City of Storms
By Kat Ross
4/5
()
About this ebook
WINNER OF THE 2022 READERS' FAVORITE GOLD MEDAL FOR MAGIC & WIZARDRY!
A city simmering with repressed urges...
A fallen angel bent on chaos...
And a conspiracy that could destroy them all.
Can one woman harness her own psychic power to stop it?
In a world with three layers of ever darker magic, few dare to wield the most dangerous. And those who try can fall prey to violent madness.
The Church keeps a tight leash on its citizens. It tests every child for psychological deviancy. If you pass, you're given a Mark. A tattoo that lets you use the ley power—and shields you from your most primal desires.
For the lucky ones, the world is at their feet. The rest suffer a life of menial jobs and hopelessness.
When tarot reader Kasia crosses paths with a young priest who hunts deviants, her own ugly secret is dragged into the light. Will they learn to trust each other in time to stop a greater evil from corrupting their world?
You’ll love the first book in this epic fantasy series because the lush weaving of intrigue, action and slow-burn romance will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Get it now.
Praise for City of Storms
“Richly textured and fabulously conceived. Ross drapes a tense political thriller in a trench coat of dark fantasy. Readers should expect the unexpected.” –Kirkus Reviews
"I’m not prone to bouts of effusiveness but I couldn’t gush enough about Kat Ross’s books, I enjoy them so much. This one has a Slavic feel, which was really interesting to me, and I loved the rainy city of Novostopol (also the map illustration is gorgeous). Added to the unique setting and fantasy elements are Ross’s usual mix of great characters, a twisty-turny plot, romance and a touch of humour. I already can’t wait for Book 2!” –Evelyn, Goodreads
"I loved the setting, which is technologically advanced yet progress is suppressed - it gave it a 1930's noir feel. I'd compare it favourably to the 'tsarpunk' of the Grishaverse. Relatable characters and fast-paced and well-thought-out action drive this story along and have me eagerly awaiting the sequel." –A. Adler, Goodreads
“A masterpiece of magical fantasy which mixes its unique concepts into the darkest psychology of the human mind and its most base physical desires and emotions. Action, excitement, and darkness in all the right places. An unmissable and original read.” –K.C. Finn for Readers Favorite, 5 Stars
“A rousing adventure [and] skillful fusion of history, fantasy, and religion. It contains word paintings with arresting beauty and a three-dimensional character that is torn between duty and loyalty. I definitely recommend City of Storms for its unique twists, turns, and brilliant storyline.” –Vincent Dublado for Readers Favorite, 5 Stars
Kat Ross
Kat Ross worked as a journalist at the United Nations for ten years before happily falling back into what she likes best: making stuff up. She's the author of the new Lingua Magika trilogy, the Fourth Element and Fourth Talisman historical fantasy series, the Gaslamp Gothic paranormal mysteries, and the dystopian thriller Some Fine Day. She loves myths, monsters and doomsday scenarios. Come visit her at www.katrossbooks.com!
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Reviews for City of Storms
16 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A wonderful story with enticing world and lore. A pleasure to read for sure, it absorber me fully. I was eager to always turn the next page and the next.
Book preview
City of Storms - Kat Ross
Chapter One
The baying of the Markhounds jolted the priest to wakefulness. Even after three years living next to their kennels, the eerie sound—frantic barking mingled with deep-throated howls—lifted the hairs on his neck and sent adrenaline coursing through his veins.
Fra Alexei Bryce fumbled for a match in the darkness. An instant later, a wavering flame appeared. He touched it to the stub of candle next to his armchair and leapt to his feet, knocking a fat biography of the Southern Pontifex to the floor. A quick rummage through teetering stacks of books on law and psychology unearthed a pocket notebook of supple brown leather. Alexei jotted down the hour.
11:17.
Rain lashed the narrow arched windows of the Tower of Saint Dima, though the storm was nearly inaudible over the clamor in the courtyard below. The kennels held two dozen Markhounds and they were all going off at once. Alexei rubbed his shorn skull, fighting the desperate urge to close his eyes. He rarely slept, and never for longer than three or four hours at a stretch. The doctors had given him pills, but he’d only taken them once. The sedative left him groggy and he hadn’t touched them again.
Sometimes, after drifting off in the armchair, he woke with the fleeting sensation that he had dreamt, the way he did as a young child, but this was impossible. Priests of the Curia did not dream. They’d been inoculated against such folly.
The nights in Novostopol were never cold, but this one was certainly wet. He lifted a cloak from its peg and drew it on over his midnight blue cassock. The pockets held a pair of soft leather gloves and a coin-sized copper disc with a raven engraved on one side and a name on the other. Alexei absently fingered the disc before drawing on the gloves. He blew out the candle. For a moment, he stood in darkness, blue eyes searching the distant lights of the metropolis.
