Glittering Shadows Read Online Free PDF Page B

fluttered her lashes, her
tone light, but Sigi always joked when she was tense. Her mother had traded her life for Sigi’s last night; Nan couldn’t imagine what she must be thinking now.
    Nan handed Sigi the purse with the gun. No one had confiscated it; hopefully that showed some measure of mutual trust, but she’d feel better if Sigi had a weapon. “Don’t get
lost, either. This place is as big as a hotel.”
    “That I can’t promise.” Sigi moved to the stairs.
    Freddy was peering over the long table; at least twenty chairs fit down its length, and maps of the city and the nations of Irminau and Urobrun were spread out, with a few points marked. Shelves
stocked with tins of food lined the walls. Barrels and sacks of grain, beans, and wine occupied much of the empty floor space. If they stayed, Nan imagined she’d be eating better than she had
in a long time.
    Thea was unconscious when they arrived and had been whisked away to the healer over their protests.
    It didn’t matter anyway, Nan thought. Clearly, they were not in control here. Guards had watched them pass through the outside entrance, their purpose clear despite the fact that they wore
plain clothes and not uniforms.
    Nan thought Sigi might run into guards and be ushered back down to the cellar, but moments passed and Sigi didn’t reappear. Boots thumped down the stairs, followed by a disheveled dark
suit and a scruffy face. The young man was already holding out his hand before he reached the bottom. “Sorry about all of the trouble. Sebastian Hirsch.” He gripped Freddy’s hand.
“I’m so embarrassed by the whole incident.”
    Nan was too surprised to return the handshake with her usual grip when he moved on to her. She had expected Sebastian to be a younger version of Rory or Arabella—arrogant, authoritative,
wealthy enough to own this house. Instead, she got what looked like an unshaven college student. At a second glance, though, he did have the appropriate revolutionary look: half-laborer,
half-intellectual; dark-haired with eyeglasses, strong hands, penetrating eyes, and military posture.
    “I can’t believe you would send your men out with orders to shoot,” Freddy said. “Thea is innocent in all of this. Her father just died this morning. And now she’s
had to take a
bullet
for me.”
    Sebastian gripped his hands together. “Well, I think we’ve had a gross misunderstanding.” His voice was aristocratic, but not the way Sigi’s voice was. His was the
rougher tone of a wealthy Irminauer. Even their nobility sounded like they came from the deep, dark wood. “What I
told
them was to bring you and Nan to safety. Obviously I didn’t
want anyone to be hurt. That would belie the whole mission. I did say that you might not trust us, and as a
last resort
, they could use force if necessary. Max is one of my best men.
He’s got a bit of a mouth on him sometimes, but violence isn’t like him.”
    Sebastian paused, studying Freddy. “I know you’re reluctant to trust me after this, but my concern is that you’re safe. I’m not sure how many people Arabella told about
you, or how many government officials know you exist.” His attention shifted from Freddy to Nan. “You’re Nan, aren’t you?”
    She bristled. “How much did Arabella tell you about me?”
    “Arabella didn’t
want
to tell me anything,” he said. “She didn’t like me. But in this case, she needed information. She approached me asking about Norns. It
took a while to tease out the fact that she’d found one.”
    “So you were the one who gave her the book I found at her house?”
    “Probably. I heard you went to one of her parties, but of course she left me off the invitation list. What an audacious woman.” He pulled out a chair. “Have a seat, if you
like. We have a lot to talk about. Do you mind being called Nan? Arabella wouldn’t tell me your last name.”
    “It’s Nan Davies. But Nan is fine. I never knew my parents anyway.” Nan