Revolutionary Magic (with Bonus Content) Read Online Free Page B

dump my lifeless body into the river. After that, he explained how my cooperation would keep my son Pavel alive. When I asked what kind of information he was looking for, the spymaster didn't elaborate, stating that he wanted to know everything .
    I regretted that I hadn't taken this information straight to Ben and the Society. I'd thought that I could handle the problem quickly, eliminating the spymaster and showing my worth to the Society, rather than weighing them down with new problems.
    I began plotting my escape the moment the spymaster left. I resolved to send a letter to Pavel at the same time I eliminated the spymaster, so my son could escape and come to America. If Emperor Paul's reign was in question and unknown forces were at work, my plan was untenable.
    Elimination of the spymaster would be my first priority. A letter would be sent to Pavel, but I couldn't wait for confirmation that it'd arrived, or that he'd fled to safety.
    While I knew where the spymaster lived—it'd taken me the last few months to learn the location—a second complication waited. The spymaster had warned me that two assassins lurked in the city and if I tried to move on him, or told anyone about the arrangement, they would eliminate me and those around me for whom I cared for.
    As I made my way to my new home to retrieve my rapier and pistol, I formulated a plan to extricate myself from the odorous employ of said spymaster. Upon reaching my destination, I found myself stymied by a strange door. Instead of a wrought iron door handle, a brass plate with three rows of buttons awaited.
    Using the ivory handled knife in my jacket, I sliced open the envelope Ben had given me at the estate. The contents explained the method of entry and a few other notes, including partially incomprehensible instructions regarding the bath. I punched the buttons in the order suggested in the letter and gained entry to my new abode.
    The furnishings inside were modest, local make of sturdy oak material. I folded the letter into a square and tucked it into the top drawer of the solid cherry armoire in the corner of the room. My rapier and dueling pistol rested on the dull green divan against the far wall, while the chests that held my clothes were arrayed in the center.
    From the front room, I could see a cellar door, stairs going up to a second floor, and two other rooms on my level: a bath and a kitchen. Exploration would have to come at a later time, when my existence wasn't being threatened. I changed outfits and collected my weapons before leaving the house.
    The spymaster had taken up residence on the third floor of a low-rent apartment in the Southwerk area, near the bawdy houses. He'd picked a particularly defensible location. The only way up to his place was a narrow staircase that went up the side of the building and was in view of the rest of the street.
    I had to assume the assassins lived within a stone's throw of the spy-master, a man whose name I had yet to uncover, because, as he'd said, they would know if I tried to come for him.
    Finding the spymaster hadn't been that difficult. His English dripped with a Moscow accent. I canvassed the local grocers, asking if any foreigners bought excessive amounts of cabbage, a staple of the Moscow diet. When I'd lived in the capital, my Muscovite relatives often served cabbage-based soups for three meals a day. The only way to tell the difference between them was by the quality of meat, or lack thereof, since breakfast was served cold and with only vegetables.
    I told the grocer, when I found the one the spymaster visited, that I was a relative from his homeland wanting to surprise him so he wouldn't inform the spymaster of my presence. Following him back to his apartment without being noticed was difficult. Then in my free time, I watched the apartment, noting the spymaster's comings and goings, hoping to get a glimpse of the assassins.
    My lack of success with identifying them was the only thing staying my