by Jessica Gunn
Power. Raw, unfiltered dark power. Demon magik so concentrated here that you could feel it with every millimeter of your skin.
I shuddered. Despite the buildings looking as though they hailed from medieval Europe itself, lights dotted the streets in the form of lampposts made from twisting, dark-colored metal. Cobblestone lined the walkways and streets alike, although the main roads were only one car-width wide—though I didn’t see a single vehicle anywhere. In a “city” this small, I guessed there wasn’t really a need for them. A wood fire, or several of them, burned nearby, though no smoke rose from any of the brick and wood buildings.
For a city of demons, one I’d always associated with the dark dealings of Talon, the drug trade, and magik-user trafficking, Landshaft looked fairly… normal. You know, for a place with medieval Europe décor. That aside, Landshaft could easily be a section of any major city, citizens and all.
If the citizens of other major cities had burgundy eyes and magik, that is.
Several groups of demons passed us as Brian led the way down a main thoroughfare. I tried not to make eye contact with any of them. Shops lined the cobblestone path, with wares of every type from weapons to armor, magik items to food. Bars had been dotted in between the shops, with at least one inn at the close end of the upcoming intersection.
Despite the fact that Brian and Kian were obviously human, none of the demons stopped us. The purple brands on the backs of their necks shone for all the world to see, a marker of a guest in a demon’s den. No doubt these demons would wait until we’d overstayed our welcome, then they’d attack.
Brian led us to the intersection before any of us spoke a word. “Talon’s Drum is just around the corner.”
For a moment, Kian paused beside me. He let his hand brush against mine. I locked eyes with him and nodded.
I’m fine. Keep going.
So we did. We turned left at the intersection and walked out onto another cobblestone road set between buildings that rose several stories into the nighttime sky. Above them—above all of the city, it seemed—a dome glimmered with the faintest hint of ether-based magik. Sort of like the wall surrounding Hunter’s Guild, but bigger.
We were trapped in here, inside the city. I was fairly sure we could teleportante out at any time, but I’d never personally tried to teleportante while under a requirem. I supposed we’d be risking testing that if Will and I got separated.
Claustrophobia kicked in as we made our way toward a bar at the end of the street. Squatting between two much taller structures that looked almost like office buildings—you know, if demons had corporate offices—was Talon’s Drum. The pub was one story tall and maybe a hundred feet in width. Lanterns hung on the outside beneath an awning, lighting a patio area made from dark wood. Firelight from the inside danced in the windows, illuminating a demon guard at the door—another in red and violet leather armor—and tables and a full house of patrons inside.
I wondered if Talon’s soldiers had always acted as the guards around here, or if that had been a byproduct of Jerrick taking over for Lady Azar.
We kicked up dirt along the cobblestone road, trailing closer to the entrance, above which hung a sign bearing a set of scales. The center stem of it was made from a cobra standing on end, and each scale was holding a pint of beer.
Classy.
“Here we go,” Brian announced to no one in particular as he climbed the four steps up onto the patio and made his way to the guard out front. Will and I followed behind him, still chained together by a length of links that wouldn’t allow us to get far if we ran.
Surprisingly, the guard paid us no mind beyond looking at Brian and Kian’s necks. Upon seeing the glowing purple brand, he lifted an eyebrow and inclined his head toward the front door to Talon’s Drum. Brian nodded back at him, an acknowledgement, then continued on inside.
Will was still in front of me, and Kian behind. He climbed the patio stairs and got right behind me as we filed through the one-person-wide doorway.
“Watch yourself,” he whispered in my ear. He clamped a hand down on my shoulder, his fingers digging into my skin. To onlookers, he was being possessive of his bounty. But I knew better. Only I could feel the shaking in his fingers.
I nodded imperceptibly.
