With only a moment to act, I scanned the roads radiating out from the center of the courtyard.Some were dark and narrow, offering ample opportunities to hide.The road directly across the courtyard was the major thoroughfare, wide and bright.Only a fool would choose that direction.It was the perfect way to go.
I sprinted for the central fountain and leapt off the rim, landing on the other side.In fewer than two beats of my pounding heart, I was racing down the main road.Without a moment to spare, I dove behind a barrel.It was scant protection.If my pursuer chose this road, they would see me immediately.
Racing footfalls echoed through the courtyard and then stopped, followed by deep breaths and a noise resembling the snarl of a wild beast.I froze, every muscle locked.I held my breath, hoping my gamble paid off.
Heavy breathing and clomping feet headed in my direction.Whatever it was, it was close—too close.Goose bumps prickled along my arms as coldness descended around me.This was no natural cold.It permeated my core, sending ripples of chill radiating outward.
The urge to peek over the barrel was nearly overwhelming.
Then a familiar scent hit me: ozone mixed with sharp citrus.It was the same scent the golden-eyed thief had left behind when he’d disappeared into thin air.But the feeling tonight was different—colder and harsher.Unforgiving.Wild.
Footfalls echoed through the courtyard, getting louder.My breath puffed out in fleeting mists as the temperature turned bitterly cold.I clenched my teeth to keep them from chattering.Whatever was in the courtyard let out a long breath, like the snort of a hooved beast.It was nearly upon me.
A crashing sound and the wail of a cat came from the courtyard.The footfalls stopped, then raced away toward the noise.The relief from the cold was instant, and my galloping heart slowed.As the footfalls faded away, I peeked over the barrel.A tall figure wrapped in a black cloak with an inhuman fluidity disappeared into the leftmost dark alley—my second choice for escape.
I let out a long stuttering breath.
Only when it had been silent for several moments did I dare move again.Even then, I took each step with care, keeping to the shadows.I turned down the first alley, then turned twice more, weaving through the back streets, putting more distance between myself and…whatever that creature was.Only then did I scale a drainpipe and make my way along the rooftops of Analon.The night was clear, and starlight shone off the buildings of the Wharf District and Analon Bay beyond.A gust of air carried the briny scent of the sea.
I perched on the top of a tall roof to clear my mind.No human moved like that figure had.And the smell—it was the same scent I’d detected in the study and at the Bleeding Oak, but it couldn’t have felt more different.Was all of this connected to the book?What a colossal mistake it had been to let it go without knowing what I was giving up.
But regret solved nothing.My only path forward was to solve the Order of Emberlight’s chain of riddles and hope that it would end with answers.Tomorrow night, the Underworld Market and the Citadel Catacombs awaited.
With the plan fixed in my mind, I sprang up and danced across the rooftops, hopping from building to building until I neared my home.Even though I was certain I wasn’t being followed anymore, I still approached the barn with care.I paused at the crossroads near it; all was quiet.No beast or human stirred in the early morning darkness.
But when I made my way to the front door, my heart lurched.
There, drawn in black charcoal next to the entrance, were two twisted snakes forming anoand ane.
Chapter seven
A Familiar Face
Sleepdidn’tcomeeasily.
So when Elena woke me up early the next day to get a good spot at the market, I was a bit out of sorts.The entire walk there, my mind jumped from one thought to the next.I had rubbed the Order of Emberlight’s mark from the door with the edge of my shirt and had mentioned nothing to Elena.These symbols showed up all over town, and most likely this was simply some random graffiti.And yet I couldn’t shake the unsettled feeling in my gut.
“Everything okay, Cas?”Elena asked with a creased brow as we walked along the cobbled road.“You’re quiet today.You haven’t insulted me once.”
“Sorry, just lost in my head,” I replied.Elena was getting better at reading my moods.It was harder to hide things from her.“Umm…you smell like wolf’s breath.”
“Do not!”Elena exclaimed, sniffing her shoulder.“You’re the one who stinks.Even your insults are half-hearted.”
We continued to the market, trading insults, and some of mine were even good ones.Elena had taken my mind off my troubles, at least for a while.
Our spot at the market was much better than yesterday’s.We were busy enough that day that we both had to attend to customers.I assisted a portly gentleman who needed an indigestion tonic as Elena helped another customer with a deep but youthful voice.Something about it was captivating.
I waited for a brief lull in my conversation and stole a glance at Elena’s customer.
My jaw dropped.
Itcouldn’tbe.And yet it was.
The same man I had seen in the Citadel Gardens yesterday stood an arm’s length away.Remembering the way he’d smiled made my chest flutter in a way I didn’t expect.
His eyes met mine, and he smiled slightly.I adjusted my assessment of him.He wasn’t just handsome.He was stunning—infuriatingly so.I’d known men like this before, and they were inevitably trouble.
The sun dappled his wavy sandy brown hair, his beautiful face, and bright smile.Time stopped for a moment as I watched this gorgeous man.
