by Logan Jacobs
“I have some that could be of use,” the half-elf replied, and even though he still couldn’t look me in the eye, I could sense his unease abating. Something more like intrigue was wafting from him now, and I got the impression he had no issue with helping remove a few dark elves from his area of Rengfri.
“Thank you.” I smiled even though he couldn’t see it.
“You’ve been a great help,” Ashe added politely.
“The shop will be open within the hour.” The half-elf nodded his head lightly, and then he turned back into the house without saying another word.
“What should we do until the shop opens?” Ashe asked once we had walked away from the house. “I’m already starving again, of course.”
“We’ll eat first thing, but I think I might know who could help us track down the vanishing human,” I replied. “If the black fairies were able to find where the Blessed live, maybe they’d be able to sniff this man out, too. Sparkles did say they make it their business to know what goes on all over the Port of Rengfri.”
“Back to Madame Nyra?” Ashe suggested.
“Back to Madame Nyra,” I confirmed with a smirk.
“Great, I kind of miss her already,” she chuckled. “She’s devious but in a very classy way… that’s a new one for me.”
I let out a laugh and then hooked her arm around mine as we started the walk to the marketplace. The streets were busier than they had been before the banquet, and now we shared the lanes with other beings, but, thankfully, none of the half-orcs or trolls gave us any attention. They seemed to be enjoying the freedom they had once again, and they continued on with their mundane tasks like it was any other day again.
I took six coins from the sack I carried to buy us both a leg of meat each, and then we shot off toward an alleyway in order to devour the meat in peace. I watched a few beings as we ate, and I even witnessed a black fairy pickpocket a seller as his back was turned. I wondered if Madame Nyra allowed this sort of thing for the sake of gaining more coins, or if it was just the way of her fairies to cause their own sort of trouble when they wanted to. Either way, I was impressed with the considerable dexterity the black fairy had, and it was fascinating to watch as she worked.
Once she had stolen the seller’s money, she then acted like a regular customer, bought three of the empty potion bottles he sold in red, green, and blue, and then walked away to pick another target. She chose a woman who was selling large scraps of material, and as the black fairy rummaged through the various fabrics, she “accidentally” dropped them all to the ground.
“Oh!” the black fairy gasped. “Goodness, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” the woman said feebly.
As the woman bent over and tried to pick up the fallen material, the fairy skillfully swooped her arm over the woman’s arched back, and she delicately released the bag of pieces that hung from the seller’s skirt. She had it slipped inside the scrappy folds of her own skirt before the seller stood up again.
Then, just like she had done with her last target, the fairy chose the first piece of fabric she touched, paid for the item, and flapped her gauzy black wings to lift off into the air.
I thought I heard a mischievous little laugh coming from her as she flew off down the lane, and the black fairy certainly looked pleased with her quick bit of work. Although it was amusing to watch her trickery, it made me realize how very little it took to amuse their kind.
Demons weren’t so easy to satisfy.
I’d stolen from plenty of beings over several eons, and I imagined I would often have the need to do it again from here on out, but these sellers in the outer marketplace of the Shadow Quarters didn’t seem to have an evil bone in their bodies. I wouldn’t have received much satisfaction from robbing them, not unless they deserved to be robbed of their hard-earned money or goods. If these beings deserved to be robbed, though, then I probably would have taken their money and their lives at the same time.
Ridding the surface world of the worse kinds of evil while also increasing my own riches sounded like a win to me. Just the thought of it made me excited, but I had to focus on other things today. I had to focus on the real reason we had entered the marketplace to begin with.
There was a tall tower at the side of the square that had a giant clock face attached at the top. It was in the ninth hour of the morning when we first arrived, and we didn’t leave our spot until it had reached the tenth hour. By now, the half-elf would have opened his shop.
“I hope I get a fucking fantastic blade,” Ashe said as we made our way toward the shop. “It’s been ages since I wielded a sword I loved.”
“You’d look incredibly sexy with a two-handed sword,” I replied.
I could already imagine the view.
Ashe in her sinful-looking, blue dress, with her hair tied back in braids, and the sword in her hands, ready to strike. Even if this wasn’t powerful enough to defeat the dark elves, I was determined to make this fantasy come to life for both me and Ashe.
If my demon lover wanted a perilous sword, then that was exactly what she’d get.
The half-elf was serving another half-elf in the shop when we arrived, but we stood to one side and waited for the customer to finish his purchase before we approached the counter. It looked like he had bought a bow and arrow, but I only caught the shimmering red string of the bow as he walked past me.
“I have two weapons I can show you,” the half-elf said quietly once the shop was deserted.
“Thank you,” I replied.
The half-elf turned and went into the back of the shop behind a thin curtain. I heard him rummage around with something heavy for a few minutes, and then he returned with two long, rectangular boxes in his hands. He placed both of the boxes on the counter, and they were dark blue and covered in dust, almost as if they hadn’t been touched in ages.
The first box revealed a black sword. The handle was made of twisted iron, and it curved down toward the blade. The base of the handle had a yellow jewel for the pommel, and a strip of gold ran down the center of the black blade before it widened out as it reached the tip.
