Hidden Magic

by Melinda Kucsera

  “If someone dared to steal my cub, they would not live to see the sunrise, so I will mark you to remember you. Should you attempt such a foolish task, I will know you for who you are…Amaskan.”

  Shendra opened her mouth, but the creature placed a single claw against her lips

  “I understood the analogy, child, as I have lived much longer than you humans do. I’ll not stop whatever deed you have planned, but know that if we should meet again, I’ll not hesitate to do what my companion wishes while the Lady plays, as my debt to him is great.”

  In the moment it took to inhale, the chathula disappeared in the shadows. Above her, Bredych stumbled in the window as his body unfroze.

  “Psst,” she hissed and backed up against the next building. When he caught sight of her on the ground, he retreated from the window to the roof’s ledge. Without a word, he held his arm over the side to pull her on to the roof.

  The action was louder than the way they’d first come, but the only movement this late came from within the building. This time, their entrance into the bedroom was uninhibited. Bredych stopped near a bed covered in fur, his jaw clenched. “You wanna explain to me what happened a moment ago?” he whispered.

  “When a creature that shouldn’t exist used magic to freeze ya?”

  He nodded. “Where’s the creature now? Does its corpse lay in the alley or did you find somewhere to hide it?”

  “The chathula and I made a deal. I fed it fish, and it promised to ignore our task tonight.” When her brother bit back a curse, she frowned. “What?”

  “Making a deal with a magical creature is like making a deal with the Thirteen. One never sees their actual intention until it’s too late. Be careful.”

  Bredych motioned for her to go first, and she walked to the door, only once causing the floorboards to creak beneath her feet. Shendra leaned her ear against the wood and listened for sounds of movement on the other side. Somewhere nearby, several people moaned as passion held them together, but otherwise, no one paced the hall. “I thought Lady Essia enjoyed listenin’ to the house’s clients,” she said.

  “She does.”

  “Well, she doesn’t today. There ain’t no one out there pacin’ around.”

  “Something isn’t right. If she’s not pacing the hallway, where is she? The chathula must have told her we were here.”

  Shendra shook her head and opened the door a crack. Light streamed into the bedroom, and she paused to give her eyes a moment to adjust. As she’d determined, no one stood in the hallway. The sounds from the room next-door rose in volume, and a few other cries from a second room joined the nightly orchestra.

  Rather than wait for her brother to complain again, she opened the door completely and winced when it squeaked. Beside her, Bredych pointed at the door hinge. It was too late now to grease it, but she did so anyway so he couldn’t report the mistake.

  The lengthy hallway, lit with small oil lanterns whose smoke left the faint odor of fish in the air, stretched out before them. Every bit of information the Order had gathered suggested this was never the case, and the hair on Shendra’s arms rose. She took a deep breath to suppress her body’s reaction, then stepped into the hall.

  Three doors down would be Lady Essia’s quarters, and this time, Shendra remembered to grease the door’s hinges before she tested the knob. Surprisingly, it was unlocked, and the open door exposed a stylish room of furs and brightly woven rugs. Lit candles burned on the room’s few tables, giving them full view. Multiple chairs were scattered about, some empty and others covered in cast-off clothing. Several blankets hung over the bed in the room’s corner, and sticking out from beneath them were a pair of tall boots.

  Shendra pointed at them, and her brother nodded. “Hers by the heels,” he whispered in her ear.

  A curtain separated the room from a bathing chamber, and she stopped before it. No steam brushed her face, nor did the sound of dripping water touch her ears. Shendra withdrew her dagger from its sheath at her waist and used it to separate the thick cotton, exposing a metal tub, which was dry to the touch. More candles burned on two short tables, and a stool held a throw pillow that matched two on the tile floor.

  When she gestured for them to leave the room, Bredych shook his head and pointed at a couch. He wanted to hide and wait, that much was apparent, but something about the way the chathula had spoken made her think the Lady had something else in mind for the evening.

