Night of Matchsticks by Elisa Downing

Author:Elisa Downing
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dark Window Books

Neave and Winn took a short route through Ar’s narrow alleyways toward the palace square. They sidestepped buildings and edged around domes of orange light shining from doorways. The Collector and Caladrius followed, skimming over the greasy street and swallowing the moonlight that edged between rooftops above.

The Collector’s arms had lightened since leaving the ladder behind, but his heart grew heavier all the time. Caladrius was twittering, even singing as they shadowed Neave and Winn up to the rooftop of a tall building. He wanted to cage her in his palms and carry her away somewhere safe. But it wouldn’t be right—she had always done the leading. The carrying.

Neave crouched on the rooftop, gazing out over the cobblestone road below.

“Any second, now.” She unclipped a pair of brass binoculars from her weapons belt and peered into the darkness of the street. “With any luck, we’ll be the only travelers tonight.”

Winn pulled the strap of her bag over her head, switching shoulders. “It’s getting too dark for normal folk at night.” She gazed up at the spread of twinkling buildings above them, a thousand pinpricks of light winding up the face of the mountain. “They’d rather stay inside. Use their Adrudian indoors.”

Neave smirked and tapped the brass of her binoculars with a long, black-tipped nail. “Fat lot of good that will do them.” A clattering sound and the rumble of wheels emerged from the end of the street, getting steadily louder. Neave got to her feet, offering a hand to Winn. “Here it is. Want me to count down?”

The Collector peered into the shadows below and the shape of an empty, driverless trolley materialized, shaking forward along its track set into the cobblestone street. Caladrius chirped. It was going to pass directly beneath them.

Winn tightened the scarf around her head and repositioned the strap of her bag on her shoulder. “Count down? Hardly.”

The trolley lurched up beneath the building and Winn leaped, sailing down in a plume of skirts to land on top of the trolley’s roof. Neave drew a surprised breath.

“Impressive,” she whispered to herself, and leaped after Winn.

The Collector drifted down behind them, holding the brim of his hat in one hand and the Jar of Lights in the other. Neave and Winn sat cross-legged atop the trolley’s clattering roof, staring silently at the city as it rolled by like a strip of painted paper. Sparkling ocean and cliffs peeked between the buildings at intervals, offering brief images awash in moonlight. The Collector stood at the other end of the trolley, picking at his sleeves.

When the palace square came into view, Neave hopped down from the trolley’s roof onto the glistening street. Winn followed, dropping heavily and waving her arms to keep her balance. Neave reached out and steadied her.

“See? Good thing I took you all this way.” Neave extracted her hand from the bundle of Winn’s scarf. “You could have fallen right there.”

The small bridge of Winn’s nose wrinkled, the hint of a smile hiding. “Guess so.”

They turned

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