Lost Vegas Series

by Lizzy Ford

  Did she even have any family elsewhere? Did Aveline have aunts, uncles, cousins, or grandparents searching for her somewhere? If she did, and they were outside the city, did it matter? Aveline had no desire to remain outside the city and possessed little curiosity about her mother’s people. The passing thought about asking her father who her mother’s tribe was left without leaving a flicker of regret.

  She had never known her mother and idolized her father, who raised her to follow him into the criminal underworld of Lost Vegas. She had never desired anything else, not even now, on her first journey outside the city.

  She began to drift into slumber. A faint thumping sounded at the edge of her mind. At first, its steady rhythm lulled her deeper into sleep. But soon, it grew louder and shifted from the recesses of her thoughts to the center, where it began to pound against her brain. A second rhythm joined it.

  Aveline awoke fully, and the sounds faded once more. She closed her eyes and slid back into sleep, and the pounding returned. Her body flushed with fever, and she tossed and turned, trapped between sleep and consciousness.

  “Avi,” Rocky called.

  She snapped awake. Disoriented, Aveline looked around her. She was about to lecture him for waking her up in the middle of the night, when she realized dawn lined the eastern sky. This time, the strange pattering in her head remained after she woke. The longer she listened for some sort of pattern in the sounds, she soon realized there were three separate rhythms, each with its own individual pattern.

  “You all right?”

  She twisted towards Rocky’s voice. He and Jose appeared awake and were readying their horses. Embarrassed to be the one holding them up, especially in front of Jose, she rose. Her head felt woolly, and she was still sweating.

  “Fine,” she mumbled.

  Rocky peered at her. “You ill?”

  “Slept terrible,” she replied. “I think there was a rock in the middle of my back all night long.”

  He nodded without appearing convinced.

  “I’m not used to horses,” Jose said. He was holding his reins and gazing at his horse with a grimace. “Anyone else sore?”

  “Yes!” Aveline and Rocky chorused.

  The incessant, erratic tapping baffled her. She surveyed their surroundings but was unable to identify the cause of the strange sound reverberating around her skull. Then again, she did not fully expect to see a source outside her head, for it sounded as if it came from inside her mind.

  How is that possible? She shook her head.

  “Meal bar?” Jose asked sheepishly and approached, holding out one of the bemoaned foodstuffs to each of them.

  “I need real food,” Rocky said acidly and snatched his.

  “Thanks,” Aveline said with a smile. Jose held her gaze a tad too long, long enough for both of them to flush, before he turned away.

  If Rocky noticed the glances they sneaked at one another, he said nothing. Jose’s attention, however brief the exchange, caused Aveline’s body to flush warmer and cleared her mind.

  “It’s warm today,” she complained and tugged off her cloak. She rolled up her sleeves as well and un-tucked her shirt. She pulled on her boots with reluctance, feeling as if she would explode if she could not remove more items of clothing instead of adding to her discomfort.

  She finished tying the second boot and paused.

  The ground was frozen beneath a thin layer of snow and the air chilly enough for her breath to rise in white puffs towards the sky. Yet the back of her neck was damp with sweat, and beads of moisture tickled the sensitive skin of her chest and back.

  She straightened and rested the back of her hand against her forehead. Her skin was warmer than usual. She was uninjured, and she was not experiencing the same symptoms of illness she expected from flu or cold season in the city. She was hot and of course, the thumping had not stopped. Otherwise, she felt fine. Was the world beyond the city’s limits making her sick?

  I hate nature, she thought.

  “Avi!” Rocky called again.

  She shook out her arms and legs then stretched. She had gone to bed feeling sore from two days of horseback riding and awoken with burning thighs, aching core, and some other sort of illness she hoped subsided once she was back in the city.

  Aveline mounted and ate her breakfast bar.

  The three of them began at a slow walk through the hilly terrain making up the short distance remaining between them and the forests east of the city.

