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.A fine tracery of scars wove around his body where some of his magical tattoos had burned away.Unlike Mya’s, Lad’s original tattoos were invisible.Only the new ones—the runes etched into his skin by Vonlith—could be seen, a line of black spiders on his chest.As he stepped out of his trousers to pull on the loose silk pants he slept in, warmth spread through Mya that her enchanted wrappings would not abate, a visceral heat that she knew she could never quench.Lad stretched out on the floor, flat on his back, and pulled the blanket up.For some time, Mya listened to him breathe, long inhalations and exhalations, steady and unchanging.Peering closer, she saw that his eyes were open, their luminosity winking in and out as he blinked.Enough, she thought, stifling her fear.He thanked me for the book.Maybe he’ll let me help.She sat up in the bed and leaned back against the headboard.“You don’t sleep, do you?”Lad jerked, turned to look at her, then away.“No.”“Would you like to talk?”“No.”“It might help.”“Nothing will help, Mya.” He flashed her an unreadable look, and rolled over.“I’ve tried everything.Nothing helps.”With a reckless impulse, she swallowed her fear and asked, “Have you tried holding a carrot between your toes?”He was on his feet in one instantaneous, fluid motion to glare at her.“Mocking me certainly won’t help!”“You’re sure?” Mya repressed the pointless urge to fight or flee, refusing to let him intimidate her.If he held everything in, he would eventually crack.Mya knew all about cracking; she had cracked once.“You seem to be focusing on being angry with me right now instead of obsessing, so it might.”Lad whirled away, wrenching open the window drapes to stare outside.Starlight illumed his torso, muscles tense beneath his skin, pulse pounding at his neck.Silence…“We could talk about something else.”Silence…“You think Hensen’s telling the truth about Kiesha, or is he just trying to protect her?”“He’s telling the truth.” Lad drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, his body relaxing just a bit with the exhalation.Mya knew the technique; she used it herself.He’s trying, at least.Not knowing what else to do, she pressed on.“And he said he didn’t know why she killed Wiggen.”“Yes.”“And you believed him on that, too.”“I…don’t know.He said she told him it was an accident.”“An accident? How could she kill anyone by accident?” A lot of things about this just didn’t make sense.Maybe talking it through would give her better insight.Anything to keep Lad talking.“What I don’t get is what Kiesha was doing at Fiveway Fountain anyway! Why would the Thieves Guild give a damn if we all killed each other? And if she was just spying, why would she kill anyone, much less Wiggen?”Lad tensed, and his breath came a bit quicker, but he remained silent.What’s going on? The hairs rose up on the back of Mya’s neck.“Lad?”A long moment passed, then Lad sighed and turned around, his face a blank mask.“I didn’t tell you everything.There was something I didn’t want the masters to know, but…now…”“Okay.” This didn’t sound like Lad.Why would he withhold information? “What didn’t you want us to know?”“Kiesha was there to protect us, you and me.”“What?”“Hensen was contracted by Patino to keep us alive.She killed five other assassins during that fight.She was also the one who killed the assassin who tried to murder me in that Eastmarket alley.She saved my life.”“But…we assumed that the Grandmaster was behind that.So if Kiesha was protecting us, why would she kill Wig—” The puzzle pieces clicked together in Mya’s mind, and fear squeezed her heart in a vice.“The ring! Gods of Light, you don’t think…”“What I think doesn’t matter, Mya.I don’t know what to think.I need to find Kiesha to find out where her orders came from.I don’t think it was Hensen [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]