Blacknail’s ears perked up as he recognized her voice, and his heart beat a little faster. His prey was close. The only reply to Luphera’s question, however, was a disdainful grunt from someone with a deep masculine voice.
“What, do you think I’ve poisoned it or something?” she chuckled at the unseen man.
“I’m not one of your clients, Luphera. I’m here to keep a watch on you until all this is over with, not fraternize,” the unseen man responded in a rather unfriendly tone.
Blacknail stalked silently over to the door and very carefully pulled it open ever so slightly. He then peered through the tiny crack into the room on the other side. Luphera was seated on a lavish purple couch and wore a delicate white dress. She had a bored look on her face as she regarded the only other person in the room. A large man stood by the far door with his arms crossed in front of him. Blacknail instantly pegged him as a companion to the men he’d followed here. He was dressed the same but looked a bit different than any of the attackers. His eyes were narrowed as he glared hostilely at Luphera.
“Is that what I do, fraternize?” Luphera asked with obvious amusement.
“No, what you are is a whore and a gossip monger.”
“And you’re an easily replaced murderer, so I wouldn’t be so quick to judge another’s profession,” she replied coolly.
Blacknail eyed the two humans as they glared at each other. He was fairly sure these two weren’t friends. He wasn’t the best reader of human tone and body language, but he was fairly confident about this. Of course, that didn’t mean Luphera wasn’t involved in the attack.
“What I am is loyal, unlike you, and our master knows it,” the man countered.
“I’m not loyal? You’d think that after all these years of service, Najget would trust me more. He certainly values my services.” Luphera turned away from the man for a second and looked around the room. To Blacknail, it almost seemed like her gaze stopped on him as it passed by the door, but that was impossible. He was much too sneaky to be discovered.
“Silence, whore. You’re not supposed to use the guild master’s name, ever,” the assassin growled angrily.
“You and the master are far too fond of your little drama. As if there’s anyone around to hear it but us,” she replied condescendingly as she turned back toward him and rolled her eyes.
Blacknail heard it. He grinned happily from behind the door. He’d discovered a secret! He had no idea what a guild master was, but he was sure it was important. A secret name sounded very… sharp. Maybe he should make one up for himself, like Sneaky Death Killer!
“Shut your mouth. I’m through getting lip from you. If you speak to me again then you’ll regret it, no matter how useful you are to the master,” the man snarled furiously.
“You would very much regret raising your hand against me,” Luphera replied coldly with more than a hint of condescension.
“I guess we’re going to find out.” The assassin raised a fist and stepped toward her.
Blacknail wasn’t sure what was going on here, so he considered his options. He had a limited amount of time, so he should use any opportunities that came up. He also had to make sure he could act without raising an alarm though.
He tried to remain detached, but his snarl grew tighter as he watched the man march across the room toward the woman. For some reason, he felt protective of Luphera, and he didn’t know why. It wasn’t like they were of the same tribe. He supposed he just liked talking to her, or maybe her perfume was rotting his brain. It wasn’t because he… liked her though. Blacknail shuddered. She was just another fat pink human woman.
“What, you’re going to hit a defenseless woman, Farghus?” Luphera sneered.
“And I’m going to enjoy it.” The big brute loomed over the woman as he approached her. Luphera didn’t react to him st first, except to deepen her scornful scowl. She did, however, flinch and shield her face when he swung his heavy fist down at her.
There was a cracking noise and a crash as Luphera was sent sprawling onto the floor. However, she didn’t scream or even moan in pain. She pushed herself up and stared back up at the man with eyes that burned with dark fury. Her dress had slipped off her left shoulder as she’d fallen, and it also slid up to reveal her long slender legs. Blacknail found himself staring at them and quickly looked up. This meant he met her eyes though, and the controlled fury within them tugged at something primal inside him.
“That was stupid,” Luphera spat angrily as she cradled her sore arm.
The man laughed. “Why, you going to do something about it?”
