by D. M. Almond
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“Thank you for your support, milady.” Jayne bowed respectfully to Elder Esther Bran.
“You tell Lady Cassandra I’ll be bringing the others by on the ‘morrow. Fafnir will not get his way this time!” Elder Esther vowed as her butler opened the door to let the young woman out of the estate.
Following another bow, Jayne stepped out into the cool night air. Shivering, she pulled her trench coat tighter around her waist. Her boots clapped loudly against the cobblestone, ringing in the empty night streets and spreading the swirling, low-hung fog away from her.
It had only been six hours since Lady Cassandra sent the telepathic command. Yet in that time, Jayne had raced around the city, speaking with three other council members who were still loyal to the memory of Alain, bless his soul. Madame Esther marked the fourth, and that should be more than enough support to help sway the Council’s decision, freeing Cassandra from the awful dungeon cell.
On top of that, it had only taken the slightest suggestion from Jayne to have the labor leaders from three of the lower levels rouse up a mob. She imagined right now, on the other side of the city, they were causing quite a fuss, demanding the Lady Cassandra’s release in protest outside of section six. Magistrate Fafnir was going to have his hands full tonight.
A water pail rolled loudly into the street from the back of a waste cart she had just walked past, startling her from her thoughts. Peering down the empty lane, she could see no one about. Every doorway seemed vacant, and she reasoned that no one would be out for a stroll at this time of night. Jayne often carried a nightstick as protection, though Lady Cassandra insisted it was unnecessary. She flicked her wrist, uncoiling the weapon, and crept slowly toward the large trash bin. Edging in, she leaned forward, twisting to see just beyond the low squat container.
Many different scenarios played out in her mind as she anticipated the moment when her stalker would jump out. She would punch him in the throat then knee him in the groin, or just use her nightstick to shatter his kneecap, or maybe she would feign a swing of her nightstick and instead head butt him before calling for the night watchman.
All of these thoughts and more ran through Jayne’s head as she circled the trash bin, but none of them occurred. She did something else. She yelped. For some reason, she found the sight of a small, mangy alley cat hissing and running between her legs far more frightening than any stalker could have ever been.
Jayne silently cursed herself for letting the stray animal scare her so and put her weapon away, hoping no one had seen the embarrassing exchange through a curtained window. At least the burst of adrenaline warmed her, providing the extra boost she needed to hurry back to Cassandra’s house.
The place was so empty and cold without her mentor. When the lawmen had come to take her away, they had left the house in such disarray. The staff had been busy getting things back in order when Jayne had found Cassandra’s handmaid, Rosa, in the rooftop garden, weeping over the flowers her master had grown with so much love.
“F-first Master Alain, n-now the Lady…what are we to do?” Rosa had sobbed.
Jayne comforted her, telling her that everything would be fine and intending to make that a reality. After everything Lady Cassandra had done for her—taking her in off the streets, educating her, giving her a life of meaning—there was no way Jayne was going to sit by while the corrupt Fafnir—
Her thoughts were cut off again, and this time she was sure it was no cat behind her. Something had been shuffling softly against the stone, and when she stopped short, it went just a second longer. Jayne started walking again, her boots clicking on the cobblestone, and once more, the soft shuffling began. She realized without a doubt that someone was following her.
Jayne walked a little faster then stopped with a spin to catch the stalker. As she did so, a shadow slithered into the corner of a nearby building.
A cold dread fell over her. Something about the way her follower moved told her this was not something to face alone. Not that she was one to frighten easily. After all she had seen on the streets, what more there was to fear?
But this was different. She could almost feel the raw danger emanating off this person, setting off alarms in her head. Jayne could almost smell it in the air, like a burning casket had just paraded by. As if in answer to her thoughts, the stalker maliciously grinned at her with gleaming teeth that cut through the shadows like a blade.
All her energy was thrown into a pure flight of terror, moving on the verge of hysteria to escape the pursuer. Jayne raced down the street, fearing to look back, terrified of what was in those shadows watching her. Her legs pumped harder and harder, furiously pushing through the night. Jayne felt that if she slowed, even in the slightest, the shadow would be there to take her.
Her heart surged with hope as she rounded the corner into the alleyway behind Cassandra’s house. Just up ahead, the ladder came into view, singing to her of sanctuary.
As she closed the distance to it, arms reached out from the side alleyway to wrap around her. Jayne let out a shrill scream and batted her fists at the man, struggling to free herself.
“Whoa…calm down, Jaynee!” John announced, quickly pulling back with his palms outstretched. He had never seen Jayne react like that in all the times he had snuck up on her over the years. He calmly showed her his palms again, eyeing the nightstick she had flicked open to its full length.
“John Gates, by the Crystal, you scared me half to death,” Jayne said.
John was a pain in the arse. He was charming enough at times, but the constant mooning over her was tiring. He would have been the last person she wanted to see even an hour ago, as she obviously did not have time for silly flirtatious games this evening, but at that moment, the sight of him was nothing short of a godsend. Jayne hugged him in relief, using the maneuver to look over his shoulder down the lane.
“Someone was chasing me,” she whispered in his ear, not wanting the pursuer to know what she was saying.
John spun around, looking down the narrow path with zero tact. “I don’t see anyone.”
“Right, well, let’s not stay out here and wait for him to show up,” Jayne said, beckoning him to follow her up the ladder.
“Is this one of those weird roleplaying things you are into?” John asked, happily getting an eyeful of her perfectly rounded behind.
“Just get inside. And stop checking me out.” Jayne giggled, shoving him inside the house. Once the door was secure, firmly clicking back in place, she slipped off her trench coat. She narrowed her eyes at him. “Anyway, what were you doing out there at this time of night?”
“Rosa said you went out, and I figured I’d wait until you came back,” John explained, which was normal for him. He had been trying to court her for some time.
“John, I really do not have time for silly flights of fancy right now. Things are dire, and I have to be—”
“I already heard all about Lady C. Are all the rumors true? Has she been locked away?” He was acting uncharacteristically serious. Normally life was a joke to the rich boy.
Jayne nodded. “I’ve been out gathering support for her all day and night. Tomorrow we are all going down to section six to hash out the broader details with Lady Cassandra. Fafnir won’t know what hit him by the time we get through,” she said, excited by all the backing she had mustered.
“Good, that’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. You see, I have a plan, and it’s going to be the icing on the cake.” John was eager to tell her his idea.
Jayne smiled at the young man. He could be a pompous, arrogant, spoiled aristocrat, but at this moment she saw him in a whole new light, one she could actually relate to, and instantly decided she liked him better this way.
Listening to his plan, Jayne smiled confidently. It was a good one, and tomorrow it was going to knock the socks off Lady Cassandra.