Somewhere beyond the walls of the citadel, someone was descending the rungs of madness.
Their Marks—intricate pictures inscribed on the skin by the psychic power called the ley—had suddenly flipped. Instead of suppressing a person’s worst impulses, inverted Marks had the opposite effect, erasing all inhibitions. Alexei had seen mothers drown their children, fathers do far worse. Strangers might be the first victims if the breakdown happened in a public place. Men tended to be more violent and women more cunning, but there were always exceptions.
No one fully understood the condition, but it seemed to be triggered by extreme stress. A conflict simmering in the unconscious mind that finally erupted—often with no warning.
As an ordained brother of the Interfectorem, it was Fra Bryce’s task to find and subdue these dangerous lunatics before other lives were destroyed.
He strode to the oaken door and hurried down the winding stone steps, worn smooth as sea glass from a thousand years of priestly boots. Alexei raised his cowl and stepped into the rainy courtyard. Four Markhounds stood in a semicircle, coats glistening.
They were bred from southern stock, dark brown with long, thin bodies and pointed ears, but the ley had made them into something more than hunting dogs. They could smell the moment a Mark flipped—thus the frenzied howls—and follow the trail to its source. Most people would glimpse a shadow from the corner of the eye, if they noticed the creatures at all. The thickest walls and stoutest gates would not stop a Markhound. A crevice wide enough for a tendril of fog sufficed for them to pass.
As usual, the pack had not waited for him to open the kennel door. They’d come out on their own.
The hounds fell silent the instant he appeared. Alexei had fought beside them back in the days when he was a knight in the church’s war against the rebel cities. He knew they would obey his commands. Yet there was still something viscerally unnerving about the dogs, which was why the kennels were in a wooded area distant from other buildings in the Arx—especially the touristy parts.
The Markhounds watched him with alert eyes. The only sound was the steady drip of rain. Had his partner slept through the racket? Then headlights slashed the darkness. A sleek black car pulled up between Alexei and the hounds. Fra Patryk Spassov killed the engine and got out, a hand-rolled cigarette dangling from his mouth. It became instantly sodden. Spassov ground it underfoot with a grimace. He was a decade older, early forties, with a tired face that had seen its share of horrors. Like Alexei, his hair was shorn nearly to the scalp, concealing a receding hairline. His eyes were bloodshot and he smelled of cheap wine, but that was quite unremarkable.
They always pick the filthiest weather to go crazy, don’t they?
he remarked, climbing into the passenger seat.
By long agreement, Alexei drove while Spassov smoked and provided moral support. At first glance, they made an odd pair. Alexei’s views were radically different from Spassov’s, who believed the insane to be better off dead. Patryk had no qualms about cracking skulls and considered himself akin to a refuse collector who was merely disposing of the trash.
This was the prevailing opinion in the Curia, not to mention society as a whole, and the reason their order was a dumping ground for defectives—priests with the brute strength to wrangle maniacs into custody but inadequate social-emotional skills to function in loftier spheres of the church. Invertido were feared and despised, making the Interfectorem equally feared and despised by association.
Alexei was a defective, no question about that, but a somewhat higher class of one. He was a war hero, after all. He was not a raging alcoholic like Spassov, the Pontifex bless his soul. And he did his best to arrest people without shedding blood. They were sick, not evil. Spassov thought he was naïve, but after years of heated arguments he had ceded some ground. At least he no longer stabbed first and asked questions later.
Alexei started the engine. The hounds arrowed forward, racing for the Dacian Gate. Circles of blue fire punctuated the night, each with a raven in the center, symbol of the Eastern Curia. The conflict had ended four years before with the defeat of the heretics, but hundreds of Wards still blazed over every window and door, a final cordon against their enemies. No mage who wielded abyssal ley could pass these walls.
Alexei floored the pedal, trying to keep the hounds in the headlights. The inner citadel was only a few square kilometers. Within a minute, they reached the broad Via Fortuna, flanked by bright yellow street lamps for its entire length. Candles and torches burned in every building despite the late hour.
The promise of his faith.
Post tenebras lux.
Light after the dark.
I didn’t see you at supper,
Spassov said, rolling down the window to light another cigarette. The flame trembled in his cupped hand. Or evening meditation.
I was reading.
Ah. Anything good?
A biography of Luk.
The Via Sancta comprised four city-states, each governed by a Pontifex. Once it had been six cities, though two now lay in ruins, their clergy dead or excommunicated. Luk was the Reverend Father of the Southern Curia, a rocky peninsula southwest of Novostopol.
Spassov gave a crooked grin. The Wolf?
He made the Markhounds. Evolved them, I mean.
I heard that somewhere.
Spassov produced a silver flask and took a sip. Ever been to Kvengard?
No, have you?
When I was younger. A delegation to commemorate Liberation Day. It’s a strange place. They don’t have telephones. Not even electricity. The taxis use horses! I wouldn’t want to live there.