  A quarter of a mile from their camp, one of the pattering sensations in her mind fell away, though the two original sources remained. It was not until another mile from camp that she heard the third rhythm return.

  Her instincts tickled her senses, and she studied the hills to her right. If she had not known better, she would have guessed the tapping came from that direction. As she listened, the new rhythm slowed and became steady, much like a …

  Heartbeat?

  That’s insane, she thought. The closer she listened to the sounds, the more they resembled three distinct heartbeats. As a chorus, it was chaotic, adding to her misery. For several hours, she dwelt on the sounds. The third rhythm came and went often yet remained in the same general direction, either flanking them to the right of their path or ahead and to the right. She monitored the movement without understanding what or who was tracking them or even if that was what the tapping indicated.

  A mile or two away from the forest, Rocky and Jose began to talk, disrupting her focus.

  “So these guys know we’re coming?” Rocky was asking Jose.

  “They do. They should have spotted us the first night,” Jose asked.

  “Then they’re okay with us being here, or we’d be dead.”

  “Not necessarily.”

  Aveline nudged her horse closer to the two men ahead of her. “What do you mean?”

  “They tend to attack on their territory. If they’re not happy I brought an escort, we’ll know by noon, when we enter the forest,” Jose explained. “But don’t worry. I’ve never had problems with them over anything. Once they take an oath, they keep it, so long as we do, and they’ve guaranteed my safety.”

  “I hope that extends to us.” Rocky reached for one of his weapons and positioned it closer to his dominant hand. Aveline did the same and eyed the forest.

  “Does anyone know you trade with the city’s enemies?” she asked.

  “Not really,” Jose said and cleared his throat. “No one asks. But the Diné have the most advanced electrical infrastructure of anyone within five hundred miles. It makes sense to trade with them, when we need materials to maintain the city’s grid. In exchange, we, uh …” he cleared his throat. “We kind of provide their electricity, too.”

  Aveline laughed. “This had to be Mohammed’s idea!” she exclaimed, tickled by the idea of the Hanover’s unwittingly providing direct support to their sworn enemies. It did not seem possible for a man like Tiana’s father not to notice. If he were running the city, and obsessed with burning people, he probably did not have time to ask too many questions, she reasoned.

  “It was,” Jose confirmed. “We have better metal-smithing capabilities in the city. When the Diné need specific parts, we can make them. But we need the material, which is not cheap or readily available within the confines of our city. The Diné are master tradesmen and they have natural resources unlike anything the city could possibly dream of having. The relationship just kind of works.”

  “Sounds mad to me,” Rocky said. “Especially since the inner city has no electricity at all.”

  “The Hanover’s have never made the inner city a priority,” Jose admitted. “But I don’t know that you want them to. Edwin Hanover’s attention brings only death and ashes.”

  “What an ass,” Aveline murmured. “How can one man control an entire city anyway?”

  “He’s dangerous.”

  “But so are a lot of men. And yet only this man’s family rules over everything. One man controlling people I can understand
. My father was amazing,” she said. “But a dynasty? How does it survive?”

  “They’re all mad,” Rocky assessed.

  I have to agree there, Aveline thought. As the only person among them who had met all three of the Hanover’s, she was in a unique position to evaluate the family. They were different than anyone she had ever met, and each of them possessed some sort of forbidden magic as well. Was this magic somehow behind their power?

  There was more depth to the Hanover’s than she had been exposed to, and it was beyond Aveline’s ability to comprehend what that could be. Neither Tiana nor Arthur appeared to have the temperament to burn hundreds of people. How could Tiana’s random abilities, and her brother’s foresight, help either of them hold on to power over an entire city?

  Tired, frustrated, and growing irritated with the pattering in her mind, Aveline drank a full canteen of water to help cool her down.

  “Are these your people?” Jose asked.

  She lifted an eyebrow, and his cheeks bloomed with red.

