John Lambshead Lucy's Blade v5.1 (BD)

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.""I made your hearing more efficient," said Lilith."Oh God, Lilith.You don't think that each of these markers represents amurdered woman do you? There are more than a dozen of them.""Isabella brought me to your world through a portal, Lucy.I think she hasbrought something else, something very dangerous and unpleasant.""Lilith, look.There is a purple blob here in this corner, within the Tower'sbailey.Oh God, there's something here."Lucy ran out of the turret room, her feet crunching on the powdered salt.ShePage 123ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlscurried down the stairs, past the guards."Steady maid.What's your rush?" asked one of them.Lucy held the front of her skirts up and ran out of the front of the Tower.She made for the corner of the grounds where she had seen the purple marker.Alarmed, a pair of guards followed her but she outdistanced them.The girl ranquickly and easily, her lungs drawing in clean deep breaths.She stoppedbriefly, to get her bearings.Lilith projected a line of glowing light infront of her to indicate the direction.Lucy ran around some wooden storagehuts.There, between the huts and the Tower's curtain wall, she found thebody.It was not a whore but a young man, a Tower guard.His throat had been tornout as if by a beast.Lucy knelt down and touched the body.To herLilith-enhanced senses, it still tingled with magic.'This happened recently, this morning or last night,' thought Lilith.'Thereshould be blood everywhere.His heart would have pumped it out of that woundas he died.So either he was dead before his throat was torn or.''The killer drank his blood.' Lucy finished the thought for Lilith.The fitter of the guards arrived beside her, panting hard."Where did youlearn to run like that, miss? Oh my God, it's Harold.""Fetch Master Tunstall.Right away."Simon arrived at the run."Are you allright, Lady Dennys? That must have beena terrible shock.What were you doing behind that shed?" he askedLucy ignored him knowing that he could not cross-question his master's niece.'Isabella sent it here on a reconnaissance,' thought Lucy, flatly.'The guardmust have disturbed it.She will send it again; she will send it against myfamily.Uncle won't run so they will all be killed.''Your explanation seems likely,' thought Lilith.'How shall we protect them?' Lucy screamed in her head to Lilith.'You must learn how to fight,' thought Lilith, simply.Act 11St.Katherine's DockTheSwallow slipped through the Calais-Dover gap at a fast clip.These straitshad belonged toEngland until the disastrous reign of Bloody Queen Mary,whenCalais had been lost forever to the French.In King Harry's reign, thesewaters had been known as the English Channel; now they were calledtheFrenchSea.Since leaving thePlymouth and the Westcountry, theSwallow had cruised up thesouth coast standing off from theIsle of Wight , thus avoiding its treacherousrip currents born of four tides a day.At low tide, sailors could still seethe wreck of King Harry's great ship, theMary Rose , beneath the waters.WhentheSwallow rounded The White Cliffs, she entered the realm of the cityofLondon with its rich merchants and treacherous courtiers.William wouldalmost as soon rather force the defences ofCadiz harbour in a leaky wherrythan enter thePortofLondon.Page 124ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlA short run up the North Kent coast brought theSwallow into the mouth oftheThames and its many ports.The Isle of Sheppey slid by on the port sideguarded by theportofSheerness.Past Sheerness was the River Medway and thefleet anchorage atGillingham.Here, the Queen's galleons were beached on thetidal mudflats for maintenance.Further upriver, the ship building yardsatChatham sheltered behind the new fort at Upnor.Swalloweschewed the safe harbours of the Medway and sailed west intotheThames.The banks of Essex and Kent closed in as the estuary narrowed.Theflat rich soils of the Thames included some of the richest agricultural landinEurope , so villas and prosperous farmhouses lined the banks.TheportofGravesend marked the last of the open coast harbours.From here, thelong ferry shuttled livestock and passengers backwards and forwards from thesea toLondon.TheSwallow sailed through flotillas of ships and boats rangingfromThames barges to great carracks."Reduce speed," said William."Reef the mainsails," ordered the master."Aye, aye sir," said the boatswain.Swallowslowed down to a slow walk.A few more hours bought her to KentishDartford as the sun set."Master, pick up a buoy on the edge of the channel.No one is to go ashore andno boat is to approach without my permission.I want a guard topside at alltimes." TheThames estuary was notorious for piracy.William did not seriouslyexpect anyone to be foolish enough to attack a galleon but the treasure on theship weighed heavily on him.Having done all he could, he retired but sleepeluded him for some time and was dream-disturbed when it came.A sailor shook him awake."Cap'n, sir.Gunner says a wherry is coming alongside and should he shoot it?""Christ, no," said William and dashed for the deck."Blast your eyes, I'm your pilot," said a voice from the river."That may be so." William heard the gunner's voice."But come any closerwithout the captain's say-so and I will blow you out of the water.""Don't shoot," William said."That, ah, really is our pilot.""Very good, sir," said the gunner, unperturbed."Come aboard then, matey."The pilot climbed over the side, glaring at the gunner who ignored him."Goodmorning, Captain.My orders are to take you all the way in toLondon docks.Amessenger has been sent to the office of Sir Francis Walsingham to announceyour arrival.""All the way in toLondon docks?Are you sure?" William was puzzled.Galleonswould normally anchor in the outer Thames atDartford or perhaps Erith wherethere were naval arsenals."Sir Francis has left strict instructions.You are going toLondon , Captain."William sighed.It would be a long day moving theSwallow around the twistsPage 125ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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