Assassin of Curses: (The Coren Hart Chronicles Book 3) by Jessie Eaker (best novels in english TXT) 📕

looked so creepy!” Suddenly a myst barrier surrounded them. I could hear Cabrina scream again. “He turned out the light! Don’t let him get me!”

My eyes went wide. Why that little... genius. She had put up another myst barrier. Only this one was black inside. While I could see in, they couldn’t see out. She waved at me and grinned.

I quickly ran out the door and down the hall, trying to remember the way we had come and the direction I had seen them go.

It was long past midnight and well on the way to early morning, so I didn’t encounter anyone in the halls. I couldn’t help but think this was just too easy. I had no doubt these corridors were filled with various myst devices to track movement. So it would only be a little more before I was discovered.

Which way?

I shook my head. Too bad Fumiko hadn’t shared her knowledge of the palace along with her fighting skills. Even just knowing the buildings would have helped.

I suddenly noticed a flicker of motion in the corner of my vision. But when I turned toward it, I didn’t detect anything. I shook my head. I must be seeing things. The corridors had been darkened for the night with only the occasional myst lantern producing illumination. The dim light provided ample opportunities to mistake something.

Then I noticed it again. I whipped around and stared at where I thought it had been. And I saw it. A tiny patch of shadow, no bigger than my hand and just slightly darker than the rest, was moving ever so slowly along the wall.

Looking at the patch reminded me of Fumiko for some reason. I took a step toward it, and it moved away the same amount. I took another step and another, but it maintained its distance. I moved faster, breaking into a trot and then into a run. It flowed from one corridor wall to another, going one way at an intersection and then the other.

It suddenly stopped on the floor in front of a set of stairs leading down, and when I caught up, the patch of shadow slid down the stairs disappearing into the dim light. I followed cautiously.

It got darker the farther I went, finally going completely black when I reached the bottom. I pulled out my faithful glowing amulet and was shocked to find one of the guards looming in front of me.

I jumped back, prepared to run, but he gave no reaction and stood there unmoving. I held my light up and waved my hand in front of him. Not even a blink.

That was certainly odd. I hesitantly touched the guard’s throat and could feel his skin was warm, and he had a slow pulse. Sleeping maybe? It was certainly odd. I quickly moved to the door behind him and pulled it open enough to slip inside. A weak myst lantern illuminated another set of stairs leading farther down into the depths. A damp smell assaulted my nose, and I knew instantly what it was—their dungeon. They might call it something different, but this is where the prisoners were kept.

I went down the stairs and came to a narrow corridor with three small doors aligned on one side. I heard someone moan and the clank of chain against stone.

I stepped forward cautiously. Not the first one, nor the second, but at the third door, the occupant broke into a fit of coughing. I went back to the immobile guard, and taking the keys from his belt, I returned to the cell and unlocked it. The creak of the door sounded extraordinary loud as I opened it to find its lone occupant chained to the wall.

“You came,” whispered Fumiko. Her voice was raspy as if she had been screaming. I ran forward, horrified at what I saw. Even in the feeble light of my amulet, I could tell she had been severely beaten—a trail of dried blood ran from her nose and lip. And her face was cut and battered with gradually darkening bruises. Her left eye had already started to swell shut. Her clothes were torn, and I could see splotches of dried blood on her arms and legs.

I knelt before her and started trying the keys on the ring, finally finding one that worked.

“You came,” she said again as if not believing I was really there. “I cast a shadow. I was praying you would see it.”

“What happened?”

Her manacles came free, and she collapsed into my arms. I gently lowered her to the floor. “I was ambushed. There were too many of them to fight. They beat me.”

“What did they do with Zofie?”

She looked up at me with her good eye. “She led me right to them. And when they attacked, she just watched.” Fumiko licked her lips. “It’s not like her.”

I frowned. “I noticed something odd about her too. I almost wonder if that is really Zofie in her body.”

Fumiko looked down. “I have heard some things about Yonge. You saw how he used those bugs.” She gazed at me levelly. “What if he can do that to people?”

“You mean like a Dark Avenyts? Is he one of them?”

She tried to sit up, and I helped get her upright.

Fumiko shook her head. “I don’t think so. These rumors circulated even when I was still one of the emperor’s butterflies. I warned you not to trust him. The man is evil.” She muttered under her breath. “I should have listened to my own advice.”

She grabbed my shoulder and tried to pull herself up. She stood slowly, favoring her right side. “They discovered my cracked ribs.”

I helped her out of the cell, and we went up the stairs. Like me, Fumiko was puzzled by the guard seeming to be asleep. I put the keys back and helped myself to