Crowd of thousands

Larten approached the building boldly, as if he was one of the tenants.
There weren’t many people on the street at that time of night and those who
saw him didn’t spare him a second glance. He paused at the front door and
made quick work of the lock, employing the skills he’d learnt from a stage
magician called Merletta many decades before. Once inside it was a simple
case of following his nose — every person had a unique scent and even
after so long apart he could have picked out Alicia’s from a crowd of
thousands.

He stood for a long time outside her door, afraid to knock. He had no
idea how she might react. Would she scream, faint, attack him? Larten had
faced many dangers in his life, but he’d seldom felt as nervous as he did
that night.

Finally, knowing he’d never find the courage to face her if he didn’t act
now, he knocked three times and waited, removing his cap and scarf as he
was standing there. It took Alicia a while to answer – it was late and she had
been preparing for bed – but eventually she opened the door a crack and
peered at him suspiciously. “Can I help you, monsieur?”

***

The Saga of Larten Crepsley: Palace of the Damned, Chapter 21