  “I meant … do you know your Native birthright?” he clarified.

  “I don’t,” she replied. “My mother was a Native, but I’m not sure from what tribe or even where her people lived.”

  “Maybe they can help you find out. If you want to know.”

  She shrugged one shoulder. He was trying to be helpful, and she cared too much for his opinion to tell him she did not want to learn more about her mother’s people.

  “Avi’s going to be the head of the assassin guild like her father,” Rocky said proudly.

  “Hopefully,” she added. “As long as we can find Tiana and Arthur.”

  “Do you have a plan for dealing with the Natives?” Jose asked.

  She and Rocky exchanged an amused look. “We’re going to steal our friends back,” she said.

  “Hmm. Do you have a backup plan?” Jose asked.

  “Have a little faith, Jose!” she said with a smile. “Rocky and I are good at what we do.”

  Jose smiled in return without responding.

  In truth, Aveline was not entirely certain what they would do, if their initial plan failed. Trained in stealth and all manners of violence, she trusted her skills and Rocky’s to see them through this. And … Tiana had a trick or two up her sleeve as well. If the Hanover girl set her mind and magic to escaping, Aveline doubted anyone would stand in her way.

  A new pattering entered her thoughts. Four heartbeats. Two strong, emanating from her traveling companions, and two distant.

  She glanced in the direction from which the new source of thumping originated and rubbed the back of her head. Why did it feel like the pounding was inside her skull, pummeling her brain? How was that possible?

  She pulled her hair into a low ponytail and fanned her face, hotter now atop the horse and beneath the midday sun.

  “There we go,” Jose said. “That’s the chief’s second son, Red Moon.”

  “The kid?” Rocky asked.

  Aveline shifted her focus once again from the sounds inside her head to the events outside. A boy around the age of thirteen or fourteen was loping towards them on a bay horse.

  “He’s my favorite,” Jose said. “Always friendly and curious.” He waved.

  The boy waved in return.

  “Just don’t mention the Hanover’s,” Jose advised quietly. He drew his horse to a halt. “Hold out your arms to show you aren’t reaching for weapons.”

  Rocky and Aveline followed his lead as the boy approached.

  “Is that a gun?” Rocky asked.

  “It is. The firearms edicts don’t extend to our enemies,” Jose answered. “Our allies do not carry them within a few miles of the city, but the Diné do as they please.”

  Aveline and Rocky both stared at his weapons as the Native youth approached, fascinated by the firearm they had heard of but never seen.

  “I wonder if they’ll let us shoot them,” Rocky said, excitement in his tone. “I’m glad I came!”

  “You can have that little toy,” Aveline said with a smile. “They have shotguns, too?”

  “They have a full arsenal. They claim to be the best armed for two thousand miles,” Jose replied.

  “Then how do they not take the city?” Rocky mused. “Swords and knives are nothing compared to firearms.”

  At Jose’s hesitation, both assassins turned to him. “It’s a long story,” he said at last. “You can ask him. Red Moon loves to tell the story of why they hate the Hanover’s and city dwellers in general. I’m not sure how much of it to believe, though.”

  “They can’t think we’re too much of a threat if they only sent him,” Rocky said.

  “Unless you count the two guys tracking us,” Aveline replied.

  Jose and Rocky both looked at her.

  Unable to explain how she knew, and not certain she was correct, she focused on the youth approaching them. At about a hundred yards out, she heard the tapping of his heart join the rest of the rhythms in her mind.

  Something must be wrong with me. Aveline was starting to feel unsettled by the strange developments inside her.

  “Hello, Jose!” the boy called seconds later.

  “Hi, Red Moon,” Jose replied and lowered his hands. “How’s life this month?”

  “Life is crazy.” The boy’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Who is this?” He looked from Jose to Rocky and Aveline.

  “Friends who wanted to get out of the city.”

  “Ah. So the madman does not burn them. We have noticed the fires. Many more than usual.” The boy gestured towards the city.

