“That man is a bastard all around,” I said, my voice dripping with contempt.
Garrick looked up with concern in his eyes.“Stay focused, Cas.Remember the job.”
“I will,” I said, shoving my rage down deep.But if I were to run into The Butcher, it might take all my effort not to go out in a blaze of bloody vengeance.I fumbled for the locket around my neck as my sister Elena flashed in my mind.There was more than just myself to consider.
I breathed deeply.My heart rate slowed.A calm descended over me.
I dropped the map on Garrick’s desk, spun around, and headed for the door.“Be back soon.”
“You don’t want the map?”Garrick asked.
“Don’t need it,” I replied without looking back.
Elaborate homes with ornate facades flickered in the torchlight.The cobbled path was pristine, not a stone missing or a single piece of trash strewn about.Even the damn alleyways of the Garden District were better maintained than the major roads of the Wharf District.The rich and privileged demanded it.
Slipping around shadowed corners, I made my way down the alley.Anything less than utter silence was a failure.A single misstep, and a dog would bark.A moment too long in the torchlight, and the guards would sound the alarm.At best, I’d ruin the job.The worst case was a trip to the Pyrehold prison—almost worse than death, if the rumors were to be believed.
I scanned the buildings for the family crest of my latest mark.I soon spotted it: two torches danced in the gentle evening breeze, illuminating the profile of a lion’s head engraved on the stone wall, gilded in gold—a symbol of respect and fear in the city of Analon.To me, it evoked only disgust and fury.So much rot hidden behind such a pristine exterior was hard to fathom.I closed my eyes and fought down the rage that threatened to spill out.Tonight it would only serve to distract me.
Refocused, I scanned the back of the building.Most of the windows were too exposed, but a third-story window with a generous ledge was shrouded in shadows.The climb would be easy, no more than thirty feet, but it would leave me vulnerable to prying eyes.Speed was critical.
To most, the wall looked sheer and flawless, but the minor imperfections in the mortar would serve as my toeholds, and the subtle cracks in the stone blocks were all my fingers needed to find purchase.In five beats of my heart and two kicks, I was on the ledge.
I paused in the shadows.No barking dogs, no rush of footsteps, no shouts of alarm.
I gave the window’s handle a quick tug and—locked, of course.But a lock was only a suggestion, and one I chose to ignore.I pulled a thin metal tool from my pouch and slid it into the gap between the windows.With a snap of my wrist, the latch disengaged, and I slipped inside the house without a sound.
Everything was exactly as the map had specified.As I crept down a passage in the darkness, I couldn’t help but wonder which of the doors led to the personal chambers of Orlik Leonom.It could be over so quickly with a simple slash to his throat—a fitting end, given my parents’ deaths.The memory flashed in my mind, an image so horrible that it had left a permanent stain, discoloring everything.I clutched my locket so tightly that it nearly drew blood.
The faint echo of footsteps down the hallway brought me back to the present.I choked down my rage and slipped into a shadowed alcove, taking deep breaths, slowing my heart.
But mixed in with the clatter of boots on stone was another sound: the soft pads and clacking nails of a beast on four legs.This complicated things.
The clacking grew louder.I felt it in the soles of my feet before I heard the sniff.Hiding from humans was easy, but a dog?
I thumbed through the vials on my belt, slipping one out.A quick twist of the vial’s cap revealed a light purple liquid—a concoction of my own making.A single drop would be enough to cover my scent, even from a canine’s superior sense of smell.With the slightest flick of my wrist, a splash of liquid dropped onto the stone at my feet, followed by a fleeting puff of smoke.
I waited in the shadows, melting into the stone wall behind me, as the figures approached.An enormous man dressed in a guard’s uniform appeared from the far end of the hall, carrying a flickering candle.Nearly as broad as he was tall and carrying a sword at his hip, he walked alongside a gigantic beast that looked to be half dog and half wolf, with massive jaws that could rip me apart in a heartbeat.I held my breath.
The pair walked past the alcove.Just beyond it, the wolf-dog paused, stopping to sniff.My heart pounded so loudly in my head that it was hard to believe they couldn’t hear it.
“What is it, boy?”the man whispered to the dog while peering into the darkness feet from where I stood.
The dog whimpered, raising its snout and sniffing some more.Wound up like a spring, I got ready to sprint for my life.Escaping would take all of my speed and skill.
The dog huffed, almost a sigh, and sniffed again.Then he padded away, apparently satisfied, tugging his master along.
Only when they turned the far corner of the hallway did I dare to breathe.I uncoiled, releasing the tension in my limbs.Dust, that was close.
Now fully focused on the job and a half step more cautious than before, I descended two flights of stairs and navigated the first floor until I found the grand study.Embers in the giant stone hearth cast a dim golden glow throughout the room, but shadows still lurked in every corner.The char of smoke permeated everything.Rich woven carpets lined the floor, and padded chairs upholstered in elegant fabrics surrounded the fire, all stinking of opulence.
On the far side of the room, a painting of a beautiful young lady hung on the wall next to an ornately carved wooden desk, just as the map had shown.
I lifted the portrait to reveal a small locked iron door.I pulled the lockpicks from my pouch.My mind focused as the tumblers fell into place.With a barely perceptible click, the lock disengaged.
I gently pulled on the door, testing the iron hinges.They groaned at even the slightest tug, impossibly loud in the silent room.A drop of salve from a vial in my belt was all it took to silence them.
Beyond the small iron door, a velvet bag of gold coins rested on a leather-bound book.All my risks had paid off.I couldn’t hold back my smile.