“No, I’m not going to do anything about it. I don’t need to,” Luphera replied icily and louder than she had to.
Rage and the dark instincts of a predator guided Blacknail’s silent steps as he stalked forward with murderous intent. Luphera’s assailant never knew what hit him. One second he was sneering down at Luphera, the next, Blacknail’s hand was wrapped around the man’s mouth and chin as the hobgoblin’s other hand pushed a dagger up under his ribs where it tore his insides apart. Then Blacknail started twisting the knife, because he enjoyed the feeling of it.
The man choked, and blood bubbled out of his mouth as his body’s strength drained away. He couldn’t say anything or scream for help though, because Blacknail held his mouth closed. He tried to reach up and free himself from the hobgoblin’s grip, but he was already too weak to do anything but struggle futilely.
“Shhhh, no talking please. I’m trying to be quiet,” Blacknail whispered into his ear.
Blood poured from the gash in the man’s side, and seconds later, he collapsed. There was already enough blood on the floor that there was a wet smacking noise as he hit the carpet beneath him.
Calmly, Luphera got to her feet and gave Blacknail a polite nod of greeting.
“You’ve completely ruined that rug,” she told Blacknail as she fixed her dress.
Blacknail just stared silently at her with as much menace as he could muster… because he had no idea how to respond to that.
“Well, I guess I shouldn’t complain. I was hoping you’d drop by tonight after all. That’s a lovely new mask by the way,” she told him.
“Thank you,” Blacknail replied stiffly. He had no idea what was going on here. Was Luphera friend or foe? He hadn’t really attacked the man to save her, but rather because he’d sensed weakness and an opportunity. He decided just to ask her, since he was here to get answers from her after all.
“Who was he, what’s going-ss on here? Also, what do you know about the men who attacked Mistress Herad?” the hobgoblin hissed at her. Luphera didn’t seem scared though. One of her eyebrows rose as she considered him for a second.
“That was one of Najget’s hired assassins. Najget is the owner of this establishment and several others like it. He’s also the one who sent those men after Herad. He uses this place to collect information, and I’m one of the best brokers in the city. I despise the man though and will gladly help you kill him,” Luphera explained.
Blacknail stared at her blankly for several seconds. That had been really frank… He had kind of been expecting to have to play some sort of game, or trick the information out of her. “Why would he challenge Herad?”
He’d never heard of the man before, and Herad was rather vocal about her enemies and what she wanted to do about them. So why would he try and pick a fight with her? That sounded like a great way to get killed. There was also something about Luphera's posture and tone that bugged him. He thought he detected some hostility from her, which didn't make sense. Why would she be angry at Blacknail? Hadn't he just saved her?
“He wasn’t challenging her, and the attack wasn’t entirely his idea. Lately, he’s become a little paranoid about the loyalty of some of the employees, so he’s been hiring men from the Dark Guild. They pretty much own him now, and since Zelena bought them out, that means she controls him,” Luphera explained.
Blacknail had definitely heard of Zelena. Herad had made her opi
nion on the other woman really obvious quite a few times. Blacknail didn’t know where she would get that many burning needles though…
The hobgoblin shook his head to clear it and looked back up at Luphera. He wasn’t quite sure what was going on here, but it seemed like this Najget worked for Zelena. That meant he was an enemy, and thus Blacknail should probably kill him. It's what his mistress would want him to do. “I see, so—”
“So you need to go downstairs and kill Najget. He usually stays hidden in various hideouts across the city that even I don’t know about, but right now, he’s here and vulnerable,” Luphera told him.
Blacknail was caught off guard again. He didn’t like being told what to do, but that did sound about right…
“This may be your only chance to get him. He has a few guards, but I’m sure Herad’s faceless assassin won’t have a problem getting past them. You have quite the reputation after all,” she told him appreciatively as she met the masked hobgoblin’s eyes and smiled charmingly.