Alexei switched the wipers to high. They probably wouldn’t want to live here.
Spassov laughed. Probably not. The weather in Novo isn’t for everyone. Not unless you have gills.
He tucked the flask away. Hey, when we’re done tonight, let’s go to that place with the spicy noodles. They’re open late.
The one with the pretty waitress?
She likes me.
Because you tip so much.
No, no, because I make her laugh. Make a woman laugh and she’s yours forever.
Alexei refrained from pointing out that women did not grant favors to priests of the Interfectorem, and most would run swiftly in the opposite direction. Patryk knew it as well as he did. But it made him happy to pretend otherwise, and who was Alexei to deprive him of his fantasies?
They sped past the Pontifex’s Palace and the Tomb of the Martyrs, followed by various ministries and the gilded dome of the basilica. By the time they reached the white marble arch of the Dacian Gate, the hounds were gone. They would run until they found their prey. Then, Saints willing, they would await the arrival of their masters, although Alexei always feared the dogs might get carried away and do something stupid. Unlike Spassov, Markhounds could not be reasoned with. On the front, he had seen packs bring down Nightmages and while the nihilim heretics were his enemies, the memory made him grateful he didn’t dream for he would surely have nightmares.
Alexei squinted into the rain. The hounds had vanished, but phosphorescent paw prints revealed their passage in the blue surface ley that flowed in eddies and currents along the ground. The glow would fade within minutes but it was enough to follow.
By long custom, the gates of the Arx stood wide open, embracing all who sought sanctuary inside. Alexei slowed to raise a hand to the guards, then sped up again as they entered the city proper. Raucous music spilled from cafes and bars. Taxis and trams clogged the hilly cobblestoned streets. Spassov grumbled about the traffic, as he always did. The trail led up and down through the ancient, crooked labyrinth of the city center. Alexei drove as fast as he dared, but there were people about. Most had been drinking and they staggered under umbrellas, unaware of the large Curia automobile barreling toward them. Alexei reluctantly slowed down.
Saturday night,
Spassov said in a resigned tone. What did you expect?
What time is it?
Patryk took out a battered pocket watch on a silver chain. It had belonged to his father and he carried it everywhere, just as Alexei carried the coin with the raven and name. Good luck talismans.
11:29.
Alexei’s hands tightened on the wheel. It had been twelve minutes since the alarm sounded. The Saints only knew what might have happened in the interim. Not everyone whose Marks turned became violent. Sometimes the descent was gradual.
But sometimes it was very swift indeed.
He jammed his foot down on the accelerator and took a hard left. Spassov made an unhappy noise as he was thrown against the door. The crowds thinned, then disappeared as they left the city center behind. The monotonous swish-swish of the wipers made Alexei’s eyes heavy. He unrolled his window and gulped in the night air.
That was the most diabolical thing about insomnia. The acute, chronic kind that lasted for years. Exhaustion came out of nowhere, but when he tried to sleep, it would vanish. He would lie in his chamber, eyes wide in the darkness, thoughts whirling like the weathervane atop Saint Agathe’s Dome.
So he’d given up trying, settling for quick catnaps here and there, usually upright in a chair, and hoping he didn’t go mad himself. Not even the doctors knew how bad it was. If they did, the Curia would retire him to some mindless desk drudgery, but Alexei couldn’t leave the Order until he found what he sought.
The storm grew worse. Sheets of water sprayed from beneath the tires. They entered a fashionable neighborhood of townhouses on the west side. One of the oldest parts of the city, and expensive despite the decaying infrastructure. The car rounded a corner and Alexei slammed on the brakes. Novostopol sat on top of ancient aqueducts of historic interest so it took forever to get permits to fix things. The plaza ahead was flooded, the adjacent canal having overtopped its banks. Paw prints shimmered under twenty centimeters of water, continuing up the hill on the other side of a washed-out bridge.
Alexei smacked a palm on the wheel. He turned to Spassov. I’ll go on foot, find a way across. Are you good to take the car? There’s another bridge at Pavlovsk Street.
Spassov gave him a mildly offended look. I drive drunk better than you do sober, Alyosha.
Meet me there.
His smile died. We’re close. I can feel it.
Once Spassov had mocked these sorts of claims, but they’d proven accurate so many times, he just nodded. Alexei’s instincts had been honed to a fine point in seven tours of duty in the ruins of the rebel cities. A sixth sense about which burnt-out buildings held nests of mages, which blind alleys had been rigged with traps. As a result, he was still alive when most of his fellow knights were dead.
Sometimes he wished it were the other way around.
Spassov got out and walked around to the driver’s side. Rain soaked them both in an instant.
Take some steel at least,
Spassov said, sliding behind the wheel. Don’t be a hero, Alyosha. Wait for me.
