by T R Tells
Ian sat down at a crowded table, a serving girl handed him a large beer, but unlike his friends at the table, he didn’t smack the girls’ butts or say vile things to her. He just focused on whatever his friend, a man with a bright red mangled beard, had to say. Thea leaned back against the wall and made herself comfortable, knowing that this would take a while.
***
“Alright, men I best be going.”
Thea’s ears picked up Ian’s casual and smooth voice over the loud chattering. She saw Ian downing the last of his beer before shaking hands with several of the men who were still there and not passed out on the floor or table.
“Aw, one more drink, Ian! You know that wife of yours won’t miss you too much. She sleeps half the day away!”
Ian grinned and playfully shrugged. “Yeah, I know. But I took a vow to care for my wife in sickness and in health. Besides, my two girls will need a father when Sharon passes.”
Disgusting, I should kill you now.
What are you waiting for then? Do it.
You know I can’t leave witnesses, Thea thought. And before you suggest it, no, I’m not slaughtering the entire tavern. She could feel Hel’s annoyance lingering through her core.
The men continued to play around with Ian and tried to convince him to stay. He ended up drinking one more drink and paid his tab. A dozen drinks later and he was close to falling over. He said goodbye to the bartender and headed for the door. Thea couldn’t help but whisper “finally” as she grabbed onto the wooden ledge of the building, pressing her hand into the wood. Thea slowly felt the tiny setas automatically growing out from the glove. They were tiny knife-like bristles that grew out from the tips of the gloves to better grab onto a surface to make it easier to climb.
Thea padded along the rooftop, careful to not make a sound, and saw Ian stumbling through the narrow alleyways. Thea followed him as she jumped from roof to roof, flying through the sky with her cloak flapping behind her like wings.
Ian headed into the poor section of the Kingsland. Thea saw that he was resting against the side of a house, sitting on a barrel. There he pulled out a silver flask and placed the tip to his lip and drunk hungrily, his Adam’s apple bobbing fiercely. Thea wrinkled her face in disgust at the man’s stupor. She sat on top of a roof above him careful to not let him see her.
She began the call.
Thea pressed her lips together, leaving an inch of space between the bottom and top lips. She took a deep breath and began to rattle her throat. Thea used the back of her throat to make the sound grow louder. The pitch from the rattling in Thea’s throat was nearly constant and the sound was continuous to the mundane ear as it echoed throughout the area.
Ian jumped up and looked around frantically, having heard rumors of the noise, and what would happen if one heard it. Thea could see his eyes were dilated and filled with fear. He was frothing at the mouth as he began to wave something that was glistening in his hand, a small knife.
The vibrating noise grew louder. Ian shouted at the top of his lungs, “What do you want from me! I-I didn’t do anything!” The sound only grew louder, and Ian waved his knife around as if he was fighting invisible forces. To the mundane ear, it was often difficult to tell precisely where the noise originated from. Flint had made sure to get them to practice every waking moment making the sound. In a group, cicadas could overpower their enemy and overwhelm them before satiating any other predator. They represent carefree living and immortality: “No matter how small or insignificant, you are predators like everyone else.” Flint's words echoed in Thea’s head.
***
Ian, now terrified, ran through the alleyway and didn’t stop to turn around for fear that he would fall flat on his face and the Sicarri would catch him. He had heard stories about them, how they emerged several years ago and began killing people who had a bounty on their head. Ian thought it was almost laughable and didn’t believe it – or at the very least, his subconscious forced him not to think that there were masked demons in the dark that passed judgment on evil souls.
“No. They aren’t demons. They’re simply men. . . Only men would put a price on someone’s life.” Ian mumbled unintelligible, nonsense words to himself until he stumbled home. His house wasn’t saddled together with any other houses, but it had several fallen trees around it. He hurried inside and slammed the closed and continued to stumble over to the window, where he peered out it frantically.
“Father?” a small voice said behind him. Ian turned around to see his youngest daughter looking at him with large eyes much like his own, wearing her night bonnet over a layer of blonde hair.
“Go back to bed, Ilene,” Ian gruffly said and pushed the eight-year-old a bit too forcefully, making her stumble backward and fall to the ground.
The little girl stared at her father’s back and didn’t say anything for a while. She craned her neck to look up at the ceiling and saw a figure camouflaged against it. She furrowed her brows as she focused on it, but after a moment she saw the figures’ arms move as they pressed their finger to their hidden face. Ilene looked away from the figure and stared at her father’s back once more before she got up and turned around, heading back to her bedroom.
Ian, feeling his heartbeat had now come to a slow even pulse, was slowly beginning to form a deduction. He scratched the side of his cheek, the wild look in his eyes gone, but now went back to his calculating look.
There’s nothing out here, he thought to himself. He felt the smirk stretch on his lips. I must have been pissed drunk to think that a Sicarri was following me. Bah! What am I saying, there is no such thing as the Sicarri.
