Of Noble Chains (The Ventori Fables)

by Miles, D. L.

  “You’re going into the catacombs,” Zia said as they moved to the front of the line, “don’t look so happy.”

  “Yes,” Achaicious slid his eyes towards her, “but they have to be better than any punishment served in Castaliana.” He laughed.

  Zia thought of Machatta, and how that must have been a shot at her. But there was no way he could know she was here, was there? Had Mal been right to warn her about the Realm Walker?

  It was taking too long to process Achaicious, and Machatta didn’t like having to wait any longer than she had to. But after what felt like a century, the Light Guard began to escort her brother down to the catacombs. She followed after them, moving down a darkened hallway; not even she knew what awaited them down there.

  The guards took a sudden turn, and started leading Achaicious up more stairs. When they stopped, it was in front of a door, and a man exited. He handed her brother a folder and said, “This is your new identity. You’ll be moving to Tranon, and you are not to operate your own business. The Lord wishes you to continue selling to STRAYs, and not keep records of it.”

  “Tranon?” Achaicious spat. His guards walked away, leaving him with the stranger. The man’s eyes glowed in the darkness, a strange aura of green, but Machatta couldn’t tell what kind of Specter he was.

  “Here,” the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a key, and Machatta knew it was time to act. She dropped her shield and entered the realm, shoving the stranger backwards, ashes flying in every direction. Achaicious didn’t have time to react when she grabbed onto his collar, and pulled him into her realm. Her banished realm.

  “Machatta?” he screamed. “You cannot be here! You’re not strong enough!”

  “I’ve learned, dear brother,” she whispered, her eyes narrowing on him as she threw him to the ground, “and this is where you will stay.”

  Achaicious looked scared, but as he stood his normal arrogance took over. He yelled, “You cannot keep me here! I will find a way out, I’ve always been stronger than you. If you can become a Walker, I will surely do it just as easily.”

  “Not with those, you won’t.” Machatta nodded her head at the reduc-chains that bound his wrists. “You will rot here.”

  Achaicious ground his teeth together, and she prepared to leave. When she did he would no longer be able to see the walls around him, it would be a haze of red and grey. He would be lost forever, just like he had planned on doing to her.

  “They will find me,” he stated simply, “they won’t leave me here. If you have mercy on me, they may have some for you.”

  “They know not what they are against, Achaicious,” Machatta turned to leave, when she faced him again. Her arm stuck out, and a blade shot out of it, cutting into Achaicious’ neck. Blood seeped from the wound, and spluttered from his mouth as he fell to the floor. She turned again, and thought, Maybe I do have mercy. Because some part of her didn’t want to leave her brother in such a wasteland.

  As he made a noise behind her, she said, “I will take down the Ark if it’s the last thing I do.”

  Zia could feel the scratches on her back beginning to heal, but they still needed to be properly bandaged. She rolled her shoulders, trying to get a feel for how big they were but with the rest of her body aching it was hard. They waited in line, the same line in which she had gotten her badge just a day earlier; Aeryn insisted.

  “Can’t we do this in the morning?” Zia asked. “Or like, mid-afternoon?”

  “Nope,” Aeryn said. “You want to rank up, we need to stand in line. And then we need to report to Madsen.”

  “Again?”

  “Every STRAY.”

  Zia cursed Madsen’s name under her breath. But then again, if she hadn’t been such a racist, Zia never would have gotten to find her brother’s killer. She never would have been able to get her rank so fast, or work with Aeryn. Maybe she owed Madsen a thank you instead?

  The line went quickly, and when they reached the front there was a woman sitting there. She looked up at Zia, and then to Aeryn, and asked for her badge. Zia passed it over, and in a few quick movements her little green line had an identical friend. When she got it back, she stared at the lines, no longer an initiate.

  “Thanks,” she said to the woman, and the Ventori left.

  “You should go home,” Aeryn told her when they got outside. “I’ll take care of the paperwork. Just go get a bandage for your back.”