The moment we crossed the doorway, sound and scents bombarded me, as if there had been an actual magik barrier soundproofing Talon’s Drum. Cheers and the sounds of pint glasses clinking together filled the dimly-lit room. All around us, deals were being made. Demons and, yes, even some humans sat around raised wooden bar tables scattered around the space, their magik-user bounties chained close by. The bounties’ empty eyes were downcast, watching the dark stone floor of Talon’s Drum.
A great fire roared to the side of the pub, lit inside a giant brick fireplace and added to by fire-elemental demons idly flicking grape-sized fireballs into the flames from their fingertips. A bar lined the opposite side, with three demonic bartenders and bottles of liquor both familiar and new. The smell of meat cooking permeated from an unseen kitchen, the mix of it and the view making me think of some weird southern barbecue restaurant, but with a demonic bent.
At tables without magik-users in the process of being traded were instead baskets of vials or piles of tablets. The drug trade, Talon’s specialty. With a shiver that coursed through every part of me, I recognized a few vials of Veynix’s infamous mutated platypus venom. I swallowed thickly. Was that a new batch from Mason, or remnants of a demonic legend left behind?
A muscular shoulder knocked into mine, sending me off balance. I teetered, slipping sideways and pulling Will along with me.
Kian caught my side and righted me. “What the fuck?”
I looked in the direction of the near-attack. A demon decked out in a black leather ensemble that made him look like he’d raided a biker clothing store before coming here sneered at me. He rubbed the bottom of his nose with an outstretched finger, pint glass still in hand.
“Tell your cattle to keep their eyes on the ground,” he spat.
“Cattle?” The word was out faster than I could stop it.
The demon lifted a hand and slapped me across the face with the back of it. Hot pain flushed across my cheekbone. I’d be lucky if it didn’t bruise. Demons were much stronger than the average human.
“That’s enough,” Brian said. “She’s mine.”
I bit my tongue to keep from arguing. As soon as we’d walked through the gate, we’d entered the demons’ world—bullshit and all.
The demon scoffed. “Then keep her under control. Humans shouldn’t even be allowed to trade here.” He began walking away. Under his breath, he said, “Ember witches or not.”
Exactly how many Ember witches were being traded in Talon’s Drum these days? I glanced at Brian, hoping he had the same question in mind to ask or listen for an answer to, but instead found him glaring. I shot one back, quick and pointed, before looking at the ground.
Fine. We’ll play by these fucked-up rules.
Brian led Kian and their “cattle” to a table, knocking the center of the chain that linked Will and me to a nearby post. How convenient.
“I hate this place,” Kian muttered, half-covering his mouth with his hand by resting his chin on the other.
“Me too,” Brian said.
“Now what?”
Brian’s expression faltered. “I assume someone will approach or—”
“You don’t know.” Kian bit out his words, angry and frustrated.
“Not entirely,” Brian said, leveling him with a look. “No one outside of this city does.”
Kian’s shoulders rose as he pulled in a deep breath. The glowing brand on his shoulder shone bright in this darkened space. Brian’s did too. Like beacons proclaiming their rookie trader statuses for all to see. The brands would almost be as bright as Will’s Ember witch aura would be to anyone able to see it.
It took a colossal amount of effort to not break my staring contest with the ground and case the inside of
Talon’s Drum again. This sort of waiting never sat well with me, knowing Will and I were just fodder for someone else’s pleasure or master plan. If we got separated, Will would likely be handed off to Mason or his lackeys for use in the anti-Neuian program. And me… well, I guess that depended on if anyone in here recognized me.
We spent at least two hours like this, sitting in a tensed silence waiting for something—anything—to happen. Kian and Brian had ordered drinks at some point to kill time. The waitress had laughed when Brian handed her United States dollars.
“Boy, you two sure are fresh in the city, aren’t you?” she asked, her bright red eyes laughing at them.
“Something like that.” Brian gave her a sheepish smile some might have misconstrued as flirting. But I’d known Brian long enough, had fought demons alongside him long enough, to see through the act. This was his most favorite demon-attracting method. Get them to follow you out of a bar, thinking they have you to snack on and kill, then the rest of your team ambushed them.