Alexei gripped Patryk’s shoulder. Of course.
He walked around to the trunk and popped the latch. He stared at a sword for a moment, a blade blessed by the Pontifex Feizah herself, then reached past it and grabbed an umbrella. He rapped his knuckles on the side of the car, watching Spassov drive away in spreading ripples of rainwater.
Alexei opened the umbrella and followed the fading trail toward the canal.
Chapter Two
Six blocks away, and thirty-four minutes prior to the instant Fra Bryce unfurled his umbrella, an intimate dinner party was winding down.
The host was a man named Ferran Massot. Plump and bearded with wings of white at his temples, Massot was the very picture of a respectable doctor. He wore a sober dark suit and pearl gray gloves. When he smiled, kindly crinkles webbed the corners of his eyes. Massot was smiling right now, at the young woman he had hired to read fortunes for his guests.
I’d say it was a smashing success, my dear, wouldn’t you?
he said, beaming at her.
I hope so, Doctor Massot,
she replied.
Please.
He laid a gloved hand on her arm. Call me Ferran.
They stood in the vestibule, the last guests having just departed. The young woman, whose name was Kasia Novak, didn’t care for the way his hand lingered on her sleeve, nor for his smile. But she’d been taught to always be courteous, so she coughed and used the gesture to dislodge his touch.
Right,
she said briskly. Let’s get down to business then.
Massot’s grin widened. Direct, aren’t you?
One of us has to be, she thought. How shall we proceed?
Upstairs,
Massot said. In the study.
I’ll collect my cards.
Heels clicked as she strode to the drawing room and scooped up her cartomancy deck from the folding table the doctor had placed near the hearth. All in all, the evening had been pleasant. She wasn’t invited to eat with the guests, but the caterers fed her leftovers in the kitchen before packing up. There had been a famous actress, a semi-famous poet, and some sort of experimental glassblower who specialized in figurines of the Saints. Kasia read their fortunes, making sure to put a positive spin on things, and they had all expressed astonishment at her insights.
Like the rest of the city, Dr. Massot followed the doctrine of the Via Sancta, which taught that all things, however mundane, must be beautiful. Fresh-cut flowers sat in vases at strategic intervals. The furniture was graceful and airy. Rugs woven from fine Nantwich wool graced the blond hardwood floors. If the place seemed sterile, Kasia chalked it up to the fact that Dr. Massot was a wealthy bachelor and no doubt had hired decorators to ensure all was in impeccable taste.
She followed him up the stairs to the study on the second floor. Here, the doctor’s personal stamp was more in evidence. Framed degrees adorned the walls. A large oil portrait of Massot—ten years younger and fifteen kilos lighter—hung over the fireplace. It wore the same fixed smile. Kasia stayed in the doorway while the doctor lit a fire in the hearth, then strolled to his desk. It was a hefty, sober piece of furniture. He picked up a brass cylinder, the sort used to store documents rolled around a spindle.
"You came for this, da? I’d expected Domina Anderle. That’s what I was told by . . . . Massot trailed off, eyes twinkling in a conspiratorial fashion, and put the cylinder down.
Well, we won’t mention names, will we?"
Kasia bit back impatience. She’d already explained this when she arrived. Natalya fell ill so I came in her stead. I hope that doesn’t present a problem.
Not at all, my dear,
he murmured, staring at her. Not at all.
Here.
Kasia dug into her jacket pocket and handed him a business card. She asked me to give you this.
Massot scanned it and tucked it into his trouser pocket. I’ll pay you for your services, naturally. And you may have the papers for our mutual friend. But if you’d indulge me, I’d like a reading first.
Kasia frowned. Now?
Is the request so peculiar?
You declined my offer earlier.
When the other guests were still here.
I changed my mind.
She glanced at the brass cylinder, then at the clock on the mantel. 11:04. It’s getting late. And the weather—
I’ll summon a cab for you, of course.
He waved a hand. Only a few more minutes, yes? I’ll double your fee.
Kasia studied him. She needed the money. One reading.
Dr. Massot grinned. I must confess, I find this cartomancy of yours most intriguing. Does it really use the ley?
Of course.
A lie. In fact, most of the performance was pure guesswork. She was a keen observer and her clients often revealed secrets without even meaning to. But sometimes the cards did speak to her. Kasia didn’t know how it could be so, only that it was.
Fascinating.
He came out from behind the desk. Let’s sit here, shall we? It’s cozier by the fire.
Kasia sank into one of the sleek armchairs flanking the fireplace, Massot across from her. A low table lay between them. Lightning flashed through the windows, followed by a slow roll of thunder. She shuffled the deck. What sort of doctor are you, Domine Massot?
His brows rose. You don’t know?
Kasia shook her head.
Massot chuckled. I am a student of that convoluted maze we call the human mind, my dear.
