Ghost in the Cowl by Moeller Jonathan

Author:Moeller, Jonathan [Moeller, Jonathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Azure Flame Media, LLC
Published: 2014-03-04T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12 - Liberator

The eastern sky started to brighten by the time Caina returned to the House of Agabyzus.

She had led the Immortals on a merry chase through the Masters’ Quarter before vanishing into the alleys of Istarinmul’s poorer quarters. The city watch had swarmed over the Masters’ Quarter, sealing it off, but by then Caina was already long gone.

She stepped towards the dry fountain, breathing hard, her clothing soaked with sweat, her legs throbbing. It had been a long night, and she could not even guess how many miles she had run.

Best not to go back to the coffeehouse. Caina suspected she had made a clean escape, but she had been wrong before. The Teskilati would undoubtedly investigate, and they might trace Caina to the House of Agabyzus. If they caught her, she wanted Damla and her family to remain clear of the backlash.

Still, she thought Damla and her sons would be safe, along with the other captives. Ulvan had forged his Writs of Captivity, and his records had gone up in smoke when the fire had spread to his study. Plus, she had his ledger in her satchel. He couldn’t prove anything – and from what she had learned of Istarish politics, no magistrate would support a Master Slaver so egregiously incompetent to allow all his slaves to escape.

She stopped next to one of the ruined windows and listened. Inside the coffeehouse she heard excited voices, heard Bayram and Bahad telling their story to their mother, heard Damla laughing and weeping all at once.

Caina smiled behind her mask and returned to the empty square behind the coffeehouse. It was deserted, and she opened the secret entrance beneath the dry fountain.

The Sanctuary looked unchanged, the enspelled glass globes throwing back the gloom. Caina dropped her satchel on the floor, removed her shadow-cloak, and peeled off her sweat-soaked clothing. If the Teskilati knew of Sanctuary, this might not be the safest place to stay. Perhaps it would be better to find a different hiding place.

Still, she would rest here for now, just for a little while. If someone forced their way inside, the noise would wake her, and she could escape through the sewers. She found some blankets, made herself a bedroll in a dark corner, and lay down with a sigh. Gods, but she was tired.

She would have expected nightmares, but no dreams of any kind troubled her.

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