Free Shadowcry by Jenna Burtenshaw Page A

wardens’ flames, and in the distance a crow was circling in the gray, snow-filled sky.
    â€œEdgar,” she whispered. “Where are you?”
    Two streets to the south of the boardinghouse, Edgar was lost. He had seen the carriage pass outside his hiding place and, just like the crow, he had recognized it at once. Da’ru was in town. And if she was there, so was someone else who might be able to help both him and Kate.
    He trudged through the snow, checking every street sign and house name, wearing a pair of stolen gloves and a stolen hat to keep warm. Three years of living in Morvane had taught him enough to stay away from the Western Quarter. But with news of the wardens’ arrival traveling fast, the streets were empty, and there was no one around to ask for directions.
    The Black Fox boardinghouse. He knew the name well enough. The owner was known to be a whisperer—an information monger—willing to share any secret for a price. Most whisperers were loyal to their towns and refused to have dealings with wardens and their kind, but this one was known to be both accurate in his information and indiscriminate in his choice of contacts, some of whom came from as far away as Fume. If anything important was happening in Morvane, the owner of the Black Fox would know about it. Da’ru was sure to stop there for information, if she had not been and gone already. But where was it?
    At last, he spotted something familiar.
    A gap between the houses gave Edgar a glimpse of a tall building with a circular window on its top floor. He squeezed down a narrow path and ran straight out in front of two gray carriage horses standing in the middle of the street.
    He ducked back so the driver did not see him and spotted a boy a few years younger sitting alone on the boardinghouse step. The boy was hugging himself against the wind, with a blanket full of holes pulled tight around his shoulders. Edgar crept up to him. “Tom!” he whispered.
    The boy looked up, his face brightening at once. “Ed?”
    Edgar dared to take a few steps closer.
    â€œEd! What are you doing here?” The boy scrabbled to his feet, still clutching his freezing hands beneath the blanket.
    â€œShh!” Edgar ran the short distance left between them and clutched the younger boy’s shoulders tightly. He checked him over quickly, making sure he was in good health, then he scuffed his hair as both of their faces widened into matching grins.
    â€œWhere is Da’ru?” asked Edgar.
    Tom pointed back at the boardinghouse. “If she sees you here, she’ll put the knife in you,” he said. “She hasn’t forgotten what you did.”
    â€œI don’t care about that. It’s you I need, Tom. I need some information.” Edgar quickly told him what had happened to Kate, but Tom just kept shivering and looking back at the boardinghouse door, cringing whenever his voice raised above a whisper.
    â€œYou shouldn’t have come here, Ed,” he said at last. “Da’ru’s in there. She’ll know.”
    â€œJust tell me, which way are they taking the prisoners out this time?”
    â€œShe’ll know that I told you. She always does.”
    â€œI’ll be long gone before then.”
    â€œ I won’t be.”
    Edgar’s face fell. “You know I can’t take you yet,” he said. “There are wardens crawling all over this town. Da’ru would catch us both before we were two streets away. One day . . . soon, I promise, but not now. I can’t risk you getting hurt. You do understand that, don’t you?”
    Someone moved inside the building. Tom threw off the blanket and tugged at his torn clothes to make himself look presentable. “Go on!” he whispered. “She’ll kill you if she sees you, Ed. She swore she would.”
    Edgar took off his hat and planted it on Tom’s cold head. “That is not going to happen,” he