Kasia’s mouth formed a polite smile, her dislike of him deepening. The doctor managed to be both condescending and creepy. Is there a particular question you want to pose to the ley?
Why, yes. I have something of a professional dilemma.
He winked, but his voice sounded strained. A very delicate matter that has troubled me for some time now. Confidential, of course.
You needn’t tell me the details. Just hold the question in your mind.
Massot opened the top button of his shirt. It’s warm in here, isn’t it?
He was sweating profusely. Kasia stared at the coffee table as she dealt a five-card spread, face down. It was rather hot. The fashion this season was military chic, with heavy embroidery and epaulets on the shoulders of a tight-fitting jacket, a long, layered skirt and boots with three-inch spiked heels. Not the most comfortable attire, but one had to make do.
When she looked up, Ferran Massot had discarded his jacket. Wiry gray hairs poked through the collar of his shirt.
Oh, fog it.
Don’t you have to take your gloves off?
he asked.
Ley could only be drawn through the palms of the hands. She didn’t really use the power for her readings, but Massot didn’t know that. As much as Kasia didn’t care to expose a centimeter of flesh to this man, she had no choice. She peeled off her black lace gloves. Then she took the first card and turned it over.
The Mage. Inverted.
Which shouldn’t be possible since she was certain she had dealt them all right side-up.
Massot leaned forward, eyes darkening. What’s wrong?
Kasia forced a smile. Nothing bad, don’t worry. The Mage represents the power of the ley.
And a Nightmage, when inverted. Or it can indicate worldly power. Over other people or in the sphere of business. Just what I’d expect for a man like you. Let’s look at the next one.
The Slave. Followed by the Knight. The Fool. And the Martyr.
All Major Arcana. Taken individually, they could signify a thousand things. Each contained layers upon layers of meaning. But together, in that particular order…. Nameless dread pooled in her stomach. The feeling didn’t come often, and never so strongly, but something terrible would befall this man—and soon.
Massot studied the cards with bright-eyed interest. How to break the news? Should she tell him at all?
He wouldn’t take it well, they never did. Fog it, she should have begged off. She’d be in a taxi on her way home by now—
Kasia glanced up just as Dr. Massot tore a glove off with his teeth and reached across the table. Clammy fingers gripped her jaw.
Be a good girl,
he growled, sweeping the cards aside. Just relax and I’ll give you what you came for. We both know you want it.
How could his hand be so cold when sweat dripped down his face?
Ungloved. He was touching her ungloved.
It was unthinkable. The vilest breach of custom and courtesy. Even the lovers she’d had over the years never took their gloves off. How dare he?
Kasia raked her nails down his hand. Massot yelped in surprise and jerked away, knocking the table over. She grabbed his hairy wrist. Never had she been so angry. A red film covered her vision and Massot made an animal sound low in his throat. He shoved her hard. Kasia tripped over the table and landed on her rear. She scrabbled back, heels digging furls in the carpet.
Cardinal Falke—
she began.
Isn’t here and doesn’t care what I do.
Massot stood in front of the door. His pupils devoured his eyes. You’re no one.
Kasia’s cheeks flamed. Listen, we can forget any of this ever happened. Just give me the message. I won’t breathe a word—
Massot raised a pale finger. Her skin crawled looking at it. His voice was toneless. I’m sorry, Domina Novak. You’re right. I don’t know what came over me.
The doctor licked his lips. You’re just very pretty, my dear.
Kasia stood. The coffee table lay on its side, cards strewn across the carpet. Her best deck, but she wasn’t about to bend over to collect them with the good doctor staring at her. She held out a hand and willed her voice to no-nonsense firmness. The cardinal’s papers, please.
Lightning flashed. This time, the shattering crack of thunder was instantaneous. Massot gave a strange, twitching shudder as if he was having a stroke. Then he lunged at her. He was blocking the door to the hall, so she leapt over the coffee table, wobbling in her boots, and darted behind the desk. Kasia grabbed a paperweight and threw it at his head. Massot dodged the missile, but it shattered the window behind him. A damp wind fluttered the long white curtains.
Help!
she shouted.
The doctor feinted right, then hurled himself at the desk, teeth snapping like a rabid dog. Kasia threw herself at a door, hoping it might be another way out, and found herself in a tiny bathroom that smelled of lavender. She bolted the door and pressed her ear against the wood.
Heavy breathing. A dull thud, as if a paunchy middle-aged body had slumped down against the door. The bathroom was pitch dark except for a thin line of light coming under the door. Kasia groped along the wall for a switch.
Domina Novak?
Dr. Massot’s voice sounded eerily calm.
She hesitated, but it’s not as if he didn’t know she was right there behind a flimsy door. What?
They’ll be coming for him. They don’t know who he really is, do they? No, of course they don’t. They don’t have the slightest inkling.
A giggle. But they’ll figure it out eventually. The only question is who will use him first.
