Freedom's Gate
Chapter One
Chapter One
It was before sunrise when the shamefaced man-at-arms knocked on my door to tell me that there had been an escape-Alibek, one of the boys from Kyros's harem. I sent him to the stable to fetch my horse while I dressed, and met him in the courtyard, where I quickly checked over my gear. "What time was he found missing?" I asked, buckling an extra waterskin to Zhade's saddle.
"Nearly two hours ago, Lauria," he said, avoiding my eyes.
"Why didn't you-"
"We thought he must be somewhere within the walls."
So they'd wasted time searching, and they probably wouldn't wake Kyros until after I had set out. Well, that was fine with me. "Did he take anything with him?"
"One waterskin turned up missing."
"He'd better hope I find him, then," I said, and gave the guardsman a quick smile as I mounted Zhade. It had been foolish to search before waking Kyros, but it was an understandable impulse. He had an unpredictable temperament.
Even in the twilight of early dawn, the streets of Elpisia were alive with movement. Just outside Kyros's gate, a man pushe ... read full excerpt from Freedom's Gate ebook
