The Unconquered City by K. A. Doore

Author:K. A. Doore
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates

17

In the back of the lab, half hidden by a pile of dirty rags and broken instruments, was another door. Merrabel opened it to reveal a small room, choked with dust but fitted with a washbasin, a pitcher of water, a cot, a chamber pot, and a barred window set high in the wall. Cool evening light filtered in through the window and only then did Illi feel the first brush of real fatigue.

“These are your quarters,” said Merrabel. “A servant will be by with food shortly.”

Illi gave the room a cursory glance, then turned back to Merrabel. “Is this your room?”

Merrabel laughed, but the sound held no humor. “Of course not. But some of my experiments require attention day and night, and it has been helpful to have a room close by.”

“And if I need to leave…?”

Merrabel placed her hand on the door. “A servant will be by shortly,” she repeated, then stepped back from the door. “Good night.”

Before Illi could ask any more questions, Merrabel shut the door with a thud of finality. The lock clicked a moment later and Illi bristled. What would it take to earn Merrabel’s trust? Illi had already willingly gone with her, willingly turned on Heru. Or did Merrabel suspect Illi was holding information back?

If she did, then she’d be right.

As Merrabel had promised, a servant appeared a few minutes later. Illi had pulled the cot over and was standing on it, examining the bars on the window, when she heard a polite knock. Before she could fully get down from the cot, a servant had opened the door, set a dish of food down, and closed and locked the door once more. Illi reached the dish just as she heard another door shut, this time on the other side of the lab.

The smell of stewed apricots and roasted almonds reminded her that she hadn’t eaten since this morning. After cleaning the plate, she set it back on the floor where the servant had left it, then considered the door. Merrabel thought a locked door would keep her in. Well, Illi would just have to use that misunderstanding to her advantage.

Illi slid two picks from one of her braids and had the lock popped in a matter of seconds. With a gentle shove, the door opened onto Merrabel’s darkened lab. The cheerful chaos of before now felt crushing in the gloom. Even if Illi had been tempted to use Merrabel’s lab for her own experiments, she wouldn’t know where to begin. No wonder Heru emphasized order so much.

Experiments weren’t her goal tonight, anyway. She’d had enough of those to last her for days. No, she needed to learn more about Merrabel and Hathage, and the only way she could do that was if she left and explored the city.

So Illi slid her picks into the second lock and leaned her head against the warm wood as she felt her way around the lock’s mechanisms. She closed her eyes, breathing in the door’s faint,

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