by Sue Tingey
“Do you?” and his expression was one of disbelief and such sadness I thought I could be losing him.
“Jinx,” I whispered and reached to kiss him. It was only meant to be a peck: short and sweet and comforting, but somehow his lips that had seemed so tight and unmoving when we first touched softened, and a hand crept up from my back to cup my head and his lips parted and so did mine and something deep down in my stomach gave a little flip and for a moment I felt like I was falling or I was floating or I was being swept away, I’m not sure which, only that I never wanted it to stop.
He pulled me so close I could feel his heart beating and the rise and fall of his chest. His other hand traced its way down my back until it rested on the curve of my bottom. He gently squeezed and pulled me closer, so close I could feel his body imprinted against mine, oh so hard. I stroked the back of his head and wondered what it would be like to unbraid his hair and set it free so it would hang down over me like a silken—shroud. My eyes sprung open and I started to pull away, but I was immediately looking right up into gold and green sparkling eyes and the thought of letting him go evaporated with any worry.
“Lucky Lucinda,” he murmured and ran his knuckles down my cheekbone. “My lucky, lucky lady,” then he kissed me again.
“Ha hum,” someone coughed from behind me.
Jinx froze and let out a long, deep sigh before pulling back from me, although not letting go. He smiled down at me, still sad but wistful. “Soon,” he said, then jumped to his feet holding out his hand to help me up.
I turned around expecting a glowering Jamie, but to my good fortune it was the smallest of my five guards who was waiting. “Mistress, I’ve come to let you know we’ve arrived and the guard Vaybian is awake.”
“Mr. Kerfuffle, how did you get here so quickly?” I asked, forcing a welcoming smile upon my lips. I wasn’t at all sure whether to be relieved or frustrated by the interruption.
“We came by cart and when we reached the mountains Pyrites collected us.”
“Mr. Shenanigans is here?”
“Yes mistress,” he said and gestured toward the villa with his oversized head that reminded me of a marshmallow.
Jinx took my hand. “Come on,” he said leading me to join Mr. Kerfuffle, “let’s see what the captain of Kayla’s guard has to say about her abduction and the deaths of his men.”
“You still don’t trust him?”
“I don’t trust anyone when it comes to your safety.”
“Nor do I,” Mr. Kerfuffle said, scowling up at Jinx then stomping off toward the villa.
Jinx put his lips close to my ear. “Just as well it was Kerfuffle and not one of the others who disturbed us.”
“Just as well someone did,” I muttered to myself. He heard though as his eyes twinkled with laughter and he raised my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles.
“Anticipation of delights to come can be almost as pleasurable as the actual act,” he said, “and I shall enjoy the wait, though I’m hoping it won’t be too long.”
“You are incorrigible,” I said, though my traitorous body gave a little shiver deep down, which was immediately followed by a warm glow.
Back inside Mr. Shenanigans welcomed me with a shy smile. He was the largest of my guards at over seven feet tall with a bulky frame to match, and apart from Pyrites looked the least human. His skin was a lustrous emerald and probably the most attractive thing about him other than his kind and gentle nature. Large, white fangs hung down over thick, rubber-band lips, hiding a set of very impressive teeth. He also had a pair of ivory tusks; one sprouted from the center of his forehead and the other from the top of his snout above two cavernous nostrils. In fact, the only thing about his face that was small was his eyes; little buttons hidden within his wrinkled, rhinoceros hide.
Pyrites appeared at my feet and rubbed himself around my ankles while making a weird purring sound, a bit like a cat. He didn’t like being parted from me for too long and I did miss him when he wasn’t about. I’d been told that now he had given himself to me he would pine away if I left him for too long. I tried to tell myself it wasn’t true, but I wasn’t so sure.
Vaybian was sitting up on the couch with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and a goblet of something clasped between his hands. Jamie had pulled up a chair and was sitting opposite him and from his crossed arms and closed expression it looked as though Vaybian was in for an interrogation rather than a friendly chat from a concerned fellow demon.
“I told you,” I heard Vaybian say as Jinx and I crossed the room, “Kayla and I were outside when they came for her.”
