Page 47 of The Iron Dagger
With a few presses of some hidden switch, the girl showed her how to make the bed stiffer or softer, cooler or warmer. Hara had already been impressed with the bathtub that filled almost instantly with steaming water and the soft lights that glowed near her ankles as she walked to her bed the night before.
“What is your name?” she asked the girl, who laid a breakfast tray on a smart little table that swung over the bed.
“Clementine, Mistress. I was ever so excited to hear we had a magical guest in this room. I’ve always wanted to see a real witch,” said the girl as she plumped up Hara’s pillows. She could not have been older than sixteen.
Hara’s mouth hitched in a half-smile. “I’m glad I was able to make your wish come true. Are there no witches here at court?”
“Oh, yes, but they work in a different part of the palace. Never in these rooms.”
Hara tucked into her breakfast with a brief smile to the maid. No, Gideon’s family wouldn’t play host to many witches. After a moment, she realized Clementine was staring at her while she ate. She saw that Hara had caught her and smiled nervously.
“I just want to let you know that your kind is welcome by me. I hold no grudges,” said Clementine, holding her hands before her in a defensive gesture. “Some might abide by the old ways, but my mother taught me witches are no different from any other creature, and we should treat them so.”
“Really?” said Hara, the smile fading from her face. The girls’ eyes were earnest, and Hara suppressed the irritation she felt at being referred to as a ‘creature.’ This girl was simply ignorant; she probably did not realize how graceless she sounded.
After she’d eaten, Hara donned her black hunter garb. Recruiter, indeed. It wasn’t as though the captured witches had a choice. She wondered where Gideon was and if she should seek him out. The thought of roaming through the palace on her own was a bit daunting.
“Tell me, do you know where Lord Gideon’s rooms are?” she asked Clementine.
“I can show you, but Lord Gideon was called out in the early hours. Some lawmen from Norwen needed him,” said Clementine as she fixed Hara’s bed linens. The girl’s cheeks were pink. “He’s rather busy.”
Amusement made Hara’s mouth twitch into a smile. “I take it you fancy Lord Gideon?”
Clementine turned wide eyes to Hara, then her pink face dissolved into a bashful grin. “I don’t know, Mistress. I never thought of it.”
Hara went to her chamber window and gazed out at the valley. The day was bright, and she could see the city clearly below. She could spend hours studying the carved stone and clean lines of the buildings, glinting and winking in the sunlight as birds flew between them. Snow-capped mountains framed the city in the distance, looking wild and frosty even in the spring. Below her was a sheer drop into a canyon carved by the waterfall that misted over the side of the cliff.
She considered waiting for Gideon to return and find her, but she was itching to begin her search. Where to start? Gideon had mentioned a clerk named Cauldwell, but according to him, he would not be much help. If she were a real witch hunter, what would she do if she were looking to find someone?
An unpleasant feeling entered her chest. She would need to seek out the person who oversaw all of the Recruiters. Doubtless they had access to all the prison and capture records. She would have to make their acquaintance eventually.
“Clementine, who leads the Witch Recruiters?” said Hara.
“That would be Markus Turnswallow. They’re all on the bottom floors. I’ve never been down there, but it’s easy enough to find them if you take the lift down.”
Nearer to the dungeons, Hara thought darkly.
The Windsong fountain sang in sparkling trills today, illuminated by the sunshine streaming into the courtyard. Hara smiled as she passed it. A sweet feeling of familiarity glowed in her chest, like she had found a small piece of home in this strange place.
A metal lift had been installed on the landing just beyond, and Hara watched as it slowly rose and fell, scaling the wall on a series of pulleys. The thought of being tightly enclosed in such a contraption made her feel uneasy, so Hara elected to make her way down the long spiral stairway.
She had left Seraphine in her room, not knowing how the Recruiters would receive a familiar. Somehow she did not think Seraphine’s plump form and long whiskers would do any favors for her disguise as an intimidating witch hunter. A raven or a lynx would be more fitting.
This early in the morning there were not many people about, but she encountered a few courtiers on the grand staircase. She passed men in long fur-lined robes deep in conversation who did not spare her a glance. A beautifully dressed lady with lavender-tinted hair gave Hara a peculiar look before sweeping past with a chambermaid in her wake. The smell of lilacs lingered in the air after she passed, fresh and sweet.
The elaborate moldings and sculptures of the upper floors faded as Hara traveled down the circling stairs that hugged the wall, each floor becoming more and more stark. Now and then the corridors were marked with brass lettering, labeling the offices and chambers within. Finally, she stopped at a sign that looked promising.
Records
Recruiting
Research and Development
She turned down this corridor and studied the doorways that she passed. The stone walls were whitewashed with lime, and harsh white lights illuminated every corner. After turning left at the end of the hall, she found a door markedRecruitingand stopped abruptly.
How banal, she thought. This institution was responsible for shattering her entire world, and here it was, noted only by small brass letters affixed to a plain wooden door. She did not know what she had expected; blood smeared on the door or shrieks coming from within, perhaps.
Hara brought back her shoulders in a false show of confidence, then pushed open the door.
