by K. A. Linde
She was relieved when they left behind the last column of rocks, and she took a deep breath of the salty air. Archdale rested on the shore of the Corvian Sea, at the mouth of a small inlet. They let their fires die out and stared down at the town. The homes were made of the surrounding rock, most only standing a story tall, but sprawling, sloping out into the landscape. Each had its own private yard with a fence and cultivated grass and flowers. As they ventured deeper into Archdale, keeping tight to the shadows, they came upon a town square. Two buildings here were multiple stories—an inn and city hall. The whole thing was mesmerizing and confounding. It was absolutely nothing like Kinkadia, where nearly every building was two, three, even four stories high and no one saw grass outside of a park or a Row mansion.
“Which way?” Fordham asked.
She shook herself from her fascination and desire to see this during the day and then gestured westward. Ellerby had told her once that he lived on the western banks just outside of the city. A large Row-style home set into the hillside overlooking the inlet. She doubted there would be many of those.
In fact, the home was very easy to find once they were heading in the correct direction. There were many homes set into the hillside, but most of the them followed the pattern of the city, sprawling one-story stone mansions. Ellerby’s home was large, but it went straight up four stories with wide-set windows and enormous gardens. How he ever accomplished true gardens here in this rocky land, she would never know.
Kerrigan debated on going around to the back. He had seemed afraid in his letter, but it hadn’t been tampered with. No one would suspect they would borrow a dragon and fly south in the middle of the night.
She opened the gate leading up to his mansion, surprised to find it wasn’t locked, and then Fordham followed her to the front door. No lights were on inside. It was the middle of the night. She was not looking forward to breaking in to his home.
With a sigh, she knocked on the front door anyway.
“Everyone is asleep,” Fordham whispered.
“I know, but common courtesy.”
They waited a moment to see if anyone would answer, and then she reached for the doorknob. Just as she turned it, the thing was twisted sharply and wrenched open. She fell forward with it, and she looked up at the man standing in his dressing robe.
“Ellerby,” she said in shock.
“Kerrigan, you made it,” he said with a trembling fear in his voice. His eyes darted around the outside of his home. “Someone could be watching. Come in quickly. Quickly.”
She gestured to Fordham, and they both stepped into Ellerby’s mansion.
38
The Threat
“Watching?” Kerrigan asked as Ellerby slammed the door behind them.
“Yes, yes, they’ve been watching.” His hands trembled as he gestured outside with paranoia. “Come. Let’s have a spot of tea to calm the nerves.”
Fordham glanced at Kerrigan in confusion. She shrugged and followed Ellerby tottering down the hall on his wooden cane. He was nearly as short as Kerrigan especially since he hunched forward due to his curved spine. She could see that he was balding in the faint light. It hit her just then how much she’d missed him—eccentricities and all.
Ellerby’s mansion was dark until he reached a formal living room. The heavy curtains had all been drawn over the massive windows, and a dozen candles barely lit the towering interior. A pot of tea was already on a low table at the center of the room with just one cup.
“Have a seat. I’ll get more cups.”
“I can get them,” she said at once.
“No, no, I can still walk,” he said, tapping his cane against his leg twice and then disappearing back the way they’d come.
Fordham stepped up to the window and peered through the curtains. “I don’t see anyone.”
“We saw no one when we came to the house.”
“But it doesn’t mean that no one is there.”
She nodded. “Agreed.”
Just then, Ellerby bustled back in with two additional cups and poured them tea. Kerrigan took the proffered cup and sat on a blush settee. Fordham took his own tea, adding both cream and sugar, but remained standing.
“I didn’t expect you for weeks,” Ellerby confided, sitting down in a brown leather armchair. He took a tentative sip of the tea. “How did you get here so fast?”
“We borrowed a dragon,” Fordham said.
Ellerby nearly spat out his drink. “You’re… you’re House of Shadows, young man, aren’t you?”
“Yes, sir.” Fordham straightened to his considerable height.
“I didn’t have the chance to meet you before I left the city. I assume since you are working with my girl, Kerrigan, that you are not as prejudiced as history makes it seem.”
Fordham eyed Ellerby sharply before glancing back to Kerrigan. “I believe I am no longer representative of my people in that regard.”
“Ah,” Ellerby said with a bobbing head of acknowledgment.
“But that’s not why we’re here,” Kerrigan butted in before things could get worse. “You left the city so abruptly, in the middle of the ceremony. And then we got your letter. I just don’t understand. Why did you leave in the first place?”
Ellerby set his teacup down on the table. “I truly am sorry about that. I had every intention of selecting you at the ceremony and staying through the tournament. But a man approached me the day before the ceremony. He… he said that he had my nephew, Ever, and that if I didn’t do exactly what he said, he would kill him.”
Kerrigan shuddered. “What did he tell you to do?”
Ellerby shifted uncomfortably. “He told me to go to the ceremony, and right before you were to be selected, I had to leave. As soon as I was gone, I had to pack up my entire household and return here. Only then would he give my nephew back to me.”
“Did he return your nephew?” Fordham asked.
