CHAPTER 40
Rory and Longinus made their last preparations. Longinus’ rapier, the one Rory had taken from him the night of their meeting, was back at his hip. Rory glanced at it with a pinch of regret, but she couldn’t deny that it looked better on him than it ever had on her. A guard had furnished the two of them with weapons of their choosing, and she had been given a rapier of her own. It was too long for her, but she wasn’t about to complain and make a fool of herself by drawing attention to her diminutive frame.
Longinus had also selected a dagger, and he had concocted himself a poison to take along. He tucked the vial with its atomiser into a pocket and began fiddling with his baldric.
“This rapier is all wrong with this baldric,” he announced. “The balance is off — look, look at h