Blacknail found himself standing a little taller and grinning happily. Obviously, he'd been imagining any hostility from her. He was a great killer, and this was probably the right thing to do…
Chapter 24
Luphera fluttered her eyelashes as Blacknail considered his options. He did really feel like killing someone. He was also very good at it, so he could probably murder Najget without any real difficulty. The feat would also certainly impress Luphera… Wait, what was he thinking? Why would he want to impress her anyway? She was just a human woman, not a prospective mate, and she wasn’t even of his tribe! Not that he trusted everyone in Herad’s tribe. Some of them weren’t nearly as dependable as him.
The hobgoblin’s confident look turned to one of suspicion as he met Luphera’s gaze. He didn’t even know if Najget was a real person. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
“Well, I haven’t raised the alarm,” she pointed out with a friendly smile.
It was a nice smile… No, he had to concentrate. There might not be a lot of the perfume from before in the air, but there was still a lingering trace of it, and that was apparently enough to mess with his head.
“Yes, but if you were noisy, I would have stabbed you,” Blacknail countered.
“Oh, stop being so paranoid, Blacknail. Haven’t I always helped you out? Now, I just need you to do one small thing for me, kill Najget. It’s what you should be doing anyway!” she exclaimed assertively.
“Maybe,” Blacknail mused. It did sound like fun, but Saeter had once told Blacknail that paranoia was the only thing that kept you alive. His master was also really old, so he probably knew what he was talking about. Even if Luphera wasn’t outright lying, she still might be playing down the danger involved. There were an awful lot of guards around, and Blacknail didn’t even know where Najget was or what he smelled like.
Luphera moved closer and leaned against his shoulder. Her body was surprisingly soft. As the hobgoblin watched her warily, she gave him a pleading look.
“I would be ever so grateful for your help, and I’m sure we can work out some sort of reward. I’ve heard some very interesting rumors about what’s under that mask and look forward to finding out if they’re right. I hope they are; it would be a novel experience, even for me,” Luphera told him seductively as she gently dragged one of her fingers down his arm.
Blacknail immediately took a step back away from her. He didn’t like the hungry look in her eyes; he wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of an expression like that. The sudden mad beating of his heart also unnerved him, it hadn’t been caused by fear.
“You’re so shy. Not at all what one would expect from your reputation,” Luphera purred as she took another step after him.
“I still don’t trust you,” Blacknail replied as he hastily backed away again.
Instinctively, the hobgoblin glanced around the room for something to hide behind, even though he knew it would be pointless and stupid. Luphera’s attention was becoming more than a little uncomfortable. He didn’t know what to say to her or even what to think. He just knew he wanted out of the room. He had no reason to put himself at risk to kill someone right now.
“Maybe later, I have-ss to get back,” he muttered as he turned away from Luphera and her unsettling eyes.
“Please, Blacknail, I need your help,” the woman pleaded.
Blacknail ignored her and immediately fled toward the window he’d used to enter the building. Once outside, the fresh air would clear his head. Before he could get more than a few feet though, he heard a commotion from outside the window. The sudden sound of several people shouting filled the air. Someone was raising the alarm! They must have discovered the bodies.
“Shit,” Blacknail hissed. Almost immediately, he heard heavy footsteps from below as people from the building flooded out into the street. There was at least a dozen of them, and there was no way Blacknail could escape that way anymore. He’d let himself grow distracted and had talked to Luphera for far too long!
“You were followed!” someone shouted angrily from outside.
“Impossible, I took precautions. No one could have followed us back here,” a familiar voice replied. It belonged to one of the assassins Blacknail had followed here.
“So I suppose these two corpses by the door are just a coincidence?” the other person replied sarcastically.
“That doesn’t matter now. Someone’s here, but he won’t be leaving in one piece. I want people watching every possible exit until we catch him,” a third man added as Luphera walked up beside the frozen hobgoblin.
“It seems like you left a mess out there when you came in, and now you’ll have to find a different way out if you want to leave,” she told him.