Ellerby shivered. “No,” he croaked. “No, he still has him… as collateral for my silence. It was risky, even getting a letter out to you. I assumed it was read by them before it reached you. I had to make it deliberately banal or else they might have suspected and hurt Ever.”
“You’ve risked much in doing so,” Kerrigan said gently. Though her insides were squirming.
What could be the purpose in doing this to poor Ellerby? And why would they want her humiliated like that? Could it be that all of this was somehow related?
Fordham must have come to the same conclusion as Kerrigan. “We have been attacked since you left. An assassin was sent out for Kerrigan. Do you think this person would want her dead as well?”
Ellerby’s eyes rounded in horror. “I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.”
She waved him off. Words stuck in her throat. They didn’t have time to beat around the bush. She needed answers. “Who was the man?”
Ellerby shook his head. “I dare not say. If he found out…”
“My life is on the line, Ellerby,” she hissed. “He sent someone to kill me. I flew all the way out here based on your letter. Please, we must know the person’s name.”
“I can’t,” Ellerby said, trembling as he rose to his feet and moved toward one of the windows. “Ever is still in trouble. They’re watching my house.”
Fordham stepped forward and put his hand on Ellerby’s shoulder. “You have suffered greatly. But the only way that we can help, that we can get Ever back, is for you to trust us. We want this to end. We do not want you to continue to live in fear.”
Ellerby looked to Kerrigan. “I truly wanted to select you.”
Kerrigan’s throat constricted. She hadn’t let herself think too much about that fact. Because it was plain now that he couldn’t do it. Not while Ever was still absent. “Please,” she whispered. “We are running out of time. We must return to the city. Help us stop him.”
Ellerby shuddered. “Nix.”
“Nix?” Fordham asked in confusion.
But Kerrigan wasn’t confused. Her body froze in place. He
r thoughts unclouded. Suddenly, everything made sense. Everything made perfect sense.
“Basem Nix,” Kerrigan said softly.
“Yes,” Ellerby said, latching on to the name. “The one.”
“Who is Basem Nix?” Fordham asked.
Kerrigan said nothing. She was still reeling from the new information. The bruiser that she had humiliated at the Wastes fight, who had called her a leatha and sent three of his thugs to ambush her. She hadn’t thought of him since that night. But she had seen the way he looked at her when he called her a leatha bitch. He was racist to his core, and he believed that she was beneath him, that she didn’t even deserve life. She had seen the same look in the Fae who attempted to kill her that night five years ago.
Hatred didn’t make sense. It simply was.
“He’s a…” Ellerby stumbled on the word.
“Gangster,” Kerrigan finished for him.
“Yes. He does not come from money,” Ellerby explained, “but due to trade he facilitated through from the south, he quickly rose through the ranks. He made a fortune, but he’s not landed money. Row society won’t accept him. He has a home in Riverfront, where he has been keeping Ever.”
“It’s where the new rich live in Kinkadia,” Kerrigan said. “They can’t get houses on the Row.”
“But why would he want to kill you?” Fordham asked.
“He’s racist,” Kerrigan said simply.
And that was the truth of it. He didn’t need another reason to want her dead. Her humiliating him was just icing on the cake.
“He hates half-Fae, and I beat him in a fight the night before the opening ceremonies. Which is likely why he went to you, Ellerby. I’m so sorry.”
Fordham frowned. “That explains a lot, but I think I’m still missing a piece. What was he trading?”
Kerrigan shrugged. “I don’t know. I never asked about that.”
Ellerby sighed heavily and looked like he was going to run. “Magical artifacts.”
“What do you mean? What kind of artifacts?” Fordham asked.
“Elsiande is known for the creation of magical artifacts. They’re used for any number of sources but primarily to contain magic. The older generations have always wanted to be rid of their magic. As you know, we were founded by tribe members who believed that magic was flawed. It could do wonderful things, but ultimately, it could do terrible things as well. The use of magic brought the world out of balance. So, they created objects to house their magic, as they no longer wanted it.”
“Does that work?” Fordham asked.
“Not really. Not to the extent that most of them wanted it to,” Ellerby told them. “And anyway, most of those objects were destroyed in the Great Purge, but over the last several years, the trade of them… has become very lucrative.”
“Because they’re illegal,” Kerrigan snapped.
“Yes. Some of them are. It’s not uncommon for people to have gemstones filled with an Elsiande honeycomb. A small burst of magic can be filtered into it to be used at a later time, especially during fighting. Those are perfectly legal and rather common. But there are many other kinds of artifacts that can work very powerful magic. Things that no one should get their hands on,” Ellerby said faintly. “The Society deemed them too much of a risk and has been slowly collecting and destroying the lot.”
“Which makes them even more valuable,” Kerrigan said. Her eyes flicked to Fordham. “The weapons deal.”
He nodded. “That’s what we saw. Those were no ordinary weapons, and Clare is no ordinary dealer. That’s why she interrogated us, thinking we were working for the Society.”
“She thought that they had found the new stash of artifacts,” Kerrigan put together.
“Yes, and she must be working with Basem to get these artifacts onto the streets.”
Ellerby looked faint. “If that’s the case, then… we’re already too late.”
“Too late for what?”
“To stop him.”