Was the doctor talking about himself or someone else?
Kasia found the switch. Light flooded the tiny bathroom. She looked around for something to defend herself, but there was only a bowl of potpourri and a bar of soap in a little ceramic dish.
He broke six of the Wards before I got him under control. Six! My master must be told. Oh, the punishment will be dreadful if he thinks I betrayed him.
Everyone had left, even the caterers. Massot had no live-in staff. Natalya was feverish in bed at their shared flat. She might not realize Kasia had failed to come home until morning. It had never occurred to either of them that something like this could happen. If Massot had been a new client, Kasia would have taken precautions, but he was a friend of the cardinal.
You already know all about it, don’t you?
His voice took on an angry edge. They’ve been listening to my thoughts. They put an imp inside me. It reports to them. Tells them everything!
The doctor giggled again. It likes the things I do, though. They didn’t expect that.
More maniacal laughter. It’s a dirty little imp!
Kasia turned on the cold tap. She bent over the sink and splashed her face, wondering how she’d get out of Dr. Massot’s house alive. He had at least thirty kilos on her. And he was fogging insane.
Damn,
she muttered, leaning into the mirror. I thought that was supposed to be waterproof.
Flakes of mascara ringed her eyes to ghoulish effect. It didn’t really matter, but Kasia used a square of toilet paper to scrub away the makeup. It gave her something to do while she waited for the doctor’s next move.
"I’m too important to be trifled with in this way. They know. Everything is under control. He’ll see to that. I wrote it all down. A heavy sigh.
It is no easy task to serve two masters who despise each other, Domina Novak. No easy task."
She heard Massot stand. Muffled footsteps crossed the rug toward the desk. She was about to make a run for it, but a moment later, the footsteps returned.
Come out,
he said. I have something for you.
She pressed a palm against the door. What is it?
You’ll see.
How stupid did he think she was? The thing is, I don’t trust you, Dr. Massot.
Tap-tap-tap. She could picture those pale fingers creeping along the door like a spider. As well you shouldn’t, my dear.
Listen, the cards told me something bad would happen to you, but you can still change it. The future isn’t written yet.
Oh, but it is. In fact, I can tell you exactly what will happen to you if you don’t come out.
He kept talking, describing in detail the things he had planned for her. Kasia tried not to listen. She yanked open the drawers under the sink, finding nothing but spare toilet paper. The soap dish was a pathetic excuse for a weapon. Could she strangle him with a hand towel? Blind him with potpourri?
Come out, come out, Domina Novak,
Dr. Massot sang, tapping the door again. It sounded different this time. Like he was holding something.
A letter opener?
She’d seen one on his desk next to the paperweight.
"Or I’ll come in, come in."
The scrape of metal on metal. An indistinct curse. More scraping.
Ferran Massot was digging at the lock.
Chapter Three
The rain never ceased in Novostopol.
It cascaded from the mouths of gargoyles and raced through mossy canals. It dripped from umbrellas and lapped at the cobblestone streets, eventually emptying into an ancient system of aqueducts and flowing out to sea. If the city did not sit atop a series of hills overlooking the harbor, it would have been submerged long before.
Alexei stood at the foot of a narrow bridge that had been cordoned off with sawhorses, a four-meter gap in its center. It looked like it had collapsed some time ago. The Saints only knew when it was scheduled for repairs.
The hounds must have leapt across, but Alexei couldn’t follow, not that way. He gave a sharp whistle. A minute later, the four dogs came bounding back down the hill. They crouched on the opposite bank, indistinct shadows in the rain.
He’d been right. They were close or the hounds would have taken longer to return.
A sudden updraft seized the umbrella. Alexei struggled to close it, finally tossing the flapping thing aside and letting the wind take it. Any thought of sleep vanished. He felt the clarity of purpose that only came at these moments, when lives hung in the balance and a single minute could make all the difference.
Alexei knelt down, water soaking his cassock. He removed one leather glove and laid his left hand flat on the sodden earth. Blue ley flowed along the surface, darkening to violet at the border with the red abyssal ley—the most powerful, but forbidden by the church. He drew on the liminal stratum, watching the ley darken as it rose to meet his palm. Power burned a trail up his arm and down his back, coiling around the muscles of his legs and flaring as it met his Marks.
By the grace of the Pontifex and all the Saints, I need to cross. Find me a way.
Blood pounded in his temples, an almost sexual pressure building. He didn’t choose the Marks that would answer his prayer. The ley chose for him. All that mattered was that his heart was pure, his intentions good. It raced across his flesh in lines of shimmering violet flame. On the left side of his chest, the Mark he called the Maiden opened her eyes. On his back, the Two Towers ignited. Others flared briefly, some flashing blue, others a darker indigo. Had Alexei not been swathed in layers of wool, his entire body would have given off a faint glow. Seconds later, the ley flowed out again. It sank back into the earth, joining the river of power that ran beneath the city.
