Byrne was still too sick to travel – but not so weak that he still needed constant watching. That left Esme at loose ends. They’d never meant to stay in Starkhaven after the artist snatch job, but in the end, there’d been no choice.
And if she didn’t get out of those rooms at Harlin’s from time to time, she was going to lose her mind.
This job seemed promising. Some killer or demon or something out along the river, menacing travelers and outlying farms. She stood in the cool tunnels beneath the palace, examining one of the victims under the watch of a pair of guardsmen and a thin robed woman that she took for a priest.
The dead man was nearly unremarkable, save that most of his chest and the entirety of his arm had been flayed. Esme bent close, trying to detect the knife work. Part of her wished she had her lab equipment and reagents with her – but that went a bit beyond the mandate of this particular mission.
“You just want whatever-it-is dead, right?” Esme preferred jobs with no killing as a matter of principle – but she could make an exception for a real monster.
“Yes, Serrah, that’s right.” The chantry mother leaned forward, directing Esme to pry open the dead man’s jaw. The corpse’s purpled tongue was pierced by a rusty iron nail. “They’ve all had this. What do you make of it?”
“I dunno, calling card or something?” There wasn’t much blood in the mouth, meaning he’d probably died before the nail had been hammered into place. “Look, I’m ready to go as soon as the other guy gets here.”
And if she didn’t get out of those rooms at Harlin’s from time to time, she was going to lose her mind.
This job seemed promising. Some killer or demon or something out along the river, menacing travelers and outlying farms. She stood in the cool tunnels beneath the palace, examining one of the victims under the watch of a pair of guardsmen and a thin robed woman that she took for a priest.
The dead man was nearly unremarkable, save that most of his chest and the entirety of his arm had been flayed. Esme bent close, trying to detect the knife work. Part of her wished she had her lab equipment and reagents with her – but that went a bit beyond the mandate of this particular mission.
“You just want whatever-it-is dead, right?” Esme preferred jobs with no killing as a matter of principle – but she could make an exception for a real monster.
“Yes, Serrah, that’s right.” The chantry mother leaned forward, directing Esme to pry open the dead man’s jaw. The corpse’s purpled tongue was pierced by a rusty iron nail. “They’ve all had this. What do you make of it?”
“I dunno, calling card or something?” There wasn’t much blood in the mouth, meaning he’d probably died before the nail had been hammered into place. “Look, I’m ready to go as soon as the other guy gets here.”
06-22-2024, 03:35 PM
