The Book by H.M.Clarke (best free e reader .TXT) 📕

rat hole to a place far enough away from the tanneries where he couldn’t smell them.  He closed his eyes in contentment, thinking that this will be the last night for a long while that he would have an empty belly.

A soft knock at the door made his eyes flick open.  He pushed away from the wood and slipped to the side, pulling his dagger as he did.  At this time of night, that knock can only mean no good.  Though his usual harassers would not have politely knocked.   When the door was not immediately kicked open, Kurt bent his ear to listen but could hear nothing.  He frowned and let curiosity get the better of him, Kurt put his hand on the handle and opened the door a crack.

There was no one there.  Opening the door a little more revealed that the rest of the hallway was just as empty as when he crept down it.  But there was a knock...

He closed the door, slipped the hook in the latch to lock it and turned back into the room.

And jumped back in shock, nearly dropping the dagger he had out in his hand.

In the moonlight streaming in from the window could be seen a tall, well-built man dressed entirely in black standing by the crate.  The bag was open and in his hand was the glittering, jeweled brooch, the rest of the bag’s contents were spilled across the top of the crate.  In the other hand was a black staff, its leather carry strap hanging loosely by his side.

Kurt firmed his grip on the dagger, a spike of fear pushing slowly down his spine.  How in Bellus’s name did he get in here?

The man glanced up from the brooch,  piercing him with bright, golden eyes that looked to glow with their own inner light.  The man’s long fingers tightened around the bauble in his hand.

Kurt stayed still, not wanting to provoke anything.  Only one profession carried a staff and even a rat crawler like him knew not to make any sudden moves around a mage.  Anyway, those eyes stirred a memory hidden in the recesses of Kurt’s mind.

The man in black flicked the hand holding the brooch and Kurt felt his body sucked hard against the door.  He tried to move his arms and legs but they were held fast by an invisible force.  Something unseen jerked his head up and he found himself staring wildly into those fierce, golden eyes.

“How did you get this?” The mage held the brooch before Kurt’s eyes.  The man’s voice was soft, but Kurt did not miss the hard edge to it.  That spike of fear had reached all the way to his groin, and he felt a wet warmth spread down the length of his trousers.

“Found it,” he stammered.

The man’s gaze hardened.  “You found it?”

Kurt tried to nod but found he could not move his head.  “Yes.”

“How?”

“In an alley, from a man laying there.”

“What else did you see there?”

“Nothing.... just the man and his riches...”

“No staff?”

Kurt shook his head.

“Didn’t you think it odd that a man wearing so much wealth would be left ‘unfrocked’ in an alley?”

Kurt didn’t answer him.  The memory that had been teased awake at the sight of those golden eyes rose up and made itself known.

“You’re Drake, Dagan Drake.  The man that took down Don Aventa,” he whispered with awe and a little fear.

“That’s Magister Drake to you,” was the reply.  Drake took a step back and stared at him.

Kurt tried not to gulp.  The man was a magister now?  “I don’t know who that bloke was in the alley.  I found him and decided to take advantage.  If he’s a friend of yours I’m sorry, I’ll give back all his stuff.”

“You will very definitely give back all his stuff,” Drake stepped back to the crate and slipped the objects back into the bag.

“You believe me then?” Kurt asked.  “You believe that I wasn’t the one who hurt him?”

“I believe you.  No petty thief could have caught him by surprise.  Not this night.”

“Then, you’ll release me?” hope sprang up in Kurt.  But it was short-lived.

“No, you will need to go to the Tribunal for questioning.”

Kurt gulped.  “Star Chamber questioning?”

Drake looked back at him as the tips of his fingers skimmed over the silk cover of the book.  “Do you think yourself worthy of the attention of the Star Chamber?”

Kurt tried to shake his head but found it still restrained.  “No, I’m nothin’, a nobody.”

Drake gave him a grunt in reply as his attention was drawn to the book which he had now pulled from the bag.  “Where did you get this book?”

Kurt’s eyes flicked to the red silk cover.  “From your friend.”  As he spoke, Kurt felt a pressure in his head and could have sworn he heard a woman whisper in his ear.

“Is that so?  He must have picked it up during the night.”  Drake opened the cover and started to flick through the pages.

As the pages rustled, the whispering in Kurt’s ear grew louder.  His eyes jerked wildly around the room, trying to find the source of the voice and finding only Drake, he began to thrash against the force holding him as fear overwhelmed him.

“Stop that.  You’ll hurt yourself.”  Drake dropped the book back onto the crate and stepped toward him.

Kurt did not care.  The whispering was now loud enough for him to understand and what he heard scared him more than the notorious mage standing before him.

“Tell it to shut up.  Tell it to leave me alone!” Kurt screamed the words while trying to move his hands to tear at his ears.

You belong to us, you will be part of us, we are coming for you.

Those words kept repeating in his head, getting louder and louder until he felt deafened by them.

“Can’t you hear them?  Make them go away!”  Kurt’s eyes again flicked over the room before finally resting on Drake.  Drake was the only other person here.  It was him! It had to