Ian removed himself from the window and let out a husky chuckle as he shook his head. He walked across the living room and to the bedroom portions of the house. He looked in at the room that was straight ahead and saw a woman lying in his bed, his wife Sharon. She had woken earlier this morning, but ever since she had gotten sick two years ago, she’d stopped getting out of bed. It left Ian yearning for a woman’s touch, but he could never touch a whore or even smack the server girl’s asses. In some way or another, it felt like a sin to him.
He closed his wife’s door and gently tapped on the entrance to the right with his knuckles. He could hear feet drag across the floor before he saw the doorknob turn. When it opened, the person on the other side was a girl no older than seventeen with dirty blonde hair braided on two sides that hung down to her breasts.
“F-Father, you’re home earlier than usual,” the girl’s voice broke slightly. She gripped the door frame tightly enough for her knuckles to grow white. She knew very well why her father was here.
“Get in the room, Caroline,” Ian’s gruff voice said. He pushed the young girl into the room and Caroline was far too powerless to get out of her father’s firm grip. She was forcefully pushed down onto her mattress, turning only briefly to see her father undoing his pants. Caroline turned around not wanting to look as she gripped onto the edges of her blanket and bit down on her lip, closing her eyes hoping that it would be over. She felt her nightgown lift, and a breeze flitted across her bottom as she readied herself. But unlike any of the other times, Caroline did not feel the hard thrust entering her. Instead, she heard the relaxed, casual sound of a female’s voice.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
***
Thea saw the blonde-haired girl turn around and her eyes widened. Thea knew what it must have looked like, even if her father was a drunkard pervert. But seeing him being held at knifepoint by a cloaked figure, was still terrifying.
“W-Who are you?” Ian stuttered. Thea felt his throat throbbing against the steel tip of the blade.
“I think you know,” Thea whispered into his ear. She pursed her lips together and began to rattle her throat again, emitting the loud drum-like vibrating sound. Thea suddenly felt Ian stiffen. She could only imagine the look on his face. “You, get your sister,” Thea spoke to Caroline. The look of fear in her eyes shifted to understanding as
she got off the bed and rushed past them, heading to her sister's room. Thea could already see a pair of eyes staring back at them.
“You know, I hate men like you. Do you think that you can take advantage of these young girls? A father is supposed to take care of his young and protect them from scumbags that wish to do them harm. You disgust me.”
Thea heard the man whimpering and sniffling as he stuttered out incoherent words that Thea didn’t care enough to try to understand. Thea listened to feet coming toward her and saw the two girls standing in the door. Both girls had their arms wrapped around each other in fear.
Thea felt her throat tighten, but she knew she couldn’t falter right there. “Look at them Ian and look at what you could have had: two beautiful daughters. But instead of caring for them, you decide to sexually and physically abuse them. All while your wife lay on her deathbed.”
“P-Please . . . I’m sorry,” Ian cried out. “I-I’ll do better. I swear, I’ll be a better father a-and a better husband. J-Just give me a chance.”
Thea sucked her teeth almost mockingly. “Hmm . . . I should give you a chance, you say? You’re telling me you’ll stop with the drinking and the abuse?”
“Yes!” Ian shouted with exuberance. Thea could almost hear the joyous cry, but Thea knew that it was nothing but a lie. Mundanes, no matter the gender, always lied when faced with opposition. But from the corner of Thea’s eye, she saw Caroline flinch backward when Ian declared his empty promise.
“Well, Ian, I have some news for you: the Sicarri doesn’t believe you.” Thea pressed the blade into Ian’s throat; not deep enough to slit his throat, but enough to stop him from talking. “Do you know which daughter sent a message to the Sicarri?”
Ian gulped and quivered. “C-Caroline, I-I’m sorry, you know I am. I can be a better father to you, to both of you girls.”
Caroline and Ilene said nothing. Caroline didn’t look at her father as he spoke and pulled her sister closer to her. Ilene was the only one looking at her father.
“Sweet, but wrong. Ilene was the one who contacted me.”
Thea could feel the heavy tension in the air as all eyes landed on Ilene. It was Caroline who pulled apart from her sister and spoke, “Ilene, you called for them?”
Ilene nodded, a serious expression on her face. “Momma is getting sicker, and I hated hearing you cry every night when he hurt you. I wanted to stop being afraid every time Father came home drunk. So, I offered all the money we had to get rid of him to protect us.”
“Oh, Ilene . . .” Caroline started to say at the same time Ian shouted, “You bitch!” Both girls turned at the sound of their father’s angry tone. He stretched his arm out and revealed the small knife he had before. Before he had a chance to throw the dagger at the girls, with Caroline covering her sister, Thea grabbed the man’s wrist and slid the curved blade across his throat as it spewed out blood everywhere.
Thea leaned her head down as Ian sputtered and grabbed his neck, hoping to stop the bleeding, she whispered. “This is the life you chose. You’re nothing. Your own child wanted you dead.”
Thea walked around in front of Ian whose eyes were lidded and half closed. His lips covered in blood and every time he tried to speak all that came out were gurgles — his hands were covered in blood as they held his slit throat. Thea smirked and slowly removed the hood from her face. His eyes grew wide at the realization that the Sicarri who had killed him was a woman. Thea stood over the dying man, and Ian’s eyes trailed up to meet hers. He tried to utter words, but a fountain of dark red blood foamed out of his mouth before he collapsed to the floor.