“Yes.” Blacknail grunted unhappily. He was fairly sure he detected a hint of smugness in her voice.
“I suggest heading out into the hall and taking a left. There’s a window in that room you might be able to escape out of. I wouldn’t say it’s very likely though,” she told him. Blacknail knew that tone of voice. It was one humans used when they thought they were so smart, but they rarely were.
“What’s your plan?” he asked her sullenly. It was probably going to be terrible.
“Well, if Najget were to suddenly die, then I’m sure I could take control of the situation. Then you could just hide somewhere while I have the house guards kindly ask the assassins to leave,” Luphera suggested.
The hobgoblin thought it over. Apparently Luphera was actually that smart, because her plan might actually work. Most of the humans inside the building seemed to be heading outside and forming a perimeter to stop him from leaving, which also meant picking a window and trying to make a run for it was probably a bad idea.
“Fine, I’ll kill the man for you,” Blacknail sighed reluctantly.
“You might want to get going then, time isn’t on your side.”
Blacknail nodded and quickly headed for the door that led deeper into the structure. He was more than happy to get away from Luphera for now.
“Najget is the old man in purple with the moustache, and try not to kill anyone but him and the assassins,” Luphera called after him.
Blacknail grunted vaguely in reply. He didn’t think he was going to have much choice but to kill anyone that got in his way, if he wanted to survive this mess. The hobgoblin quickly shut the door behind him as he stepped into the empty hallway on the other side. Once out there, he took a second to listen to the surroundings. He heard floorboards creek as people moved all around him. To his left was a door and a heavier human who—with a sword hilt slapping against his thigh as he walked—was about to step through it.
The hobgoblin didn’t have the time or the patience to do this quietly. He was going to have to do this fast and brutal, so he swiftly pulled out the vial of Elixir and gulped the rest of it down. Then he stepped to the side of the door and drew his blade. When the door swung open and another assassin walked out, Blacknail was out of his line of sight.
Before the man even noticed the hobgoblin’s presence, Blacknail stepped into view and slashed savagely down at the man’s head. The surprised assassin’s eyes widened in the split second he had before Blacknail’s sword smashed into the side of his head. There was a wet crunch, and the man collapsed into a bloody heap on the floor. Blacknail pulled his blade out of the man’s skull, stepped over the corpse, and continued on his way. This wouldn’t be the last human he killed before the night was over, and he couldn’t afford to waste any time.
As he passed by the open doorway, Blacknail saw the window that Luphera had mentioned as a possible escape route. He briefly considered abandoning the plan and jumping out of it, but then he sighed and quickly reconsidered. There would be people watching all the exits, including that window. So Blacknail reluctantly kept going and picked up speed as he dashed toward the stairs at the end of the hallway. Now was not the time for stealth. The sound of people getting up and moving toward him could be heard from many of the adjacent rooms, and he planned to be long gone before they showed up.
Just before he reached the stairs, something creaked slightly from below, like there was someone climbing the stairs. Blacknail smiled, and instead of slowing, he sped up. As he turned the corner and began to rapidly descend the stairs, he caught sight of a purple-vested guard with a drawn club. Blacknail’s downward charge surprised the guard and he flinched. That was all the time Blacknail needed. Instead of drawing his weapon or slowing down, the hobgoblin simply leaped toward the man and kneed him in the face.
There was a muted crack as the two individuals collided. The purple-vested guard's head snapped back, and he began to tip over backward. Blacknail didn’t really feel like trying to roll down the rest of the stairs, that sounded very painful, so he grabbed the man’s shirt and fell on top of him. The guard’s back hit the stairs, and then repeated thuds were heard as he started to slide down the steps. Blacknail still had a tight grip on the guard’s shirt and was perched on his chest. It was bumpy-going, but he managed to ride his opponent safely down until they hit the wall at the bottom and stopped.
City of Daggers (The Iron Teeth Book 2) Page 23
