The Ophelia Prophecy by Sharon Lynn Fisher

Author:Sharon Lynn Fisher
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates

BLOOD AND FAITH

“It didn’t work, Pax,” said Iris.

From the rooftop of a nearby house they could watch the temple entrance, and they could see into a handful of the tower windows. There’d been no movement of any kind, other than the occasional whisper of the lift moving up and down the central shaft. It didn’t make sense. There were more than a hundred people living in the temple. Or at least there had been the last time he was inside.

Iris was right; so far it hadn’t worked. Why? He had little doubt the message had made it into the temple. He’d waited in the shadows near the entrance to Debajo, stopping the first man headed into the tavern to warn of the impending raid. The connection between the temple and Debajo was a well-known fact. For good measure Iris and Carrick had started the same rumor circulating in the streets.

It should have flushed them out. There should at least be some sign of panic or confusion. Regardless of whether the rumor had been believed, there should be some sign of life.

“Something’s not right,” he murmured, scanning the dark windows. “It’s too quiet in there.”

“We’ve done all we can, Pax.” Iris’s tone was somber. Resolved. “We can’t stay here.”

He couldn’t expect more from his sister. Asha was his folly, and Iris had indulged him for longer than he had a right to expect.

“Go home,” he said. “Tell Father a story that won’t alarm him. Tell him…” Pax thought, and remembered something Iris had said when they found Asha. “Tell him my head is clouded with mating, and that I’m carousing in the city.”

Iris frowned, dubious. “That’s not like you, Pax.”

“He understands about the pull of a mate. Ridicule me. Make jokes about it.” Pax gave her an affectionate smile. “Just be yourself and he won’t be suspicious.”

The teasing did nothing to soften the worry lines stamped across her broad forehead. “What about Carrick?”

Pax glanced at the priest, whose eyes moved between them, betraying no emotion. The man was a statue—until someone made him angry. If it weren’t for the fact he owed his sister, he’d turn Carrick loose in the city to fend for himself. While the display in the alley made it clear Carrick had begun to feel protective of Iris, Pax had no idea if this loyalty extended to him. Babysitting his sister’s volatile pet was a complication he didn’t need right now.

“He can stay with me until I find Asha. Then we’ll find a safe place for him.”

“What’s worth all this, Brother?” There was an edge of pleading in her voice he’d never heard before. She was worried about him. She should be. “That woman has run from you every chance she got.”

Pax shook his head. “I don’t have time to explain that, Iris. I’m still working it out for myself.”

“Can you at least promise me it’s not about sex? Or some possessive, male bullshit?”

He frowned at her. “Seriously?”

The truth would have bothered Iris more. Asha, along with

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