by Miles, D. L.
Zia moved down the walkway towards South Havilan, muttering to herself about how stupid an idea this was. She had gone back home, jumping over a few fences to get in the backdoor; there was still a chance that Mal was watching her. But if she wanted to get into a club she had to dress the part, so tight jeans, an even tighter tube top with high heeled boots were a much better fit than her previous outfit. Realizing how far she had to walk now though was making her change her mind.
About forty-five minutes later Zia was walking up to Wraith, her eyes trailing down the line that circled the block. Bright lights lit up the entrance, but the Specter’s that awaited entry were shrouded in darkness. Appropriate, Zia thought.
As her heels clicked past the crowd they watched her. She knew they sensed what she was, even if she had tried to hide it. And feeling the weight of her dagger or her chain didn’t make her feel any safer as she came to the end of the line. This will do no good, she thought. There was no way she would get inside with a line this long, and there was no guarantee that they would let her in if she got to the front. A Ventori in a Specter club? She wasn’t exactly a welcome VIP.
With a sigh, she listened to her heels continue to click as she walked away from Wraith, preparing to find another way inside.
Mal couldn’t tell what she was doing, this Ventori girl. She had gone back into her house and changed into a different set of clothes, only to come down to Wraith. All the Specter’s were talking about her, questioning why a clan member so young would be there. Thankfully most thought it was on a dare and chose to ignore her. Some though…some were suggesting other things. Things that made Mal cringe.
Losing his shield, Mal followed the girl into a nearby alley and watched as she tried to find another way into the club. He was careful to keep an eye out for the stranger that was on her tail, but he had lost the man’s scent once they had passed the bridge.
Mal’s eyes peeked out of the alley, curious to see if the stranger was anywhere nearby. But when he turned around he was suddenly looking down on the Ventori girl.
“What in the name of the Light are you doing here?” she asked him, for the second time that night. He had forgotten he lowered his shield, and she could easily see him.
“I was just…following you,” he admitted, not wanting to lie to her. Mal didn’t like lying, even if it was to someone like her, someone who hated and was so close-minded towards Specter’s. “I see you are having trouble getting into the club.”
“I’ll get in,” she said, “so you and your creepy stalking self can go away back to your lair while I try and find a murderer.”
Mal grimaced in the darkness. “I am not the one stalking you. Besides, you Ventori girl, what are you going to do when you meet Achaicious? Accuse him outright like you did me?”
“I’ll figure that part out when I get there,” she declared and whirled back around. Mal felt a smile grow across his face as he watched her go. He kind of liked that she didn’t back down easily, even to him. But that tenacity was surely going to get her killed sooner rather than later, most likely tonight.
“I can help you,” Mal found himself saying as he took a step towards the girl. A firm hand planted on his shoulder and he jumped to find the stranger there. “Who are—“
“Zia!” The stranger called out. She spun around again, ready to attack Mal but paled as she saw him.
“What are you doing here?” she, Zia, Mal noted her name, asked. She seemed to ask that a lot.
“I’ve been following you,” he stepped forward and Mal’s stomach lurched upwards. He dashed in front of the stranger, readying himself for a fight. And a strong fight it would be; Mal hadn’t even heard this man approach. Not a simple accomplishment.
“I do not know who you are,” Mal said, his fingers stiffening, “but I suggest you leave her be before I do something I will regret.”
Instead of leaving, or even cowering, the man laughed, loud and hearty. He slapped another hand on Mal’s shoulder and pushed him aside as easily as Zia had in the woods. “Calm down,” he said, “she’s my student.”
“Aeryn,” Zia came into the strange argument, eyeing Mal, “what are you doing here? And why are you following me?”
“You know him?” Mal asked, his stature relaxing just slightly. Zia only gave him a nod, still trying to wrap her head around the fact that he had tried to protect her. Such a strong Caster and Specter was ready to fight to save her; she just didn’t understand that.
