Ghost in the Vault by Jonathan Moeller

Author:Jonathan Moeller [Moeller, Jonathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-08-30T22:00:00+00:00

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Kylon looked at Caina, surprised at her anger.

He had seen her angry many, many times. But usually she internalized her anger, let it burn with a cold fury behind her icy mask. It was one of the things that made her so dangerous. Anger tended to focus her, make her think harder and more carefully. For her to really lose her temper was rare. The only other time Kylon could recall seeing Caina lose her temper had been when she had punched Morgant in Istarinmul.

“Well,” said Morgant. “That was aggravating.”

“Yes,” said Caina, her voice cold, her eyes hot. “But I know where she went. I was able to follow the threads of power she summoned for her spell. I am almost entirely certain she transported herself to the House of the Silent Door.”

“Why would she go there?” said Kylon.

“To help,” said Caina. “Or to offer what she thinks of as help.” She gave an irritated shake of her head, one lock of blond hair falling over her face. “It’s like she’s playing a role.”

“She’s pretending to be the Bronze Witch?” said Seb.

“It seems like it, doesn’t it?” said Caina. She reached back with a scowl and rearranged her hair, trying it back into a tail. “It’s like she’s playing the part of the Bronze Witch. Like an actress. The legends of the Ulkaari say that the Bronze Witch is supposed to be a mysterious and enigmatic figure who guides Arvaltyri knights on their noble quests. Except that doesn’t always work so well outside of songs and poems.”

“Samnirdamnus did it,” said Kylon. Morgant let out an annoyed sound.

“Samnirdamnus was an immortal djinn who could see past, present, and some form of the future simultaneously,” said Caina. “He had advantages that we did not. No, it’s like the Witch is…is playacting out the role of the mysterious seeress who leads the hero on his quest, because that’s what the Bronze Witch does in the tales of the Ulkaari. I think the Bronze Witch is a mantle passed down from successor to successor, and so the current Witch learned to act from her mentor, and…”

She fell silent, blinking several times.

Then her eyes went wide.

“Oh,” she said. "Oh, I should have figured it out sooner."

“What?” said Kylon, looking around. No danger was nearby.

“I figured out who the Bronze Witch is,” said Caina in a slow voice.

“Who?” said Seb.

“Ilona,” said Caina.

“What?” said Seb. “No, no. You sent Ilona to deliver messages. She should be back at the House of Kularus or your townhouse by now…”

Kylon sensed the growing doubt in Seb’s sense.

“Think about it,” said Caina. “The Witch knows too much about our movements. She always knows where we are and the best time to speak to us. Back in Risiviri, she appeared to me just after I finished using the latrines when she knew that I would be alone. I was trying to figure out how the Witch managed to transport herself to Malarae from Ulkaar. The simple answer is that she didn’t. She never did.

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