a good idea, that it had been anything other than Caina’s way of dealing with her grief over Corvalis’s death. But after looking at all the slaves filling Istarinmul, after learning what Callatas intended to do with them, Claudia understood why Caina had done…
Something brushed against Claudia’s spell.
She kept walking, but focused her will. There was a locus of necromantic force approaching from the street ahead, moving towards her left. She glanced in that direction, but saw nothing unusual.
Claudia had known that she would not.
“Centurion,” she called out. “The left.”
Tylas spoke an order, and the Imperial Guards on the left parted.
Claudia whirled, her hands coming up as she drew upon arcane power. When she had first become pregnant, when the morning sickness had set in, her ability to draw arcane power had become erratic, fluctuating between a trickle and an overwhelming surge. After her stomach had settled, she had found that she could draw more power than before. Claudia suspected that her unborn child had latent sorcerous talent, and she was unconsciously drawing upon it to augment her own strength. Maybe that was why so many children of sorceresses developed arcane abilities themselves – their mothers’ own spells started to develop the talent of the unborn children.
On the other hand, Claudia had often been able to draw more power when she was angry.
And she was very, very angry.
She flung out her right hand, her will shaping the sorcerous power into a wall of psychokinetic force. Claudia could not see her target, so she could not unleash a focused hammer of force. Instead the spell erupted in an expanding cone that would hit anyone in its path with a powerful but non-lethal blow.
She heard a startled cry of pain, and a little puff of dust rose from the street.
“Now!” roared Tylas.
The Guards surged forward, rushing towards the puff of dust. They reached the spot and started stamping with their armored boots. Claudia started another spell, and as she did she heard the crack of breaking bone, followed by another cry of pain. She focused upon the noise and cast a spell of dispelling.
There was a flash of silver light and a naked man appeared on the street beneath the Imperial Guards, his mouth bloody and his chest covered with bruises. The Imperial Guards had managed a few good hits on their invisible adversary. Sigil-shaped scars covered the man’s chest and shoulders, still glimmering with silver light from the collapsed invisibility spell.
The Silent Hunter started to raise his dagger, and one of the Imperial Guards brought his boot down with contemptuous ease. The sound of the Silent Hunter’s shattering wrist echoed through the street, followed shortly by the assassin’s scream of pain.
Claudia felt no pity. The Silent Hunter would have killed her and her unborn child. Ordering Tylas to kill the man would have inspired no emotion in her but a vicious satisfaction.
Yet she might have a use for the assassin.
“Nudity in front of an Imperial noblewoman,” muttered Dromio, shaking his head. He seemed more offended by that than the assassination attempt. “Disgraceful.”
“I’ll send a strongly worded letter to Lord Cassander,” said Claudia.
Two of the Imperial Guards hauled the Silent Hunter to his feet, gripping his forearms and shoulders. The assassin flashed with silver light and turned invisible, only to reappear a few seconds later.
“Oh, don’t bother,” said Claudia. “We know where you are. I assume you came here to kill me? That was a mistake. Better men than you have tried and I am still here, and better men than you defend me.”
Once she would have been horrified at the thoughts of using her spells to kill a man. Now she only just kept herself from using a burst of psychokinetic force to crush his skull. Her time with the Ghosts had hardened her.
The war with the Umbarian Order had hardened her further. If anyone tried to
Something brushed against Claudia’s spell.
She kept walking, but focused her will. There was a locus of necromantic force approaching from the street ahead, moving towards her left. She glanced in that direction, but saw nothing unusual.
Claudia had known that she would not.
“Centurion,” she called out. “The left.”
Tylas spoke an order, and the Imperial Guards on the left parted.
Claudia whirled, her hands coming up as she drew upon arcane power. When she had first become pregnant, when the morning sickness had set in, her ability to draw arcane power had become erratic, fluctuating between a trickle and an overwhelming surge. After her stomach had settled, she had found that she could draw more power than before. Claudia suspected that her unborn child had latent sorcerous talent, and she was unconsciously drawing upon it to augment her own strength. Maybe that was why so many children of sorceresses developed arcane abilities themselves – their mothers’ own spells started to develop the talent of the unborn children.
On the other hand, Claudia had often been able to draw more power when she was angry.
And she was very, very angry.
She flung out her right hand, her will shaping the sorcerous power into a wall of psychokinetic force. Claudia could not see her target, so she could not unleash a focused hammer of force. Instead the spell erupted in an expanding cone that would hit anyone in its path with a powerful but non-lethal blow.
She heard a startled cry of pain, and a little puff of dust rose from the street.
“Now!” roared Tylas.
The Guards surged forward, rushing towards the puff of dust. They reached the spot and started stamping with their armored boots. Claudia started another spell, and as she did she heard the crack of breaking bone, followed by another cry of pain. She focused upon the noise and cast a spell of dispelling.
There was a flash of silver light and a naked man appeared on the street beneath the Imperial Guards, his mouth bloody and his chest covered with bruises. The Imperial Guards had managed a few good hits on their invisible adversary. Sigil-shaped scars covered the man’s chest and shoulders, still glimmering with silver light from the collapsed invisibility spell.
The Silent Hunter started to raise his dagger, and one of the Imperial Guards brought his boot down with contemptuous ease. The sound of the Silent Hunter’s shattering wrist echoed through the street, followed shortly by the assassin’s scream of pain.
Claudia felt no pity. The Silent Hunter would have killed her and her unborn child. Ordering Tylas to kill the man would have inspired no emotion in her but a vicious satisfaction.
Yet she might have a use for the assassin.
“Nudity in front of an Imperial noblewoman,” muttered Dromio, shaking his head. He seemed more offended by that than the assassination attempt. “Disgraceful.”
“I’ll send a strongly worded letter to Lord Cassander,” said Claudia.
Two of the Imperial Guards hauled the Silent Hunter to his feet, gripping his forearms and shoulders. The assassin flashed with silver light and turned invisible, only to reappear a few seconds later.
“Oh, don’t bother,” said Claudia. “We know where you are. I assume you came here to kill me? That was a mistake. Better men than you have tried and I am still here, and better men than you defend me.”
Once she would have been horrified at the thoughts of using her spells to kill a man. Now she only just kept herself from using a burst of psychokinetic force to crush his skull. Her time with the Ghosts had hardened her.
The war with the Umbarian Order had hardened her further. If anyone tried to
Similar Books
