***
It was past two in the morning when Leo, Levi, and I were standing in the shadows of some trees across the street from Dimitri’s house. There were no lights shining from any of the windows, but I knew better than to put my trust in a dark house. I was on edge about venturing into the house of the giant. I had seen what he did to those temple men, and I had no desire to join the ranks of those he had killed. I turned to Leo and Levi.
“You both guard the alley. If you see anyone trying to enter it, stop them. I will go into the house myself. I will fire one shot if I need you.” I looked back toward the alley, swallowed down a rising lump in my throat, and darted across the street.
The moon offered enough light to see my way, as I hopped over puddles of a foul-smelling sewage. The houses in this part of town were known as bandbox houses, and most were between two and three stories in size. I knew the layout of such a house. There was one room per floor with a narrow staircase that connected each floor. Dimitri’s house was two stories. The lock on the wooden door was rickety. I pulled out a small metal tool, and within seconds, I had the door unlocked. If there were bolts, then I would have to find another way into the house. I sucked in a breath as I turned the handle.
Please open. Please open, I kept repeating in my mind as my black-gloved hand turned the brass handle. There was a click, so I slowly pushed the door open. As it creaked on its hinges, I paused, listening for any sounds of movement.
The house was dark and silent, so I pushed the door open enough to slip through. I left it open, so I could fit through in case of a hasty exit and the extra light from the moon would help me see my way.
Four walls, all close together made the room boxy. There was one small, square window on the front wall and a wood table with two wooden chairs, but that was all the furniture in the room. I ran a hand along the wall as I bounced and wriggled a foot on each floor board, hoping for a loose board or a crack in the wall; anything that could contain a secret compartment. I made it all the way around each wall stepping on each board through the center of the room, but there were no loose boards, and the black stove was empty.
After as thorough a search as I could do in the dark, I removed my black boots at the bottom of the stairs, and carefully put my foot on the first stair. Testing my weight on the stair cautiously to avoid creaking, no sounds met my ears, so I stepped onto the second and then the third. I was halfway up the stairs, when a board creaked under my weight. My teeth instinctively clenched while my back tensed as I listened. No sounds came from above; I blew out a silent, relieved breath.
At the top of the stairs, something ran across my foot. My body tensed. My first reaction to kick at whatever had touched my foot, but I refrained. I imagined it was a mouse from the size, but still an unpleasant experience. A sound like a grizzly bear rumbled from the room, and I jerked, nearly tumbling down the stairs. Another sound like a shrill whistle followed. Not only was someone sleeping here, but they were not alone.
You have fought in a war; you can surely face a sleeping giant. Telling myself that did little to help the feelings of anxiety as I thought that the giant could probably take on a small troop alone.
There was a stench of unwashed bodies, rotting straw, and stale onions. My stomach tightened against the sickening smell. I made my mind focus on searching the room, trying to ignore everything else. Moonlight was shining in through a small window near the ceiling so I could see the large frame of Dimitri, his long limbs hanging over the sides of a bed. His grizzly, rumbling snore echoed through the room then came the shrill sound from another man who was sleeping on a cot. There was a second cot, but it was empty.
With my eyes accustomed to the darkness, I could make out a desk in the far corner. The only problem was that I would have to pass both sleeping men to get to it.
You have not come this far to turn coward.
My little mind talk had the desired effect. Squaring my shoulders, I stepped past the bed and cots. A cold draft swirled around my stocking clad feet making them feel numb. With each step, shards of pain burst in my feet, but I kept on to the desk in the corner. As I reached it, I felt along the sides and back, then knelt before it, feeling underneath for any latch or lever. There was nothing, but inside the desk, there was a single sheet of paper so after snatching it and stuffing it in my pocket, I turned toward the bed. Dimitri would keep it under his guard. My eyes scanned the room, but the only clothing was that which the two men were wearing. I stepped next to the bed and felt around the bed. The bed was made of four small posters that held a pallet in the center and straw was thrown down for padding. Dimitri was far too large for the bed, so his arms and legs hung off the sides. As he snored, his breath blew on me. There were the onions. I closed my eyes, pressing my lips tightly together. I shook my head, trying to focus on something else other than the sickness that threatened to come up.
There is something that I am overlooking. Even as I thought it, I had a strange feeling. What I was looking for was not on the second floor. If I were Dimitri, where would I hide something I did not want anyone to find? I considered that he could keep the box on his person, but I immediately struck that down. He was a big man; he exuded a grim confidence, so he would not need to keep it on him to know that it was safe. I needed a different tactic. We would watch his house in the light of day and wait for him to depart then search the house.
A large hand grabbed my leg. My heart leapt so hard I thought it would stop. As my stomach roiled, alarm echoed in my head. I clutched my pistol and looked down at where the giant was still laying. A moment passed then his rumbling snore sounded again. The giant was asleep. Slowly I turned my torso. The giant had a hold of my leg in his sleep. I bent, carefully pulling my leg, but he held fast. If I could get him to shift he would release my leg, but it had consequences. If I moved too much, it could awaken him.