  “Okay,” Zia replied, and she began to wobble home. “You’ll contact me, right?”

  “Yeah,” Aeryn nodded, “maybe in a couple of days.”

  Zia waved behind her absentmindedly as Aeryn walked back into Ventori Ark. She sighed, and wondered what she should do now. All the goals she had set for herself had been achieved, and in record time, she thought. She avenged her brother’s death, she got her Ventori badge and rank, and she was well on her way to getting into college. So…what now?

  Mal and Hayden immediately entered her mind. The Caster had gone home after Aeryn told him to, a little forcefully. He had done his part to ensure Achaicious couldn’t cast any spells, and Aeryn didn’t want him involved in the rest of the process. Madsen would probably have had a fit if she found out Zia had been working with a Specter.

  So that just left Hayden. Before she knew what was happening, she was already walking to his house; it wasn’t like she could bandage her own back, after all.

  Hayden opened his front door to find Zia standing there, covered in dirt and blood but actually managing a smile. His mouth hung open, and he just moved the door over more to let her inside. When she walked past him, he saw that her jacket had almost been shredded.

  “Light,” he said, holding onto her arms, “what happened?”

  “I just need some help covering the wounds,” she shrugged weakly, “got scratched.”

  “By what? A werewolf?” Hayden had meant it as a joke, but when she tilted her head he knew he had guessed right. “You fought a werewolf?”

  “In the South Quarter,” she started moving upstairs when he pulled her back down and started leading her into the bathroom. “It’s like I’m psychic.”

  He flicked the light on, and Zia shimmied out of her jacket. Hayden saw the dirtied bandage on her arm, but since there was no blood on it he took that as a good sign. But her top had a length of scratches just like her jacket, and she started to take it off as well.

  “What are you doing?” Hayden stopped her, not that he really wanted to.

  “Well I need to take it off,” she sounded exhausted, “if you’re gonna fix me up.”

  Zia didn’t want to take her clothes off in front of Hayden, not yet at least. But she couldn’t reach around to properly clean the wound, and she couldn’t ask her mother or father to do it. Hayden held up a finger, and ran out the door. Zia heard glass clinking, and some shuffling when he returned with two bottles of beer, a towel, and one of his shirts.

  “I’ll clean the wounds,” Hayden said, passing her an open bottle, “then you can take a shower and put this on.”

  He placed the rest of the supplies on the counter next to her, and she sat down on the edge of the bathtub, her feet sliding on the smooth ceramic. She took a drink, even though she didn’t really like the taste, and swallowed sloppily. Hayden’s hands were cold as he lifted the back of her shirt, and the alcohol stung as he dabbed it on her.

  “Sorry,” he whispered as she winced. She took another drink and said nothing.

  “My mom’s not sick anymore,” Zia confessed, wanting to drown out the silence between them. The alcohol was bitter on her tongue, and she questioned how anyone could like it. But it was an easy, repetitive movement.

  “I thought she had the sickness,” Hayden replied, “how did she…?”

  “Secret,” Zia didn’t want to tell him that it was because Iscah had made Win her companion. Hayden wouldn’t question it too much, anyway. But she had just really wanted to tell someone. She wondered if she would go to the hospital and tell Mel about what Caste
rs could do. Maybe Mal could help her…? Mel and Mal? She chuckled, and found the thought bothered her. “And tonight I got Donataen’s killer. Killers, I guess. Although…I think there might be a third.”

  “Why’s that?” he dabbed her again, and she managed to not wince.

  “He went down too easy,” Zia went on, “like he knew he was gonna get out anyway. I mean, I saw them take him down to the catacombs…but I don’t know what happened afterwards. I just can’t help but think that…what if someone at the Ark was doing something wrong?”

  Hayden chuckled. “At the Ark? Zia, you must have hit your head or something because nobody at the Ark is bad. They’re the good guys.”

  Zia swallowed half her beer, and thought, Maybe not. After everything that had happened that week…Zia didn’t know what to believe anymore.

