I scanned the document and imprinted it on my memory.My head buzzed with the myriad of lines and angles.The entrance to the catacombs from the Underworld Market was just where I remembered it being on my previous visits when I was a child.
With my eyes closed, I could literally see the lines of the crypt forming in my mind as the passageways etched themselves into my memory.I could visit each dead end and pass every crossroad.
“Got it,” I said, rolling up the parchment and handing it back to Garrick.
“I’ll never understand how you do that,” Garrick said, shaking his head.
“It’s like an artist draws a picture in my mind.”
“And you don’t believe in magic.”Garrick laughed.“But you’re sure you don’t need to keep it for a while?Sometimes memory can falter under pressure.”
“I’m good,” I said.“Thank you again, Garrick.I should get going.”
“One last thing,” Garrick said.“Let’s sit at my desk.”
I flinched.Good things rarely came from asit at my desktalk.I followed him back into the office, feeling like a child about to be punished.
He peered at me over his desk.“Earlier this evening, two Royal Guards came into the bar, asking questions about the Leonom break-in.They were with a Sentinel.”
A Sentinel—one of King Tarnasau’s elite enforcers.That word chilled me to the bone.Nothing good came from them.Sentinels didn’t patrol.They hunted.
“Why in all the hells was a Sentinel here?”I asked.
“I don’t know.The guards were roughing people up, trying to get answers.I heard they visited several other taverns after ours, so I don’t think they were targeting us specifically.But you’re sure no one recognized you last night, right?”
“Yes, I’m sure,” I said.
Garrick’s eyes narrowed as he considered my answer for an uncomfortably long time.
Guilt batted at my insides.I had lied about the golden-eyed thief, and that lie was coming back to bite Garrick.And now I was doing it again.But revealing my invitation to the Emberlight Trials would likely disqualify me from the organization.If there was one thing people knew about the Order of Emberlight, it was that they valued secrecy above all else.
But I couldn’t stand the guilt.I opened my mouth to tell Garrick what hadreallyhappened that night, but he nodded before I could get a word out.
“Very well.Even so, it’s best for you to keep a low profile.Let’s wait a bit before your next job.Maybe stay clear of the tavern for a couple of weeks until things cool down?”
I nearly blurted outno.I needed these jobs, both for the money and for my sanity.But I could hardly justify arguing when I wasn’t being entirely truthful with him.So instead I nodded and turned for the exit before I could say something I regretted.
“Be safe, Cas,” Garrick said.
I looked back one last time.His expression was caring and earnest.
“I’ll try my best,” I replied as I walked through the door.
While I ached to discover the next link in the Order of Emberlight’s chain of riddles, it was too late to enter the twisting labyrinth of the Citadel Catacombs tonight.I was tired and a little upset about Garrick’s rebuke, and the first hints of dawn would color the sky in just a few scant hours.
As I walked the back alleyways of the Wharf District, my head was a jumble of thoughts.What were Sentinels doing tracking down the thief of a single bag of gold?Surely they were searching for the book instead.So what made it so valuable?
Maybe it was paranoia and my overactive mind, but I had an overwhelming sense of being followed as I walked.Nothing concrete, just a slight shift in the air—some subtle cue that was barely perceptible but undeniably there.I gritted my teeth, trying not to overreact.The first rule when you suspect you’re being followed is not to let your potential pursuer know you’re aware of them.Without turning my head, I scanned the dark corners of the street with my peripheral vision.
A shape in the shadows was darker than the surrounding area.
And then that shape moved.
I forced my breath to remain steady.The road turned just a few feet ahead.I kept my pace even, revealing nothing.The delicate sound of footfalls echoed behind me, maybe twenty paces away.My senses sharpened, letting my instinct guide me.
The moment I turned the corner and was out of sight, I broke into a sprint, hoping the slight advantage would be enough.The light footfalls behind me turned into the loud clomping of boots on stone, all stealth abandoned.Up ahead, the narrow alley opened into a courtyard.A waist-high fountain dominated the center, its stone rim slick with spray.Five roads radiated outward like spokes on a wheel.
I reached for the smoke vial on my belt and slipped it out with the ease of a task done a hundred times.As I entered the courtyard, I threw the vial behind me, smashing it on the cobblestones, sending up a massive cloud of smoke in my wake.
