Of Noble Chains (The Ventori Fables)

by Miles, D. L.

  “Let’s go,” Zia ordered, and Aeryn just shook his head. “What?”

  “No hurry,” he shrugged and moved out of the doorway to show Zia the Black Angel. He was pinned to the wall by pale bindings, as if the paint itself had come alive to trap him there. It was slick and appeared as if it could break any second, but each time the Angel moved it only tightened on him. Across from him stood Mal, just staring at him with a blank expression. Zia walked up with a little too much fury, and Aeryn only trailed behind.

  “What’s this?” Zia pointed to the Angel as her feet slid through the green dust. It was Caster dust, the green indicating an intermediate spell. But everyone there knew that banishing someone was forbidden, even to a Specter.

  The Angel roared at them, and another piece of the wall came out to cover his mouth. Mal said, “Are you alright?”

  “What—yes, I’m fine,” Zia lost all her anger in that moment, as Mal looked at her. He looked so worried, so ashamed that she had been hurt, and she felt another tug in her chest.

  “A-are you?” she managed to ask, though the words felt thick and awkward across her tongue. She had never thought she would ever ask a Specter if he was okay.

  “I am fine,” Mal gave a small smile, and Aeryn held the reduc-chains to Zia.

  “I think this one can go to you,” he said, and absentmindedly Zia took them. She placed one part of the chain around the Black Angel’s wrist, and Mal let him down. Zia finished handcuffing the Specter behind his back, and he was now powerless. Aeryn added, “Let’s get to Ventori Ark then, shall we?”

  As they walked out of the ward, Zia couldn’t help but notice more of the green dust coating parts of the hallway. She knew it wasn’t from Mal’s banishing, but that meant another Caster was there. Zia bit down on her bottom lip, wondering who it could be, but she had a feeling she would find out soon enough.

  Aeryn couldn’t help but notice how quiet Zia had been after catching her very first STRAY Specter. He had thought she would be ecstatic, and bugging him for another case. But as they walked into Ventori Ark, she seemed to be lost in thought. Mal had gone off once Aeryn had told him to, and he went too willingly. Aeryn wouldn’t have been surprised if the Specter was following them.

  “Over there,” Aeryn pointed Zia towards a small line on the far end of the room, and she obeyed without a word. The Black Angel seemed drained of all his energy, whether it be from the reduc-chains, or not eating, Aeryn didn’t know.

  “Do you think he really wants to help me?” Zia asked, never taking her eyes from the front of the line. Aeryn had a feeling it was because she couldn’t face him, and he sighed.

  “I think so,” he confessed, “he isn’t a bad kid.”

  “He’s a Specter.”

  “That doesn’t make him bad,” Aeryn shrugged, “it’ll be good for you.”

  “I don’t like Specter’s,” Zia stepped forward as the line moved, taking the Black Angel with her.

  “Are you sure?” Aeryn stepped up. “You shouldn’t judge one man based on what his race is doing.”

  That earned a chuckle from the Black Angel. He kept his head low, his eyes just barely opening to reveal that his eyes had begun to turn black; showing a weakness in his power. He said, “You think that a Specter and Ventori could be together, Rinehart the Unbreakable?”

  “I do.”

  “You think a Specter and Ventori could love one another?”

  “I do.”

  Aeryn was hoping Zia was listening carefully, and when he peeked at her from the corner of her eyes, he saw she was watching the Black Angel.

  “It comes,” the Black Angel declared, and even Aeryn had to hold back a shiver, “you will see.”

  “What’s coming?” Zia asked, but the woman behind the glass called them to the front. Aeryn shoved the Angel forward, and hoped Zia wouldn’t ask any more questions. But he knew that was never going to happen.

  Chapter 13:

  “So what’s going to happen to him, exactly?” Zia asked Aeryn as they stood in yet another line at Ventori Ark. They had handed over the Black Angel to the Light Guard, and he was now being escorted to the catacombs beneath the city; but what happened down there was unknown to anyone else. Zia assumed that Aeryn must know, since he had such a high rank within the clans.

