Magic Underground: The Complete Collection (Magic Underground Anthologies Book 4)

by Melinda Kucsera

  “Magic doesn’t require fish but blood.”

  “I didn’t ask ’bout magic but about you. What does a great chathula like yerself desire?”

  Its crimson tongues flicked out where they froze in place, forgotten. “It has been a while since we tasted fish…”

  “If ya let us go, I’ll bring ya the freshest fish you’ve ever tasted.”

  The creature shook its head. “He stays here. You can retrieve the fish.”

  For a moment, Shendra hesitated, and the creature’s eyes narrowed as long claws tapped the wooden floor by Bredych’s feet. “Ya won’t harm him while I’m gone?”

  “I am a being of my word.”

  She gave her brother one last look before squeezing between him and the window. Once on the rooftop, the overwhelming urge to flee the city of Tovias left a sour taste in her mouth. Since when would the unknown have me willin’ to leave my brother behind?

  Her trembling legs left her sliding more than climbing down the roof, and she landed on the dirt below with an oomph and a roll. A quick glance told her no one was outside to have seen her fall, let alone heard her, and she tucked herself into the shadows cast by the tall building. While Tovias wasn’t a port town, it lay close enough to the Harren Sea that salt and brine pierced the air when the wind blew. The local fishmonger was bound to have something fresh enough to please the cat-like creature holding her brother hostage.

  Of course, at this hour, everything but Lady Essia’s was closed.

  Shendra crept through the shadowed streets until at the town’s edge, she located what she sought. No fishy smell caught her nose—only the slight smell of sea water that drifted from beneath the shack’s door. The exterior displays were empty of anything worth stealing, and the overhang covered whatever rested in the window sills. The door knob, a simple thing of bronze, was locked to the touch, and she glanced over her shoulder once before retrieving her lock pick rod from a small pouch at her waist.

  It’d been intended to pick the lock to Lady Essia’s room, but instead, she extended the thin, metal rod into the lock, notches facing up. She pushed it upward and listened. When the spring failed to compress, she pulled the rod out a smidge and repeated the procedure until the door unlocked. Shendra hesitated before entering, her ears alert for the sounds of someone moving. Silence was the only answer to the opening door, and she slid inside, careful to place her feet gently. The trickle of street light left little to see, though it glinted off a metal handle ten feet ahead.

  Rather than leave the fish out where they’d spoil, a fishmonger would often store day-old fish underground in cold water. Hands stretched out in front of her, she moved passed a few barrels toward the tiny shack’s rear and stopped when she spotted the metal glinting again in the light. The handle lay at her feet, and she gave it a good tug. The wooden door opened, exposing a small hole in the ground. Even with the summer heat, the ground kept the water cool enough that she winced when her fingers reached into the darkness. Something slick brushed past her fingers, then another as she grabbed hold of it.

  How many fish would a chathula want to eat? To be on the safe side, she fetched six from the stock below ground. Without twine to keep them together, she slid them tail-side-up along her lock pick rod with a frown. Seemed a waste of a good tool, but with no other choice, she set back in the direction of Lady Essia’s, her fish rod resting across her shoulder.

  One of the Lady’s women stood out front, and Shendra sidled along the building’s left side until she stood below her brother half-frozen in the window. She couldn’t climb with the rod outstretched, but even without it, there were no crates or trees with which to pull herself up to the roof. Not even a trellis leaned against the building—almost as if the Lady had thought of the dangers of an exposed, open window. “Pssst, kitty?” she whispered, then flinched as a large shadow crossed overhead.

  In the dark, the chathula’s frame made a much more imposing figure as it leapt down from the rooftop, its canines visible as steel-like glints. Its nostrils flared as its head bobbed in her direction. “I smell fish,” it purred.

  She’d barely moved the rod before the creature was on it, purrs and snarls punctuated by ripping flesh. All six were devoured in a matter of a few breaths, and once done, the chathula used a paw the size of her head to clean its muzzle. A dozen or more heartbeats passed before Shendra cleared her throat. “Will ya please release my brother?”

  Its gaze shifted from relaxed to alert as it turned to face her. “What is your business with the Lady?”

  The lie stuck to her tongue, and when Shendra opened her mouth, the truth flowed too easily. “Lady Essia’s no lady. She deals with the buyin’ and sellin’ of girls. We’ve been sent here to ensure that stops. How did ya do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “Force me to tell the truth.”

  The chathula shrugged. “It’s a side-effect of my magic. My travel companion came here to purchase women for his homeland across the giant sea. Why is this a concern of yours?”

  Shendra stiffened. “It’s wrong to sell people. People have the right to be free, as the Thirteen have declared. Surely a creature like you would understand.”

  Rank like death, its breath warmed her face as the creature moved closer. “What would I understand of the ways of humans? It is not my caring what they do with each other.”

  “And if someone were to steal yer cubs and sell ’em to someone? What then?”

  Its eyes shifted almost silver in the small light trickling from Lady Essia’s. One paw lifted, its sharp claws extended in Shendra’s direction, and she held her breath as one claw touched her jaw. No tattoo marked her flesh, not until she passed this test and became an Amaskan would she earn it, yet the chathula drew a circle below her ear. Blood trickled down her neck, but she remained still.

  “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 y
ou 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.