CHAPTER 6
Rory’s refusal to take Longinus to the Rookery had come as a cold slap. It was one thing for the Old Girl to decide she had no need of him. But Rory? Longinus tried to reason with himself. Her friend had died, and she was probably upset. Maybe she just wanted some time alone. Maybe it would be genuinely easier for her to talk to her associates without him present.
Maybe she’s ashamed of being seen with me.
The thought was a familiar one, and it brought him hurtling back to his childhood, to the first day of his education in the killing arts. His sister standing in the inner courtyard, rapier at her side, thumbs hooked through her belt, a hard, glittering smile on her face. Even then she commanded fear and wonder, and not just from Longinus, who had been terrified of her ever s