  “He’ll be put on trial,” Aeryn shrugged, still giving her strange glances from the corner of his eyes. She couldn’t help but notice how upset he had seemed since the Angel had said something about a Ventori and a Specter working together. Of course, it had shaken Zia as well.

  “Then what?” questioned Zia. “Will he be sent into the wild lands out west?”

  “Depends what they say,” Aeryn was being strangely cryptic. “But this will look good on the report to Madsen.”

  Zia perked right up. She had almost forgotten that Madsen, the woman who hated humans so much, wanted Aeryn to file a report on her progress. She thought of how she had worked with Mal, and wondered if that would be included. If she hated humans, Zia wondered what she might say about Specters.

  “What are you going to say on it?” Zia asked before she could stop herself. Aeryn gave a small smirk.

  “Exactly what happened,” the Ventori replied, “we need to fill out a status report and file it with the education sector two floors up.”

  “Even about Mal?” Zia looked up at her mentor, but she never really saw him. She just remembered the Caster, and how he had been banished, and how there was just too much green residue left over from it. Zia knew someone else was there, but she didn’t know how to ask Aeryn about it. Had he noticed?

  Aeryn was glad that Zia had finally started calling the boy by his name, but it worried him too. He had seen what partnerships between Ventori and Specter’s led to, and it never ended well. But the fact that she was no longer referring him as an “it” or a “thing” was a start. He suggested, “We might leave him out.”

  And for the first time, Aeryn caught a look of relief from his pupil. He only hoped that his own feelings weren’t written as clearly on his face as hers were.

  He wondered why she would be so relieved that he agreed to leave Malachi Fel out of the report. But Madsen had been rather cruel when it came to humans, and he knew her opinion on Specter’s, but Zia didn’t. Something was off, and he couldn’t place what it was; maybe it was just the charm that had been put on the front doors of Ventori Ark…

  Well over an hour later, and after a lot of writing, Zia had finally completed all her necessary paperwork. But that didn’t mean she and Aeryn were free to leave Ventori Ark; they still had to wait in line for something else, something he wouldn’t tell her.

  “Is it money?” Zia questioned, growing more and more curious. His mood had suddenly changed once their paperwork was handed in, and she noticed a small smirk on his lips. “Are we getting paid for the Black Angel?”

  “You won’t get paid for anything,” he said, and he set a hand on the center of her back. Aeryn gave her a slight push forward, and Zia was standing in front of a man. He didn’t say anything, but he glanced up and gave a small nod.

  “Just one more minute,” he told her, and Aeryn was next to her. She was getting more nervous, but in a good way. What was this surprise?

  To answer her question, the man behind the glass slid a small black leather square towards her. Zia looked to her mentor while her hand reached out for the square, and as she touched down on it she realized what it was; a badge.

  She shrieked as she opened it, unable to hide her excitement. She didn’t care that all eyes in Ventori Ark were now on her, or that Aeryn even covered his ears from her scream. Zia was officially a Ventori now, even if she had no formal education. In her hands was a Ventori badge, bearing the photograph of her from the files in the archives, and a single green line. The green line meant her rank as an initiate with the Ventori clans, and was what she had worked so hard for all her life.

  “I have a badge!” Zia shouted, shoving the small piece of leather into her me
ntors face. “It’s there, it’s right there!”

  Aeryn laughed. “Yes, you have a badge, now shut up about it.” He pushed her hands down, and began to walk out of the building. As Zia followed she couldn’t stop staring at her own picture, and her little green line.

  “I’m Ventori,” she said more to herself than anyone as the doors pushed open. But when she was told to put the badge away, guilt began to set in. What would her mother think? Zia shook her head, and decided that saving lives and stopping things like the Black Angel were more important than her mother’s feelings about the Ventori. But still, Zia felt that familiar pang in her stomach. She repeated, “I’m Ventori.”

  “You’re an initiate,” Aeryn corrected, “take note of the green line.”

  “Hayden is going to be so jealous,” Zia changed the subject, but tried to remember that even though she had caught the Angel, he wasn’t the one in control. Achaicious was the one behind it all, for some reason. Anger replaced her guilt, and Zia questioned, “Are we going to go back to find Achaicious?”

