by Jessica Gunn
A thousand puzzle pieces, misshapen and broken, slid into place.
One or both of these guys must have been involved in Kian’s capture and subsequent torture at the hands of Talon. And since they both had spoken so easily about the assassins group and Mason…
Shit.
“You will not,” Kian said. His voice was angry but unwavering. “Unless you’ve got coin to trade or something equally as valuable, we’ll be delivering her to Talon ourselves.”
At this, both demons laughed. Kane banged his fist on the table like Kian’s words were the funniest thing he’d ever heard.
“Not sitting here, you won’t,” Kane said. “They don’t play with the small fishes.”
But as the words passed Kane’s lips, the front door to Talon’s Drum whipped open, smacking against the inside wall. In walked a man in the red and violet armor of Talon, but he was also adorned with a billowing cloak made from deep red that draped over his shoulders and down his back. His salt-and-pepper hair was cut short, making the hard lines of his face pronounced and unattractive. He had small eyes, but they shone with the burgundy of a demon. A long scar ran down over his lips, chin, down along his neck and beneath the neck of the cloak.
A few gasps descended before silence did. The demon man’s boots sounded like thunder cracking against the creaky wood in the silence that fell over the crowd like a dense fog.
Kane and his friend stepped away from our table and he dropped the chain from his hands. It smacked against the hitching post holding Will and me in place.
The demon man in the cloak crossed the first floor of Talon’s Drum and headed straight for our table. I should have dropped my eyes again, fell into the act, but I couldn’t find myself able to do anything but focus in on the golden emblem pinned to the top corner of the man’s cloak: a set of scales made from an upright cobra and in each scale, a drop of poison. A platinum halo circled the outside of the emblem and caught the nearby firelight from the fire.
“Leave us,” said the demon man as he came to a stop at our table. Kane and his friend immediately excused themselves and made for the front door. The demon man watched them go with a lamenting sort of expression. “Why have you come here?”
A few moments passed with no answer. That was when I realized he was talking to me.
“Like I had a choice,” I snapped. It was harder to lie to this demon man for some reason. Like it was obvious he’d know the truth.
His eyes narrowed minutely before glancing at Brian and Kian. “I heard word of two bumbling humans traveling into my city with an Ember witch and Veynix’s pet. Which is crazy, I thought.” He drew over an extra chair and sat down at our table, crossing his arms at his chest. His cloak fell around the chair, as relaxed as he seemed to be. “I just had to come down and see for myself.”
Brian’s expression didn’t waver. If he recognized this man from Hydron agent reports, he didn’t show any signs of it. “What’s your offer?”
The demon man cracked a smile. “Offer?” He turned his head toward the closest table. “These men want me to make an offer.” He laughed, and so did the entire room.
A sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach told me we had missed something crucial. Or that Brian had. But when I looked at Kian, his paling face was answer enough. He did recognize this man, which revealed he must have been a member of Talon. And the platinum ring on his emblem…
Fuck.
This man was Jerrick. He had to be. The way his presence commanded silence. The fear in Kane’s and his friend’s eyes. The way he’d made fun of Brian demanding an offer be made on Will and me.
Jerrick. Previous right-hand to Lady Azar. Now ruler of Landshaft and the Trade. Of Talon.
He was here.
Recognition shone for a fleeting moment in Brian’s eyes, but he recovered quickly, immediately realizing his mistake. “For the Ember witch, at least,” Brian said. “He’s already been exposed to your program’s poison.”
Jerrick tilted his head, considering Brian’s words. His eyes narrowed as he ran his tongue along his lips. He straightened in his chair and leaned over the table, pressing his fingers against the wood. “What you’re saying is that you’re happily returning one of our soldiers free of charge. And I’ll tell you what, I really do appreciate that. Thank you. Especially from a human. I wasn’t sure you were capable of such loyalty when handing in a member of your own species.”
The crowd laughed again. Nothing about this was funny.
Brian swallowed whatever he really wanted to say. “Of course.”
