Thieves' Quarry (The Thieftaker Chronicles) by D. B. Jackson Read Free Book Online

where she sat and pulled up a chair next to hers. The fire in her hearth threw off a lot of heat, but still she had a shawl wrapped around her bony shoulders and a threadbare woolen blanket covering her legs. She often complained of the cold, even on the mildest days of spring and fall. For all the years she had lived in the city, it seemed to Ethan that she had never adjusted to leaving the islands.
    “You’re up early today,” he said. “Earlier than usual.”
    She shrugged, her gaze sliding away. “Why would you care about when I sleep and when I don’t?”
    “You felt it too, didn’t you?”
    “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”
    “Look me in the eye, Janna.”
    Grudgingly, she faced him again.
    “Did you feel something this morning?” he asked. “Did you feel a pulse of power? It came just after dawn, and it would have been strong enough to make it feel like the Spider was going to come down on top of you.”
    Janna glared back at him. “Yeah,” she said at last. “I felt it.”
    Ethan sat back in his chair, feeling both relieved and alarmed. He hadn’t imagined it. But then who could have cast such a spell?
    “You weren’t certain,” Janna said.
    He shook his head. “It woke me from a dream, and I didn’t know if it was real or not.”
    She gave a low chuckle. “Oh, it was real. Like you said, I thought this old buildin’ was gonna crumble it started shakin’ so.”
    “Do you know what kind of spell it was?” Ethan asked.
    “No,” Janna said. “But it was dark, and strong as can be. If I had to guess, I’d say it was a killin’ spell. But I couldn’t tell what the magick was supposed to do.”
    “Neither could I. Do you know where it came from?”
    “Somewhere in the city. But you knew that.”
    “There aren’t too many of us who can conjure like that,” Ethan said.
    She shook her head. “You, me, Ole Black. We’re the only ones I can think of.” Her expression turned sly. “To be honest, Kaille, I figured it was you.”
    “It wasn’t. And I don’t think it was Gavin, either.” He raised his eyebrows. “I assume it wasn’t you.”
    “Woke me from a deep sleep,” she said.
    “So I figured, seeing as you’re awake before noon.” He smiled; she frowned. “I encountered a new conjurer last night, a friend of Sephira’s, I believe. But I don’t think he’s powerful enough to have cast the spell we felt.”
    Janna’s frown deepened. “You sure? A dark spell from a friend of Sephira sounds just about right to me.”
    “Most times I’d be inclined to agree. And maybe you’re right. I intend to keep an eye on him. But right now, as far as I can tell, he’s not strong enough.”
    “If you say so,” Janna said, not sounding convinced.
    “Is there anyone else new in town, Janna? Anyone who could cast a spell like this?”
    “No one I can think of.”
    He had expected her to say as much. “All right,” he said, standing. “My thanks.” He crossed back to the tavern door and pulled it open. “If you hear anything about a new speller in Boston, someone capable of this kind of conjuring, you’ll let me know, right?”
    “There any gold in it?”
    “I’m not working for anyone. I’m doing this for me.”
    “Yeah,” she said, the scowl returning. “I thought so.”
    He smiled, stepped out onto the street, and started to pull the door closed.
    “Kaille.”
    He poked his head back in the tavern.
    “You were the first person I thought of; other minds might work the same way. You watch yourself.”
    Would she have given such a warning to someone she didn’t like, at least a little? “I will. Again, thank you, Janna.”
    After leaving the Fat Spider, Ethan followed Orange Street back north as far as Essex Street, and turned east toward the harbor, making his way past the wharves and stillhouses west of Windmill Point. The sun was higher overhead, warming the air a little, but not enough to drive off the autumn chill. Hundreds of gulls circled over