Read Online Demonbane (Book 4) by Ben Cassidy - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Ben Cassidy
Ads: Link
the window one last time.
She swore to herself.
Then she turned to the strongbox.
Joseph was unconscious. His breath was ragged, coming in short gasps. His face was a greenish color, covered in cold sweat.
Kendril figured the man had minutes left. At most.
The door had barely banged shut behind Tomas when Lillette started to rise, her face almost white with terror.
“I need your help,” Kendril said bluntly. “He’ll die if you don’t.”
Lillette stared down at Joseph, then back at Kendril. She looked over at the dead body at the bottom of the stairs. “Your friend, he…he killed him—”
Kendril stood. “My name is Kendril. I’m a Ghostwalker. Your master Dutraad is in league with the dark powers. He’s trying to summon a demon, a Seteru. I know what I’m saying sounds crazy, but it’s true.” He took the girl by the arms, and turned her to face him. “Look at me, Lillette. You know I’m not lying.”
She wilted back. “I don’t know that. I can’t! How could I—?”
Kendril made his gamble. “Because you know what kind of master the Baron is. You’ve seen what he does in secret, what books he reads, what company he keeps. There must be rumors, gossip, anything. ” He stepped back. “Either you believe me, or you don’t. But I’m willing to bet that you know in your heart that what I’m saying to you right now is true.”
There was a heartbeat of silence.
A very long heartbeat.
Lillette looked at him. The color had returned to her face. “I believe you,” she said at last. “What do you want me to do?”
Kendril looked down at Joseph. “He’s been poisoned. I need you to keep him alive.”
Lillette bent down over the unconscious scout. “How?”
Kendril turned towards the fire. “However you can. Keep his fever down. Bleed the arm, get as much of the poison out as you can.” He grabbed a long fire poker and tossed it into the glowing coals of the pit. “Do whatever you can to keep him breathing.”
Lillette looked up at the Ghostwalker anxiously. “What about you?”
“I,” said Kendril as he pulled out a large kitchen knife, “am going to prepare for company.”
It was stupid. She should stop, run for the window while she still could. Every second she delayed was one second more for the guards to find her.
But she was close, very close. And Kara had a feeling.
She couldn’t quite explain how she knew, or why. It wasn’t quite woman’s intuition. Perhaps more of a thief’s intuition.
This strongbox. This was the one.
So she pressed on, far beyond the point of sanity or safety. The lockpicking tools scraped and snicked in the inside of the lock. She worked quickly, by touch and feel in the near blackness of the room.
She could hear Torin’s chiding voice in her head. The first rule of thieves. Life before money. There was always another mark, always another house to burgle, another pocket to pick. A dead thief made no profit. Or a jailed thief, for that matter.
But she also knew in her gut that this was different. The Soulbinder wasn’t just another piece of jewelry. The way Kendril and Joseph spoke about it, the glances of fear she had seen in the eyes of the Ghostwalkers whenever it was mentioned…
This time was different.
That was her woman’s intuition speaking.
She bit her lip hard in the dark, fiddling with the lock until she thought her fingers would go numb.
The doorknob to the room she was in rattled.
Locked. Thank Eru she had remembered to do that when she had slipped inside. Hopefully the guards would assume no one was in here.
The lock on the strongbox clicked open.
Kara held her breath, then opened the strongbox door.
Her heart fell.
There was another pile of papers, some scattered jewelry, and a coin purse.
No Soulbinder.
The doorknob rattled again, more insistent this time.
Kara had to go. She was out of time.
She reached both hands into the safe, and rummaged around amongst the papers.
Something glinted and caught
She swore to herself.
Then she turned to the strongbox.
Joseph was unconscious. His breath was ragged, coming in short gasps. His face was a greenish color, covered in cold sweat.
Kendril figured the man had minutes left. At most.
The door had barely banged shut behind Tomas when Lillette started to rise, her face almost white with terror.
“I need your help,” Kendril said bluntly. “He’ll die if you don’t.”
Lillette stared down at Joseph, then back at Kendril. She looked over at the dead body at the bottom of the stairs. “Your friend, he…he killed him—”
Kendril stood. “My name is Kendril. I’m a Ghostwalker. Your master Dutraad is in league with the dark powers. He’s trying to summon a demon, a Seteru. I know what I’m saying sounds crazy, but it’s true.” He took the girl by the arms, and turned her to face him. “Look at me, Lillette. You know I’m not lying.”
She wilted back. “I don’t know that. I can’t! How could I—?”
Kendril made his gamble. “Because you know what kind of master the Baron is. You’ve seen what he does in secret, what books he reads, what company he keeps. There must be rumors, gossip, anything. ” He stepped back. “Either you believe me, or you don’t. But I’m willing to bet that you know in your heart that what I’m saying to you right now is true.”
There was a heartbeat of silence.
A very long heartbeat.
Lillette looked at him. The color had returned to her face. “I believe you,” she said at last. “What do you want me to do?”
Kendril looked down at Joseph. “He’s been poisoned. I need you to keep him alive.”
Lillette bent down over the unconscious scout. “How?”
Kendril turned towards the fire. “However you can. Keep his fever down. Bleed the arm, get as much of the poison out as you can.” He grabbed a long fire poker and tossed it into the glowing coals of the pit. “Do whatever you can to keep him breathing.”
Lillette looked up at the Ghostwalker anxiously. “What about you?”
“I,” said Kendril as he pulled out a large kitchen knife, “am going to prepare for company.”
It was stupid. She should stop, run for the window while she still could. Every second she delayed was one second more for the guards to find her.
But she was close, very close. And Kara had a feeling.
She couldn’t quite explain how she knew, or why. It wasn’t quite woman’s intuition. Perhaps more of a thief’s intuition.
This strongbox. This was the one.
So she pressed on, far beyond the point of sanity or safety. The lockpicking tools scraped and snicked in the inside of the lock. She worked quickly, by touch and feel in the near blackness of the room.
She could hear Torin’s chiding voice in her head. The first rule of thieves. Life before money. There was always another mark, always another house to burgle, another pocket to pick. A dead thief made no profit. Or a jailed thief, for that matter.
But she also knew in her gut that this was different. The Soulbinder wasn’t just another piece of jewelry. The way Kendril and Joseph spoke about it, the glances of fear she had seen in the eyes of the Ghostwalkers whenever it was mentioned…
This time was different.
That was her woman’s intuition speaking.
She bit her lip hard in the dark, fiddling with the lock until she thought her fingers would go numb.
The doorknob to the room she was in rattled.
Locked. Thank Eru she had remembered to do that when she had slipped inside. Hopefully the guards would assume no one was in here.
The lock on the strongbox clicked open.
Kara held her breath, then opened the strongbox door.
Her heart fell.
There was another pile of papers, some scattered jewelry, and a coin purse.
No Soulbinder.
The doorknob rattled again, more insistent this time.
Kara had to go. She was out of time.
She reached both hands into the safe, and rummaged around amongst the papers.
Something glinted and caught
Similar Books