Jerrick’s gaze traveled from Brian to Kian, who hadn’t so much as uttered a response. “And you…” He smiled slowly, cruelly. “I’m confused as to why you’d willingly walk into the city. You of all people should know you wouldn’t receive coin for this delivery.”
Kian’s jaw worked, but he lifted his eyes to Jerrick. “Can’t blame a guy for hoping. Demon’s Blood is pretty hard to find these days. Figured I’d come straight to the source.”
“You’re the reason it’s hard to find,” Jerrick volleyed back. “Maybe you learned your lesson a little too hard last time you were with Talon. I think we can do something about that.” Jerrick snapped his fingers over his shoulders. Four demons appeared at his side. “Seize him.”
Kian’s eyes flashed wide as the four brutes—overkill, really—violently yanked Kian from his seat and clamped handcuffs onto both his hands, holding them behind his back, immobile.
No! I knew we’d be separated—Kian being bait was his own plan—but I didn’t think it’d be so soon.
“Where are you taking my partner?” Brian asked.
Jerrick waved him off. “We’ll return him to you, if you want him that badly. But some debts need to first be repaid.”
Debts, my ass. They were going to hurt him again. Kill him, maybe. While Autumn Fire was reserved for magik-users, normal, everyday humans could be turned into demons too. Was that what they were going to do to Kian?
He’d hate himself.
The four demons escorted him out of the building, though their version of escort was to pull him along, feet scraping along the floor, as Kian gritted his teeth.
Jerrick crossed his arms once more. “As for you, pet,” he said as his burgundy gaze fell upon me the way one might look at a treasure you’d never be able to afford. “I know Mason will be very happy to see you here, though he may be upset over the prospect of his own hunt of you being cut short. He’s so much like his previous master that way.”
“You’re not taking them without some sort of compensation on my part,” Brian argued.
Shut up! I called to him in my thoughts. He couldn’t hear me. He had to know he was playing with fire by demanding so much from Jerrick. Yet there he went, doing it anyway.
“You’re one persistent fool, aren’t you?” Jerrick asked.
A few other demons had closed in on the table, all wearing Talon’s uniformed armor. Jerrick reached beneath his cloak, into a pocket on his armor, and retrieved a tiny, red leather drawstring pouch, and tossed it onto the table.
“If you’re in need of coin this badly, perhaps you’re in even more dire a situation than I’ve given you credit for,” Jerrick said. “Walking into Landshaft as a human, loitering inside Talon’s Drum without making a single trade arrangement. Demanding an offer from me. Take this pittance and leave my city tonight before your welcome brand has worn off. And if you ever enter the city again, I’ll have the guard kill you on sight. That is my offer to you, human.”
Jerrick reached over and yanked the chain linking Will and me off the post. We stumbled toward him to compensate.
Take it and leave. If Brian could use this as a way out, it’d be one less person we’d have to ensure the safety of later. And since Kian had one of the syringes, it wouldn’t be a total loss.
My eyes flitted to Will, who was watching the entire scene with wide, scared eyes. I nudged him with my knuckles beneath the table, out of Jerrick’s line of sight. He glanced my way and I no
dded almost imperceptibly.
If Jerrick took us both, we wouldn’t be separated. Not right away.
I hoped.
“Fine,” Brian said. He reached across the table and grabbed the pouch. He opened it and glanced at the handful of Landshaft coins inside. He’d have to find a place to trade that in while still inside Landshaft—not that he had use for it anyway. “Good luck with the woman. She’s a firecracker.”
I bit my lip to keep from smiling. Firecracker. Brian used to call me that, his nickname for me when we’d been dating. He was trying to let me know he wouldn’t be going far.
“Good to know,” Jerrick said, sounding not glad at all. “Leave. You have twenty minutes.”
Brian nodded and stood, then made for the front door to Talon’s Drum. Before he passed through it completely, he turned back and made eye contact with me. He nodded once, reassurance on his face despite the wealth of demons watching him.
