Asunder: A Gathering of Chaos by Cameron Hopkin (children's ebooks free online .txt) 📕

not,” she replied carefully. “It’s just, um – where’s the guard?” Did she kill him? She was so mean. I think he’s dead. Light above, I don’t want to go with this woman.

The older woman gave a throaty chuckle. “He’s otherwise occupied.” Nira shifted uneasily on the bed, wishing she were somewhere else. “Get up. We haven’t much time.”

In moments they were walking the cobblestone streets of the wharf quarter. The nighttime mists she knew from a lifetime in a seaside village cloaked everything, reducing the looming shanties to shadows and suggestions. The glowpod in front of the City Watch edifice was the only light in sight, and the mists soon swallowed it, leaving only the faint shimmering glow of the hidden moon above illuminating the cottony darkness. Renna drew a wooden cage from where it hung on her belt and gave it a sharp shake. Bright points of light bloomed within the bars, and Nira saw that the light emanated from the bodies of crawling bugs held behind vidrin panes inside the tiny cage. When Renna held the hand lamp up, they could see at least a few lengths in front of themselves. The lanky woman strode off into the darkness, forcing Nira to trot in order to keep up.

Even the footpads had given up at this hour. After three turns Nira was hopelessly lost, but Renna never slowed, charging through the mists as if battle waited around the next corner. How long they continued this way Nira couldn’t have said, but it felt as if hours passed in the mist. Forced to keep moving at a half-run, the girl soon found herself sweating despite the coolness in the air. “Could we slow down for a bit?” she called after her captor quietly. The gaunt priestess didn’t respond. Nira imagined throwing a rock at the woman’s head, but she doubted that, even if she had the balls to do it, she could find a rock with the courage to strike home. Even the mist seemed to edge away from Renna.

They climbed out of the Wharf District to the Upper Quarter. The mists fell away as they rose, and the moon shone on clean, well-paved boulevards lined with poplars. Here most of the homes and shops had glowpods that shone all night, and Renna deftly unscrewed the top of her wooden hand lamp and shook out the glowing bugs without breaking stride. That done, she stowed the little contraption and gestured impatiently to Nira. Like one would call to a pet koira, she thought sourly. Still, she trotted closer to the odious woman obediently. She had no wish to antagonize her captor. Maybe I secretly like being told what to do. As soon as I get away from one set of people telling me what to do, I find myself bound to another.

“In a moment we’ll be at the Governor’s Mansion,” the Hand said in low tones.

“At this hour?” Nira knew it was a pointless question, but it came out anyway.

Renna glared at her and continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “When we arrive, say nothing and stay behind me. There will be men with weapons who think they’re too important to be bothered, and I don’t need you getting in my way. Understood?”

Nira nodded silently.

The spare woman compressed her lips in a frown and growled again, “Understood?”

She tried not to roll her eyes. “Yes. Your Honor.” In truth, as much as she resented the older woman’s condescension, she suspected that she was correct – Nira had absolutely no experience dealing with authority, and her tendency to spout off sass when she was scared or unsure could only cause problems.

Turning a corner, they came to a broad square decorated with a burbling fountain. A proud warrior statue on zephyrback graced its top, his lance skewering a Naga foe into the turbid pool. The snake body of the Naga wrapped around one of the zephyr’s legs as the human arms of its upper torso grasped at the blade lodged between its breasts. Its womanly face was contorted in a grimace of pain. The eternal foe of humankind ground underfoot: it was a proper statement for the Governor of the city on the front lines of that war.

The far side of the square was dominated by a massive, stately building that could only be the Governor’s Mansion. Its marble façade shone in the light of dozens of cunningly concealed glowpods, making the building a beacon of beauty and order against the dark. Graceful, scrolled columns adorned the length of its deep porch, and the steps ascending to the front portal were carpeted in velvet. Nira’s mouth dropped open. How much money… she couldn’t even complete the thought. The opulence shocked her mind into stillness.

Renna seemed unfazed. She strode directly up the stairs, tromping on the delicate fabric as if she wished to crush it. A single guard stood at attention in front of the ornately carved double doors leading into the mansion. I’ve never seen wood that deep red color before. How long did it take to carve those little figures? The young woman had dreamed of wealth before, of course, but actually seeing it was another thing entirely.

The guard shifted his stance as they approached, settling his feet wider and making sure of the grip on his ceremonial pike. The man wielding it was blocky and solid, with a crooked nose, square jaw, and unfriendly eyes. If he were in rags instead of cured leather, I’d think he was a thug, or a pimp. This is the big city – they have those here. Maybe he used to be one. She’d always made it her practice to avoid men with eyes like that. He was alert and wary despite the unusual hour – or perhaps because of it. “You might as well turn around and walk yourselves right back down,” he growled. “Nobody’s up, and you’ve got no business coming around at this hour anyway. Get you gone.” He waved a