“This is actually a sapphire sword,” the half-elf explained, and he pointed to the yellow-jeweled pommel. “Dark elves have a weakness to yellow sapphires, so this would be a good one to have on hand.”
I brought the sword out from the box and held it firmly in my grasp. It had some weight to it, and I knew if I had the right force in my swing, the blade could cut through both tissue and bone without a problem.
“Excellent,” I said with a pleased grin.
The half-elf then opened the second box to reveal two separate weapons. One was much smaller than the other, and it was concealed in a small, leather pouch, but the other was free for me to see, and I instantly knew what it was.
I had used a sickle only once before, and my excitement ran wild at the thought of using one again.
This sickle was much smaller than the one I had used for my past job in the Hellscape, but it still had the broadly-curved blade connected to the spiked handle. Two blue gems were secured to this weapon, one at the base of the blade, and the other right below the tang on the handle.
The half-elf then glanced anxiously toward the door of the shop before he opened up the leather pouch and pulled out five small knives that were about the same length as my hand. As well as the blades, he pulled out a strange-looking holster for them to sit in, and it had two straps around the back which were tied together with a metal buckle.
“These are throwing knives,” he hastily explained. “The sickle and the knives have power of their own, but I can show you that later in more detail. It’d be best no one sees me displaying these in here.”
I nodded in understanding, took the holster from the box, pulled up the sleeve of my jacket, and tied the straps around the top and bottom of my wrist. The tip of the holster was nestled neatly in my palm, and when I pulled the sleeves back down, the jacket hid the holster perfectly. I was interested to see t
he power the half-elf spoke about, but I could already see how effective it could be to have them on hand like this.
Meanwhile, Ashe’s pink eyes were practically eating up the throwing knives, and the image of her with a double-handed sword from earlier was replaced with an even better one. This time, she was throwing the knives straight into an elf’s eyes, and blood sprayed from both eyeballs and painted Ashe’s dress in dark red.
“How much would you take for these?” I asked as I placed the handheld holster back in the box.
“I’d take a hundred pieces for the lot,” he replied after a second of thinking.
I opened the cloth sacks and brought out the coins. It had left me with very little left inside, but we’d have to make a stop back at the flat before we visited Madame Nyra’s coven, anyways.
“Thank you,” the half-elf said graciously. “I can send someone over to the flat later to discuss the weapons and how to use them.”
“I appreciate it, thank you,” I replied.
Ashe and I both took one box each and left the shop with pleasant smiles on our faces. If they held the amount of power I hoped they did, we’d defeat these dark elves without an issue.
“I love those knives,” Ashe purred as we walked through the streets of the Shadow Quarters.
“I thought you would,” I laughed. “I can’t wait to see you wielding that sapphire sword, though.”
“And you with that sickle?” she groaned. “Fuck, I wish we were already slaughtering those dark elves. I want to see their blood all over your sexy body.”
“Patience,” I murmured, and I let just a hint of my demon voice slip out to make her blush.
We arrived back at the flat and placed the weapons on the table beside the others. We now had a small selection at hand, but I couldn’t wait for that collection to grow into something much more impressive, especially if we could get our hands on the supply of magical orbs soon.
I put a couple handfuls of pieces back into the sack so it was well weighted down, and then we left the flat again and locked the door behind us.
“We’ll need to find another black fairy in order for us to get past the veil outside Madame Nyra’s,” I said as we started down the lane.
“We could try the tavern again?” Ashe suggested. “There were a few hanging around yesterday.”
“Yeah, let’s start there first,” I agreed. “Although, if this is so you can get another dragon’s breath…”
“Of course not!” Ashe sent me a cunning smile. “It’s so I can have two dragon’s breaths. Or maybe three? Or ten? They were so delicious, I’m sure I could drink at least five down while you find us a black fairy.”
“You little fiend,” I sighed and shook my head, but then I dropped my arm around her shoulders and left a kiss in her silver-blue hair. “Two dragon's breaths today.”
Ashe smiled even wider and let out a greedy squeal, and I chuckled as I led her onward down the lane.
We slipped through the back alleyways and the small lanes that led toward the same tavern as yesterday. I thought about checking out the marketplace, especially since we had seen a black fairy there earlier, but since Ashe was so set on getting another couple drinks for herself, I didn’t mind the longer trek.
The tavern was alive with laughter and music at this hour, and I even heard the telltale signs of mischievous giggles that had to have belonged to a black fairy as we approached. I opened the main door for Ashe, and as soon as we entered, we took a seat at a spare table before we cast our eyes around the tavern to see who was present. A few orcs sat by the bar with tankards in their large, gray hands. They gulped back their drinks messily, and from the amount of liquid that poured down their fronts, it was almost like they had missed their mouths completely.
“Ah, there we go,” Ashe whispered excitedly.
I looked away from the grotesque orcs and followed Ashe’s eyes across the room. Right at the back of the tavern, practically hidden from sight, I could just make out the gauzy, black wings and gray eyes of a black fairy.
The pale-skinned fairy had deep-blue hair that was almost black, and she wasn’t alone. Two other beings were sitting in front of her, but I couldn’t work out who they were. All I saw was their hair, both long and dark, and the leather jackets both of them wore. From how broad their shoulders were, I assumed the beings were male, but there was no way for me to tell for sure from this angle.
