free my hand of its weight. I inched nearer, looking for any
sign of a hidden door, but the marble only reflected back
almond-shaped eyes, a gift of my Japanese heritage.
Stepping quickly toward the wall, pushing the weight of
my body forward even faster, I struck the marble panel
with my left shoulder. The latch popped open with a dull
clank.
He must have been expecting it, because the
hidden panel was flung outward with such speed and force
that I was pushed backward almost fifteen feet by the
sheer strength of him. As my feet came to rest my sword
arm dropped to my side, angling out and down away from
my body; more room for a clean blow when I needed it.
‘Oh, how things have changed; how much I have changed.’ I
thought.
Damascus, obviously realizing I would leave him
no other choice, stepped out from his hiding place. His
pale skin and light hair were the color of milk and honey.
His eyes, however, were like a tumultuous teal ocean and
just as stormy. He wore tight leather trousers and an open-
throat white silk shirt. Eyelets running up the chest of the
cloth had a leather thong that ran through them, but it was
not tied, for that would have been undistinguished for one
such as him. In the opening of his shirt, lying against his
pallid chest was the object I had come for. I walked
forward, ready to take it from him however I must.
As Matthias’s carriage turned the corner, I returned inside
to close for the night. I had sent Benjamin on his way already and
put out the lights myself. Grabbing my coat and umbrella, I locked
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