We’d get out of this—somehow.
I just had to remember that Jerrick buying us and Kian being used as bait had all been part of the plan.
This was all part of the plan.
Jerrick turned back to Will and me. Will straightened next to me, his body going rigid. I met Jerrick’s stare with all the fire I had inside of me.
“Now,” Jerrick said, “let’s see about bringing you into the fold, shall we?”
Chapter 25
Despite his tough demeanor in Talon’s Drum, Jerrick wasn’t vicious about bringing us outside the pub and doubling-up on the chains around our wrists and ankles. I’d expected him to be malicious toward me and Will, especially since he seemed to know who I was and what had transpired between Veynix and me. Although I was beginning to suspect that everyone in Talon knew what had happened in the same way the other Hunters in the Fire Circle did: everyone was aware something had transpired, but no one had all the details, never mind correct ones.
“One last thing before we go,” Jerrick said. “I’m aware that appearances back there might have been deceiving.” He looked at me in particular when he spoke. As if he’d seen through everything. “I’m also aware another Hunter addicted to Demon’s Blood assisted you, Christine, in your attempts to take down Veynix. I would be remiss to not acknowledge the coincidence that Mr. Farley was also in your presence today, given the history he has with my organization.”
I didn’t give him a single inch as I stood there staring at him. So he knew about Kian and me—whatever. It was a risk we’d willingly taken. But there was no chance at all that any of the demons here knew why we’d come. Not the real reason. And how many others knew who the other members of my team were on sight? The connection between Brian and me was sure to be indecipherable.
“Speak,” Jerrick said, his commanding tone back. He tugged on the chain. “I know you aren’t mute. Neither are you, witch.”
“I’m holding my tongue so I don’t say anything I regret,” Will spat out.
Jerrick chuckled at that, but I knew better. Will had always been colorful with words, especially in defense of me. He was keeping quiet to keep from inviting a beating—or worse.
“My name is Ava,” I said. “Not Christine.”
“Hmm. Interesting.” He touched his free hand to my cheek as if we were significantly more acquainted. I shuddered, pulling away, but didn’t get far. He held a much tighter grip on the chains than Brian ever did. “Requirem. Can’t have the old one wearing off, can we?” He did the same to Will, then said, “Shall we?”
Like we have a choice.
A teleportante later found us inside another dimly-lit space. But instead of torches or lanterns, this place had actual lights, small and dirt-covered. A wooden floor creaked beneath our feet even louder here than at Talon’s Drum as Jerrick pulled Will and me along down narrowed corridors. Some of the walls had the same wood paneling as the floor, but others were made from sheets of metal or actual plaster. Like the entire ramshackle structure had been under renovation a number of times, none of them actually completed. A dirty, musty smell followed us around, as if nothing really ever got clean here.
A low, undulating sound permeated the doorways we passed in waves. Like groaning or crying or… wailing. The other prisoners.
I gulped. What were the chances that Jerrick had taken Will and me directly to the main storage facility of magik-users for Autumn Fire? It was only a week or two away at this point. Another fourteen days and we’d both be demons right along with the rest of them. Mason was sure to order Will’s full transformation. And me? Well, I guessed that depended on how Mason or Jerrick were feeling when the time came.
Finally, Jerrick stopped outside one of the many doors in the hall. My heart stopped.
What was on the other side?
After unlocking the door with a key I hadn’t even seen Jerrick produce, he pushed it open. I couldn’t tell how big the room was on the inside, only that when dim light from the hallway hit the darkness, the only thing revealed was the front portion of a cage. Metal bars surrounded the space, holding in only one other person. It was too dark to see if that person hiding at the back of the cell, swathed in shadows, was a demon or not.
“In,” Jerrick said, motioning toward the doorway. Irritation creased his brow. I wondered how often Jerrick was in charge of imprisoning new trades. Maybe Will and I were too special of a circumstance for Mason to risk charging to anyone else.
Which led to another question: If all of these doors each had some number of prisoners behind them, how in the hell did they keep all of these magik-users contained?