  There were eight rooms total on the second floor, one of them being Lady Essia’s quarters. A second was a shared bathing chamber, while the others were rooms used to “entertain” guests. The first floor bar took up the most space, while the building’s rear served as both the Lady’s office and place of auction. If she ain’t pacin’ the halls upstairs, she should be in her quarters. With those empty, maybe she’s somewhere else upstairs? The creature had mentioned Lady Essia playing…

  Rather than wait, Shendra went door to door with her ear pressed hard against the wood. The first voice was too young, as was the second. The third room lay silent, like the room they’d entered, leaving two remaining rooms to check. Outside the first, she paused as two women whispered inside. Neither voice sounded particularly aged, not that she’d recently heard Lady Essia’s voice. Someone tapped her shoulder, a rapid succession of three taps, and despite recognizing the code as her brother, Shendra bit her lip to keep from screaming.

  His look clearly read: How did I startle you?

  When she remained silent, he pointed at the last remaining door and arched a brow. She nodded before ambling over and pressing her ear against the wood. On the other side was a deep voiced man and a deeper voiced woman, both at the end of a much more interesting night than Shendra was having, and she pulled her ear away from the door.

  She gestured for Bredych to follow her back to Lady Essia’s quarters and once behind the closed door, she whispered, “We’ll wait here for her to return.”

  “Was she in the room?”

  When she nodded, Bredych asked, “What did you hear?”

  “Seems our Lady of the House has a plaything with her in the room.”

  His shoulder muscles tensed as he squeezed his hands into fists.

  “Calm down. This was a plaything of the adult variety. Best place to hide would be her bathin’ room. She’ll be headin’ there after I would think.”

  There was enough room for them both to hide if one crouched behind the thick curtains at the window and the other hid by the curtained door frame. Either way, they’d hear Lady Essia entering her room with enough time to move into place. With that in mind, Shendra claimed a nearby stool, while her brother lowered himself to a crushed velvet floor cushion. Despite her words, his muscles remained tense, and his eyes flicked to the door with every creak and shuffle they heard.

  For once, Shendra relaxed into place. Their target was preoccupied, and once she retreated, with no chathula guarding her, they’d have her. The body trafficking would stop, and Shendra would be Amaskan.

  Lost in thought, she missed her brother’s movement until his fingers touched the scratch on her jaw. “What’s this?” he hissed.

  “The chathula thought it’d be funny to give me a gift as it left.”

  Bredych stood, his face a mix of fear and anger. “We’re leaving. Now. No arguments.”

  He shrugged away from her grasp as he touched the bathroom curtain. Before he could part it, the bedroom door opened, announcing Lady Essia with a light thump as it closed.

  Shendra’s elbow hit Bredych in the chin as he moved one way and she moved the other. Training took over as he side-stepped and positioned himself behind the door, though his eyes remained wide with fear.

  She was supposed to be beside the doorframe.

  She was supposed to kill Lady Essia.

  Instead, she scrambled for the window curtain, tucking her feet beneath it as the bathroom door opened.

  Taller than Bredych and lankier, Lady Essia swept into the bathroom wearing nothing but a sheer,
silk robe in purple. She smiled a feral grin in Shendra’s direction.

  “If there was one place a woman should be able to be herself and be safe, it is her own home, would you not agree?” she said as she stepped closer to the window.

  Long fingers gripped the curtains, and the smell of sage tickled Shendra’s nose. Lady Essia stared out the window for a heartbeat before she tilted her head, her sharp blue gaze meeting Shendra’s. The dagger in Shendra’s fingers melted as her grip loosened its hold. When the weapon bounced off the floor, Shendra’s mouth opened, but the motion made no sound.

  More magic? Is it the chathula? Did it lie to me about stayin’ out of our way?

  “There. No need for weapons in this room. Not between us ladies,” said Lady Essia, who flicked a finger at Shendra. “You may speak now.”

  Whatever held a grip on her vocal cords relaxed, and a small sigh escaped her. “How’d you—”

  Lady Essia hushed her. “You’re asking the wrong question, Amaskan…”

  When her fingers touched Shendra’s chin, a shiver ran through her like someone had struck the sensitive bone of the elbow. Behind the Lady, Bredych moved—a silent figure whose gaze stayed solely on his target. Shendra allowed her gaze to widen and roam, as if terrified, which was less feint and more truth when Lady Essia yanked Shendra’s head to the side.

