Demonbane (Book 4) by Ben Cassidy Read Free Book Online

way, then inserted the brass key into the strongbox lock.
    It fit perfectly.
    The door rattled again from another solid hit. Kara heard the bolt crack. She instinctively knew that it wouldn’t survive another blow.
    She swung down the handle of the strongbox, then threw open the iron door.
     
    Maklavir was pushing his luck. He had seen the look that was on the guard’s face before. Usually from cuckolded husbands discovering him in the act of—
    Well, suffice to say he had seen it before.
    “ Barrister .” The first guard stepped closer, his blade pointed at Maklavir’s chest.
    The second guard strode forward as well.
    Maklavir tried desperately to think. He had been in tight spots before. Well, perhaps not this tight, but still tight.
    The key was to act quickly and stop overthinking , he thought.
    So what would Kendril do?
    Maklavir felt the heat of the candles behind him, close to his twisting fingers.
    “Grab his arms,” the first guard ordered.
    There was a spark and sudden hiss from behind Maklavir.
    Both guards tensed, their swords raised.
    His course set, Maklavir managed a polite smile. Mortal danger or not, there was always time for a witty remark.
    “Catch,” he said, then threw the lit grenade at the first guard.
     
    The dagger was no match for the assassin’s long knives.
    Kendril fell back, trying to get the billiards table between him and the assassin.
    She came at him in a blur, both of her knives slashing through the air.
    Joseph leapt at the woman from the side. Weaponless, he grabbed for her left arm.
    Kendril tried to shout a warning when he saw what his friend was attempting.
    It was too late.
    Nadine side-stepped the clumsy attack, then slashed Joseph’s arm with one of the knives.
    The scout fell back against the billiards table with a cry, then collapsed to the ground.
    It wasn’t much, but it was an opening. Probably the only one Kendril would get.
    He hurled the dagger at the woman in front of him.
    Without even turning she deflected the spinning blade with her own long knife.
    Kendril’s dagger ricocheted and flew into the corner of the room, far out of his reach.
    He took a quick step back, then felt the wall behind him. There was nowhere else to go, and now he was weaponless.
    Nadine turned to him with a chilling smile.
     
    The strongbox was empty.
    Well, not entirely empty. A few pieces of paper, probably deeds or wills, A small bag of coins.
    But no Soulbinder.
    The door to the room flew open.
    Two armed thugs, mercenaries hired by Dutraad, entered. One held a flintlock musket, the other a halberd. Both wore swords at their belts.
    The man with the musket turned to Kara, his gun half-leveled at her. “Where’s the Baron?”
    The voice was suspicious, but uncertain. The guards had seen her come upstairs with Dutraad. They apparently knew enough to know that something was wrong, but they hadn’t shot her yet.
    It wasn’t much, but it was something to work with.
    “There!” Kara pointed to the curtained bed. She fell back against the fireplace, a look of terror on her face. “It was terrible! They tied him up, and threatened to kill me, and, and—”
    The guard with the halberd ran to the bed.
    The guard with the musket came closer to Kara. His face showed his blatant confusion. His eyes caught sight of her torn dress, then the open strongbox. “How--?” he started to ask.
    The second guard pulled back the curtain on the bed. “He’s here!” he called.
    The guard with the musket turned his head to look at Dutraad, unconscious and bound on the bed.
    Kara made a split-second decision.
    She was feeding off the guards’ confusion, but she knew they wouldn’t be confused for long. It would only take them a few moments to get their thoughts straight, and then they would realize that no one had fled through the only door to the room, the strongbox door was wide open, and Kara had locked the door from the inside.
    In short, they would realize in a matter of heartbeats that