“Doing what?” Jamie asked.
Vaybian scowled at him. “What do you think?”
“I’m asking the questions: what were you doing outside with Kayla?”
Vaybian looked down into the goblet and took a swig. Jamie glanced at Jinx and raised an eyebrow. Jinx returned the look and went to stand by my angel’s side.
“Vaybian,” Jinx said, “I have just returned from a village where every living creature has been slaughtered; even the livestock. I have neither the time, nor the patience to play games.”
Vaybian took in a deep breath. “We were spending a little time alone together,” he said. “Probably like you were doing with her.” He scowled in my direction.
Jinx dropped down into a crouch in front of him and Vaybian jerked back in the seat. “I’ll ignore the slight to my lady,” Jinx said, “for now. You were outside with Kayla?”
“We had spent some time together in the olive grove. We were just starting back when we heard shouting and Radnar came running our way, yelling that we were under attack. Then we were swarmed upon by brown-robed demons. We fought our way through the olive grove and to the cliff where”—he looked up at us with haunted eyes—“we were cornered. Both Radnar and I were wounded. We were going to take our chances and jump, but another two demons in gray robes pushed their way to the front. They told Kayla …” he paused a moment, swallowing back emotion. “They told Kayla that if she came quietly our lives would be spared. I told her we should jump, but they said that if she did they would go after her sister.” He glared up at me. “That’s you I believe.” His lips twisted into a bitter sneer. “Of course, that was it: she agreed to go with them. The moment we’d thrown down our arms and they’d taken her away, they sliced Radnar’s throat. It was so quick he didn’t even have time to defend himself, then they turned on me. I had two choices: bleed out like a pig or jump and risk being swept out to sea. I chose the only way I’d have a chance of surviving—and eventually finding her.”
Jinx stood and wandered back to stand beside Jamie. “A pretty story, brother.”
“It’s the truth.”
“You should’ve been protecting her,” Jamie said.
“We were.”
“Then how did it happen?” Jamie asked. I frowned at Jamie; we knew how it happened.
Vaybian shook his head. “I don’t know. Radnar was the only member of the guard who made it outside and he was already wounded.”
“He didn’t say?”
“There was no time. We were fighting for our lives.” He looked up at us, his expression pained. “I can’t understand it, they were all highly trained; the best.”
Jamie decided to put him out of his misery. “They were drugged,” he told him, “they tried the same on us. It was in the wine.”
“Kayla and I had supped on the wine.”
“Our wine was packed in a basket and it was only the bottom bottle that was tainted,” I said. “I suppose they’d hoped that after two bottles we wouldn’t realize the third was any different.”
“How did you notice?”
Jamie nodded Jinx’s way. “Who better than he who brings endless sleep to recognize a draft promising the same?”
Vaybian dropped his head forward until it was resting on the rim of the goblet still clasped between his hands. “I can’t believe they’re all gone.” He looked up. “Did none survive?”
I sank down onto one of the sofas, thinking hard. There was something about the murder of the villagers that was suspicious. “Why did they kill the villagers?” I asked. “Even if they did it to prevent us getting answers, it still doesn’t make sense: the Sicarii had already told us what they knew, why then kill all those people?” I looked from Jinx to Jamie and back again.
Jinx rested his chin on his fist again, his forehead bunched into a frown. “The Sicarii told us they handed Kayla over to Henri after they’d dispatched her guard, and didn’t know where she’d been taken. If the villagers knew something the Sicarii didn’t—such as who ultimately took Kayla—perhaps it wasn’t the Sicarii who killed them, perhaps it was Henri and his men?”
We all showed our anger and worry in different ways: Jamie paced, Jinx leaned back against the wall and pondered, Vaybian slumped back on the couch glowering at anyone who dared to make eye contact, and Mr. Kerfuffle and Mr. Shenanigans, being the most practical, cooked lunch.
I couldn’t stand the heavy, morose atmosphere inside the villa so wandered back to my spot by the pool and dangled my feet in the water. I felt like we should be doing something, anything, but as Jamie had argued, there was no point going off half-cocked. We needed a plan, which was difficult as we had no idea where they had taken Kayla.
