Excerpt Thursday: GHOST IN THE FORGE

It’s Excerpt Thursday! This week’s excerpt is from GHOST IN THE FORGE.

In this excerpt, Caina meets Kylon again in the city of Catekharon.

(And since I know someone’s gonna ask, I’m currently on Chapter 5 of 20 of GHOST IN THE AMULET – should be ready to go in October!)

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Caina said nothing as she walked with Kylon along the far wall of the Hall of Assembly. Some of the other ambassadors shot them amused looks. No doubt they thought Kylon infatuated or seeking an easy romantic conquest.

She knew better.

He looked different. It had been only a year since the attack on Marsis, but Kylon looked older, his expression grimmer.

Would he try to kill her for what had happened to Andromache?

“Did you find him?” said Kylon at last in Kyracian.

“Who?” said Caina in the same language.

“The boy,” said Kylon. “The son of your friend.” She saw his sword hand curl into a fist. “The boy you defeated my sister and slew Rezir Shahan to save.”

“I did,” said Caina. “He lives with his mother and father in Malarae now, and is apprenticed in his father’s foundry.” She paused for a moment. “His father is the Champion of Marsis.”

Kylon’s response was half-laugh, half-sigh. “Indeed? The gods have peculiar humor. You defeated Andromache and slew Rezir to save the boy, and I assume his father slew Kleistheon to save his son. Had that boy and his father been elsewhere, Marsis would have fallen.”

“Perhaps,” said Caina. “Yet I didn’t defeat Andromache. She defeated herself.”

“I know,” said Kylon. They stopped, the glow from the metal throwing harsh shadows over his face. “I could not blame you. Or myself. Taking vengeance upon either of us would have been pointless.” He took a deep breath. “Andromache…made her own decisions. And those decisions led her to ruin.”

“So instead,” said Caina, “you decided to take vengeance upon the Empire.”

“By destroying the fleets?” said Kylon. “Andromache started the war, but it has outlived her. Your Empire would destroy New Kyre if it could, Ghost. You know that as well as I do. So even though Andromache started the war for nothing, I will fight to defend my city from destruction.”

“That is why you are here, isn’t it?” said Caina. “To obtain the weapon for New Kyre.”

Kylon scowled. “If I must. And that is the same reason you are here.”

“No,” said Caina. “I will destroy the weapon, if I can.”

“Rather than give it to your Emperor?” said Kylon. “If it is as powerful as the Masked Ones claim, the Emperor could use it to destroy all of his enemies.”

“Andromache thought the power in the Tomb of Scorikhon would her destroy all of her enemies,” said Caina, “and you saw how that ended.”

Kylon said nothing for a moment, and Caina shot a glance over his shoulder. She saw Halfdan speaking with some Istarish merchants as Yaramzod and Callatas conversed, but Corvalis was watching her. Probably ready to aid her if Kylon attacked.

She appreciated the gesture, but Kylon could cut down both her and Corvalis in a matter of seconds.

“Perhaps you are right,” said Kylon. “It would be better if the weapon was destroyed. But you and I will be the only ones to think that. Certainly the others will do what is necessary to claim it.” He took a deep breath. “I cannot allow the Empire to have the weapon. Not for any reason. Because if the Empire takes it, New Kyre will be destroyed.”

“If,” said Caina, “the weapon truly exists.”

Kylon titled his head to the side. “You think it does not?”

“The Masked Ones must have something,” said Caina. “Else why summon us here? But if they have such a powerful weapon, why sell it? Why not keep it?”

“I do not know,” said Kylon. “I will think on what you have said, Ghost.”

He walked back to the other Kyracians. Caina watched him for a moment, and then returned to Halfdan and the others.

“Who was that?” said Corvalis.

“Kylon Shipbreaker,” said Halfdan.

Corvalis’s eyes got a little wider. “You know him?”

Caina nodded. “We tried to kill each other in Marsis.”

-JM