  The Lady stared at the scratch across Shendra’s jaw. “That’s not a tattoo. He lied! You’re no Amaskan!”

  “I’m also not alone.”

  Bredych moved, his dirk as darkly coated as his skin. It slid between Lady Essia’s shoulders, smooth as the silk she wore.

  The woman froze, fingers still gripping Shendra’s jaw. “Neither am I, you know.” At Shendra’s frown, she added, “Alone. My girls are loyal. Someone else will be Lady before my body’s cold.”

  She faltered as she turned to face her attacker, and a droplet of blood ran from her lips. “Now this—this is an Amaskan.”

  Shendra grabbed her dagger from the floor. The way the woman stared at Bredych…

  “Your girls will be free, Essia. No one will take your place,” he said as he held his blade before him.

  “Like you would know the taste of…freedom. You’re nothing but a slave to the Order.” This time, when the Lady coughed, the blood came in a rush, yet the woman remained standing. She raised a faintly glowing hand to her own chest, and when she touched it, the flesh on her back moved. Blood ceased its sprint across her robes as muscle reconnected to tendon.

  Before she could think about it too long, Shendra drove her dagger into Lady Essia’s hand and the blue glow flickered out. The woman screamed until Bredych’s blade slashed across her throat, slicing open the skin near ear to ear.

  Lady Essia crumpled to the ground, but her hands reached up, their blue glow bright enough to burn, and Bredych snapped his eyes shut in response.

  “Give me yer dirk,” said Shendra, and when he shoved it out before him, she seized hold of it. Tears ran down her face as she stepped around the Lady, and before the glow could blind her, she wielded the dirk like an axe, hacking at Lady Essia’s hands. Sharp as the blade was, cutting through bone took more blows than expected as Shendra swung the dirk over and over again.

  “You can stop now,” whispered Bredych, and when she opened her stinging eyes, there was little recognizable as Lady Essia on the floor.

  One hand had been completely severed, while the other hung by a few bits of skin and sinew. The Lady’s face… Bile threatened to burn a hole through Shendra’s throat as it raced up and out. She spun away from the gore and lost any semblance of time as she lost her dinner across the curtains.

  Bredych’s hand tapped her shoulder—a pattern of three. “We’ve got to go. Her screams have to have been heard.”

  “The Chathula swore it’d stay out of our way,” she said as she wiped spittle from her mouth.

  “Did it actually swear? A formal oath?”

  Shendra shook her head, and he pulled her to her feet. The reek of blood followed them towards the bedroom door, and she glanced down to find crimson splattered across her clothes.

  “Don’t worry about it. You’ll get used to it. Besides, black hides blood.”

  You’ll get used to it.

  Shendra choked back more bile as her brother listened at the door. He was older and wiser than she, so if he said it, it must be true. I’ll get used to it.

  “No.” She pulled out of his grasp, and he frowned. “No, we can’t leave without freeing the girls.”

  “Shendra, we can’t. Not now. There are probably guards all over this place by now. They aren’t allowed on the second floor, but sooner or later, when Lady Essia doesn’t appear to give them orders, they’ll ignore that rule and flood these rooms. If we’re still here, we won’t escape.”

  I can’t get used to it. I won’t.

  She refused to wait for Bredych’s response. The door opened easily at her touch, as did the room next-door. The man atop a young woman flushed with surprise and anger when his sport was interrupted, but her blade across his throat stopped all complaint. The girl beneath him screamed.

  “The Lady’s dead. Yer a slave to her, or him—” Shendra pointed at the dead man, “—no longer. Leave this place.”

  Bredych caught her at the next door. “Wait, if you’re going to do this, at least make the kills clean and quick. Don’t traumatize these poor girls with a blood bath.”

  “If ya think these girls ain’t traumatized—”

  “They are, so don’t add to it!”