  “Yeah. It’s not a good place to be. This is Rocky and Aveline,” Jose said. “This is Red Moon.”

  “You brought a lot of parts,” Red Moon said, eyes on their bulging saddlebags. “My brother’s day cannot possibly get any better now!” He spun his horse to face the forest and placed two fingers to his lips for a sharp whistle.

  Two forms appeared from behind the hill in the exact location Aveline had identified. These warriors were well armed and seasoned, unlike the youth.

  “Did you bring bars?” Red Moon asked Jose.

  “Of course,” Jose said and glanced back at Aveline. “Some people actually like my meal bars.” He reached into his saddlebag, pulled out three bars tied with a ribbon, and tossed them to the boy.

  “You can have all of mine, too, Red Moon,” Rocky said with a snort.

  “Excellent! Come!” The energetic boy urged his horse forward and trotted towards the forest, while the two seasoned warriors fell into step behind them.

  “His brother pretty much runs things,” Jose explained as they rode. “Their father has a bad heart and cannot handle too much stress. Diving Eagle manages the day to day.”

  “Is he as happy as this kid?” Rocky asked with a half-smile.

  “Oh, no,” Jose replied quickly. “Humor passed Diving Eagle over all together. If we see him this trip, try not to talk too much or get in his way. He tolerates us for the sake of the agreement his father made, and the supplies, but that’s about it.”

  They fell into quiet, trailing the carefree youth ahead of them.

  The sun was overhead when they entered the forest, and Aveline privately thanked every spirit in existence for the shade. The day had grown little warmer – but the sun agitated her fevered body to the point the lighter clothing and undergarments she wore were wet with sweat. The coolness of the trees was a welcome relief.

  She finished off another canteen and tucked it away. Her mouth was dry, and the four heartbeats seemed to become louder when no one spoke.

  Make that … Six. No, Seven. Eight? Aveline fanned herself and flung her body off the horse with little grace. The horse’s heat was only aggravating her fever, to the point she felt like either hyperventilating or fainting. She had no intention of passing out atop a horse and breaking her neck on the way down.

  The boy led them towards a small cabin. Though she saw no one else in sight, she sensed the others’ heartbeats through the pound
ing in her skull. Aveline walked, sweating and flinching from pain. The outside world was starting to fade away from her senses. Its competition, the thumping in her head, was too strong, too distracting. She felt herself slide into autopilot as she walked numbly behind the others.

  Rather than stop at the outpost, the boy continued onward, into the forest. He and Jose rode side by side, talking easily, while Rocky observed their surroundings.

  Half of the heartbeats fell away as they left the cabin, and Aveline breathed a sigh. Four was tolerable. Eight? She had begun to feel sick.

  “You sure you’re okay?” Rocky had twisted around in his saddle to face her.

  “Yeah,” she lied.

  “You don’t look it.”

  “Rocky, I’m fine. Just … not a forest girl, I guess.”

  He frowned. “He says they have a healer, if any of us want muscle balm for the horseback riding. Maybe you should consider visiting their healer.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “I hear we get real food tonight. Maybe that’ll help, too,” Rocky said. “The kid is crazy about those bars.”

  Aveline made a face. “How?” she demanded and glanced past him. “I didn’t want to hurt Jose’s feelings, but they’re terrible!”

  Rocky grinned. “First time I’ve heard you say something like that.”

  “That they’re terrible?”

  “That you didn’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. Something you want to tell me?”

  “Shut up, Rocky.”

  He laughed and faced forward.

  In the quiet that followed, she considered asking him something. Anything. For a few seconds, he had distracted her from her physical discomfort.

  Aveline focused on walking and not trying to understand why she suddenly felt like a stranger to her own body. The sense of sliding out of herself, of her mind floating, caused her to shake her head in hopes the sensation brought her back to herself. It worked – for a few seconds. And then she began sliding again.