turning on the flashlight until I’m in the sewer and the cover is back in place.”
Usually
above the water level? She cast an apprehensive glance downward. The air here in the sewer was moist and heavy and smelled abominable. She thought she could faintly discern the glitter of water just below her, and she shifted uneasily on the ladder. She had no intention of landing in that murky water if she could prevent it. There was no telling what manner of disgusting debris was floating in a sewer. She carefully lowered a foot past the bottom rung of the ladder.The tip of her shoe touched liquid, and she quickly jerked it back.
“Are you all right?” Karpathan asked.
“Did you ever hear the story about there being alligators in the sewers?”
He laughed with genuine amusement. “Yes, but it’s just a myth.”
“I’m glad you’re so confident.” Her foot touched the ledge, and she carefully moved to it from the ladder and pressed back against the damp wall of the sewer. “I wouldn’t think of questioning your source. If you’re wrong, I don’t want to know. I’m on the ledge now.”
She cautiously sidled a few feet forward. It was awfully slippery. She wished Karpathan would turn on the flashlight. It was even darker down there than before, now that he’d replaced the manhole cover. She heard his steps echoing on the metal of the ladder, but he was only another dark silhouette in a tube of shadows. Then he was on the ledge, and she breathed a sigh of relief. It was odd how much more secure she felt with Karpathan at her side.
The slender beam of the penlight pierced the darkness. His gaze quietly searched her taut face with concern. “There’s nothing down here to hurt you. I never would have brought you with me if there had been.”
She knew he wouldn’t. In spite of the unpleasantness of her surroundings, she’d been certain Karpathan would never expose her to any real peril if he could prevent it. She smiled crookedly. “There had better not be. I’m not skilled at alligator wrestling. The fist one we run into is all yours.”
“Right.” His hand was on her elbow, propelling her forward. “I welcome the challenge. We modern men are handicapped by the lack of dragons to fight for our ladies. I guess an alligator would do nicely.”
His lady. A warm contentment touched her like the crackling heat of a fire on a crisp winter day. She should resent the possessiveness in the words. Yet she found it difficult to do so when it made her feel so exquisitely treasured. She had the irrational feeling that now that she had experienced this warmth, she would miss it when Karpathan took it away. She must be going soft. She had never missed being cosseted before. “I think I’d enjoy watching the show.”
“The question is, which one of us would you be rooting for?” he asked dryly. His hand tightened as she slipped a little on the fungus-coated concrete. “Watch it. I wouldn’t want to have to pluck you out of that water. You’d be even more perturbed at me if you came out of here smelling like …”
“A sewer,” she finished for him. “I think I’m already in that condition. How much farther do we have to go?”
“Another half mile or so. This sewer empties into the Gratani River about a quarter of a mile outside the city. Unfortunately there’s a road directly across the river controlled by Naldona’s troops. We’ll have to wait for the diversion Jannot’s arranged before we leave the sewer. That should be in about forty minutes.”
“Diversion?”
“A guerrilla attack.”
“Quite a diversion just to get me out of the city.”
“But very worthwhile. I’m becoming more convinced of that with every passing moment.”
She glanced back to see a faint smile on his lips.
“Now all I have to do is to convince you, my dear Amazon.”
“You’ll never—” She broke off and looked away. No doubt Karpathan would regard the denial she’d been about to make in the same light as the
Usually
above the water level? She cast an apprehensive glance downward. The air here in the sewer was moist and heavy and smelled abominable. She thought she could faintly discern the glitter of water just below her, and she shifted uneasily on the ladder. She had no intention of landing in that murky water if she could prevent it. There was no telling what manner of disgusting debris was floating in a sewer. She carefully lowered a foot past the bottom rung of the ladder.The tip of her shoe touched liquid, and she quickly jerked it back.
“Are you all right?” Karpathan asked.
“Did you ever hear the story about there being alligators in the sewers?”
He laughed with genuine amusement. “Yes, but it’s just a myth.”
“I’m glad you’re so confident.” Her foot touched the ledge, and she carefully moved to it from the ladder and pressed back against the damp wall of the sewer. “I wouldn’t think of questioning your source. If you’re wrong, I don’t want to know. I’m on the ledge now.”
She cautiously sidled a few feet forward. It was awfully slippery. She wished Karpathan would turn on the flashlight. It was even darker down there than before, now that he’d replaced the manhole cover. She heard his steps echoing on the metal of the ladder, but he was only another dark silhouette in a tube of shadows. Then he was on the ledge, and she breathed a sigh of relief. It was odd how much more secure she felt with Karpathan at her side.
The slender beam of the penlight pierced the darkness. His gaze quietly searched her taut face with concern. “There’s nothing down here to hurt you. I never would have brought you with me if there had been.”
She knew he wouldn’t. In spite of the unpleasantness of her surroundings, she’d been certain Karpathan would never expose her to any real peril if he could prevent it. She smiled crookedly. “There had better not be. I’m not skilled at alligator wrestling. The fist one we run into is all yours.”
“Right.” His hand was on her elbow, propelling her forward. “I welcome the challenge. We modern men are handicapped by the lack of dragons to fight for our ladies. I guess an alligator would do nicely.”
His lady. A warm contentment touched her like the crackling heat of a fire on a crisp winter day. She should resent the possessiveness in the words. Yet she found it difficult to do so when it made her feel so exquisitely treasured. She had the irrational feeling that now that she had experienced this warmth, she would miss it when Karpathan took it away. She must be going soft. She had never missed being cosseted before. “I think I’d enjoy watching the show.”
“The question is, which one of us would you be rooting for?” he asked dryly. His hand tightened as she slipped a little on the fungus-coated concrete. “Watch it. I wouldn’t want to have to pluck you out of that water. You’d be even more perturbed at me if you came out of here smelling like …”
“A sewer,” she finished for him. “I think I’m already in that condition. How much farther do we have to go?”
“Another half mile or so. This sewer empties into the Gratani River about a quarter of a mile outside the city. Unfortunately there’s a road directly across the river controlled by Naldona’s troops. We’ll have to wait for the diversion Jannot’s arranged before we leave the sewer. That should be in about forty minutes.”
“Diversion?”
“A guerrilla attack.”
“Quite a diversion just to get me out of the city.”
“But very worthwhile. I’m becoming more convinced of that with every passing moment.”
She glanced back to see a faint smile on his lips.
“Now all I have to do is to convince you, my dear Amazon.”
“You’ll never—” She broke off and looked away. No doubt Karpathan would regard the denial she’d been about to make in the same light as the
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