Ari Goes To War: (The Adventures of Ari #2)

by P. J. Sky

  The boy tapped lightly on the door to Nero’s personal quarters.

  “Master,” said the boy, his voice low. “You have a visitor.”

  Nero looked away from his vanity mirror. “Who is it, boy?”

  “The girl, Master, the one with no hair.”

  Nero froze. Damn, he thought, I thought she was lost; dead or enslaved, not that it made much difference.

  Rising, Nero slipped on his white jacket and checked his reflection. He ran a comb through his thinning hair. He looked old and he hated it. All these years, patiently waiting, and for what? Wealth, protection, these things he now had, but never that ultimate goal of permanent entry into the city and all the possibilities it promised.

  Nero sighed. And now, he thought, I might just have to kill someone. And I’ve just had this suit cleaned.

  He opened up a small, ornamental box and lifted out his most prized possession; a spring-loaded switchblade with its creamy white mammoth bone handle.

  Ancient and deadly, just like me, he thought. Once a Jackroller, always a Jackroller. You can take the man from the streets, but you can’t take the streets from the man.

  Nero stepped into the hall. “Where is she?”

  “She waits by the fountain.”

  “Well, bring her to me.”

  Nero slipped into the courtyard and lowered himself onto his favourite red chaise-lounge. Putting his feet up, he took the rehearsed pose of a man who’d spent his entire afternoon there. He slipped one hand into his jacket pocket, fingers on the switchblade. He heard the girl approach.

  “The wanderer returns,” he said, without looking up. With his spare hand, he began to straighten a crease in his white trousers. “Please, my dear, do take a seat before you fall down.”

  Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Ari lower herself onto one of the small stools on the other side of the glass table. “Mint tea?”

  “I’m good,” said Ari.

  Nero gave her a sideways glance. “I understand you did quite well at the mine. I’ve word that our Miss Corinth made it safely back to the city, and your little friend, what was her name?”

  “Keshia.”

  “Yes, well, it seems through some miracle she’s been allowed to stay on. You had that invitation once too, didn’t you? You girls seem to have the touch. Either that or our mayor is going soft.”

  Did that sound too bitter, he wondered?

  After all, he’d never been invited to stay on in the city. All these years of hard work and ingratiation had bought him a tiny, walled prison on the well-to-do outskirts of Hell. This microscopic version of city life was but a pale reflection of the real thing. It didn’t seem to matter what he did or how he acted or whom he killed, the precious invitation never came. And yet, it was these street urchins that should find their way in. It was sickening. Nero tightened his fingers around the mammoth bone handle of his switchblade.

  “Well,” he said, “you have my respect for choosing not to enter the city when you did. I’ve refused the offer myself. Life is so much more interesting on this side of the wall. So, I guess you’ll be wanting your reward? I think we said all the half-moon coins you can carry. I’m slightly worried that, when it comes to you, that’ll be quite a lot.”

  Of course, he’d made the necessary claims and the city had already paid him the money on the assumption he’d pass it on to Ari. And shortly after Starla had been rescued, the Black Mulga had reportedly flattened the entire area of the mine. With Ari missing, Nero had profited handsomely; a profit he’d no intention of parting with. There was only one problem though; in spite of himself, Nero rather liked Ari. She had a habit of making herself useful, and that was difficult not to respect. If he could possibly help it, he didn’t really want to kill her. Still, profit was profit, however you came by it.

  Ari tilted her head. “What if we traded?”

  Nero loosened his fingers around the switchblade. “Traded? Traded what?”

  “Well, maybe I could help ya, an’ you could help me?”

  Nero gave her a sideways grin. “Darling, pray tell, just what do you have in mind?”

  “Simple,” said Ari. “See, I gotta pay off the Jackrollas, but after that, ya can keep the rest of the coins, an’ in return all I wan’ is an audience with the mayor.”

  Nero raised his left eyebrow. Very interesting, he thought.

  “Well, I can’t guarantee anything, but I can certainly see what I can do. You know, of course, he won’t travel.”

  Ari smiled. “That’s what I’m countin’ on.”

  Nero nodded to himself. It was never a good thing to agree too readily to a trade, no matter how much it seemed to fall in your favour. By the rule of the streets, a debtor should always remain in debt.

  “You know,” continued Nero, “what you ask isn’t easy. There are people to bribe, palms to grease, papers to forge. I’m honestly not sure if the coins will cover it.”

  “I thought ya said you were the go-between?”

  “Allow an old man an indulgence, perhaps I oversold myself, for with the city nothing is ever that easy.”

  “Well, what’ll the coins cover?”

  Nero pursed his lips. After a moment’s silence he waved his hand. “You know, my dear, seeing you back here again puts me in a better mood. I must admit, when you didn’t turn up at the city I feared the worst, but now I’m so pleased you didn’t find some sort of premature demise at the grubby hands of the Black Mulga, and for that I’m inclined to do you a favour. So, I’ll tell you what, I’ll do what you ask. We can work out all the nitty gritty details later, but I’m certain that, should I need you to carry out a favour or two in return; favours that perfectly suit your particular skill-set; that you’ll be able to accommodate.”

  He placed his palm on his chest.

  Ari sucked at the bottom corner of her lip. “I guess maybe that sounds fair.”

  “Well then, I think we have a trade.”

  Nero smiled to himself. Ari was far smarter than he’d thought. He looked into her sharp, intelligent grey eyes. They were like the eyes of a hawk, detached from the world, yet certainly not to be underestimated. Could he actually get her an audience with Titus Corinth? He wasn’t sure. Corinth hadn’t even been seen in public in weeks. Rumour had it, according to his sources, the mayor was very ill. But, if anyone could get beyond those walls to see him, it might just be Ari, and it never hurt to have another ally on the inside of the city, if that’s what this girl was set on.

  The boy appeared with the mint tea spread out on a silver tray.

  “Please,” said Nero, “join me in a little, won’t you?”

  Ari reached for one of the goblets.

  Nero watched her over the rim of his own. This girl from the salt plains of Cooper, who’d gone to war with the Bone Pointer and saved the mayor’s daughter for a second time. And now Ari Quinn, reluctant warrior of the wasteland, had her eyes once more set on those ancient city walls.

  A woman of the streets.

  A woman of the wasteland.

  A woman called Ari.

  And, Nero considered on reflection, once a Jackroller, always a Jackroller.

  Ari will return

  Special Thanks

  No writer can work entirely alone, therefore I would like to give special thanks to: Katherine Moore (without whose love and tireless support this book could simply not have happened), Colin Hurst, Guy Russell, Frances Shaw, Keren Stiles, Alan Stiles, Autumn Sky, all the members of Writing Group, all the members of Monkey Kettle, and all the friends and family who've supported me, proof read, and generally been there when I needed you. You know who you all are - Thank you.

  I'd also like to give thanks to all the wonderful readers who loved Ari's first adventure and have supported me ever since. Your enthusiasm and passion is a constant inspiration.