Fordham left Ellerby’s side and came to stand with Kerrigan. “On the contrary, I think we finally have a shot.”
She looked up at him, filled with determination, and nodded. “I think you’re right. We will do what we can to save your nephew.”
Ellerby’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t even know if he’s still alive.”
Kerrigan ground her teeth. “Then we will get revenge for what he has done to you.”
“We need to go,” Fordham said. “We have to get back by daybreak.”
“Thank you for meeting with us.”
Ellerby stepped forward and took her hands. “I am truly sorry. I hope that we meet again on more favorable terms. You are always welcome in my home.”
She nodded once and then followed Fordham. They slipped out the back door this time. Neither said a word as they slunk through the streets of Archdale to where they had left Tavry. They found him waiting impatiently. He shook his long, powerful neck.
We must be off. The time is nigh.
They scrambled onto Tavry, and he burst into the sky before they were even completely situated.
Did you find what you were looking for?
“Yes,” Kerrigan said. “Unfortunately.”
She hugged Tavry’s side and tried to keep the terror from overwhelming her.
Basem Nix was a formidable opponent on a good day, but this was above and beyond anything she could have imagined. They had stepped into the middle of a tangled web, and she didn’t know what their next move was or where they would land.
Dawn blurred bright across the horizon. Kerrigan’s heart sank as Draco Mountain came into view. They were late. Tavry had been certain that they would need to be there before daybreak. She hadn’t thought they had dawdled, but they had had to navigate an unknown city.
Tavry flew into the aerie with ease, landing effortlessly.
She slid off Tavry’s back. “Thank you.”
Don’t thank me yet, Kerrigan Argon.
Kerrigan was about to ask why, but then she realized that she didn’t need to. Helly stormed toward them. Her carefully placed bun was disheveled. Her black robes rumpled. Her eyes spat fire. Kerrigan had never seen her look so angry.
Fordham dropped to his feet next to her, straightening at the sight of Helly. “This isn’t good, is it?”
“No,” she whispered.
“What in the gods’ name do you two think you were doing?” Helly all but shrieked as she approached them. “You were both out of your beds, a dragon missing. Do you know what would have happened if the council had been alerted?”
Kerrigan winced. “We were only trying to help—”
“I don’t want to hear it!” Helly slashed her hand down to stop her from speaking further. “I don’t want a single word out of either of you. We had a deal.” She glared at Kerrigan in fury. “What you did was reckless and dangerous, not to mention theft.”
Mistress Helly, Tavry began.
But she whirled on her dragon and flung a finger out. “We will talk about this later.”
Tavry’s wings flared in outrage, and then the beast took to the skies once more.
Helly sighed, rubbing her temple. Kerrigan didn’t know anyone who had been in a fight with their dragon. They were bound together. They shared so much that it was hard to stay mad at one another.
“You were gone,” Helly said, her voice stiffening into pain. “Just like Lyam. You were just gone.”
“I’m sorry, Helly, but if you’d let me explain.”
“No, I need no explanation. I understand precisely what you did. But have you forgotten what happened with Lyam?” Helly asked, sounding sick to her stomach.
“Of course not.”
“Then, what you did is cruel, if not simply reckless.”
“Mistress Hellina,” Fordham began formally.
But it was the wrong move. She turned her anger on him. “And you! You could be expelled from the tournament for this. Did you consider that?”
Fordham’s jaw set. “
No, but we are trying to solve a murder.”
“Murder? What murder?” She looked between the two of them. “What happened to Lyam was a tragic accident. Whatever you two have been doing, you’re finished.”
“Just listen to us!” Kerrigan cried. “An assassin was sent after me. We witnessed an illicit weapons deal. There is more at stake than you know. Basem Nix is trading illegal magical artifacts, and he still has Ellerby’s nephew.”
Helly shook her head. “That’s enough. If you had any of this information, you should have come to the Society with your concerns. We handle criminal investigations in Kinkadia. It is not left to a Dragon Blessed and a tournament competitor. You will cease your operation immediately and allow me to handle it from now on.”
“Helly, please,” Kerrigan cried.
“You are confined to the mountain for the remainder of the tournament,” she snapped. “Both of you.”
Fordham stiffened, clenching his jaw.
“What? But I’m supposed to find a patron…” Kerrigan said.
“You should have considered the consequences to your actions,” Helly said coldly. “After all the deaths last tournament, I should report you both to the council. Consider this a warning. If I discover you plotting again, I will have to follow through with that.”
“Helly—”
“Do you understand?” Helly snapped over Kerrigan’s protest.
“Yes,” she whispered.
Fordham brusquely nodded his head.
“Then go. You both look like you haven’t slept in weeks. I don’t want to hear anything else out of you.”
Kerrigan didn’t see another choice. She swallowed, holding back her mounting anger, and stormed from the room. Fordham was hot on her heels as they left Helly behind. She didn’t dare look back. Not once.
“What do we do now?” Fordham asked. “We can’t just let this stand.”
“No, we can’t,” she agreed. She rubbed her temples. “I have an idea.”
“Is this going to get me expelled from the tournament?”
She squeezed her eyes shut. “You no longer have to be a part of this.”