Okay. Maybe it was one of my favorite cons too. Too bad it wasn’t likely to work here.
Some amount of time later, Kian let his metal pint glass hit the wooden table a little too hard to be an accident. “Okay. This isn’t working.”
“Time,” was all Brian said.
Kian’s eyes narrowed. “He’s probably too busy to be scrounging around here for more witches to turn, Brian. We need a new plan.”
“Quiet,” Brian hissed. Several demons at the next table over glanced our way. “Are you trying to get us killed?”
Kian plastered on a solidly fake smile, even managing to work a little irritated hate into his eyes for one hell of an expression. “No more than you.”
I watched as one of the demons turned to his friend and whispered something. Then they both got up, their hands inching toward the daggers holstered at their waists. Despite every instinct telling me to call them out or move to block their impending attack, I dropped my gaze to the ground to keep in line with the captive act.
“Head’s up,” I said, just loud enough for Kian to hear.
“Think you might have gotten lost,” one of the demons said. His boots appeared in my vision. The heat from his body crept over mine.
If this was the guy who bought me instead of Mason picking up the bait, I was going to throw Brian into the next eternity.
“Just waiting on someone, friend,” Brian said without missing a beat.
“Anything we can help you with?” asked the demon.
Brian shifted in his seat, presumably turning toward them. “Not unless you’re willing to pay more than my buyer for the Ember witch.”
A second set of boots appeared on the edges of my vision, farther away but still too close all the same. “We actually had another offer in mind. The girl, what does she do?” His voice was way deeper, like the bass of an acapella group.
“She’s an earth-elemental,” Brian said. “Are you in the market for those? She’s not very powerful. I was hoping for a direct trade into Autumn Fire stock.”
Excuse me?
“I don’t know, Kane,” one of the demons said to the other. “She looks sort of familiar.”
Kane, the deep voice demon guy, reached out and lifted my chin with the tip of his finger. I wanted to resist but couldn’t have even if I’d tried. Just his finger was strong enough to force me. “I know what you mean.”
I locked eyes with the demon but couldn’t curb the fierce glare I shot his way. The last demon to touch me like this had been—
“Veynix’s pet,” Kane said, his eyes widening. He let go of me, but it was more of a push of shock and disgust. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Kane’s friend took a step away from us and glanced around. Relief washed over his features when he realized no one was watching us anymore now that we’d appeared to enter a negotiation of sorts. “I don’t want to know how you came across this one, but you won’t be selling her here. Not to us.”
“Or anyone in Talon’s Drum,” Kane said. His wide, red eyes roamed over me as though he were doing so with a microscope. “Heard you finally offed the bastard.”
I kept my mouth shut. I had no plans to be backhanded again by a demon while in chains.
“So the story goes,” Brian said for me.
Kian had been quiet this entire time—somehow. If I believed in higher powers, I’d have thanked them for making it so.
“Speak,” Kane said to me.
Lifting my chin, I said, “For what he did, Veynix had it coming.”
“Yet you still ended up in Landshaft anyway,” he said, not surprised in the least. “All humans will in the end.”
“Not fucking likely.”
Anger flashed across the demon’s eyes. He grabbed hold of the chain linking me to Will and ripped it from the post. “I’ll take you direct to Talon, then. I’m sure Whitmore would appreciate the delivery.”
This time, Kian did turn around. He had a fire in his eyes that seemed almost as real as when he’d been poisoned beneath Midnight three months ago. Though his expression was hard and determined, his leg was bouncing. He was nervous. Scared.
A thousand puzzle pieces, misshapen and broken, slid into place.
One or both of these guys must have been involved in Kian’s capture and subsequent torture at the hands of Talon. And since they both had spoken so easily about the assassins group and Mason…
Shit.
