Masque of Death (Kormak Book Nine) (The Kormak Saga 9) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Balthazar and his minions once they had aided him in his mission.
    The Governor’s mansion lay ahead of him. He altered his features and build to resemble those of one of the revellers he had seen earlier and strode confidently through the gate, adjusting his domino mask. No one paid any attention to him. The party was at that stage.
    He moved through the gardens, hunting for his prey. He would need to move cautiously at first. He walked among the guests, avoiding conversation and deflecting all advances. He saw the Guardian and Captain Rhiana and Admiral Zamara talking.
    For a moment, he quailed at the thought of being discovered. His arm bore a scar from where Kormak’s sword had bit into it. He had been lucky. None of the delicate fleshwoven mechanisms embedded beneath his skin had been damaged beyond healing. It had been a mistake to try to take the man head on. Deadly as the changeling was, the Guardian was more so. Violence was the sphere in which he excelled. Still, there was more than one way to skin a panther, as the hillmen said.
    He moved closer, studying the area for other threats. There was no sign of the initiate mage. Those could sometimes prove to be a problem. A sorcerer’s powers could cause him inconvenience.
    He took in a deep breath, enjoying the corruptly sweet perfume of the tropical blossoms. As he watched, he saw the Guardian take the merwoman by the arm. They said goodnight and withdrew up the stairs. He had observed their behaviour on the Pride of Siderea enough to know that they would not be returning tonight. He continued to watch until he saw the Admiral draw off into a side chamber with a lovely tall woman, then he removed the sword belt from his waist and strapped it over his shoulder.
    It was time to get to work.

Chapter Four
    L ady Khiyana felt sure she was being watched. She glanced around and saw the Guardian Kormak staring at her, his gaze that of a great hunting cat studying a gazelle. He knew something; she was certain. He was going to take her to the dungeons and question her.
    She bit the end of the strand of her hair. In a way she was glad. Soon the long nightmare would be over, one way or another.
    One of the servants walked past. She flinched then smoothed her dress with both hands to cover the motion. The man’s mask was off papier mâché. It showed the face of a loyal hound. Even on this night of all nights, the servants were made to know their place. The Governor was a stickler for keeping the divisions between classes visible, no matter how much he liked to tup his servant girls.
    The servant offered her a glass from the tray he carried. She shook her head, a quick sharp motion. She changed it to a longer more emphatic one and added the languid gesture of dismissal of a society lady for her inferiors.
    The man nodded respectfully and moved on. Clearly, he was not one of those who hoped for a dalliance with a noble lady this night. Not that she hadn’t done such things in the past. Back when she had been a silly girl. That all seemed so long ago now, though. The action of another woman in another life.
    She wondered how much longer the Guardian was going to make her wait for the axe to fall. This was a game of cat and mouse to him. If he was trying to frighten her, he was succeeding. It would not take much to make her tell him everything. Several times over the past few weeks she had come close to confessing to Frater Ramon. Her fellow cultists were starting to look at her oddly. It was only a matter of time before everything fell apart.
    Once again she went over her story, polishing it. She wanted to reveal only the angles that showed her in the most flattering light. It was close enough to the truth anyway. She was not a Shadow worshipper. She was not.
    Oh, she had taken part in the rituals. She had seen human sacrifice performed. She had watched demons manifest and feed upon blood and souls. She had taken part in orgiastic rites of celebration. But she had never meant