Assassin's Curse Read Online Free PDF Page A

long before his patience paid off.   
    ***
    Miriam froze for a split second while examining a piece of fruit.   The feeling of being watched assaulted her witch senses.   She hesitated but a moment before putting the fruit back down and smiled at the farmer.   “I don’t think the babies will eat this,” she said.
    The old farmer nodded as Miriam walked slowly toward the next stall.   Today wasn’t the first time she had felt the presence of a watcher, but the other times had turned out to be part of the normal perversion of the streets she lived on.   Those times had never felt like this.   This was something different, something sinister that seemed to be hunting her specifically.   This felt like a violation, and Miriam had to exert all her strength and self-control to tamp down the anxiety and fear growing inside her.  
    Oh gods, she cried silently to herself, they’ve found us.
    Her heart was racing and her breath quickened as she realized the danger she and the twins were facing.   The babies, finely attuned to her feelings, felt her distress and began to fuss.   Miriam stopped and swiveled the rear papoose around so that both infants rested on her chest.
    “Shhh, hush now, no need to fuss, we’ll be home soon,” she said in soothing tones while rubbing their small backs.  
    Listening to her calming voice, the babies soon settled down and Miriam continued on as if nothing had happened.   The last thing she wanted was to alert her watcher that he had been spotted.   She was scared and she clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking.   She had prepared herself for this moment and knew what she must do next.   After a few more stops for her daily rations, she headed back to her small room.
    Although she had no clue who had found her, it didn’t really matter.   Her discovery had been inevitable, especially with the number of groups hunting for her and the twins.   She chided herself for not leaving the city immediately, but it was too late now.   She breathed in the scent of impending rain as she made her way home, and glanced up at a darkening sky before entering her run-down building.   It would be a foul night, one unfit for man or beast, but one that Miriam hoped she had sufficiently prepared for.  
    ***
    Jeda leaned further back into the shadows of his wall when he saw Miriam momentarily freeze.   He thought she had spotted him, but when she calmly continued her shopping, he relaxed and continued his surveillance.   His disguise was nearly perfect, but there was always a chance of discovery and he could not afford to take any chances.   After all, she was a witch and no stranger to the dangers of the hunt or killing.   Her dead fiancé was testament to that.   Now that he had located her, he would not lose her.   He watched from the shadows as she bought her food and made her way into the walled areas of the slums.
    It was easy to follow her after that.   The ebb and flow of traffic around the market made tracking her a simple chore.   It was her movement into the slums that surprised him most.   At first, he thought that she would have sought more appealing shelter in the inner city, but after a moment’s reflection, he saw the cunning in her choice.   No one would think to search for her in the destitute and dangerous streets of the slums.   Jeda took care to move with the crowds, ensuring he would remain invisible to anyone watching.   He followed her back to the tenement where she had a room and waited across the street, spying for any movement or unusual activities.  
    After watching the streets around her building for some time, Jeda approached an old woman sitting on the stoop of the tenement.   At first, the old woman spat and yelled at him to get away.   He was disgusting looking and smelled like the pits of hell, but after he flourished a copper coin in front of her, she decided she could bear his smell for a few short questions.     
    “Yeah, I