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Ryder
closed the musty tome and placed it upon the cherry table beside him. The fire glowed against the ancient hearth
of Durstine Manor’s vast library, his favorite room for more reasons than
one. A complex pattern of stone and
grout, the fireplace ran floor to ceiling and covered more than half of the
wall. Opposite the fireplace stood
ornately carved double-doors with heavy wrought iron handles and matching
hinges. He’d had them shipped over in
pieces from Scotland, along with the sconces that lined each hall of the
manor. Aside from the doors and the
hearth, the library walls were floor to ceiling shelves overflowing with tomes
from every age of man. Ryder had read
them all, retained most of the information, and continued to seek more. Unlike the majority of his brethren, Ryder
understood that knowledge was the true power and any who could wield it would
prosper. As a result, he’d managed to do
quite well for himself over the years.
Ryder
tilted his head, footsteps echoed in the hallway, heels judging by the
click. They came to a stop just outside
his door. Reaching into his pocket,
Ryder withdrew a small strip of leather and tied his shoulder-length, raven
hair in a low ponytail. He stood and
straightened his light V-neck shirt, adjusted his belt and slipped his notebook
beneath the book he’d been reading.
“Come
in, Angeline.”
The
heavy oak door slid open slowly followed by the polished assistant he had been
forced to hire to replace Keene. He
refused to think about that now.
Besides, Ryder found Angeline to be adequate, and certainly easy on the
eyes. Her hair always upswept in a
chignon, held in place with gold-plated chopsticks. She most frequently wore a black skirt suit
with satin or silk blouses of various colors.
Tonight however, she had selected a kimono dress, brilliant blue with embroidered
dragons whose heads met at the most opportune place.
“It
is done, my liege.” Angeline approached
and handed him a blood red card the size of an invitation. A smile played across her mouth. “The Hunters seek Keene as we speak and the
girl is being followed. She has shown no
signs of supernatural skill.”
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