To Sir Lucas, a veteran whose instincts had kept him alive through countless ambushes, the man appeared out of nowhere.
There was no sound of footsteps, no displacement of air.
One second, the alley entrance was clear, and the next, an aristocratic stranger was strolling past them.
"Hey!" Sir Boris barked, stepping forward to block the stranger's path, his massive hand raising to physically halt the man. "This alley is closed by order of the Marquess. Turn around, citizen."
The man in the hat did not stop.
He did not break his smooth, hypnotic stride.
He simply continued walking, passing directly between the massive frame of Sir Boris and the estate guards holding the prisoner.
It took less than a fraction of a second.
It was a movement so fast, so impossibly fluid, that the human eye could not register the kinetic action.
It looked as though the man had simply walked past them without lifting a finger.
But Seraphina saw it.
