Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #12 March 2015 | Page 16

More complications.

part of Asmoran’s staff.

He stilled as two figures in the crowd caught his eyes.
A young woman held a girl’s hand as they wove
through the crowd. The woman’s brown hair had been
done up in a neat bun and she wore a simple dress
of blue trimmed with golden lace. The girl skipped
alongside her, tugging at her mother’s hand. She had
indigo-black hair down to her shoulders, and a red
dress clad her skinny frame.

Now his lips pinched in a thin line, a determined grimace.
There. There was his in.

Though it had been six years, Khellus recognized
Abrodail the instant he spotted her. Her lithe gait
remained the same, reminding him of how she’d
first caught his gaze with the way she almost danced
among the tavern tables and patrons as she delivered
food and drink. When she pulled the girl out of the
way of an oncoming cart, Khellus glimpsed the same
curve of her lips, the familiar dip of her collarbone.
He wondered if her hair smelled the same.
Shaking off the nostalgia, he glanced at the girl again.
A child? A father? Married then. He smiled to himself. Good for her. From their clothes, they looked to
be well-cared for, and their easy manner suggested
contentment with their lot. Well, whatever happened
during his mission, this glimpse of the past had at least
given him a scrap of hope for…
His smile faded as the pair aimed for one of the estate
gates. A guard intercepted them, spoke with Abrodail
briefly, and then opened one of the smaller doors to
admit them. When the door shut and cut off Khellus’s
view, he remained staring for a few minutes. Options
tumbled through his mind.
She didn’t come with any other deliveries, nor did
she bear paperwork or materials of any sort, so it was
unlikely that she represented an outside business,
especially with a child in tow. Asmoran remained a
staunch bachelor, though he had his pick of noble decadents who flocked about him anytime he appeared in
public. Could she be a consort of some sort? Khellus
tossed this thought aside as quick as it came. Asmoran
wouldn’t entangle himself with anyone lower than his
station. The guards obviously knew her, so she came
to the estate on a regular basis. She must work there as

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Khellus the Blackhearted by Joel Lagerwall