Read Online The Inquisitives [2] Night of Long Shadows by Paul Crilley - Free Book Online Page A

scrape of metal on metal as two blades slid from the backs of its hands.
    “You don’t know where she is.”
    “I …” Cutter pushed himself to his feet and grabbed the hammer. “I already told you that.”
    “Then you are of no use to me.”
    The warforged advanced on him. Cutter took one look at the blades and grabbed the hammer, thrusting it into his belt. He couldn’t be any help to Rowen dead.
    So he jumped out the window.
    It was a pretty stupid thing to do considering his room was on the top floor of the building, but he didn’t have any other choice.
    Cutter turned just before he dropped from the window and grabbed hold of the window ledge. He shinnied across and pulled himself up at the next window. The eaves of the roof were about five feet above him. He jumped and caught hold, but the gutter came away in his hand and almost sent him tumbling to the ground. He steadied himself and tried again, this time catching hold of the wooden supports beneath the roof tiles. He looked back and saw the warforged leaning out the window. The construct grabbed hold of the window frame and climbed out.
    Cutter cursed the creation of all warforged and pulled himself up onto the roof. He ran carefully along the center peak and leaped across the gap onto the next building.
    The three neighboring buildings were all part of the same structure, giving him space to build up speed. But he was rapidly running out of roof. The street on which the Feather was built was nestled between huge towers that soared up on either side. On the lower levels of Sharn, any kind of empty space between tower bases was a much sought after prize.
    Cutter glanced over his shoulder and saw the black metal ofthe warforged glinting in the light of the surrounding city. That glow was always there, a permanent facet of city life gleaming from windows and everbright lanterns and passing skycoaches. Cutter was thankful for it as he reached the end of the roof, because it enabled him to search for a means of escape.
    Not that one presented itself. A wide street opened up below him. The building on the opposite side was over twenty feet away. No way was he making that jump. Cutter cursed himself for not listening to Rowen and buying himself a feather fall charm. She was always saying he would need one.
    Cutter pulled out the hammer and turned to face the warforged. It had slowed to a walk and was now only a few arm-lengths in front of Cutter.
    “Why are you doing this?” asked Cutter. “What do you want with Rowen?”
    “She took something that didn’t belong to her,” said the warforged.
    “I’ll find her. She’ll give it back.”
    “It is too late for that.” The warforged crossed its arms across its chest, the blades forming a V under its chin.
    Cutter looked over his shoulder. A skycoach was approaching. Keep him talking, Cutter thought. Maybe there was still a way out of this.
    “Who are you?”
    “Who am I?” The warforged was silent for a moment, and when it spoke again it was in a soft whisper that caused the hair on the back of Cutter’s neck to rise. “I am the unnamed. I am the fear of darkness. I am the night stalker, the killer of children. I am the will of the Shadow, and I do his bidding.”
    Cutter swallowed.
The Shadow?
    “Enough of this. It is time for you to embrace darkness.”
    “Embrace your own darkness.”
    Cutter swung his arm with all his might, the hammer coming around in a wide arc. He released the haft, keeping hold of the leather loop. The iron smashed into the warforged’s face, sending it staggering to the side. Without waiting to see what damage he had caused, Cutter turned and leaped into the air, praying that he’d timed this right.
    He hadn’t. The skycoach was already drifting past. He stretched out with his free hand and managed to grab hold of the stern as he plummeted through the air. His arm jerked in its socket and the coach lurched downward. He gritted his teeth against the pain, then threw his