CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
I stumbled along beside him just as I heard quick and heavy footsteps behind us. A quick look over my shoulder showed me a dozen tall figures with spears and armor. The soldiers had arrived, and one of them gave a shout at the bottom of the steps.
“Sir! Blood!”
“Damn it…” I heard my guide mutter.
We sped through the gap and out onto the street behind the wealthy cul-de-sac. The buildings here were still tightly packed but much less imperious, having no porticos and long steps. The thief led me across the road and to the next gap between the buildings, but we hadn’t gone very far before he stopped us.
He knelt beside a metal cap in the ground, and my guesses about its purpose were correct as he lifted the lid. Sewage fumes floated up out of the dark hole, and t