The wind died, though the rain fell as hard as ever. Alexei blinked away water, his cowl falling back. Floodwater churned through the canal, spilling over the stone embankment. He pulled his glove on and waited. The footbridge did not repair itself. The flood did not miraculously subside. He did not expect either of those things to happen. The liminal ley worked in subtler ways.
The hounds paced the far bank, eager to rejoin the chase. One let out a mournful howl. Alexei had a sudden premonition that he was too late.
It wouldn’t be the first time.
Movement caught his eye. A downed tree came careening down the canal. Just as it passed, the bole was caught in an eddy. It spun sideways, jamming itself in place. Tree? More like a sapling, and barely strong enough to bear the weight of a child, but Alexei scrambled forward.
One chance.
He crawled down and tested a boot on the log. The current tugged hard, but it held his weight. Holding out his arms like a dancer, Alexei found his balance. He took one step, then another. More flotsam was already piling up against the branches. The roar of whitewater echoed in his ears. He kept his gaze straight ahead, moving as quickly as he dared. Ominous cracking sounds came from below. A thump. The log shifted. He pinwheeled his arms. Saints, it’s starting to roll—
With an ungainly leap, he skidded onto the far bank just as the tree snapped in half and was swept downstream. The hounds ran over and gave him a desultory sniff. The largest and most intelligent, a female named Alice, nudged his palm with a damp snout. She was his favorite and she knew it. Occasionally, he found her in his room, curled up on the bed. He never told anyone for fear they’d lock her up somehow. Alice left his blankets smelling of dog, but they’d hunted mages together in the war and he thought of her as a comrade.
Alexei whistled again and they tore up the street, sleek bodies bunching and lengthening, ears laid back. He sprinted behind, trying to keep his footing on the slick cobblestones. Neat rows of townhouses with wrought-iron balconies flashed past. It was all uphill and his lungs burned by the time the dogs raced up to a well-kept house with two dormant Wards above the red-lacquered front door. Light shone from the upstairs windows. One was broken. Alexei unlatched the front gate and hurried up to the door. Locked. He pounded on it with a fist, three resounding blows.
Open up in the name of the Pontifex!
No answer.
The hounds could cross the threshold, but he didn’t trust them inside without him present. There had been . . . accidents . . . in the past. Alexei crouched down, addressing the pack leader. Her head cocked.
"Mane," he commanded.
Stand guard.
Alice trotted off and sat at the gate, ears pricked.
A tight alley led to the rear of the house. The other Markhounds followed him silently, too well-trained to alert whoever was inside. Glass doors led from the first floor to a canopied terra-cotta patio with ornate iron furniture. Also locked. Alexei scanned the garden, his eye landing on a heavy planter. Seconds later, it smashed through the doors. The noise was horrifically loud, but no one came rushing out to investigate. Alexei reached through the shattered panes and jiggled the latch. He eased the handle down.
"Sede," he commanded softly over his shoulder.
Three sets of haunches hit the ground. Red tongues lolled.
The planter had spilled wet earth across the rug of a large drawing room. The hearth was cold, but he smelled the ashes of a recent fire. A clock ticked on the mantle.
11:39
Dirty wine glasses and empty bottles indicated a party, but there were no signs of trouble.
It’ll be on the second floor. In the room with the broken window.
Alexei moved to the hall. A flight of stairs led up. The house was still quiet. He squeezed the copper coin in his pocket. Rubbed a thumb along the name engraved there. Three years he’d been searching for his quarry and time was running out at last. Could this be the night?
Alexei took the stairs two at a time, tearing his gloves off as he went.
Chapter Four
Wood splintered.
Kasia backed against the far wall. The tip of the letter opener slid through the crack, wiggling obscenely.
Doctor Massot had been hard at work for some time, but he was finally making progress.
Kasia had an exceptional memory and recalled every detail of the study. There was a poker next to the fireplace. If she could get to it before he stabbed her, she could break his arm. She could break his skull, for that matter. The bathroom door opened outward, which was good for her because it would be easier to get past him. She was bracing herself to kick the doctor in the balls when she heard a new voice. It sounded astonished.
Dr. Massot?
The letter opener withdrew.
Get away from me, you filthy rook,
the doctor growled.
Kasia swore softly. She was grateful to be rescued, but not by a priest of the Curia. She’d take anyone but a fogging priest.
Step away from that door.
The voice was definitely male, measured and in control again. Is someone in there? Hello? Are you hurt?
Kasia kept silent.
I won’t harm you, doctor, I promise. Just drop the letter opener.
A wordless snarl.
One of your Marks has inverted. You of all people know what that means. It’s why I’m here. To help you get better.
Oh, Saints. Kasia sank down on the toilet lid. Inverted. That meant the Interfectorem. She’d be investigated.