  Half an hour later Zia climbed out of the shower, and Hayden put a white cloth over her back as soon as she was dressed. She threw his old shirt on, and thanked him with a kiss. When she opened her eyes to look up at him, she thought the alcohol was getting to her head and she said, “I really like you.”

  “Good enough for me.” Hayden gave her another kiss.

  “Take me home?”

  “Less good for me, but okay.” Hayden and Zia left her bloodied and shredded clothes in the bathroom, and he took her to his car. The drive home was a comfortable quiet, and Zia wondered what he was thinking about. She thought it might have been Donataen.

  Hayden walked her to her front door, and they shared one last kiss before he left. As Zia shut the door, she leaned against it and sighed, everything still feeling like a dream…or a nightmare. Actually, it was a mixture of both.

  Her eyes closed as soon as her head touched the pillow, surrounded by Hayden’s scent, she sighed again. It was easy for her to drift off to sleep, but she couldn’t help but wonder what the rest of her summer would involve.

  She hoped most of it would involve catching more STRAYs that nobody even knew about. Her eyes had been opened, and she felt like she could finally breathe.

  Epilogue:

  Nari the Unseen did what she did best; she hid. It wasn’t noble for a Ventori to hide, or to use dirty tricks to accomplish their goals, but she had to now. If she wanted to surprise Rinehart the Unbreakable, she didn’t have much choice. So she waited for him to turn his key in the lock to his front door.

  When he entered, he was flipping through some papers and called out, “Hey Nari.”

  She cursed, and came around the corner. “How’d you know?”

  “I didn’t, just a hunch,” he shrugged and tossed the papers on a nearby table. “What are you doing here?”

  “Achaicious is dead,” Nari told him, “and there’s been movement in the underground.”

  “Movement? What kind?”

  “The bad kind,” she came closer, her long blonde hair swirling under the vent above her, “haven’t you noticed the new Specters coming to town? You caught a Black Angel, right?”

  Aeryn nodded. “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying something’s happening, and I don’t know what that is,” she crossed her arms, “something’s coming, Aeryn, and it’s big. The Arch has always had secrets, and they aren’t including me in them.”

  “So why are you here?” Aeryn didn’t see her point.

  “They’re the ones killing the Ventori,” she tried not to yell, “they’re the ones making Specters go STRAY, and they’re the ones behind everything bad in this city!”

  “Well what do you want me to do about it?” Aeryn was yelling now. “I came back to find Noble’s killer, and I did, so I’m done. I’m going to finish with Kehzia, and I’m going to get the Light out of here!”

  He ripped open his front door, and Nari took the hint. She wondered when he had grown so cold. As she passed him, she kept her eyes on the hallway and said, “Don wouldn’t have wanted this, we used to be friends.”

  She stepped out, and the door slammed shut. Her one friend in the entire city, the one person that could help her, just kicked her out.

  Her feet moved fast as she left the building, resisting her own tears. Never, not ever, did she think Aeryn would ignore the obvious. And as she smashed open the front doors of the building, a woman caught her eye.

  “You know,” the raven haired woman said, “I think we can help each other.”

  Nari paused, ready to attack. She could sense this woman was a Specter, but she leaned casually against the building, arms crossed. Her head turned lazily to face Nari, and she stood straight.

  “What do you mean?” Nari asked.

  “The Ark needs to go.”

  “What do you care of the Ark?” Nari allowed her hands to lower to her sides, though her instincts were on full alert.

  “Walk with me, I’ll tell you a story.” The woman nodded her head down the empty street, and Nari glanced up at Aeryn’s building. When she locked eyes with the woman again, she stepped forward.

  Nari the Unseen had finally found someone willing to help. Maybe now she would finally be able to discover what those at the Ark were doing.

  “What’s this story, then?” Nari asked, her footsteps echoing as they walked. But she noticed this woman made no noise as she moved.

  “Have you heard of Kehzia Noble?” the woman questioned back.

