Powerless by Lauren Roberts EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
- Status: Available for Free Download
- Authors: Lauren Roberts
- Language: English
- Genre: Fantasy
- Format: PDF / EPUB
- Size: 2.6 MB
- Price: Free
Paedyn
Thick, hot liquid runs down my arm.
Blood.
Funny, I don’t remember the guard nicking me with his sword before
my fist connected with his face. Despite being a Flash, he apparently
couldn’t manage to move faster than my right hook to his jaw.
The smell of soot stings my nose, forcing me to clamp a grimy hand
over it to stop a sneeze from slipping out.
That would be a very pathetic way to get caught.
When I’m sure that my nose won’t alert the Imperials lurking beneath
where I’m hiding, I return my hand to the filthy wall my back is currently
pressed against with my feet planted opposite me. After taking a deep
breath that nearly has me choking on soot, I slowly begin my climb
upwards once again. With thighs burning almost as much as my nose, I
force my body to continue shimmying while stifling the sneeze.
Climbing up a chimney isn’t exactly how I thought I would be spending
my evening. The small space has me sweating, swallowing my fear before
scrambling to the top of the cramped corridor, eager to replace grime-caked
walls with a starry night. When my head finally peeks over the top, I
greedily gulp down the sticky air, then climb up and over, immediately
bombarded with a new concoction of smells far more unpleasant than the
stench of soot clinging to my body, my clothes, my hair. Sweat, fish, spices,
and I’m quite certain some sort of bodily fluid, blends to create the aroma
that surrounds Loot Alley.
Balancing atop the chimney, I strain my eyes on the shadowed roof to
inspect my sticky arm. I’d nearly forgotten to examine it without the usual
biting pain that accompanies a sword slash to remind me.
I rip off a strip of cloth from the sweaty tank that clings to my body,
dabbing at the gash with it.
Adena’s going to kill me for ruining her stitching. Again.
I’m surprised when I don’t feel the familiar twinge of pain as I rub at
my arm with the rough fabric, impatiently sopping up the stickiness.
And that’s when I smell it.
Honey.
The same honey that belongs to the sticky buns oozing out of the many
pockets in my ragged vest and dripping down my arm—mistaken for blood.
I sigh, rolling my eyes at myself.
It’s a welcome surprise, nonetheless. Even honey soaking my clothes
beats trying to wash blood out.
I take in a deep breath and look out over the crumbling, rundown
buildings cast in shadows by the flickering lampposts dotting the street.
There’s not much electricity here in the slums, but the king generously
spared us a few lampposts. Thanks to the Volts and Scholars using their
abilities to create a sustained power grid, I have to work exceptionally hard
to stay in the shadows.
Farther from the slums, the more the rows of shops and homes slowly
improve in condition and size. Shacks turn into homes, homes turn into
mansions, leading up to the most daunting building of all. Squinting
through the darkness, I can just barely make out the looming towers of the
royal castle and the sloping dome of the Bowl Arena that resides beside it.
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