Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart

Author:Tracy Banghart
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: 2018-08-01T00:00:00+00:00

TWENTY

NOMI

NOMI LISTENED TO Angeline’s steady breathing with her eyes closed, the darkness pressing down on her with an almost physical weight. Asa had said to meet when the moon was high, but tonight the clouds that had lingered for days sulked in the sky and hid every scrap of moonlight. Nomi feigned sleep until she was sure her heart would burst. Until she’d counted one hundred of Angeline’s inhales and exhales. And then she counted a hundred more.

At last, she rose and slipped a silk dressing gown over her nightdress. She didn’t bother with shoes. Angeline’s breathing never changed, even as the door snicked open. Nomi peeked into the hall. Hastily, she closed the door, resting her forehead against the cool wood.

The Superior’s man was still there, at the end of the corridor.

She waited one minute. Two.

Peeked again. His sturdy form had disappeared.

Nomi took a deep breath, held it, and slipped from the room. She leaned against the door, the carved doe pressing into her back, and listened.

For the past two days, she’d stayed up later than usual, feigning insomnia. In truth, she’d been watching the men who roamed the Graces’ chambers. Most of them left when the Graces went to bed, but two remained at their posts all through the night, pacing the corridors, inspecting the terraces, stomping through the empty dining hall and ballroom. Their circuit took about five minutes. Sometimes the men walked together. Sometimes one took an alternate route.

Nomi prayed tonight they stayed together.

She clasped her dressing gown closer to her body. If she were caught, she’d say she was sleepwalking. She’d act confused. Frightened.

The last wouldn’t be too hard.

She tiptoed to the end of the hall. The men usually inspected the terraces first. She should have time to sneak the other way. It wouldn’t do to wonder what would happen if her luck didn’t hold.

She’d almost made it to the circular receiving room when she heard the thud of a shoe behind her. She ducked inside the doorway and froze, breath held.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Suddenly, she couldn’t remember which direction the guards went after the terraces. Were they coming here or heading down the corridor to the baths? Her pulse clamored in her ears, so loud she couldn’t be sure she was hearing footsteps and not the pounding of her own heart.

She made a choice and bolted for the door on the opposite side of the room, the door that led beyond the Graces’ chambers.

Her hand touched the knob. No one raised the alarm. Another second, and she was on the other side. The hallway outside was dim, lit at long intervals by flickering lamps. She hurried around the corner and down to the wall of glass.

All the partitions were closed. The darkness beyond was absolute. She couldn’t tell if Asa waited for her. With trembling fingers, she slid the glass open just wide enough to slide through.

A gust of wind blew through the gap, sending the hem of her dressing gown fluttering behind her. A hand gripped her wrist and pulled her outside.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.