Free Blood of Innocents (Book Two of the Sorcery Ascendant Sequence) by Mitchell Hogan Page A

warming his back, none of them would see him with his sorcerous shroud in place.
    Shielding his eyes from the light, he watched as a few groups of people gathered in the market, some gesturing toward the garrison and shrugging or shaking their heads.
    He knew how they felt, the not knowing, and didn’t like the feeling.
    While he sat on the top of the roof, three covered wagons entered the garrison stables then exited a short time later, traveling in three different directions. For a moment, he debated rushing down and trying to get a peek inside the wagons but discarded the idea immediately. Foolish and stupid. They would know it was him following Bells, and though he believed he could take the soldiers out, you never knew where your luck would fall in combat. One mistake, or a fluke for the other side, and you would be finished. No, that way was for idiots who valued the thrill more than the chase, or kill.
    He sat still for a while, thinking. There was nothing for it but to go down and question the people in the market, and maybe get one of the soldiers alone. The three different wagons was such an obvious ploy it was laughable, but effective in this situation. He could lose days finding which wagon held Bells, or get lucky and lose no time at all. But games of chance were not in his nature. He liked to be certain.
    To the south, oppressive clouds moved closer, and as the wind picked up, it brought the smell of rain. He cursed under his breath. Rain. He hated rain. It made his job that much harder, even with his consummate skill.
    A pebble hit the roof next to him. He froze. Below him in the street, a small child looked up at the roof. She bent over and picked up another pebble from the ground. It bounced a good distance below him then fell back into the street. The girl ran to pick it up and threw it again. This time, it went to the left. The girl waited then shrugged and skipped away toward the market.
    Mahsonn clambered over the ridge of the roof and slid down the other side, launching himself off as the edge approached and landing lightly on his feet. Glancing to either side, he checked he was alone and, satisfied, closed his well. Unlike the normal popping sound when a shield was cut off, his shroud disappeared silently, and he reappeared.
    Striding briskly around the side of the building, he headed toward the market as fast as he could without drawing undue attention. He stopped briefly to pick up the pebble the girl had thrown. He spat in his hands and slicked back his hair, attempting to make himself more presentable. He nodded to a woman walking past with a basket of mushrooms.
    There. The girl had joined a group of other grubby-looking children, and they were wandering aimlessly through the market. He shook his head disapprovingly. Where were their parents?
    Catching up to the group, he pushed through them from behind and stood in front of the girl. She frowned up at him as he handed her the pebble.
    “I believe this is yours?” he said.
    She stared at the pebble then back at him, and her mouth opened. “A real spirit!” she exclaimed.
    Mahsonn tilted his head. “Excuse me?”
    “The man. He said a spirit was watching. From the roof. Gave me a ducat and told me to throw pebbles at it.”
    “Ah. Well…” He bent over and leaned in close. “Don’t tell anyone, will you, my dear?”
    Trembling, she shook her head and backed away a step. Around her, the other children watched with terrified awe on their faces.
    She hesitated then held out a hand, palm up.
    “What’s this for?” he asked.
    “The man. He said, if I found you, you had to give me gold.”
    With a smile, Mahsonn dug into a pocket and drew out a gold ducat. He held it up between two fingers. Six pairs of eyes were drawn to it like glue.
    “This man, did he tell you anything else?”
    The girl nodded, eyes on the gold coin.
    “And what was that?”
    Her palm bobbed up and down. “Gold first,” she demanded.
    Mahsonn wrinkled his nose as