Sure, the Trade probably had enough demons to walk around and requirem everyone on some sort of schedule, but that seemed an unlikely course of action. For one thing, the length of time requirem lasted on any one person was different than the next one. There wasn’t really a rhyme or reason to it. So unless they really did send in demons to use the word-magik on everyone every couple of hours—impractical—they had to be using some other method.
Will and I exchanged a weary look. Why was this person kept away from all the others?
“Let’s go,” Jerrick said. He produced a stick from his hip that I swear I’d seen before. Only when he pressed one end of it into Will’s stomach did I remember the horrific details. Ether sprung to life at the tip of the stick, essentially electrocuting Will with magik energy.
Ether sticks. I’d only ever heard of those being used in the Ether Head Circle, specifically at Ether Circle Prison.
Will yelped and jumped forward toward the cell. I followed with Jerrick close behind me.
Jerrick paused to look at the person in the cell. From this close distance, I realized it was a woman huddled in the corner, her knees up to her chest. She was maybe Will’s and my age, possibly younger. Or maybe that was just the way she was cowering, all dirty and scared.
Jerrick waved his hand over the bars and a wall of energy dropped—an ether shield like the one that had encompassed Midnight’s ring three months ago, trapping Kian and me inside. And like the dome over the city of Landshaft.
With the shield down, Jerrick produced another key that unlocked the cell door, and he shoved Will and me inside. Within another few moments, the cell was locked again, ether shield in place.
So that was how they kept the magik-users in place in between requirem hits.
Jerrick reached up above him on his way back out into the hallway, pulling on a string. A click sounded and a light came on above us, illuminating the twenty-foot by fifteen-foot room. The cage only took up a third of the space.
“Behave,” Jerrick said. “Or I will murder your friend, Christine. If Mason wanted to reclaim him for the program, he would have by now.”
“Then why keep us alive?” I asked.
Jerrick looked at me over his shoulder, an evil gleam in his eye. “Because if it keeps him happy and on target, Mason can have all the revenge he wants.”
“War with the Neuians is suicide,” I shouted.
“He knows.” The quiet response came
from the woman on the floor of the cage. She lifted her head long enough to add, “But it won’t be his life that paves the way, so he no longer cares.”
“Stop reading me,” Jerrick spat, then slammed the door behind him. The force of it shook the cage bars and the light fixture on the ceiling.
But for the moment, Jerrick was gone.
Will grabbed my shoulders, jolting me from whatever dark reverie I’d fallen into. “What the hell was Brian thinking?”
“That his plan would work.” I reached up to pry Will’s fingers loose, but he held on. “Will.”
He blinked and let go, then stood there, hands at his sides. After a moment, he shook his head and wrapped his arms around me. “This is dumb. Now we’re trapped here and we’re going to die and—”
“I doubt it’s your fault,” said the young woman on the floor. Her central European accent was thick.
Will pulled back from me to glare at her. “Excuse me?”
“They’re demons,” she said. “They do what they want, when they want. Especially Talon. So even if you came here of your own accord to… what was it… kill Mason Whitmore, the fact you got captured isn’t really your fault. Or your companion’s. It’s theirs for poisoning you in the first place with the Ember serum that’s been going around.”
Will’s jaw slid open. Suspicion narrowed his eyes. “What in the hell are you going on about?”
“The truth,” she said simply, her voice even. She was sitting up even straighter now that Jerrick was no longer in the room, at least from what I could see of her. Her eyes were still blanketed in shadows despite the new lighting.
I turned to face her, placing Will behind me. Which was sort of a joke because had our magik been intact, Will would hands down outpower me. But without access to our powers, I was all that stood between Will and this mysterious woman.
“Who are you?” I asked.
Her head shifted in the shadows, allowing light to reveal her chin, nose, and cheekbones, her eyes only just still hidden. “A prisoner just like you.”
“Why are you in this cage alone and not with the others, then?” Will asked.