Kasia Novak rarely thought about the past or future. She arrived late to appointments and failed to pay bills on time. If not for her talent as a cartomancer, she’d probably be digging ditches or some other menial labor. Lying came easily, which was fortunate since her whole life was a lie.
Kasia flexed her fingers, scowling at the chips in her freshly applied polish. Bruised plum was in fashion that season. She’d have to fix it when she got home.
Outside the door, the priest was still trying to persuade Dr. Massot to drop the letter opener.
How long have we known each other? Three years? I’m not your enemy.
Piss off, Bryce.
Just come along with me now. We’ll go to the Institute. You’ll get the best care. My partner is on the way—
The priest cut off, realizing his mistake, but it was too late. Kasia heard scuffling and a loud smash. The priest let out a yelp.
For a long minute she sat on the toilet lid, staring at the door.
What if Massot knocked him out? Or killed him? Kasia had heard the stories. Inhuman strength. Men turned to savage beasts. It explained the doctor’s bizarre behavior, but she didn’t want to be trapped in the bathroom if he came out on top.
She definitely didn’t want that.
If the priest came out on top, she’d still have to answer his questions. Maybe even go down to the Arx.
Kasia didn’t want that, either.
The other priest wasn’t here yet. Maybe she could still run.
She cracked the door.
The two of them were rolling around on the rug. They both had their gloves off. She couldn’t see the ley flowing between them, but she knew they must be using it against each other. Not my business. Kasia started toward the door when she saw the two brass cylinders on Massot’s desk.
One contained a message for Cardinal Falke, a very powerful man in Novostopol. Her best friend and flatmate, Natalya Anderle, sometimes acted as Falke’s courier. She was supposed to have been at the party tonight, but she’d been sick so Kasia went in her place. Kasia had no idea what the papers were, or why it was all so hush-hush, nor did she want to know. She steered clear of Curia business and only came as a favor. But if she returned without the papers, the cardinal would blame Natalya.
Kasia strode to the desk. The cylinders looked identical. Which one was intended for the cardinal? She hesitated, only for an instant, but the priest turned his head and saw her. He had thick dark brows and arresting blue eyes. They looked tired. Kasia stared back, challengingly. She couldn’t help it. Fogging priests.
His gaze narrowed. Massot used the distraction to seize a handful of cassock and slam the priest’s head against the carpet. The priest threw an elbow into Massot’s face. They rolled away again and Kasia grabbed both cylinders. She stuffed them into her jacket and bolted for the hall, flying down the stairs. The front door loomed ahead, but she hadn’t forgotten what he’d said about his partner. She ran to the parlor window to check the street. A large black automobile was pulling up in front of the house. The kind with dark windows and acres of hood and a big chrome grill with a silver raven on the bonnet.
Kasia stuck her head into the hall. The front door handle jiggled violently for about ten seconds, then stopped. She waited for a minute, then shot open the deadbolt and cracked the door. As she’d hoped, the second priest had gone around back. Rain fell in torrents. She stepped outside, gently closed the door behind her, and descended the slippery steps, the click of her heels echoing on the slate.
She almost tripped over the Markhound.
It sat at the gate, ears perked, watching the night.
Kasia cursed her luck. There was no other way out. Back through the garden maybe, but she’d seen the wall out the kitchen window. Too high to climb. Rain trickled into her collar. How long before the front door opened and they came looking? She didn’t know much about Markhounds, but in theory . . . .
It can’t see me.
The Markhound snuffled. Kasia studied the creature, her pulse slow and measured. Markhounds were supposed to be invisible, but this one seemed solid enough. Gleaming dark fur with a tawny muzzle. Hip-high on her—and it was sitting down. The close-set eyes looked belligerent.
Kasia stepped through the gate.
Things were not going as planned.
Alexei could feel the ley surging through his hands. He tried to use his own Marks to calm it, to make the doctor pliable, but the instant the power passed into Massot, it became wild and unruly. An ember spat from the fire and set the rug aflame, stoked by the breeze from the broken window. Somehow, he’d become tangled up in his cloak. From the corner of his eye, he saw Ferran Massot crawling for the letter opener. The doctor’s nose dripped blood. A tongue crept out and licked it. He made a smacking noise.
I’m going to cut your heart out, rook,
Massot said. Then I’ll feed it to your dogs.
Alexei got a hand around his ankle. Massot kicked violently. His dress shoe came off, hitting Alexei in the forehead. An eye-watering stench came from the doctor, sweat mixed with urine and something worse. The seat of his pants was wet. He’d almost reached the letter opener.
Alexei was about to give up and whistle for the hounds when the door flew open.
Spassov burst into the study, a crossbow in his hands. His bluff face registered a look of surprise upon seeing Ferran Massot, but it didn’t slow him down. He aimed the weapon