Page 19 of A Hunter for Luna

The words dropped like stones between us. He’d known Francesco and sold him the first book my brother used to study magic. I tried not to hold it against him, but Cassius was aware of my old anger.

“My memories of you and this place are why I don’t already have my hand on your throat, Cassius. Did you sell it?”

The old man shifted away from me fractionally. "It was a rare find. I sold it a few weeks ago."

Finally, the luck breaks my way.After many dead ends, perhaps I was one step closer to finding my brother's cure - and then making his old master pay.

I focused in on Cassius, coldly noting the bead of sweat that ran down his temple. "Who bought the book?"

The bookseller licked his lips, his eyes flickering from side to side. I could practically hear the gears turning in his head as he weighed his options.

He'll talk.They always do, in the end. I hope he doesn’t make me hurt him.

I slid another coin across the counter, letting it clink against the first. The sound hung in the dusty air between us.

"Well?" My voice was low, dangerous. "You know what I’ll do if you push me."

Cassius chewed on his lower lip. “This is for Francesco. And I don’t want to see your face in my shop ever again.”

“Talk.”

"A man," he said. "Tall, built like a warrior. Paid in full with gold stamped from Kalion's mint. I’ve heard he works for Tulliano Lucardi."

Lucardi. The name rang familiar. A notorious social climber in Legnali, always grasping for more power and influence. I kept my expression neutral, not wanting to give away my recognition.

Interesting. What are you plotting, Lucardi?

I straightened, leaving the coin onto the counter. "You've been most helpful."

The bookseller nodded curtly, leaving the coin on the counter. I turned to leave, mind racing with this new information.

Lucardi had the book. But why? What use did he have for this journal?

As I stepped out into the sunlit street, a renewed sense of purpose churned inside me. Taking the book from Lucardi should be a simple matter. Finding someone to read it might be a more complicated task, if I couldn’t...

Hold on, brother. I'll find a cure.

I proceeded to my temporary residence in Legnali. The silk trader I rented from was always happy to accommodate me, even when I’d been short on coin. He held messages for me as well, since it was well known I didn’t reside at the d'Alvarez house when I was in town.

The two-room apartment had been furnished with fresh linens and aired. The faint scent of incense lingered in the air, a pleasant combination of sandalwood and rosemary. The merchant had left a stack of invitations on the ornate desk in my room.

I sat and flipped through them, amused by my peers and their fascination with scandal. And that fact that rumor ran faster than the swiftest mount. I’d only been in town a few hours.

Hosts loved having a rogue at their parties. It gave them something to gossip about. And I was happy to add fuel to the fire whenever possible. The smoke from that blaze helped conceal my true agenda.

Two invitations in the pile caught my interest. The first, a masquerade ball hosted by none other than Tulliano Lucardi. The heavy paper was inlaid with gold flakes, glittering in the light.

How convenient of you, Lucardi.You've saved me the trouble of climbing your garden wall or seducing your wife. If you’ve gotten one recently, after all the looking you’ve done.

The second invitation was a grand dance a week later. It would serve as a good distraction, a way to flirt and gather more information. The women always knew what was going on.

A smaller note bore my mother’s seal. I tossed it aside without a second glance. I was not interested in her meddling or her reproaches. My little wife would be the happier for not interacting with me.

The sight of the seal triggered a flood of memories of Francesco and I as children. We were inseparable then, me running after him as soon as I could walk, always getting into mischief together. The time we snuck into the kitchens and nearly set the house on fire, or when we 'borrowed' Father's prized stallion for a midnight ride. Francesco's shout of laughter echoed in my ears, a sound I hadn't heard in far too long.

I failed you. Even though I hadn’t known what the apprenticeship would do to him, I should have argued that dealing with sorcerers was too dangerous. Even at fourteen, I’d known that. From the lofty height of eighteen years, my brother had dismissed my worry.

My grip tightened on Lucardi’s invitation. I would not fail my brother again, no matter what it took. If nothing else, the bookwould give me information I lacked. Perhaps Ruin could be summoned from beyond death to deal with Moonshifter.

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