  “Not yet,” he told her as they crossed the street. “We still need to do a little more digging; find out more. Meet me here tomorrow at two.”

  “Where are we going?” Aeryn jumped onto his steed, and Zia looked up at him in the dark, his face framed by the moon.

  “You’ll find out tomorrow,” he flicked the reigns and Cindy took off, “at two!”

  “Hey!” Zia called out to him, but he was already long gone. Even though she wasn’t in her full form the black horse blended into the shadows easily.

  Zia looked around her, taking in the empty streets of Northern New Havilan; she wondered if they would ever be full in the dark. Humans never went out at night, not really. It was like their instincts went into overdrive when the moon came out, and they knew it wasn’t safe. But she shrugged in the darkness, thinking that it was safe in New Havilan, as long as you stayed up north, and there were Ventori out. Ventori like her.

  Before she left, she thought she heard a howl in the distance, coming from the north. She told herself that her mind was playing tricks on her, and turned. Her boots padded across the sidewalk, and she was headed home, wondering what adventure awaited her tomorrow.

  It wasn’t cold at all at night, not like it used to be. The man ran along the pathway just past his house, papers in hand as he tried to escape his pursuer. But the thing was fast, faster than should be possible for its kind. The man kept going though, knowing that he had to tell someone what he had found.

  He was a cold case worker, and he specialized in the cases that looked unsolvable. He was a Ventori, of the proud Neith clan, and he had found something important; something that would change the way New Havilan worked. At least…he hoped it would.

  The Neith dashed through more trees, tried to zigzag around obstacles to lose his attacker, but it was no use. That thing had the advantage in the woods, and they both knew it. As he came to the edge of a cliff, he decided that it was time to fight despite his minimal experience. He was Ventori, and he would not go down easily. Not now, not with what he held.

  He spun around and slid a small dagger from his sleeve, throwing it towards the trees. A howl erupted in the darkness, and the figure stepped out; a werewolf. It was massive, compared to all the wolves he had seen, with limbs that stretched out too far, and eyes that glowed hot and yellow under the moon. It appeared as a man with hair all over his body, his arms and legs twice as long, and he had a snout that bared sharp fangs. The dagger stuck out from its cheek, and it merely shook its head to get rid of it, blood splaying over the dirt below. The Ventori flicked his eyes up, as if trying to will the clouds to cover the source of the wolf’s powers but it was a clear night; beautiful even.

  The beast snarled, and the Neith reached into his jacket for another weapon; this one would do much better. It was a jagged piece of cobalt, sharpened into the deadliest of weapons; he only wished he could have it enchanted, to give it that extra kick.

  “Come on, then,” he said to the beast. The wolf’s eyes slid to observe the cliff, and the Neith could swear it knew of his plan. It moved fast, then, faster than he had ever seen a werewolf move. It dodged back and forth, almost disappearing into the air when suddenly it was upon him, foul breath hot on his neck. It’s teeth sank in, almost threatening to tear his head right from his body.

  The Neith crumbled to the ground, dead; his files fluttering next to his body. The wolf howled, and returned to human form. He knelt down and scooped up the files, only taking a moment to read the name on them, make sure they were the right ones. They were. He remembered the name well; Donataen Noble. And he remembered the kill.

  He spat on the Ventori, and was about to walk away when he noticed the dagger that still lay in the man’s warm hand. It was a rare thing to see in New Havilan, and the wolf bent over to pick it up. But as his hand touched down on the blue, it seared him. Pure cobalt? A glance over his shoulder and he knew he was going to be late, his master wouldn’t like that. He quickly pushed the body, and the dagger, over the cliff.

  As for the blue dust that lay around the area, well, that would be taken care of by the wind. Before he left, he looked up at his mistress once more, and howled. For a moment he felt lonely when no one howled back at him, and the wolf headed home.

  Chapter 14:

  Her mother was awake rather early the next day, and so was her father. When Zia came crashing down the stairs, she found them both sitting at the kitchen table, each with a steaming cup of tea in their hands.

