The Rogue Knight by Brandon Mull Read Free Book Online Page B

his homework done on time and coping with an annoying sister. Now he had enemies who wanted to chop him up and enslave him! The threat might have been a bluff to scare him into surrendering. But probably not. Cole had the shivery feeling that Ansel was capable of that much, and worse.
    He wasn’t sure whether to mesh with the crowds or avoid them. It all depended on how Ansel decided to search for him. The major streets seemed like the most obvious places to look, so Cole steered away from them. The smaller streets offered less cover, but he had a better chance of seeing trouble coming and jumping away without causing a scene.
    As Cole progressed from block to block, the buildings around him began to look dilapidated. Sagging roofs, weathered surfaces, broken windows, and boarded-up doors all caught his eye. The people wore shabbier clothes. Several eyed him and his sword. One man with a growth of graying stubble on his face openly sized up Cole as he walked by. Cole tried not to pay too much attention to the man, but he couldn’t help noticing when the stranger started following him.
    Cole tried to heed Jace’s advice. He needed to look like he belonged here. But he was young, he couldn’t hide his sword, and though somewhat soiled, his clothes were nice. He knew he stood out.
    At the next corner, Cole turned and moved along the cross street. He glanced back. The stubbly stranger still followed him, walking fast enough to shrink the distance between them. He saw Cole’s glance and raised a hand, palm cupped. “Spare a ringer or two?” he asked.
    Cole looked away. Taking out even a couple of ringers would reveal his stash. Cole imagined that if the people of this neighborhood knew how much cash he had on him, they would devour him like piranhas.
    â€œSorry,” Cole said over his shoulder.
    The man broke into a shuffling jog. “Wait up, friend. Where are you heading?”
    â€œTo the east side of town,” Cole replied, unsure whether he should break into a run.
    â€œEast Carthage?” the man verified. “You took a bad turn, lad. This isn’t a safe part of the city. You need a guide, or you’re going to run into trouble.”
    Cole’s instincts warned that this man was the trouble. In a few more steps the man would catch up to him.
    Drawing his sword, Cole stopped and faced the stranger, even though the man was head and shoulders taller than him. “Back off,” he said, forcing his voice to sound firm. “I’m having a bad day.”
    The man raised both hands. “What’s this? Are you coming into my neighborhood and threatening me?”
    â€œI’m not looking for friends or guides,” Cole said. “Just leave me alone.”
    The man’s eyes switched to a spot above and beyond Cole. The man gave a faint nod. Cole looked back in time to see another man lunge at him. Jabbing his sword at a drooping balcony across the street, Cole spoke the command and jumped.
    Hands reached for him, but they arrived too late. Cole took flight and barely cleared the scarred railing to land three floors above the ground. Both men gawked up at him from below, mouths gaping.
    â€œYou don’t see that every day,” the stubbly man said. “Who’d have guessed he was some kind of shaper?”
    The other man gave a dismissive wave and trudged away, shaking his head. They didn’t seem to be partners. Acquaintances maybe. The other guy had sensed easy prey and had wanted in on the action.
    Aiming his sword at the roof of the building across the street, Cole jumped there. From the higher vantage point, he had a better view of the area, though taller buildings blocked the sight of East Carthage. He ran along the roof and sprang to another building, then another.
    It was freeing and exhilarating to watch the shabby streets breeze by beneath his feet, and for a moment, he actually let go of his anxiety and just enjoyed the sensation of