Free City of Cruelty and Copper (Temperance Era) by Rhiannon Paille Page B

didn’t lock it. Hattie looked at me, questions in her eyes.
    “Who was that . . .?”
    I thought about the answers Cray hadn’t given me and chose the one that hurt the least. “A clone. Don’t worry. Cray thinks this will work and I think he’s going to get a stiletto through the back of his skull.”
    “You can’t—“
    Hattie didn’t get to finish as Jonathan reached the grate and hastily pulled it open. I wasn’t waiting for him. I slammed my fist into the button that lifted the gate to the Arena and strode inside. From the sounds of it, Cray was giving a fair weathered eulogy, trying to calm the people while also giving them hope that there was another future ahead of them. Oh, there was another future alright, one that involved him being dead.
    Jonathan was on my heels, his towering six foot shadow covered my five foot something shadow as I stepped lively and grabbed a stray stiletto from the fake Fable.
    “Fable!” Jonathan shouted.
    “Fable!” A little girl in the crowd echoed. Colin Cray turned, his face blanched. I smiled devilishly, savoring every moment. The sound washed through the crowd as I shook out my fiery orange-red hair and put my hands on my hips.
    “Nobody kills Fable the Immortal and gets away with it Cray.” I raised my stiletto prepared to puncture his puny skull with it when a strong hand wrapped around my wrist and pulled me away.
    Jonathan.
    Damn him.
    I whirled out of his grasp and lunged for Colin but he scurried out of the Arena like the rat he was, coming face to face with Hattie Alexander. I watched as men in Biohazard suits slapped metal shackles on him. He wailed like a child as they dragged him into the bowels of Temperance.
    Jonathan’s gaze cut into me. I met his stare and opened my hand, letting the stiletto fall on the ground.
    “Remove the cadaver, I’ll distract the crowd,” I said through clenched teeth.
    Jonathan let go, but instead of fading into the shadows like the rest of the founding families, he stalked to center stage and looked at the crowd.
    “Well? Fable the Immortal isn’t dead!”
    I rolled my eyes as men in biohazard suits moved deftly towards the cadaver and under the guise of a couple of smoke bombs, made her disappear from the Arena. I still had no idea who she was or why she had ended up in the Arena, but I was glad that her death had been quick.
    The crowd erupted, a fresh burst of ruckus shaking the stands so hard my body vibrated.
    Jonathan winked at me.
    “Are you ready for the real show to begin?”
    Oh hell, all this shit and he was still going to make me jump through hoops? He had to be kidding me. He stretched his hand out and I took it, flashing my award winning smile as he raised our clasped hands to the crowd.
    “The show must go on, right?”

About the Author

    Rhiannon is a booksmith from the North, telling her fantastical tales to unsuspecting folk on mountains, in valleys and mostly in cities around the world. She holds a PhD in Metaphysical Science and Parapsychology, which is to say she happens to know a lot about what goes bump in the night. When she's not writing she's singing karaoke, burning dinner, and hiding her superhero identity. She'd like to own a unicorn one day, as long as it doesn't eat her. You'll find her sipping iced cappuccino despite her allergy to coffee at yafantasyauthor.com
     
     
    Thank you for taking time to read City of Cruelty and Copper . If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and much appreciated.

Also by Rhiannon Paille
    The Ferryman + The Flame Series
    Skeleton & Dust #0.5
Surrender #1
Lantern & Poison #1.5
Justice #2
Blood & Gold #2.5
Vulture #3
    Last City on Earth
    Integrated Intuition
    A Comprehensive Guide to Psychic Development