar above the sword and skull, the lieutenant smirked at Beauty’s worry.

Beauty’s eyes flicked to him but returned to Gallow. Although the mercenary lieutenant would undoubtedly be dangerous, it was Gallow she feared. Slim of build and young, Gallow didn’t look like an assassin, but a legacy of murders reflected in his black eyes. He was a predator, one that relished the kill.

“Captain Herrick’s soldiers,” Beauty said to Gallow. “Jack mentioned they’d contracted to Skorn. Did they bring you here?”

“Actually, no,” Gallow smirked. “It was the esteemed high abbot that informed me of Ero’s visit to Carvia.”

“You allied with him?” Beauty demanded, turning to the high priest.

Alidon’s smile widened at her fury. “Ero has perverted our ways, and Skorn generously offered to return the church to my leadership.”

“How benevolent of a devil,” Ero said dryly.

Carvia sneered at Ero. “I told you they would come for me.”

Gallow’s chuckle sent a chill through the room, draining the triumph from Carvia’s expression.

“You misunderstand,” he said. “We weren’t sent to free you . . . we were sent to silence you.”

Carvia looked like she’d been struck a physical blow, and she recoiled. Alidon laughed at her dismay and turned to Ero.

“They assured me it would be cleaner without my presence,” Alidon said to Ero. “But I insisted. I wanted to see your face, to watch you die.”

Beauty eased closer to the duke’s guard, measuring the soldiers, gauging how many she could take before they killed her. With no room and no way out, escape was not an option. In her peripheral vision she spotted the duke’s guard, his face laced with fear.

“The king’s guards patrol this corridor every hour,” the man said, recovering from the sudden entry of the mercenaries. “They will kill you for your impudence.”

Gallow jerked his head. “A mistake in their paperwork means the guards that operate this shift were mistakenly sent home. No one is coming, soldier. But as much as I would like to kill you, that is not what we are here for. The thief, on the other hand, we are more than happy to gut.”

Ero began to laugh, the sound sending a current of tension through the room. “You think to best her?” he asked. “You have no idea the adversary you face.”

Beauty spared Ero a glance but he remained unafraid, excited even. Did Ero expect her to fight a score of proficient killers and emerge unscathed? The guard’s fidgeting indicated his lack of skill, and she couldn’t handle so many on her own.

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.