When Mr. Kerfuffle shouted that food was up we all wandered into the huge kitchen, though everyone denied being hungry except for Pyrites, who sat by my feet drooling. It was hardly surprising: the food smelled wonderful.
“They do say an army marches on its stomach,” Jinx said, unable to resist lifting the lids of some of the steaming dishes.
“We brought this food all the way from court. It would be a shame to waste it,” Mr. Shenanigans said, piling up his plate.
Mr. Kerfuffle gave a grunt of agreement through a mouthful of something, and Jamie joined Jinx in peering at the contents of the platters and bowls.
Jamie forked some slices of meat onto a plate and plunked it down in front of Vaybian. “You,” he said, “need to eat.” Vaybian looked down at the food and shook his head.
“You haven’t eaten for over twenty-four hours and look like shite,” Jinx said. “If you’re to be any help to Kayla you’ll need your strength.”
“I suppose,” Vaybian muttered in grudging acquiescence.
“So, what do we do now?” I asked. “Do we go back to court as originally planned—now we have proof that Kayla isn’t involved in a plot against Baltheza?”
“What plot?” Vaybian asked.
“There’s been an assassination attempt on Baltheza. Kayla and all her guard disappearing into thin air had him jumping to all the usual conclusions,” Jamie told him.
Vaybian massaged his temples and picked up a fork, then prodded a piece of meat and dropped the fork back down onto the plate. “Will he never understand?” he said, looking around the table at each one of us in turn, “Kayla doesn’t want the throne and neither do I, and if it wasn’t for the fact he’s madder than a hornet stuck in a jam jar, not many others would be trying to overthrow him either.”
“Daltas would,” Jamie said.
Vaybian grunted and picked up his fork again. “I wouldn’t trust Daltas as far as I could throw him, and I can’t fathom why Baltheza can’t see him for what he is.”
“Daltas certainly seems to be able to manipulate him,” Jamie said. “Which is actually quite interesting: Baltheza’s so paranoid I’d have thought he’d be looking to his lords as the first candidates to try and overthrow him.”
“And he’s never liked Daltas,” Vaybian said.
“Even so, up until recently, he was an almost constant presence at court,” Jinx said, his voice quiet.
“What are you thinking?” Jamie asked.
Jinx tapped the table with a fingertip. “Not sure. Everything points in Daltas’ direction, which makes me suspicious. He’s cleverer than that.”
“Maybe he’s grown so arrogant he doesn’t care,” Mr. Kerfuffle piped up.
Mr. Shenanigans leaned close to his friend and said, “Would you risk the wrath of a Deathbringer and Guardian?”
Mr. Kerfuffle gave a brusque shake of the head. “No, and thinking about it, neither would Lord Daltas. He may be many things, but he’s not stupid or suicidal.”
“Are you saying you don’t think it is Daltas?” I asked. “Henri’s definitely involved.”
“The Sicarii said that, yes,” Jamie said.
“Sicarii?” Mr. Kerfuffle said, his eyes wide.
Mr. Shenanigans looked alarmed, too. “The Sicarii were here?”
I stopped eating to look up. Clearly the Sicarii had a reputation. “Who exactly are the Sicarii?”
Jinx took a swig of wine, but not before giving it a sniff. “We brought it with us,” Mr. Kerfuffle told him.
“The Sicarii?” I reminded them.
“They’re a bunch of assassins, mercenaries and general fixers. If someone wants something dirty done they’re the ones for the job,” Jinx said.
Jamie made an exasperated huffing sound. “That is a bit of a simplification.”
“Sounds about right to me,” Mr. Kerfuffle said through another mouthful.
Jamie gave him a look then turned back to me. “The Sicarii are an ancient order of demons who worship death and believe that the spirit of each life they take adds to their own spiritual wellbeing.”
“Death as in Jinx?” I said, glancing his way.