A distraction was needed. My calling card for the Phantoms was a black feather which was the reason that my mask was shaped like three stacked feathers. Pulling a feather from my pocket, I leaned toward the giant, barely running the feather against the end of his nose, repeating the action until the giant removed his hand from my leg to rub his nose. I jerked my hand away before he could touch me, and moved from the bed.
Midway down the stairs to the first floor, the same stair creaked under my feet. It shifted. A smile curved up my lips. Moving down two more steps, I knelt to pull on the creaking board. There, within the stair, was a compartment. Feeling inside, my hand immediately touched a dagger hilt. There was nothing else was in the compartment so after taking the dagger, I put my black feather in the compartment, the sign of Loutaire of the Phantoms, then replaced the board. At the bottom of the stairs, I unsheathed the dagger, running my finger along the top of the blade. Grooves and ridges met my touch, assuring me that it was engraved, like the one pictured in the Levitas book. I sheathed it and tucked it into my belt.
As I pulled on my ankle high boots, a shadow passed the window, and I tensed. It was not Leo or Levi coming to check on me, for they knew not to leave their post unless they received a signal from me. Pressing against the far wall was the only place to hide.
My back touched the wall as the door creaked open further. A figure slipped into the house, and immediately I knew it was no ruffian who stood upon the threshold. Incredulity was mine; it filled me as my arm began to throb where she grazed me with her shot six days ago. With the light behind her, the woman in white appeared as a faceless ghost. Her long, white cloak was around her, the hood covering her hair, as she moved further into the room. She did not sense my presence, but from the way she moved without making a sound, she knew someone was in the house. That begged the question of how she made it past my deputies. She began quietly to sound the boards.
I considered capturing her, but if she did not work for Levitas, it was too great a risk of exposure for the Phantoms. Until I could discover more about her, I had to leave her free.
A wicked, tantalizing thought enter
ed my head.
The woman in white deserves a fright. Nothing too terrible, merely repaying her kindness to me.
My smile widened as I watched her work her way around the room. She made it to the corner where the back wall and the wall I was leaning against met. I had to act with haste and precision or not at all. I took three silent steps toward her. In her oblivion to all else but searching the boards, she did not sense my presence until my hand was over her mouth and my other arm wrapped around her waist. I locked her arms against her sides. She jerked around, trying to fight me off.
A wildcat.
She twisted and threw her body from side to side. When that did not work, she threw her head back, but I was able to move my own to the side before she could hit me. She growled under my hand and threw an elbow to my stomach. One of her arms got loose in my moment of grunting. A flash of silver appeared right before she swung a knife toward me, trying to slash my arm. Grabbing her wrist, we struggled against each other for control of the knife. I pushed her arm down, backing her against the wall then releasing my hold on her mouth to pin her arms against the wall. She opened her mouth about to call out, and panic seized my chest, then my mouth pressed against hers, cutting off any sound.
For a moment, she stopped struggling. If she were feeling an ounce as surprised as I was, it was no wonder she stopped struggling. Breathing was the last thing I was thinking about. The edge of my leather mask touched the lace of her white mask. Her lips were soft as feathers. Her small feminine body pressed against me caused me to begin to lose sight of why I was kissing her. I could feel every rise and fall of her chest as her breathing came in quick successions. For that brief moment, she was warm and most inviting.
The moment ended far too quickly. Her whole body went rigid in nothing short of rage. She jerked her head from side to side, trying to break free from my hold. I pulled back, but kept her arms pinned against the wall as a deep chuckle escaped my throat. In one swift movement, I pressed my forearm against her arm and grabbed my pistol from my belt then placed the end of the barrel against her cheek. She went completely still, all but the rise and fall of her chest.
As I stepped back, I released her but kept the pistol against her cheek. The rigidity of her body assured me that she did not doubt that I would use the pistol. As I backed to the door and pushed it fully open with my boot, it creaked on its hinges as moonlight flooded into the room. The light was against my back, but it illuminated her. She took a cautious step toward me, but stopped when I held up the Levitas dagger in the moonlight. As her mouth parted; her anger was so full that it heated the cold room.
Pleasure coursed through me at besting the woman. Backing out of the house, I threw her a mocking kiss on my fingers and slammed the door. Down the alley, I ran, leaping over the sewage puddles. Light appeared through the second floor window, and a voice started to shout.
Leo met me at the entrance to the alley and as we ran from the houses; I questioned Leo about the woman in white, but he assured me that he saw no one enter the alley. When we met up with Levi, he said the same.
How had she gotten past them unseen?
After we had separated from Levi at his apothecary shop, Leo and I moved toward home, and I could not wipe the smile from my lips.
“That woman could have been a phantom the way she sneaks around,” Leo said from beside me. It was a disconcerting thought, but it gave me an idea.
“That is what we will call her.” Leo stopped to look at me. “She is now the white phantom.”
Chapter 6