Then Ashe casually nudged her hand against my sack of coins, and I smirked as I blindly scooped some pieces out and slid them over to her. My demon lover hopped up at once and headed to the bar, and I stared at the black fairy until Ashe returned with two smoking tankards in her hands.
“No, I’m fine,” I assured her.
“They’re both for me,” Ashe snickered. “You said I could have two today, Master, and I am behaving. Please?”
“Ahh, that’s right,” I chuckled. “Well, enjoy.”
While Ashe guzzled her drinks, I never took my eyes off the black fairy until she caught on to my presence. Her gray eyes widened ever so slightly when she noticed us across the tavern, but then they narrowed suspiciously as she arched a perfectly shaped, blue eyebrow.
I motioned with one hand for her to come over, and I even lifted up the sack of pieces to make the offer more appealing to her. The fairy immediately said something to the beings she was with, and then she promptly shifted out of her seat and wove between the other creatures of the tavern like she was performing a dance.
The black fairy had on a silky, purple dress that enhanced her full, pale cleavage, and the skirts stopped just below her asscheeks. The dress had a few cuts and scrapes across the middle that revealed her pale stomach underneath, and I found myself salivating a bit as she approached.
“I saw you watching me from across the room,” the black fairy purred with a slight grin on her lips. She took the spare seat beside me and crossed one slim leg over the other. “I suppose you’re dying for my company?”
“I hope we aren’t interrupting any important conversations,” I replied as I subtly glanced toward the back of the tavern.
“Meh.” The black fairy swatted her hand in the air. “They’re nothing of importance, and they’re not willing to meet my going rate. Our conversation was becoming tedious.”
“Shame,” Ashe replied with a soft laugh. “You certainly seem worth a fair price.”
“I know,” the fairy sighed. “So few are worth my time, but you, however…”
I pulled the sack of coins out of her reach as she casually leaned in quite close to me.
“We were hoping you could help us get past the veil,” I explained.
“Veil?” The black fairy straightened up as her smile vanished. “What veil?”
I rolled my eyes at her innocent question. “We’re needing to meet with Madame Nyra, but we obviously cannot get past the veil without one of you opening it for us.”
The black fairy crossed one arm over the tattered abdomen of her dress, and she played with the deep-blue hair on her head for a painfully long moment.
“And how do I know I can trust you to pass beyond our veil?” she finally asked.
“Because we have done so before,” I answered. “Madame Nyra knows of us. Atticus and Ashe, nice to meet you.”
The black fairy’s eyebrows raised at the statement, and she smirked the tiniest bit.
“Ahh… the demons,” she murmured. “Yes, I’ve heard of you. Madame Nyra appears quite taken by you both.”
“Good, we like to make a memorable first impression,” Ashe said playfully.
“I’m sure you do with lips like that.” The fairy winked. “Okay, I’ll help you, and for no charge. But only because Madame Nyra would be quite displeased if I turned the pair of you away or took your coin for so little.”
“That’s all we ask,” I replied. “Thank you.”
The three of us stood from the table and left the tavern without another word. The fairy took us in the direction of Madame Nyra’s coven, wh
ich wasn’t far away at all. This was probably why they chose that tavern in particular to find new clients.
The ancient, stone buildings were easy to spot at the end of the lane, and the same sense of mischief and crime filled the air, but the veil Madame Nyra had over her manor was impossible to see. Then the black fairy raised her palm, and the air in front of her turned a silky gray like it had yesterday.
“Thank you,” I said as we passed through the mist, but when I turned around, she was already walking back up the lane.
I briefly wondered if maybe she was going to head back to the tavern to complete her business with the two men, but then I opened the iron gate, and we walked up the path toward the dark red doors of the black house.
One fairy was sitting in a downstairs window, and she watched as we opened the front gate and walked up the path. She never moved from her spot but continued to play with her hair, and she sent me an inviting wink.
I knocked my fist against the red door and waited patiently before a black fairy answered.
She angled her svelte body against the door, and she let one hand play with the fabric that barely covered her breasts. She had an intrigued smile on her supple lips as she openly eyed me up and down, and I heard Ashe quietly snickering to herself beside me.
It really did seem to amuse her to no end how much attention these black fairies gave me, but I tried to ignore the instant lust wafting from the woman in the doorway.
“How can I… help you?” the black fairy murmured in an insinuating tone.
“We’re here to see Madame Nyra,” I told her. “Is she available?”
“That depends.” The fairy shrugged her tiny shoulders.
“On what?” I frowned.
“On why you need to see her,” she answered.
“Tell her that Atticus and Ashe are here,” I ordered.
The fairy rolled her large eyes playfully, and then she turned on her heels and headed back inside the black house.
Other black fairies began to swarm around the open door as we waited for Madame Nyra to appear. I nodded politely to their coy waves and smiles, and Ashe brazenly hung on my shoulder while she waved right back at the sultry fairies. She even left a few nibbles on my ear just to show off that she was in my favor, and I tried so hard not to chuckle when the fairies started pouting instead.