“You will not,” Kian said. His voice was angry but unwavering. “Unless you’ve got coin to trade or something equally as valuable, we’ll be delivering her to Talon ourselves.”
At this, both demons laughed. Kane banged his fist on the table like Kian’s words were the funniest thing he’d ever heard.
“Not sitting here, you won’t,” Kane said. “They don’t play with the small fishes.”
But as the words passed Kane’s lips, the front door to Talon’s Drum whipped open, smacking against the inside wall. In walked a man in the red and violet armor of Talon, but he was also adorned with a billowing cloak made from deep red that draped over his shoulders and down his back. His salt-and-pepper hair was cut short, making the hard lines of his face pronounced and unattractive. He had small eyes, but they shone with the burgundy of a demon. A long scar ran down over his lips, chin, down along his neck and beneath the neck of the cloak.
A few gasps descended before silence did. The demon man’s boots sounded like thunder cracking against the creaky wood in the silence that fell over the crowd like a dense fog.
Kane and his friend stepped away from our table and he dropped the chain from his hands. It smacked against the hitching post holding Will and me in place.
The demon man in the cloak crossed the first floor of Talon’s Drum and headed straight for our table. I should have dropped my eyes again, fell into the act, but I couldn’t find myself able to do anything but focus in on the golden emblem pinned to the top corner of the man’s cloak: a set of scales made from an upright cobra and in each scale, a drop of poison. A platinum halo circled the outside of the emblem and caught the nearby firelight from the fire.
“Leave us,” said the demon man as he came to a stop at our table. Kane and his friend immediately excused themselves and made for the front door. The demon man watched them go with a lamenting sort of expression. “Why have you come here?”
A few moments passed with no answer. That was when I realized he was talking to me.
“Like I had a choice,” I snapped. It was harder to lie to this demon man for some reason. Like it was obvious he’d know the truth.
His eyes narrowed minutely before glancing at Brian and Kian. “I heard word of two bumbling humans traveling into my city with an Ember witch and Veynix’s pet. Which is crazy, I thought.” He drew over an extra chair and sat down at our table, crossing his arms at his chest. His cloak fell around the chair, as relaxed as he seemed to be. “I just had to come down and see for myself.”
Brian’s expression didn’t waver. If
he recognized this man from Hydron agent reports, he didn’t show any signs of it. “What’s your offer?”
The demon man cracked a smile. “Offer?” He turned his head toward the closest table. “These men want me to make an offer.” He laughed, and so did the entire room.
A sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach told me we had missed something crucial. Or that Brian had. But when I looked at Kian, his paling face was answer enough. He did recognize this man, which revealed he must have been a member of Talon. And the platinum ring on his emblem…
Fuck.
This man was Jerrick. He had to be. The way his presence commanded silence. The fear in Kane’s and his friend’s eyes. The way he’d made fun of Brian demanding an offer be made on Will and me.
Jerrick. Previous right-hand to Lady Azar. Now ruler of Landshaft and the Trade. Of Talon.
He was here.
Recognition shone for a fleeting moment in Brian’s eyes, but he recovered quickly, immediately realizing his mistake. “For the Ember witch, at least,” Brian said. “He’s already been exposed to your program’s poison.”
Jerrick tilted his head, considering Brian’s words. His eyes narrowed as he ran his tongue along his lips. He straightened in his chair and leaned over the table, pressing his fingers against the wood. “What you’re saying is that you’re happily returning one of our soldiers free of charge. And I’ll tell you what, I really do appreciate that. Thank you. Especially from a human. I wasn’t sure you were capable of such loyalty when handing in a member of your own species.”
The crowd laughed again. Nothing about this was funny.
Brian swallowed whatever he really wanted to say. “Of course.”
Jerrick’s gaze traveled from Brian to Kian, who hadn’t so much as uttered a response. “And you…” He smiled slowly, cruelly. “I’m confused as to why you’d willingly walk into the city. You of all people should know you wouldn’t receive coin for this delivery.”
