Spellwright #02 - Spellbound by Blake Charlton

Author:Blake Charlton [Charlton, Blake]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Epic, Fiction, General
ISBN: 9781429949880
Publisher: Tor Books
Published: 2011-09-13T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER Thirty-four

Deirdre chewed her lip while looking at the loose pages and candle stubs strewn across her desk. Her buildings stood on the eastern side of the sanctuary complex. The rooms were simple but spacious—white walls, Lornish chairs and tables, a four-post feather bed. Outside her door, morning sunlight was drying the night’s rain off a few young palms and the gravel path that led toward the dome.

Deirdre’s stomach made a croaking protest. She hadn’t eaten or slept in far too long. After encountering Nicodemus, she’d spent most of the night mucking around the North Gate District, doing her best to ensure that the watchmen wouldn’t find their query. Toward dawn, she’d returned to the sanctuary and reported her failure to Typhon. The demon had listened and then dismissed her. She had asked what his plans were regarding the two academic wizards. Rather than answer, the demon had ordered her not to investigate the matters and sent her away to attend to her duties as his Regent of Spies.

She couldn’t disobey the demon directly, not without killing herself again. But she could review reports from her agents in hopes of learning more about the two Astrophell spies. But after a sleepless night at her desk, she had learned little. If a Kestrel had carried black-robes to Avel, then Astrophell and the Spirish Crown had brokered an alliance despite a century of animosity. No doubt Nicodemus’s half sister, the Halcyon-in-waiting, was involved. But exactly how was unclear. All reports put her in Ogun, treating with representatives from Starhaven and Starfall Keep, not Spires.

Deirdre was mulling over the situation when the sound of boots on gravel made her look up. Amal Jaen, the clerk, was hurrying toward her. She jumped to her feet and ran to him. “What is it?”

“I-in …” he stuttered. “I-i-in … h-h-hall …” His eyes were wide and bloodshot. She’d never seen him so frightened.

“Is something happening in the Hall of Ambassadors?”

“G-go-governors.”

“In the Hall of Governors? It’s happening now?”

He nodded and tried to reply. Rather than wait for an answer, Deirdre took off at a dead run. The priests and servants working on the grounds stopped their tasks to watch her dash through courtyards and down walkways.

At last she reached the reflecting pool that stood before the Hall of Governors. She could not yet see anyone but forced herself to a walk. Quickly, she ran her hands through her black hair, attempting to appear appropriate for a diplomatic encounter.

But as she hurried along a path that ran beside the myrtle bushes, she still could not see anyone in the hall. Was she too late? Had the black-robes come and gone? Had Francesca or Nicodemus been captured?

The morning was silent. No voices rang out across the courtyard.

Deirdre ran the last steps into the hall. It seemed empty. The rug, cushions, and braziers had all been removed. She peered into the deep corners to see if someone was talking in the shadows but saw nothing but darkness.

Her breath coming faster, she looked back out onto the courtyard but saw only the reflecting pool.

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