Forty
“I’m half of a mind to string you up anyway,…
Chapter Forty-One
And then Cutbill was alone. For quite a while he…
Chapter Forty-Two
Sir Croy had been raised to be a knight, to…
Chapter Forty-Three
Malden needed a plan, desperately. He needed some stratagem that…
Chapter Forty-Four
Kemper drew too many stares after that to allow any…
Chapter Forty-Five
It was not difficult to get into the Burgrave’s palace,…
Chapter Forty-Six
It was not Anselm Vry who next approached Hazoth’s villa,…
Chapter Forty-Seven
When Malden’s eyes adjusted he found himself in a broad…
Chapter Forty-Eight
“So you can read, boy? I’m impressed.”
Chapter Forty-Nine
Hazoth rose from his chair and went over to one…
Chapter Fifty
Kemper had been reluctant to help Malden in his reconnaissance…
Part III
The Crew
Interlude
Chapter Fifty-One
There were many eyes watching Hazoth’s villa the next day,…
Chapter Fifty-Two
An hour or so later the watchmen trooped down the…
Chapter Fifty-Three
Despite the cool day, the palfrey was panting and its…
Chapter Fifty-Four
Ahead of him, at the main gate leading down into…
Chapter Fifty-Five
There was nothing Croy wanted more than to just lie…
Chapter Fifty-Six
“It’s just as I said, ha ha,” Tyron told them.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Croy didn’t die in the night. He didn’t wake up…
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Kemper held the sword as far away from himself as…
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Later that day, Malden climbed up on top of a…
Chapter Sixty
The button seller looked up with a broad smile as…
Chapter Sixty-One
Malden spent the day drawing crude maps of the villa,…
Chapter Sixty-Two
“Milady,” Malden said, bowing low. “I thank you from the…
Chapter Sixty-Three
“But … why?” Malden asked. He thought of the mural…
Chapter Sixty-Four
“I’m afraid I’ve been of little help, save to make…
Chapter Sixty-Five
Malden sent Kemper to keep an eye on Hazoth’s villa—discreetly—while…
Chapter Sixty-Six
“Where are we going?” Croy asked as they headed up…
Chapter Sixty-Seven
The river Skrait was the Free City’s lifeblood. It flowed…
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Malden looked to right and left, but there was nowhere…
Chapter Sixty-Nine
A new and much improved plan had begun to come…
Chapter Seventy
When Croy came in, an hour later, Malden and Cythera…
Part IV
The Job
Interlude
Chapter Seventy-One
It was the night before Ladymas, one of the most…
Chapter Seventy-Two
At the side of the house, Malden crouched with Kemper…
Chapter Seventy-Three
The second floor of the villa was as silent as…
Chapter Seventy-Four
Gurrh made no attempt to fight the guards, but they…
Chapter Seventy-Five
Croy’s wound throbbed as he strode across the grass. It…
Chapter Seventy-Six
Malden crept down a hallway that ran the length of…
Chapter Seventy-Seven
Gurrh dropped to one knee. The iron fencepost he’d been…
Chapter Seventy-Sight
Malden stepped through the doorway and into the trapped corridor,…
Chapter Seventy-Nine
The floor did not ripple or shimmer like liquid. It…
Chapter Eighty
Croy took a step forward and nearly collapsed. The wound…
Chapter Eighty-One
Hazoth’s sanctum was a long room with high vaulted ceilings…
Chapter Eighty-Two
Bikker made no move to draw Acidtongue from its glass-lined…
Chapter