Jinx grimaced, his lips twisting in disgust. “I have nothing to do with them and they have nothing to do with me. If it were up to me, their order would be banned and they’d all be rounded up and served a taste of their own medicine. However they try to pretty it up, they are nothing more than thugs who’ll do anything for payment: murder, kidnap and torture being the least of it,” Jinx said.
“Torture?” I said; the mouthful of food I was chewing turned to sawdust as I thought of Kayla.
As usual, Jamie knew what I was thinking. “They said they handed Kayla over.”
“But they handed her over to Henri, which doesn’t exactly make me feel much better.”
“If Henri is involved, so is Daltas,” Vaybian said, “he must be.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Jinx said.
“We’re going around in circles,” I said.
Jamie ignored me. “Henri wasn’t very happy with Daltas. Lest we forget: Daltas tried to get Henri to kill Lucky, omitting the fact that she was marked by us both, leading to her badly injuring him and Pyrites finishing off the job by giving him a light roasting.”
I remembered how Henri had so nearly snuffed out my life and rested a hand on Pyrites’ head, stroking behind his ears and earning myself a puff of smoke.
“I’m actually surprised he’s already up and about,” Jinx said, “he was pretty burned up.”
“Do you think the Sicarii lied?” Jamie asked.
Jinx gave him a grim smile. “There’s only one way to find out.”
“We pay them a visit,” Jamie said, and his answering smile was cold.
“You know where to find them?” I asked.
“Oh yes,” Jamie and Jinx replied together, and for the second time in as many hours it was brought home to me that both of my men could be very dangerous indeed.
There had been some argument as to whether Vaybian should come with us or not. Jamie, ever the diplomat, suggested he may not yet be fit enough. Mr. Kerfuffle was more forthright and told him he didn’t trust him one bit, particularly where my safety was concerned. Jinx didn’t say a word, but watched Kayla’s captain from below lowered lashes with a half-smile playing about his lips. Eventually it was agreed that he would come.
I was informed that the order of the Sicarii lived in a series of caverns carved into a mountain to the north of Lord Baltheza’s fortress. It was, I was told, a conveniently centr
al location for them to ply their trade to any who required their services.
“How are we all going to get there?” I asked. I had Pyrites, Jinx had Bob and Jamie was pretty much self-sufficient, but Mr. Kerfuffle, Mr. Shenanigans and Vaybian only had leg power.
“Kerfuffle and Shenanigans can ride with you if Pyrites doesn’t mind,” Jinx said, and Pyrites dipped his head.
“How about me?” Vaybian asked.
Jinx gave him a wicked grin. “You, brother, can ride with me.”
Vaybian swallowed hard and Mr. Kerfuffle giggled. Kayla’s captain had been backed into a corner. He either rode with Jinx, who he couldn’t bear to go anywhere near, or got left behind. He was clearly made of sterner stuff than any of my guard anticipated as he gave an abrupt nod.
“That’s settled then,” Jinx said, his lips giving a little twitch as he fought back the urge to laugh.
I caught his eye and frowned, to which he replied with a self-satisfied grin. He knew I couldn’t say anything without making it obvious to Vaybian that he was being played with, so I stalked off grumbling inwardly; humankind or demon, men were all the same—puffed up with testosterone and ego.
As there was nowhere else inside the villa I could be guaranteed alone time, I started toward the garden, but then something made me pause midstep and turn back toward the master bedroom. I’d thought I’d heard a voice or maybe a moan. I lay my hand on the doorknob and waited, my forehead resting against the door as I listened. Nothing. I turned the handle and pushed the door, letting it swing open.
I had wanted to be alone, but it wasn’t to be. Sitting on the end of the bed was Diargo, one of Kayla’s demon guards. In life he had been third-degree-burn red and his hair had flowed down his shoulders in wave after wave of silken scarlet. In death he was more of a dusky pink. Upon seeing me he jumped to his feet, his hand reaching for a sword that wasn’t there.
“Where is she? What’ve you done with her?” It must have been Diargo who’d died in the bed. He hadn’t seen it coming and didn’t realize he had passed over. “Where are the others? Vaybian! Culpas!” he shouted.