“I thought you might look into the suspects yourself,” Aeryn shrugged, “which in most cases are very dangerous. Present company excluded.” He shot a look at Mal.
“Ah, thank…you,” Mal said back, unable, or unwilling, to make eye contact.
“But Zee, let me ask you something,” Aeryn rested a hand on Zia’s shoulder, “why aren’t you taking his help? Do you not want the most power Caster on your side?”
“He’s a Specter,” Zia spat, “why would I want his help?”
“You can’t assume they’re all evil,” Aeryn gave her a pitying look and she hated it. What was with this day? Everyone was trying to convince her that Specter’s were good? They were nothing but killers!
“I only wish to help you understand,” Mal said, taking a small step into the alley.
“I understand just fine, thanks,” Zia made sure her abhorrence came through to both of them. She might admire Aeryn, but she wasn’t going to accept his thoughts on Specter’s so easily.
Aeryn grimaced and turned to Mal. “You think you can get her in?” He nodded in response. “Good, then if you don’t mind, give her a hand.”
“I don’t need his help!” Zia shouted.
“Zia,” Aeryn sounded like he had lost his patience, “let him help you. It’s dangerous in there; did you know entering there revokes the Accord keeping them from killing you on sight?”
Zia paled a little more in the dim light. “But I’m not going to attack them.”
“But you carry a weapon,” Mal said, gesturing to her hidden knife, “that is all they need.”
“Wha—but…but…”
“Just take the help, since I can’t go in with you tonight,” Aeryn turned to Mal. “Look after her will you?”
Mal nodded to Aeryn before the Ventori quickly escaped the alley. Zia seemed to have been too stunned to refute him, or maybe she was just too frightened. But no matter what, Mal was determined to show her that not all Specter’s were bad; maybe if he could convince her, he would be able to convince those at City Ark. Maybe this was the beginning of a new Accord.
“Fine,” Zia finally said to him, “but this whole working with you thing…not gonna last. So just get me inside so I can do my job.”
Mal held his hand out to her and she paused. She didn’t want to touch him, she felt like it would taint her if she did.
“It is necessary,” Mal said, moving until he was right beside her, “it is the only way I can pull you through.”
“Through?” Zia asked, roughly putting her hand in his. They felt different than Aeryn’s, they were much smoother, and just a bit smaller, but still bigger than hers. Mal turned his face towards the brick wall that separated her from Wraith. He said nothing, and Zia blinked. “What. Just. Happened.”
They were inside the building. Just like that; one moment Zia was breathing in the stench of fresh garbage, now she couldn’t breathe from the smoke of the club. They stood in the ladies washroom, surrounded by blinding lights and two Specter’s taking a smoke break. The girls didn’t seem to care that Zia had just materialized by them and they walked out.
“You may want to keep hold of my hand,” Mal suggested, turning his face towards Zia, “there will be many people in here that aren’t fond of Ventori.”
“Like Light I will,” Zia said and tried to yank her hand from him. She expected him to let go immediately, since his demeanor had been so meek before, but he held on. Zia tried again but to no avail.
“I said I would look after you,” Mal said, pulling her fa
ce to look at him with her free hand, “and if you let go of my hand you will most certainly die.”
Zia was going to try and argue, but she found her mouth had dried up. She had never really looked into Mal’s eyes before; he had been wearing sunglasses and outside it had been too dark. But now, under the bright bathroom lights she had to think hard to form words. Mal’s eyes were nothing short of magnificent, with a black pupil surrounded by the thinnest ring of blue and after that an explosion of violet extending over the rest of his eyes. She felt herself staring, but Zia had never seen anything like this before.
“I am sorry,” Mal blushed just slightly as he moved his hair around on his forehead, “I will change it so you’re more comfortable.”
“Uh-huh,” Zia mumbled and watched as Mal’s eyes changed from inhuman to…well, more human. The violet contracted and his eyes showed their whites, and the ring of blue dissipated to the edge of his pupil, as if being smudged outwards. They were still strange but absolutely, “beautiful.”
