The Gods of Men by Barbara Kloss

Author:Barbara Kloss [Kloss, Barbara]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2018-06-25T22:00:00+00:00

Sable sat up with a start, and a single note rang in her mind.

Do not fear the path ahead, the voice said again, I will be with you.

The cellar was dark, the world asleep. No light shone through the floorboards above, and when she looked in Jos’s direction, all was quiet. She was starting to lie down again when a strong arm wrapped around her, pulling her back against an even stronger body, and a hand clamped over her mouth.

Sable started.

“It’s just me,” Jos whispered in her ear.

She relaxed a little, but she immediately knew something was wrong. He peeled his hand away and released her.

“What is it?” she whispered.

“We’ve been discovered.”

Sable looked at the darkness above. She couldn’t hear anything unusual, but then, Jos had senses she didn’t understand.

Jos shifted against her and pushed something into her palm. “Here.”

It was a knife. Sable shoved it into her belt. “Is Ventus here?” she whispered.

“I don’t know, but there are guards upstairs. There could be more outside.”

She didn’t doubt him, but that would mean Gavet had betrayed them.

A floorboard creaked above, and Sable felt a rush of fury. “That godsdamn, spineless piece of scat.”

“I think I’m starting to wear off on you,” Jos said dryly.

“I’ll kill him.”

“In a few minutes, you might just get your chance.” His shoulder brushed hers. “Wait here.”

“You’re going to handle the guards. By yourself.”

“I mean it, Sable,” he said firmly.

There was no point in arguing with him, so she didn’t.

He moved away from her. Ladder rungs creaked beneath his solid weight, and he pounded on the hatch. Meanwhile, Sable felt her way forward in the darkness. He could give all the orders he wanted. She didn’t have to obey them.

“Gavet,” Jos called. When Gavet didn’t answer, Jos pounded again, harder this time. “Gavet.”

A shuffle and a scrape, and, finally, footfalls thudded overhead. “Yes…?” Gavet’s irritation was muffled through the hatch. “Gods above, do you have any idea what time it—”

“Open the hatch. Sable’s not breathing.”

Silence.

It was a smart move. She was the prize, after all, and if anything were to propel Gavet to open that hatch, it would be for fear that his prize had been compromised.

“What do you mean, not breathing?” Gavet asked.

“I mean she’s not breathing,” Jos growled. “She had a reaction to one of her sleeping draughts, I think. I need something to stop the swelling.”

Sable frowned. He was an excellent liar, and then she wondered if this should concern her.

Wood scraped against wood, the hatch opened, and dim light shone down, partially blocked by Gavet’s silhouette.

Sable ducked deeper into the shadows of the cellar.

“Where is—” Gavet started.

Jos grabbed him by the collar and slammed his head against Gavet’s. Gavet’s head lolled to the side, and Jos shoved his limp body out of the way. Shouts sounded above, boots thudded and metal scraped, but Jos had already pressed his hands on either side of the opening and hoisted himself through, kicking in the knees of a guard on his way out.

By the wards, he moved fast.

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