  Shendra blinked as she hesitated. Something clicked in her brain as she craned her head to peer back at the previous room where the young woman stared blindly at the blood on her clothing. The way Shendra had.

  She pushed the thought aside and barged into the second room. Seeing the girl’s age, Shendra’s vision narrowed, and it was all she could do to stab the burly man in the heart rather than paint the walls with his blood.

  When she opened the next room, two girls stared back at her, then screamed. “Yer free now. Leave!” shouted Shendra before she set off for the last room. This had been where Lady Essia had played host to her plaything. Bredych beat her there, but when he opened the door, no one was inside.

  “Where’d he go?” asked Shendra.

  “Maybe he fled when he heard all the screaming.” Bredych grabbed her arm when she turned toward the stairwell. “Don’t go downstairs.”

  “Why? There are more girls down there.”

  “And the ones up here can spread the word. Downstairs is a pub. There will be innocent townspeople in it. How will you tell the difference in who you’re killing?”

  With a growl, Shendra retreated to the room at the hall’s end. She’d expected the room empty—same way it was when they’d entered—but when she opened the door, the chathula sat curled up in its bed.

  For a moment, her body reacted, her blade out and ready to kill as it had in the previous rooms, but when the creature opened its eyes at her approach, the rage withered in her and her strength fled, leaving her to sit on the floor.

  “I—I’m sorry. I forgot where I was.”

  The chathula tilted its head and sniffed the air, its whole head bobbing with the movement. “With that much blood on you, I would figure so. The window remains open should you wish to flee.”

  “Come,” barked Bredych, but when she tried to stand, her limbs were flabby and weak. He reached beneath her arm pits and hauled her up. Arm around his shoulders, he hauled her through the window and out into the cold, darkness.

  “Strip.”

  The fresh air stirred an alertness in Shendra, and she shimmied out her clothes while her brother did the same. Bredych laid them flat across the rooftop and rolled them into a small bunch, along with her supply pouch. A few shakes of oil from his waist flask covered the smell of blood. What they were doing went against training, but unordinary circumstances meant they had to be creative.

  He motioned for her to jump down into the alley
below. When he landed beside her, she was ready.

  She grabbed the wads of clothing from him and lit one with the finger flint she’d pulled from her pouch. He opened his mouth, then shut it as she tossed the wads onto the rooftop. “Chathula, flee!” she hissed and watched as a shadow dove from the window and darted across the roof before disappearing.

  “That was a fool thing to do,” said Bredych as he followed her alongside the building’s rear.

  As smoke filled the air, it covered their retreat to the nearby inn. Unlike Lady Essia’s, several storage crates sat out back, which they used to climb to the roof. Once safely inside their room, Shendra and Bredych scrubbed the gray grease from their skin. He handed her an herbal concoction that smelled like a mix of sweat and sour lemons, which they splashed on themselves to disguise the odors of smoke and blood that clung to them. Both donned shirts and light breeches, then crawled into the shared straw bed.

  They lay silent as sleep until the pounding on their door. When Bredych stumbled to the door, Shendra feigned the groggy look of one just awoken. Outside stood Sally, the barmatron, wearing a pair of slippers and a long, wrinkled tunic. “There’s a fire. With the winds what they are, the roof could catch. Everyone’s gonna have t’go outside.”

  “Sounds dangerous. Anything we can do to help?” asked Bredych.

  The innkeeper peered at Shendra before looking Bredych up and down. “Yer hired hands, right? They’ll be needin’ strong men to haul water from the well. Iffen yer girl can pour a drink, she can help give drinks to those on break.”

  Shendra yawned at the insult, then stood from the bed, allowing the blanket to fall to the floor. Her shirt and breeches clung to well-defined muscles that moved like whipcord as she sought their clothing.

  “My apologies, milady. Yer welcome to help the lads—”

  “We’ll be down shortly,” said Bredych as he closed the door. After a heartbeat, he mumbled, “It’s the least we could do after starting this mess.”

  “We didn’t start this.” Shendra shoved his breeches at him. “Lady Essia did. If we were smart, we’d be ridin’ outta here. The job’s done.”