Free Demon's Fall by Karalynn Lee Page B

seen his face change, for she kissed him. “Thank you, Kenan.”
    He sighed and held her loosely against him. “Why didn’t you tell me about this earlier?”
    “You hadn’t freed me, earlier.”
    He couldn’t argue with that. “So how did you and Gidon get separated?”
    “We came when it was dark. We entered a yard of some sort, behind a building. I heard a ringing from inside, and when I went toward it, a net fell over me. It burned, and I couldn’t get it off.” She shivered at the memory.
    “Sticky sin,” he said grimly. Anathema to those of Heaven. “It’s like your holy water, but infernal in nature. Do you remember what the building looked like?”
    “I barely got a glimpse of it,” she said. “I lost consciousness. When I woke, I was in the cage in the market.”
    “I’ll have to find the merchant who sold you,” he said. “He’ll be able to tell me where he got you from, and that might lead me to your guide.”
    “I want to come with you,” she said.
    He hesitated, but she was the only one who would recognize her friend. “You’ll need to wear a cloak. If anyone realizes what you are, fly away as fast as you can.”
    Her mouth tightened, but she nodded.
    Even his longest cloak couldn’t cover her wings, so she ended up draping a sheet over herself and pinning it closed with a brooch. It would fool no one looking for an angel, but there were enough hunchbacked and winged demons to at least keep people from recognizing her at first sight. It seemed to work as they walked toward the market.
    She moved stiffly as they wended their way between stalls and tents. There was a frenzy beyond even the norm. Ill tidings hadn’t dampened trade, only made demons and humans alike more frantic to buy what they needed in case the city closed. He tried to see the market through her eyes: demons of strange shapes, hooved and horned; the cacophony of voices that could never match an angel’s lilt; men and beasts chained. And here, too, an angel had been held captive. No wonder she didn’t care for this place.
    They came to the spot where the merchant had been before, but a snake charmer sat there instead. The market vendors often shuffled about, fighting for the best positions from which to catch buyers’ interest.
    “He might not even be here today,” Kenan said, but Jahel caught at his arm.
    “Wait,” she said, and cocked her head.
    Then he heard it too, the unmistakable crack of a whip. He exchanged a rueful glance with Jahel, both of them remembering the sting of that leather, then went to find the man who wielded it.
    The cage held a gryphon this time, a proud, magnificent beast undiminished by the bars that held it. Both the lashing of its lion’s tail and the screech from its eagle’s beak spoke of its fury.
    “How dare he?” Jahel clenched her hands.
    “It’s your capture we’re concerned about,” Kenan reminded her, and drew her behind him. He approached the merchant before she could.
    The merchant didn’t seem to recognize him. “A fine beast for you, sir? Gryphons are fierce fighters.”
    “Actually, I bought an angel from you,” Kenan said. “I was wondering where you got her.”
    “There aren’t any more to be found,” the merchant said. He turned away, dismissing him as a potential customer.
    Jahel made a noise of protest, and the merchant’s eyes narrowed as he looked over Kenan’s shoulder. “You. And you’re not chained.”
    “Yes, I’d like to know how that collar was put on her,” Kenan said, trying to salvage some shred of propriety.
    “It was already on her,” the merchant said flatly. “I assume the smith who sold her to me did it. He built the cage, too.”
    “That was the ringing sound I heard,” Jahel said, grabbing Kenan’s arm. “A hammer striking a forge.”
    “Which smith?” Kenan asked the merchant, remembering their fruitless quest for the dressmaker’s shop.
    “He’s a weaponsmith. Are you sure you want to bother him the way you’re