  “Yes.” Nari knew of Kehzia from all the stories Donataen had told.

  “She might not be all that she seems,” the woman said, “the Ark aren’t the only ones with dark secrets.”

  “What are you saying?” Nari could feel her skin beginning to crawl, and she didn’t want Kehzia involved in this. She was Donataen’s little sister, she couldn’t be involved.

  “Miss Noble…she is the key to taking down the Ark, even if she doesn’t know it yet. Or a better way of putting it, would be taking over.”

  “She can’t get involved,” Nari stopped on the concrete, “she has nothing to do with this.”

  “Oh,” the woman laughed, “she has everything to do with this.”

  Thanks for reading to the end! Continue on for sample chapters from Shadeland, The Warden in the Gates, and Shimmering!

  About the author:

  D.L. Miles graduated from Sheridan College and currently resides in Southern Ontario. She loves playing World of Warcraft and Halo, and is far too attached to fictional characters.

  Connect with D.L. Miles online:

  Twitter: http://twitter.com/somethingofdev

  Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/devmiles

  Email: dlmiles[dot]books[at]ymail[dot]com

  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/somethingofdev

  Find excerpts, updates and other cool stuff on D.L. Miles’ blog:

  http://www.dlmilesbooks.wordpress.com

  Shimmering, the first two chapters:

  A YA urban fantasy feature shape-shifter Ember Reed

  Chapter 1:

  SHIFTING

  It was dark, as usual in Sagefall. But I didn’t mind, darkness was okay; after all it brought out the fireflies! What I wasn’t a fan of was the fog, and the rain, and the constant clouds rolling overhead, and the wind that always took my breath away. Speaking of which, a gust of wind rushed through me, picking up my hair and whipping it over my eyes. For once I smiled at being blinded, because I was also blinded by a new colour as I walked down the street.

  I had just finished it that afternoon, and I just needed to go out and show it off. It was the most unnatural hair colour I had ever had, and it was nice change of pace from my usual blonde. I passed by a closed store and caught my reflection; a girl with pastel green eyes and pale orchid purple hair stared back at me. My lips curled into a smile. Jayden was going to love this…or maybe he wouldn’t. Well, it didn’t matter.

  My new colour reflected what little light hit it, almost seeming silver it was so pale a shade of purple. I fussed with the edges, reminding myself I needed to get it cut soon. Drawing me from my daze, a thick section of fog rolled over my boo
ts. I wrapped my blue raincoat tighter around me.

  A young couple passed by, and I began to pace after them down the block. They were holding hands, their fingers entwined as they laughed loudly about some movie they had just seen. A bit of jealousy stung at my heart, and I pushed it away. I would find my love, in time. Fifteen years seemed like a long enough wait in my opinion though.

  I was so distracted by their happiness that I almost missed the bookstore. I stopped quickly and with a jerk yanked on the door handle and stepped inside, all the time wondering just when my time would come.

  The smell of books old and new hit me instantly, and I breathed them in. I couldn’t imagine anything better, except maybe cupcakes.

  “Ember,” the clerk, Brenda, said, “back already?”

  “Yup.” I smiled wide. I liked Brenda, she was a mid-thirties woman, with short brown hair and loved books just about as much as I did. Though we preferred different genres, she was always fun to talk to, especially when it came to discussing themes and characters. “I found this new series online and I wanted to check it out!”

  She gave me a knowing smile as she rolled her eyes. “One of your online friends making suggestions again?”

  I blushed lightly, knowing it was the truth. Though Brenda was always nice to me, she said I spent too much time on the computer. But since I was homeschooled it was just one of the things I could spend my time on; that and my online friends were really my only friends besides Jayden.

  “What’s it called?” Brenda questioned when I didn’t say anything. “And what on Earth did you do to your hair?”

  I told her the name of the books. “You don’t like it? I just did it today.” I gave her another wide smile, but she just shook her head. That was the best reaction I could hope for, I guessed.