“This is definitely valuable. People will kill for this, a lot of people will.” She tapped the box. “After that message Dolos gave, if I swallow this and become…’Bonded...I’ll be a target too. People will know.”
“That’s true. It’s up to you what you do with it. Maybe you could hide it until you can use it, or you could sell it. It’s up to you.”
Suddenly, Max walked in, quietly but in a hurry. “I think someone is outside,” he whispered.
“Someone is always outside, we live in a city,” Reesi said.
“No, watching. I thought I heard the door jiggle too.”
“What?” My heart rate sped up.
Reesi put a hand on my arm and asked her husband, “Did you see anything?”
“I think I saw Jackals colors.”
All the blood drained from Reesi’s face. I didn’t understand what was going on, but the signs of fear were unmistakable. Keeping my footsteps quiet, I darted to a window, then another. At the third window I saw a flash of movement in an alley, a ganger’s back as she ran away. I was pretty sure she’d been a Jackal.
I moved back to the kitchen, where Max was holding his club again, and Reesi’s hand rested on the stock of her crossbow. “I saw someone, but I’m not sure.”
“Oh, rotting hells,” swore Max.
“Are they looking for me, even after all this time?” I couldn’t believe it. Running into a group of Jackals that remembered me would have probably been bad, but people staking out Reesi’s house hadn’t been something I’d figured on, and it didn’t make sense. Actually, my original plan had just been to leave the money and take off, so none of this should have even been an issue.
“They aren’t just watching me. This wasn’t about you, but now it might be.” Reesi ran her fingers through her hair in dismay.
“This is not making sense to me.”
“Things have changed since you’ve been away, Nora. The gangs have gotten bad, nasty. They prey on regular people now. Most of the other gangs are gone now, all that’s left is the Wyverns, the Jackals, and the Serpents.”
“Well, I’m pretty sure the broad I saw was a Jackal.”
“They are the worst now,” said Max. “The Jackals and the Wyverns are more or less the same group now.”
“That’s impossible,” I said, shaking my head. “The Wyverns and the Jackals hate each other.”
“Maybe in the past, but now they’re thick as sisters,” said Reesi. I was suddenly reminded of my first mother’s story, of the two women she’d described that had threatened her, the ones who’d sounded like they’d been wearing Jackals and Wyverns’ colors.
“We think that they’re involved with the disappearances too, but nobody can prove anything,” added Max.
I crossed my arms. “What?”
“The disappearances around town for the last year now,” explained Reesi. “People just go missing at night.”
I suddenly got a premonition, a feeling in my gut that my friend was in great danger. Only a fool ignored their instincts, so I made a decision. “Reesi, Max, I want you to take the money I gave you and get out of town. Don’t take any more than a half hour to pack, and leave right away. Before you go, fill me in on what has happened, and what is going on with the gangs, but then fire feet.”
Reesi blinked at me. “This is my home. I can’t do that.”
“Yes you can. Just go to Mensk. I’ll join you there and make sure everything is okay. I will take full responsibility, but right now, you need to escape.”
Max searched my eyes, then looked at the bank note on the table. His eyebrows rose, then he turned to Reesi. “It’s not like we’re burning this place down. Maybe we should do as your friend said. It’s better safe than sorry, right?” He hefted his club for emphasis. “The entire area has been getting more dangerous, and we’ve started worrying about the gangs, so maybe this is the best time.”
“But everything we own—”
“Your life can’t be replaced,” I said. Now that I knew there was real danger, and that I’d probably been spotted, I felt a sense of urgency growing, crawling up my spine.
“Actually, I don’t want to be rude, but if anyone is after us, won’t they just follow?” asked Max.
“This is where I can help.” I gave Reesi a level look. “What feels like a lifetime ago, you went out on a limb to help me and to protect me. It’s time for me to repay the favor, but you need to tell me what kind of rotten insanity has taken hold of this city first. I kind of have a plan, but I would like a quick overview first.”
“Okay, let’s say I do this, that I tell you what you want to know, and then leave?” she asked. “What will you do then?”
“Well, if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s making a distraction.” I smiled grimly.
Old Roads
Night fell as I walked across Bittertown, heading through the industrial district toward my destination. I’d chosen this route on purpose, both because it was the most direct way, and also because I would easily be seen. The fact that any pursuit would have a hard time staying hidden had been an added bonus.
I was definitely being followed. Good.
Before I’d left, I’d decided to show as little of my power as I could get away with. Dying for the sake of misdirection would be rotting stupid, but I wanted to keep most of my abilities as a surprise, especially flying. I wasn’t sure how long I’d be in town for, and I might need to do some surveillance, or sneak up on people while I was here. This would be much easier to do if my enemies didn’t know to look up.
Part of my reason for coming to Bittertown had been to find Hesst Nimal, the Jackal leader that my first mother had described, along with the Wyvern officer, Gretch Yim. Hesst had a very distinctive scar on one cheek, and my mother had gotten all the other details perfect too. The scarred woman had always been one of Lisa’s loyalists. And according to Reesi, Lisa had left town, rumored to be in Mensk now, and Hesst led the Jackals.