  “Morning,” Zia said slowly, heading to the coffee maker. It was a little suspicious to find them both there at such a time, and she could feel something prick at the back of her head; her Medean blood seeping to her surface.

  “Good morning,” her mother said, voice a little hoarse. Her father didn’t really say anything, but gestured for her to sit down. She did.

  “Dare I ask what this is about?” she tried to joke, and her mother actually smiled. Cash, on the other hand, seemed worried.

  “We’re just a little concerned about your new boyfriend,” Win admitted, taking a sip of her tea. “How exactly did you meet him?”

  “Oh, uh…” Zia started, noting that her father’s eyes were boring in to her, his Medean blood coming through. But she had the same blood, and deflected, “What’s wrong with him? I thought you liked that you met him.”

  “Yes,” Win nodded, “but he just seems so much older. And so very…”

  “Forward,” Cash finished for his wife, lips tight. She nodded in agreement, just as the coffee began to pour into the pot on the counter. Zia swallowed, quietly and tried to think of a lie. Even then, she had her new badge and rank safely in her back pocket. She couldn’t admit Aeryn was actually her mentor.

  “That’s why I like him,” she stood in one swift motion and moved towards the coffee pot, “he’s mature. Not like high school boys.”

  “But you’re a high school girl,” Cash said.

  “I do believe I graduated,” Zia corrected, signing motions with her hands, “there was a big ceremony, I walked across the stage, shook the principals hand. Mom was there, and so were you. Remember? Or is age getting the best of you?”

  Cash pursed his lips, and set a hand on his briefcase sitting next to him. He said, “I need to leave for work, but we still have to discuss this.”

  Zia rolled her eyes, wishing they would just give up. They had never really cared about anyone else she had dated, but maybe that was because they were always the same age. She didn’t even know how old Aeryn was, actually, and now it was starting to bother her. There was no way he could be over twenty-six, right?

  “Goodbye, dad,” Zia said, and Cash gave his daughter and wife a kiss on the cheek. The door clicked shut, and Win was left to carry on the conversation.

  Zia poured herself a cup of coffee and sat next to her mother in Cash’s chair. Win said, “I didn’t want to ask while your father was around, but are you being safe?”

  “Huh
?” Zia perked up, her mind instantly going to the hit she had taken from the Black Angel not even a day ago. She had been thrown clear across a room, and no bruises had shown up. But as she looked into her mother’s eyes, she realized what she had really meant. “Oh, safe? We aren’t uh…we aren’t doing anything like that.”

  Win smiled, weak and gentle. Zia could feel herself blushing, imagining herself tangled in bed with Aeryn, passion getting the better of her. But she doubted he would ever look at her like that, yet the thought still made her heart beat a little faster.

  “You really like him,” Win said, not believing her daughter, “just be aware of the consequences. Is he from a clan?”

  “Yes,” Zia spoke too quickly, unable to stop remembering her kiss with him in the hallway, “he’s from the Shakti clan.”

  “That’s good.” Win took a drink, and so did Zia. Her mother looked at her, and questioned, “Whatever happened to Hayden?”

  “Hayden?” Zia repeated. “I don’t know. We don’t really talk much.”

  “No, I mean,” Win tried to find the right words, “I always thought you liked him. You were always talking about him.”

  “Wha—no way! That’s Hayden Rider,” Zia protested, “he’s…he’s Hayden Rider!”

  “Well whenever you mentioned him you got so passionate, excited” Win shrugged, “I just thought—it reminded me of how I would talk about your father when we were young.”

  “No, no way. No way would I like Hayden. He was competition, mom, not…bleh.” Zia couldn’t even form proper sentences when the image of her and Aeryn was replaced with her and Hayden. Her heart jumped harder against her ribcage.

  “Alright, alright,” Win tried to calm her daughter down, and they continued to chat in the kitchen. Zia attempted to steer the conversation away from Aeryn and Ventori and Hayden, but her mother was persistent. Two o’clock couldn’t come fast enough.