Thea slowly turned and saw the two girls clutching each other tightly. Thea knew that she had broken rule number one and if Flint had ever found out she would receive punishment; but she didn’t care. She sympathized with what the girls had gone through.
She walked over to them, surprised that they didn’t flinch, she bent down to their level.
“It’s going to be harder now for all of you. I’m sorry about that. Keep surviving and moving forward, even if everything seems like it's going to hell. Just keep surviving, no matter what.” Thea reached into her cloak and from her belt, she removed a vial of green liquid.
“Clean this blood, right away before it stains. And give this to your mother, two drops a day. She’ll be able to get out of bed at least, and then you two can help her from there.”
The oldest, Caroline, reached out her hand and took the silver vial from Thea’s fingers and gripped it tightly in her hand. She didn’t say anything as she nodded in compliance.
Thea straightened and pulled the hood over her head. She started walking over to the body, so she could dispose of it when she heard Ilene call out to her.
“What about your pay?”
“Keep it, this one is free.”
Thea reached down and grabbed the dead body, lifting it to her shoulders. The weight brought her down slightly, but she managed to shift it around to make it as comfortable as possible.
She walked over toward the window and opened it, leaping out. If she were going to make the dead man’s body disappear, she would need to plan everything out accordingly.
No stage plans tonight.
Chapter Thirty-Four
“What did you do with the body?” Eddie demanded. He and Thea were in his office, or rather, Flint’s office. “We don’t need any traces coming back to us, and you let the payers see your face. You know better than that, Thea.”
Thea only rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. She wore her usual dancer's attire, a blue sequined silk brassiere with gold tassels hanging from the ends of the bra and matching bottom. She wore a see-through pink and blue shawl that reached just to her knee — making her look like a flower blooming in the springtime.
“I know what I’m doing, Eddie. Those two girls won’t say anything, one of them was the payer.”
Eddie rubbed his chin as he tilted his head to the side in thought. He let out a heavy sigh and leaned forward in his seat, folding his hands together.
“They just better not talk, otherwise—”
“They aren’t, now can I go? It’s the early morning hours and you know how loud those men get.” Thea had already dismissed the conversation before Eddie had a chance to say anything.
Eddie, not wanting to argue further, waved his hand for her to leave.
“Fine. I have a meeting with someone, anyway.”
Two minutes after Thea left, someone knocked on the office door. Eddie looked up from the papers that he was skimming, and called out: “Come in.” When the door opened, it revealed a finely dressed man wearing black pants, a long-sleeved black shirt, and a silver vest with three gold buttons.
“Right on time,” Eddie said. He stood to his feet and stretched out his hand to the chair across from him. “You can take a seat.”
The man, who looked close to his late thirties, closed the door behind him. His blue and gold trim cloak flowed behind him, only to casually hit just below his heeled brown boots. He walked over to the chair and brushed it with his hand before sitting down and crossing one leg over the other.
The man sitting in front of Eddie had neck-length black hair and eyes as black as the night sky. He assumed he had used glamour to hide his actual appearance.
“Nobius, I presume? How may I be of service? Flint told me that you would be visiting this week.”
Nobius grinned and observed Eddie as he sat down, looking him up and down. Flint had told him about his “special boy,” but he’d thought his old friend was full of it. However, that was neither here nor there, he had other priorities at hand.
“Yes. I’ll cut to the chase, so I don’t hold up your time,” Nobius said with a casual smile on his clean-shaven face. “Flint and I have been exchanging several messages about a trade.”
Eddie frowned, tilting his head to the side. A trade? That wasn’t something he had talked to him about. “What kind of trade?”
“One of your—”
; “Courtesans, if you are referring to a female, my good Mage. However, you seem like you’ll be interested in our escorts. We have different ages. Are you more interested in boys or strapping young men?”
Nobius chuckled and exposed pearly white teeth. “Strapping young men,” he said, and his eyes trailed down Eddie’s chest. “No need to blush, Edward.”
Eddie cleared his throat, feeling his entire body growing warm at the comment. “So, what are you looking for?”
“I’ve heard rumors that you have a Roma here. I will pay a hefty price for her.” He spoke casually with a sly grin placed on his face. The sounds of low music were beyond the door. “And speaking of looks like the show's about to begin.”
***
The lights were bright on stage, but they made it so that looking out toward the crowd was nothing but darkness. Like always, Thea was grateful not to see the starving eyes of men as they gawked at her like they would do more than greedily ravage her. She shook off the vile images and slowly walked onto the stage where the men called out to her.
That was one thing that Thea couldn’t stop, but she just ignored them, blocking any noise to keep her sane.
The stage background was a flowing field of flowers, lilies preferably. Thea’s face was covered entirely with white paint, her lips were painted blue, and her eyelids were painted purple. When the soft music came from the stage, Thea heard several instruments playing at once, that she thought could have been a flute or a trumpet. Forgetting everything around her and where she was, Thea imagined that she was in a field of flowers. The tone of the music was enchanting, she pictured herself as a maiden, picking fresh flowers from their bed.