“I will imagine that means this is better,” Mal smiled and pulled on Zia’s hand, dragging her to the door. She covered her mouth, unable to believe what she had just said. He was a Specter, there was no way she could think something like that.
“W-whatever,” Zia managed to say.
“Stay close,” Mal gave her another smile as his hand touched the door leading to the club, “and welcome to Wraith.”
Wraith wasn’t like anything Zia had ever witnessed before; the music roared overtop the Specter’s, who didn’t even try to hide what they were, and the stench of iron and whiskey stained the air. As Mal led Zia through the droves of people, she found it difficult not to wrinkle her nose in disgust at the Vampire’s drinking blood, or the Demon’s snacking on raw meat. And they want me to think these things are innocent? She thought.
They passed by a small girl with what appeared to be rose stems for hair when Mal stopped. Zia tried to pull out of his grasp again, but he held onto her.
“They can sense what you are,” Mal said, turning around to face her, “you need to hide your scent.”
“My scent?” Zia questioned, standing her ground as Mal stepped closer to her. He leaned in to whisper in her ear and her stature stiffened. Instinctively, she reached for her blade.
“We must wait for laCoix to reveal himself,” Mal whispered, “otherwise you will not find him. Until then, stay close; the others might not notice you then.”
“How long will that take?” Zia moved her head to face him, but their noses were only an inch apart. He smiled down at her and pulled her closer to the dance floor. “What are you doing?”
“You need to blend in more,” Mal shrugged and snatched her closer to him, her body colliding with his. They were in the middle of a mass of dancing Specter’s, none of them paying Zia any mind. Mal put one hand on her waist and kept his other entwined with hers, moving her about under the flashing lights.
The smell of iron and honey filled the air now, overtaking Zia’s senses; being this close to Mal was beginning to give her a headache, or maybe it was just being surrounded by Specter’s. As she avoided making eye contact with her dance partner she peered around the room, wondering how many of them were STRAYs.
How many things in that room had killed an innocent? How many had fed upon a human just because it looked like fun?
Mal suddenly pulled Zia against him, trying to get her attention. “You look frightened,” he said.
“I’m not scared,” Zia spat at him, “I’m disgusted.”
“You look of that too,” Mal pulled his lips towards his teeth, “do you wish to leave?”
“No,” Zia wrenched herself from his arms, bumping into someone else on the dance floor, “not until I find laCoix.” The music stopped and all eyes were once again on her; even the lights had stopped flashing, narrowing in on her. She looked around nervously, wondering what had set them off.
“Ventori,” a man growled, the one Zia had backed into, “what are you doing here?”
“I’m—“ Zia began but Mal quickly cut in, stepping between her and the stranger just as he had in the alleyway with Aeryn. It looked strange, with his lanky figure against such a large man, but he didn’t show any fear. He hadn’t even hesitated to step between them.
“She is with me,” he spoke loudly, ensuring everyone could hear. “She is my companion.”
“Oh, like the Ligh—“ Zia was again cut off by Mal as he covered his hand over her mouth. She glared at him over his fingers and only when she quieted down did her put his arm at his side.
“I apologize for the intrusion, Mr. Delmont,” Mal said to the Specter, a werewolf, Zia thought, “but she is not Ventori, merely a descendant.”
“You best be careful where you take her,” the wolf said, “others might not be as welcoming to your…companion.” Delmont’s eyes drifted over Zia, boring into her like rusty blades. She knew he wanted to kill her, and that he could, and that the only thing stopping him was Mal. Delmont snapped his fingers and the music started again, the lights began to flash and beam over others in the club. Slowly, the other Specter’s went back to their dancing, and their drinking. Nobody cared about Zia anymore, at least not when they found out she was Mal’s companion.
She didn’t like that, even if it was a lie. Being a Caster’s companion was demeaning, and it made her feel dirty just thinking about the idea of him running his magic through her. She shivered as they watched Delmont walk away, stalking into a backroom. Mal turned to her.