Hesst had never been popular among most of my Jackals sisters I’d respected, so I’d had a hard time believing this news at first. Then Reesi had grimly informed me that all the women I’d been close to had either died, left town, or had disappeared over the years.
This meant I had no friends in the Jackals anymore, not that I had really expected to. The revelation had still made me sad, though. Part of me felt like a traitor now, at odds with the old crew. Unfortunately, Reesi’s revelations hadn’t ended there.
Not only had the leadership changed, Bittertown had too. The Guard were practically nowhere to be found—rumor had it they were all paid off or had more important things to do. Bittertown’s industry had sagged for a decade, so the capital didn’t waste resources on a dying coastal town.
All the businesses in town paid protection fees now, and most skirmishes between gangs were a thing of the past. The only fights now were between the Serpents and everyone else. In the past, most of the fights I’d participated in while I’d been a Jackal had mostly been for fun, non-lethal most of the time; now they were all deadly serious. Restraint and honor were relics among the gangers.
The three gangs left in Bittertown were the Jackals, Wyverns, and Serpents. Since I needed to get to the bottom of what was going on, I could assume the Jackals would be enemies, and they were allied with the Wyverns; this meant I had to seek out the Serpents.
My pursuit caught me before I made it to the area the Serpents controlled. When they made their move, they’d probably finally figured out where I was going and decided to box me in...on Tanner Street.
Even as shadowy figures moved from alleyways to block my path, I shook my head. Of all the places to have this kind of confrontation after I’d returned to Bittertown, what were the odds it would happen here? I could never forget this street. Just a stone’s throw away, my entire life had changed, and I’d been forced to kill my best friend.
I didn’t react to the forces spilling out on the street, trapping me. Instead, I glanced around, taking in how things
had changed. “Wow, this place is a rot pit,” I said out loud. Glittering eyes watched me as I turned full circle, but other than an invisible shroud of thickened air I placed around myself, I paid them no mind. I knew how these things worked. Unless I tried to escape, pushed the issue, nobody would make a move until one of the bitches in charge came out to posture. Posture, that was a good word. I think I’d learned that one from Sergeant Major Rakles.
The buildings were definitely looking even worse than the last time I’d been on this awful street. Tall walls made of stone and brick on both sides of the street rose into the sky, but chunks were missing in places, signs of wear. Tanner Street was one of the roads that had connected the turf of the Bittertown gangers, so the place had never exactly been full of people, but now I barely even saw a shutter twitch. I didn’t even see any rats moving.
After a quick glance, I realized that one end of the street was blocked by Jackals, and the other side by Wyverns. Even if they were working together, that was probably smart of them. There wouldn’t be any accidents this way and leadership would be clear. I went back to ignoring them and looking around.
Maybe the rot had always been here, or had been growing while I still lived in Bittertown and I hadn’t seen it before—it was all on full display now, though. Strangely, I was reminded of Dingeramat, the ancient dungeon that had almost killed me. Bittertown felt dead and dangerous now, a layer of dust over evil.
“Nora Hazard! You have some stomach to come back!” The shout had come from the Jackals side of the street.
I glanced up and rolled my eyes at the speaker. The ratty ganger wasn’t much more than a girl, and definitely not someone with the rank to start the official trash talk that would lead to a public execution like they were spinning up for. Jackals hadn’t used to do this sort of thing, only the bad gangs had. I felt another pang of loss as I continued to study the girl.
She had short, dark hair, a long face, and the wild eyes that I remembered on Yvadne. Yes, this one was spoiling for a fight, and probably enjoyed killing.
A part of me was surprised that the other Jackals weren’t pulling her back and shutting her up. At the very least, they should be concerned for her.
Since Reesi had worked as a fence off and on for the gangs until about a year ago when things got really bad, she was still knowledgeable about the rumor mill. She’d told me the Bittertown gangers swapped stories that I was orb-Bonded now—and I’d had a reputation before that. And yet, nobody grabbed the mouthy girl to pull her back to safety. Instead they all watched silently, faces like stone.
For me, the Jackals had always been a family. Yes, it could be a rough life, and yes, there had been a few people I hated, but most of us had cared for each other. Things had definitely changed. These weren’t Jackals, they were just thugs in matching leathers.
Part of me mourned, even as familiar anger grew between my shoulder blades. “Who are you, and how are you qualified to talk to me, girl?” I shot back.
“I am Thest Hallawall, Jackal! Four enemies have died to my club and shivs!” She lifted her arms, and the gangers on both sides of the street blockade knocked their weapons against each other in applause.
“A whole four, huh?” I said, and her smile fell. Part of me wondered if I should just fly away, if this confrontation was even worth it, but I dismissed the thought. From what Reesi had told me, the whole town had gone to rot, and the gangs, at least the Jackals and Wyverns, were the reason why. The Guard was nowhere to be found, even more sparse than usual because of an upcoming Berber crown ceremony. Regular people were on their own. No, running wouldn’t be right.
And I really hated bullies.
“Maybe you will be the fifth!” shouted Thest.
