Extraits

People complicate things. They can be angerous if you get to attached to them. He'd told me thet in our first real talk, and I'd been dismissive. Now, I understood what he meant. Losing Lonzo and Tamsin wouldn't hurt as much if I didn't love them. But my life would be so much emptier without that love.

« I had to steady my trembling hands as I read the letter again. The McGraw Agency! It was almost like something from the heroic stories I loved to read. Everyone knew about the McGraw Agency in Osfro, but few people knew anyone in the agency. They worked in law enforcement but not in the way the soldiers or watches did. Their cases were bigger. Osfrid’s elite hired them to investigate private matters. And the crown hired them for matters of national security. Some agents worked openly while conducting investigations and gathering intelligence. But others worked in secret, without anyone knowing their identities. Shadowmen, I’d once heard them called. That was where their mystique came from—that and alleged stories of death-defying heroics. »

« I passed a couple of other girls coming and going to the washrooms or kitchen, but most were settling into their rooms for the night. Downstairs, village workers were finishing the last of the picnic’s cleanup, and I started to steer clear of them until I saw one who had a familiar stoop and baggy coat.

I approached him quietly as he stacked some crates. “Did they let you in here,” I asked, “or did you just pick the locks?”

He jumped and glanced back at me. After giving me a brief, wry look from underneath his floppy hat, he returned to his work. I could see a bit more of his face than that night outside—though still nothing substantial—and it was mostly what I’d observed before. Scraggly beard, scars, dirt. His eyes, dark and sardonic, were the same as well.

“Would you come after me with a knife if I did?” he asked.

“That depends on if you’ll tell me what the pick with the double curve is for. »

« Rebuked, Adelaide remained silent, but I could tell she wasn’t convinced. After a few more instructions, we were sent back to our rooms, and my friends’ reactions were about what I’d expected. Tamsin was already reaching for her books, and Adelaide seemed indifferent—about the tests, at least. Sailing in storm season still bothered her.

Me? I was just restless. I didn’t know what to think. Leaving sooner meant I could get to Lonzo sooner. But it also meant my exams, my marriage, and the end of this protected world with my friends would come sooner. Troubled by a tangle of conflicting feelings, I finally left for a walk around the house. I needed space and the chance to clear my head. »

« YOU! GIRL! DON’T TAKE ANOTHER STEP, OR I’LL RUN YOU through!”

I froze where I was, halfway up the great stone stairs that led to the cathedral of Kyriel.

The thump-thump of boots sounded behind me, and moments later, a young watchman rushed over to block my way. He stood almost a foot taller than me, his dark hair shaved close to the scalp as so many of the watch did. What many of the watch did not do, however, was wield a dagger with such confidence. Most kept the city’s peace with heavy clubs. »