A Sea of Purple Ink Read Online Free PDF Page B

, she told herself. Nothing worth investigating. She heard the officer turn away and step into the abandoned alley.
    A crowd of a few dozen people stood in rows, lined up before the great stone barrier that spanned the streets. One of the two giant doors stood open, surrounded by the police, and with them stood a solidly-built man in a dark coat.
    A reader. Reese’s chest felt like an iron cage. They’re not after food. They’re after us. Now what do I do?
    The man stood a little apart from the normal policemen, his heavy gaze moving from person to person in the small crowd.
    Cold certainty settled in Reese. It’s too late to run now. If I make a break for it, I’ll be chased all the way to the slums.
    An officer beckoned and the next person in line stepped forward. The reader glanced at him disinterestedly and gave the policeman a slight nod.
    “All right, move along,” the officer ordered. The townsman gave a nervous bow and hurried through the police barrier into the Inner Circle.
    As the next in line moved forward—a scrawny woman with a basket of linens to sell—Reese edged closer to the line, heart racing. I’m going to have to try, but be ready to run. And I don’t have any backup. Her mind raced through everything Arrow had told her about readers, and what he had told her without meaning to.
    “There are certain physical cues we can pick up on,” he had said. “Especially if they’re nervous to begin with. Sometimes a long, hard stare is all we need.” When she had pressed him for more specifics, he shrugged, uncomfortable with the subject. “They’re just little things. Like a shifter not being afraid of falling, or the way a flyer walks.” He laughed. “It’s not like there are signs floating around over your heads.” But something in his laugh hadn’t rung true.
    After all , Reese thought, I can pick up on little things like that, and I’m no reader. But if I were, what would I look for in me? She stepped into line behind an old schoolteacher and let her mind slip into high speed. A tidal wave of options and deductions flooded in from all sides. The pressure was nearly unbearable. Reese struggled to keep an expressionless face. Bad idea. She took a deep breath and the line swayed forward. Maybe I should go find another way in. Would it attract too much attention to turn around and— Her gaze locked with the reader’s.
    Reese’s mouth went dry and a searing pang of fear lanced through her stomach.
    The reader stared back, a hint of anger on his cold face.
    Useless calculations fluttered through Reese’s mind like shreds of silver paper.
    The reader’s dark eyes slid from hers, and he spoke to the officer standing beside him.
    Prison flashed through Reese’s mind. Arrest. Extradition to a place none of them had ever seen, and weren’t even sure existed. Death.
    No . Reese clenched her jaw. I’m not going down without a fight. And I’m not going to out-think myself if I can help it. She scanned the row of waiting people and locked on a nervous-looking woman. With no gun to use, and no chance of running, she had to try. Data and observations streamed in through Reese’s eyes and began sorting at a frenzied pace. Hunched shoulders. Elbow in. Tilt head. More minute calculations sparked in her mind, channeling to her muscles. If it’s just little things , she told herself, tensing into the nervous woman’s stance, h e’ll have to dig pretty deep.
    She could hear the reader’s voice now. The words were indistinct, but a note of indecision rolled through his deep whisper.
    “Next,” the policeman snapped. His hand shot out, finger aiming at Reese. “You.”
    Reese copied the townsman’s walk from memory and half-shuffled to the barrier. If they don’t hurry , she thought, mind racing, my head will explode.
    “Reason for entry?” the officer asked, folding his arms.
    Reese gave him a sidelong glance, straining to keep herself in the right position. “Visiting a friend.” J ust