Ghost Ascension – preview #3 of 3
After that unpleasantness with Korthion and the mavrokh, his father had kicked him out of the family mansion, so Lucan Maraeus had taken a suite of rooms at the Black Cuirass Inn, not far from the Imperial Citadel itself. He had been surprised to get the rooms so cheap, but later he learned that the Ghosts owned in the inn, and Countess Caina Amalas had arranged the price for him.
He smiled a bit as he sat at the table, cleaning and sharpening his weapons. It had taken a considerable amount of work, but he had talked her around to attending the Annum Imperium festival with him. Caina still liked to claim that the life of a Ghost circlemaster was too dangerous, or that his chosen career of hunting down rogue sorcerers and sorcerous predators was too dangerous.
“Or,” he told her, “I could choke on a piece of bacon tomorrow. Perhaps you’ll outlive all your enemies yet, my dear. Better to have seized the moment than to live to regret it.”
He had learned that when the magi had killed his first wife, ten years ago.
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
He opened the door (sword in hand, of course) and blinked in surprise.
Caina Amalas stood in the hallway.
A short woman, dressed like a commoner today. Her hair and clothes disheveled, as if she had just done a great deal of running. Lean, almost to the point of gauntness, but stronger than she looked. Black hair and blue eyes that were cold, cold. She did not look like the ruthless Ghost Countess of popular legend, but those eyes said otherwise. And the knives he spotted hidden up her sleeves, of course; undoubtedly she had three or four more concealed about her person. He had seen her use those knives to kill without hesitation or mercy when she thought it necessary.
Yet her face lit up with a smile when she saw him.
“Lucan,” said Caina.
“Caina.” He always called her by her given name, since no one else had the courage to do so. He took her hand, kissed it. “While I am of course glad to see you, you only turn up like this when you need help. Which makes me wonder what has gone wrong.”
“I don’t remember,” said Caina.
Lucan blinked. “You…don’t remember?
For a moment the smile faded, and she blinked at him as if confused.
Then the smile returned, and she seized his collar and kissed him.
Hard.
“You…were saying?” said Lucan, trying to catch his breath. “You don’t remember?”
“I don’t remember,” repeated Caina, “why I haven’t done this before.”
“Wait,” said Lucan, catching her shoulders, trying to think. It wasn’t easy. But this wasn’t like her. “Are you drunk?”
“Of course not.”
“Is anything amiss? Surely you wouldn’t disguise yourself just to…”
“Shut up,” said Caina.
She stepped into the room, pushed the door shut behind her, and kissed him again.
Lucan shut up.
###
The voting begins on Monday!