“Who was that?” she asked as he took her hand. He began leading her to the bar, his hands a little sweaty from…nerves?
“That was Mr. Delmont,” Mal said, “he’s laCoix’s assistant.”
Zia tugged on her arm but was still dragged up to the counter. “Then shouldn’t we talk to him?”
“No,” Mal shook his head furiously, his blond hair shimmering under a lime-green light, “if Delmont is here then that means laCoix is not.”
Zia bit down on her bottom lip, silently cursing. This was all for nothing then; getting so close to a Specter, being called a companion…all of it worthless. She hadn’t learned anything relevant to the case, and she certainly wasn’t any closer to catching Cindel’s killer. She thought back to how eager Aeryn had been to get her in here…was this why? Had he wanted to teach her some kind of lesson?
“You are sad,” Mal stated quietly in her ear, “why are you sad?”
“Because I have to work with a thing like you,” Zia shot at him, “and because I’m surrounded by monsters.” She ripped out of his hands and almost ran out the front door of Wraith, leaving Mal calling out behind her. Zia had easily avoided touching any more Specter’s, and only when she was out in the cool summer air did she realize how hard it had been to breathe inside.
As her feet began to take her away from Wraith, Aeryn appeared, falling into step beside her.
“Figured it out yet, hotshot?” he taunted, knowing exactly what had happened.
“Why did you let me go in there, if you knew he wasn’t there?” Zia asked. “And why did you make me go in with—with him?” They each looked over their shoulders, watched as Mal came running from the club. But when he saw Aeryn he stopped, and simply let them leave. Zia’s eyes followed him as he walked off into the shadows; exactly where he belonged, she thought.
“Because believe it or not,” Aeryn looked at her, “he isn’t the bad guy here.”
“They’re all bad guys here,” Zia wrapped her jacket tighter around her, feeling the residual cold of being so close to so many Specter’s.
Aeryn didn’t say anything after that, and only walked Zia back to her house. She had thought about arguing with him, yelling at him, or just pleading with him. But she knew she wasn’t in her right mind to do any of those things.
Zia’s heels clicked loudly against the cobble walkway to her front door, dissipating out into the darkness around them.
“Wait here,” she told Aeryn and walked into her house. Aeryn h
ad been at a loss for words to try and help her overcome her hatred of Specter’s, but maybe for her that would only come with maturity. After what had happened with her brother…Aeryn could understand how she felt. The door clicked, and Zia appeared, handing him a notebook.
“What’s this?” he asked, taking the black book from her. He opened it and flipped through some pages, seeing hundreds of names written in small, loopy writing.
“It’s the lists you wanted,” Zia shrugged and looked away from him, “of all the most powerful Specter’s in the city.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem. You gonna contact me?”
“I will.”
“Is this going on a report to Ms. Madsen?” Zia peeked up at him with hope. Aeryn smiled down at her.
“Not a chance.”
Chapter 10:
The library didn’t seem as welcoming as it once had to Zia; that stale smell she used to love from her childhood suddenly just felt cold, and the sight of books only made her want to run and hide. Last night hadn’t gone well…and suddenly all of her confidence was gone. But that wasn’t going to stop her from talking to this little boy about his heritage. If there was one thing she knew in this world, it was history.
“Ms. Noble,” the librarian said, coming around her desk, “it’s good to see you again. Thank you so much for coming!”
Zia plastered a smile onto her face, not really feeling up to basic pleasantries. “Not a problem, you said the kid doesn’t know about clans or anything?”
“Not really,” Mrs. Mayfield hesitated, “he’s only six and his parents are often working…but he’s been reading all the books he can since he arrived here. I thought he might like to hear from someone actually in a clan.”
“Okay,” Zia followed after the librarian towards the back of the building, noticing that there was nobody else around. There weren’t even other kids. “Where is everyone?”
“Oh, they all went on a fieldtrip down to the park,” Mrs. Mayfield glanced over her shoulder, “Trenton…didn’t want to go.” Zia only nodded.
