Page 52 of This Monster of Mine

Mercifully clothed, but entirely in black instead of his customary robes, Kadra gave her a rapid but piercing assessment, stern mouth pulling into a line. “You haven’t slept.”

“I’ve enough magic for another day of trials. That’s all you need, isn’t it?”

“Not today.” He handed her a tunic and trousers exactly like his own. “I’ll be outside.”

Her eyes narrowed at the clothing.Black. Nondescript. “What’s this for?” she called, but he’d left.

Dressing quickly, she found Kadra saddling two unfamiliar horses.

“Wherever we’re going, you don’t want to be recognized,” she accused.

A sliver of a smile. “On the contrary, I probablywillbe recognized. But this creates plausible deniability.”

Dread seized her. “Where are we going?”

“To the remaining debt-slaves.” He inspected a vicious-looking knife before tucking it into her saddlebag.

“But we don’t have a petition! Do we even have a warrant?”

His ferocious smile was confirmation enough. She took a step back in disbelief.Is there ever a day when he doesn’t abuse his power?

“The Metals Guild is a piece of work, but shouldn’t we, at least, try to play by the law?”

“The law is a game the powerless play and lose.” Having mounted his horse, Kadra stared down at her with perilous intensity. “Coming?”

This is illegal.She only had to hop on that horse and ride east to Cobhran Tower to bring Aelius’s wrath down on Kadra’s head.

“Fine,” she heard herself mutter instead.

Following him out of Aoran Tower, she told herself that this wasn’t a mistake. She could just as easily inform Aelius later. Better to observe how he operated and let the bodies he left in his wake shatter her ridiculous awareness of him. Perhaps there’d be a clue about the Fall in this Guild establishment they were sneaking into.Perhaps.

Out of the Academiae and down the citadel, they rode to the north of Kadra’s Quarter, where the cobblestone roads petered off into dirt trails bythe city’s outer ring of farmland. Kadra dismounted several yards from a shabby domus, unremarkable but for the Guildsmen guarding it.

“Here.” He passed her a thick strip of black cloth.

Resigned, Sarai tied it around her nose and mouth, pocketing the knife he’d packed her. “I gather we’re taking every precaution except the legal ones.”Wrath’s cursed blade, am I a bandit or a Petitor?

“Both decide who lives and who doesn’t,” Kadra said mildly, and she realized she’d said it aloud. “It comes down to if you prefer the robes.”

Sarai gave him a withering look and paused. Masked, his eyes held an enigmatic sort of mischief that struck her silent.Evil men joke, too, she told herself, extinguishing the part of her that wanted to chuckle.He was there the night of the Fall.

She crossed her arms. “How are we doing this?”

“Uncomplicatedly.” Leaving their horses, he walked toward the front door. The two burly Guildsmen dropped their hands to their swords the moment he entered their line of vision.

“Halt!” one roared. “Identify your—”

Fire engulfed the door behind them and both men sprang away, shrieking. Her head swiveled from the door to Kadra’s raised index finger.

“How many debt-slaves do you have inside?” he asked pleasantly, and her jaw dropped.

I thought we were keeping a low profile!There was no one within city limits who wouldn’t recognize that voice.

“Who the hells are you?” the first man demanded. She stared. Apparently, she was wrong.

The man charged, blade aloft. Unconcerned, Kadra sidestepped the slash, hooked an arm around the man’s throat and squeezed. A sickening crack filled the night air. The man fell, unmoving.

Her pulse halted.There’s the monster.She forced herself to take in the Guildsman’s open eyes and sagging mouth, death so new that he hadn’t registered it. Perhaps he hadn’t been involved in the debt-slave ring beyond serving as a sentry. He could have been a father, a husband.Or you’rewriting epitaphs to justify that he tried to protect the ring even after it was clear why Kadra was here, the vicious part of her hissed.

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