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Elation and guilt warred within Osric as he kissed her, his hands moving to her waist, pulling her close. Her warmth was intoxicating, and he wanted to lose himself in her, in this feeling, this softness that he had never known. But the guilt gnawed at him, too, the knowledge of the secrets he was keeping from her, the duty that called to him, even now.
He forced himself to pull away, his forehead resting against hers. “Hali, I . . .”
But he didn’t know what to say. How could he explain the dangerous path he was walking, the enemies he was making, all in the name of his duty to the Forge of Vulkan?
He couldn’t. And so he said nothing, his throat working soundlessly, as he threaded his fingers through her hair, committing this moment to memory.
“Osric,” Hali said, her voice a soft, sleepy murmur. “I . . .”
She didn’t have to say it. He could see it in the depths of her eyes, the way she was still reaching for him, still yearning. It made his heart ache, a pain that was almost too much to bear. But he forced a smile, a real one this time, and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
He was still smiling when the magical ward they had set around the bookshop flared to life.
They both jolted back, the moment shattered, and Osric’s hand went to the hilt of his dagger. The runes along the floor and walls blazed with an otherworldly light, and a high, piercing alarm echoed in the air. “The wards,” Osric said, his heart racing. “It’s the wards. Someone’s trying to get in.”
Osric’s heart was pounding in his ears, but his training kicked in, cool and efficient. He snatched up his satchel of tools and supplies, while Hali grabbed the grimoire and the other books they’d been examining, carefully tucking them under her arm. They moved to the trapdoor in the corner of the attic, and Osric pried it open, the hinges groaning with age. He gestured for Hali to go first, then followed her, pulling the door mostly closed behind him.
The rooftops of Luminara stretched out before them, the city’s lanterns casting pools of gold in the darkness. Osric scanned the streets below, but there was no sign of the intruders. He turned to Hali and held a finger to his lips, then pointed towards the rooftops to their left.
Hali nodded, her eyes bright in the darkness, and they set off, their footsteps silent as they wove between the chimneys and dormer windows. They’d only gone a few blocks when Osric caught a faint shimmer out of the corner of his eye. He grabbed Hali’s arm, yanking her into the shelter of a nearby parapet, and pointed.
It was the magical sigil he’d etched into the cobblestones of the street below the bookshop, a soft, steady glow. Someone was crossing the line of the alarm ward.
Hali’s eyes widened, and she nodded, her face pressed close to his. They held each other’s gaze for a heartbeat, a shared understanding passing between them. Then they were off, racing across the rooftops, following the trail of the intruders through the night.
Chapter
Nine
The figure wove through the night-shrouded streets of Luminara, moving with eerie grace as they sought to evade her. But Hali was determined, her focus honed on the shimmer of magic that marked them, and nothing else. Not the gasps of wonder from her imagination as she raced through the moonlit night. Not the fluttering of her heart as she drew closer, the thrill of the chase only intensifying. She was a woman on a mission, and nothing, not even her traitorous heart, would stand in her way.
She caught a brief glimpse of the figure as they darted around a corner, the tattered hem of their cloak flapping in the wind. With a fierce cry, she pushed herself even harder, her short legs churning as she gave her all to the pursuit. She was getting closer, she could feel it, the magic of her quarry glowing brighter and brighter, a siren’s call drawing her ever onward.
Finally, she burst out of the alley and into a small square, but the figure was nowhere to be seen. Hali’s heart sank, her quarry’s magic fading into the distance. She’d lost them.
With a frustrated growl, she scanned the square, looking for any sign of which way her quarry had gone. But the figure had vanished into the night, leaving no trace of their passing. Hali’s shoulders slumped, the adrenaline of the chase draining away, leaving her feeling deflated and more than a little foolish.
She’d been so close, and now it seemed her quarry had slipped through her fingers once again. But as she turned to make her way back to the shop, she caught sight of a dark shape moving in the shadows, and she froze. Was it her quarry, returning for another attempt to break into the shop? She tensed, ready to give chase, but as the figure stepped into the light, she saw it was only a stray cat, its eyes gleaming in the darkness.
Hali let out a shaky laugh, her fear giving way to relief. She was being paranoid. Her quarry was long gone, and there was nothing more she could do tonight. With one last glance around the square, she set off for home, her mind already racing with thoughts of what to do next.
She might not have caught her mysterious intruder, but she was one step closer to unraveling the mystery that had been taunting her, just out of reach. And she refused to give up. She was Halizanth Brightminer, and there was little she loved more than a good adventure.
She only wished her heroines hadn’t made chasing criminals over rooftops and through narrow alleys look far more effortless than it actually was.
Hali paused at the edge of the rooftops, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps as she tried to quiet her thudding heart. She couldn’t afford to get distracted, not now, not when she was so close to her quarry. But no matter how hard she tried, all she could think about was the last time she’d been up here, just an hour ago, in Osric’s arms.
She shook her head, a wistful smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She didn’t have time to think about that, no matter how wonderful it had been, how his touch had kindled a fire in her that she feared would never burn out. She had work to do, a mystery to unravel, and she couldn’t let herself be swayed by thoughts of a love that was still so new, so fragile.
With a soft sigh, she forced the memory from her mind and focused on the task at hand. Her quarry was still out there, still a threat, and she couldn’t rest until she had them in custody. With a determined nod, she set off across the rooftops once more, her nimble form a shadow against the night.
The chase led her into unfamiliar territory–a poorly lit residential area in northern Luminara. The buildings here were older, more dilapidated, and cast long shadows in the dim light. Hali slowed her pace, trying to catch her breath and get her bearings. She’d lost sight of her quarry, their magic signature vanishing like smoke. She scanned the streets, but there was no indication as to they had gone.
“Dammit,” she swore under her breath. They were getting away.
She was about to set off down the street, when a strong hand closed around her arm, and yanked her into a dark alleyway.
“Shh,” a voice hissed, and the hand fell away. “It’s me.”