“What’s stopping you? I’m right here. Walk forward, girl.” Both sides of the street grew deathly quiet after my challenge. What had they expected? This was exactly why the rank and file should have kept their mouth shut until one of the leaders had shown up to send them all at me at once.
Finally, one of Thest’s friends reached out, trying to pull her back as she visibly grew more agitated. She eventually brushed them off, stalking forward. “Fine! If you are in that fucking big of a hurry to die, I will help you to the rotting afterlife!” She drew her club.
“No, get back here, Thest!” hissed one of the Jackals behind her.
“I’ve never seen this bitch before, but I didn’t see any words. My left eye is blank. She ain’t no rotting ‘Bonded. Trash her, she’s dead now.” The angry woman angrily waved away her friend’s words.
I cocked an eyebrow. So they didn’t know about Duanna orbs. That was fair, most people didn’t.
This coming fight would be a comical mis-match of power. I was third-rank orb-Bonded. A single young woman armed with a stick and a bad attitude was just not much of a threat to me anymore. On the other hand, these people were very serious about killing me, and I had heard of vague atrocities around the city. The people who’d been going missing were said to be tied to the gangs as well.
To keep my conscience clear, I warned, “If you attack me, I will defend myself.”
The hot-headed Jackal just growled in response, closing with me and feinting for my head. It was a good opening, and I mentally nodded. This Thest was a skilled fighter—maybe she’d been compared to my reputation over the years. Maybe she wanted to test herself, or maybe she was just insane. Either way, she was trying to kill me now while I was unarmed.
Rot that.
I took a step back, putting myself barely within the other woman’s range. On Thest’s next swing, I darted forward to grab her wrist, lowering my center of gravity as I moved forward. Then I drew Vistvis, and with a tiny flex of Vibration power, I planted the dagger into the Jackal’s skull.
I pulled the blade free as she fell, wrenching the corpse’s head while I did so. I let the body fall behind me before turning to wipe my blade off on the dead woman’s clothing.
After standing again, I sheathed Vistvis and glared around me. “Who’s next?”
Silence rang on Tanner Street, and a gentle, cold breeze blew a piece of refuse down a gutter. Suddenly, someone began to clap, the sound starting slowly and speeding up as an older woman walked out from the Jackals side. “I knew you’d give us a show, Nora. That was very well done though. I will admit, I didn’t expect you to get even better during your time away. Thest never even had a chance.” She chuckled.
I recognized her, and her casual attitude about another Jackal dying still rubbed me the wrong way, even after witnessing first-hand how far they’d fallen. “So good of you to show yourself, Sadie. I thought if you were around, you would have waited for me to kill another few girls before you’d pull your rotting carcass out here. But I don’t care about you, a small fish. Where is Lisa, or Hesst?”
“They don’t need to be concerned about the likes of you,” she said with a nasty grin, eyes tightening. “In fact, we even came prepared in case you were orb-Bonded. That might have been wasted effort, but as you just showed, you are still one dangerous broad.” She sniggered and gestured. I suddenly noticed the strange devices, boxes placed on the buildings near both formations of enemies. At the same time, fighters stepped aside, revealing a group of crossbow-wielding gangers. Three cloaked figures also sprang up, unnaturally clinging to lantern poles and walls.
Uh oh, I thought. My hand went to Vistvis again and with a pulse of Vibration, I opened communication with the ancient Areva woman. Any thoughts? I mentally projected. It took a lot of concentration to talk to Vistvis this way, but I didn’t want to speak out loud.
Facts, please, I thought tersely.
Huh?
Oh yeah. My eyes darted around, noting similarities between the gangers and the cultists I’d fought before. Actually, now I remembered Yvadne’s crazed ramblings about dark gods, too. I slowly settled my gaze on Sadie. “What in the rotting hells have you done?” I felt sick to my stomach as things I’d noticed, and some of my experiences, all clicked into place.
“Whatever do you mean, disgraced, criminal outcast?” asked the older woman. She was obviously enjoying this. I’d known she was part of Lisa’s camp before, but this hate seemed personal.
“Some of you are wearing symbols you shouldn’t be. The Jackals were always a family now. What are you now? A fucked-up church? There are people climbing on walls, woman. Open your eyes! Look at what you’ve become!” I couldn’t keep the passion out of my voice, and I swept my eyes over all the Jackals, but their gazes were stony. The fact that I’d just killed one of them probably wasn’t working in my favor.
Sadie sighed theatrically. “Have you ever heard the saying, ‘It is better to rule in hell than serve in heaven,’ Nora?”
I swallowed at the admission, made in public no less. The rot went deeper than I ever could have imagined. The Jackals, once my family, were now cultists serving dark gods of some sort, at least this group was—maybe all of them now.
One of the hooded figures clinging to a wall spoke, a man. “You should not play with her. She killed White Darkness outside Soron. Great Asag demands her blood.”
Sadie bowed, her voice somewhat respectful, but I could still hear the edges of sneer she suppressed. “She is not ‘Bonded, just a Jackal traitor. We have nothing to fear.”
Yeah I got that. I took my hand off the dagger. Vistvis has been right about one thing; standing around waiting for my enemies to make the rules was not ideal. I was ready to attack when I heard a new voice, another that I recognized.
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