After paying properly for their clothes, the unit stopped into a cypher shop and picked up a map of Oberon City. Even with the whole of the city now revealed to them, they chose to remain in the quad plaza as it had everything they needed for the night. With their rucksacks bursting with clothes and supplies, they wound their way up to a hotel, which sat perched atop one of the larger pyramids.
The hotel clerk nearly jumped out of his shoes when five shabby Aenerians covered in battle filth entered his fancy atrium. He ran for a wall-mounted device which looked like an old telephone, though Cole thought it might be an alarm.
In a flash, Sitra appeared in front of the man, standing between him and the device he reached for. “If you want to keep that hand then you can put it right back in your pocket. If you want to make some money then you better keep quiet.”
The man stuttered, his hand hovering between the alarm and his pocket. “I…I assure you I don’t know or want to know what business you have here.”
“I think you do,” Sitra said, tapping the man in the chest with one of her munisica.
The man rose to his full height, which was still half a head shorter than Sitra. He gave a disgusted sneer at her munisica. “I assure you, I don’t. This establishment has a strict policy on how we deal with brigands and beggars. Now, I suggest you take your leave before I force it upon you.” He straightened his jacket and added, “I’ll have you know that I’m the great-grandson of a Council member. It would not be wise to test my Wisdom.”
Sitra pouted with mock concern. The clerk smirked, looking as if he were about to say something clever. Before he could utter a word the breath rushed from his mouth as jade ropes wrapped around his middle, yanking him back to the front desk. Lileth dropped her outstretched hand and the ropes disappeared, though the man remained frozen in Fear. Cole upended his rucksack as a cascade of coins poured over the desk and onto the floor. When the final coin wobbled flat, the man’s face went from sickly panic to shrewd Hunger.
“You are too quick to judge, great-grandson of a Wisdom Walker,” Lileth said. “We are Warriors of The Sill, and more importantly to you, we are paying customers. What kind of room can we afford with this?” She motioned her eyes towards the pile in front of her, shifting her own rucksack higher on her shoulders.
The man seemed to forget he was supposed to be breathing. He tore his eyes from the stack of coins on the desk. “Forgive me, madams and sirs. It seems I did indeed make a grave error in judgment.” He took a steadying breath, scanning each of them up and down as if he still wasn’t sure if he were being robbed. “In my haste I thought you some band of marauders come to plunder the hotel.”
“How do you know we’re not?” Sitra asked, appearing next to the man, who jumped and clutched his chest.
“That’s enough, Sitra. The man is only doing his job,” Lileth sighed. “What is your name, Wise One?”
“Thirsk,” he said, picking up a coin from the floor and carefully placing it on the desk. “Er- this payment is a tad…inappropriate for even our hotel. Not to call your intelligence into question,” he added, tripping over his words. “You are clearly outsiders. Our currency is no doubt foreign to you. If you, er…feel up to it I could dig up a cypher that would-”
“What, is that not enough?” Sitra asked, hoisting her own heavy bag onto the desk. “Don’t you try scalping a profit off us, Thirst. I’ll have you know we’re all the great-great-grandchildren of bog angels, so don’t get testy.”
“It’s Thirsk,” he said, rolling his eyes. “And I’ll thank you not to accuse me of scalping anyone. This sum, which you’ve unceremoniously dumped on my desk, could pay for every room in the hotel twice over. Your ignorance has disarmed me, that is all, but we’ll set you right in a moment.” He settled himself into a chair and summoned a ledger book and monocle from thin air, but the desk was so cluttered with coins that he had nowhere to put the book.
“Sorry,” Cole blurted as he scooped an armful of coins back into his bag.
“We are off season,” he said, thumbing through his book and flicking his monocle, which changed from clear glass to bright turquoise. “Most of our premium suites are available, as is our top-tier penthouse. Would you like a room each or-”
“How many beds in that penthouse?” Sitra demanded, digging through a bowl of fruit next to Thirsk’s desk.
Thirsk watched Sitra in open disgust as Sitra chopped the contents of the bowl with a single claw, blending it into a soup and chugging it with noisy gulps. Thirsk cleared his throat. “Erm, the penthouse sleeps eleven, but more beds can be brought up. It is quite large.”
“The penthouse will be fine, thank you,” Lileth said. “Take the excess as a tip, or do with it what you will. Don’t worry,” she added, seeing the look of reluctance on Thirsk’s face. “We acquired the coins legitimately. Consider it a token of generosity from The Sill.”
“I…I will,” Thirsk whispered, his eyes counting out the sum on the table. “Here are your keys.” He held his hand up as five brilliant emerald stars shot from his open palm, each burying itself in the left thumb of one of the guests. “The penthouse is at the very top. Just touch the door with your keyed thumb and you’ll be right in. And if you need anything else, anything you desire. Just give a ring and I’ll come up myself.”
“Thank you. We’ll see ourselves up. Come Sitra, leave the poor man be,” Lileth chided.
Sitra untangled her munisica from Thirsk’s coattails, which she had spent the last minute shredding to ribbons. “And I was just starting to like you. Listen for my ring, Thirst. I may have some desires later tonight.”
He swallowed. “My name is Thirsk.”
They took an elevator up to the top floor, which opened to a single door framed with silvery neon lights. Valen pressed his thumb to the door, unlocking it with a ripple. Following the others, Cole pressed his face into the door, sliding through the cool stone and entering the most lavish place he’d ever seen. The main room was large enough to host a party for at least thirty people. Embedded below the center floor was a fish tank curated with various corals and tropical fish resembling those in the lagoon outside The Sill. Carved stone half walls lined the rest of the room, each topped with waving ferns. Hundreds of egg-sized gratia stones hung from the ceiling from brass wires, all cycling through a synchronized pattern of colors like an ocean of little Oberons. An aroma of perfumes permeated throughout, though it wasn’t quite fragrant enough to mask the stench of sweat and body odor of the unit.
After a much-needed shower, Cole emerged from his private room dressed in a shale-gray suit with amber filigree on the lapels and sleeves. He joined Valen in the common room, where the Aenerian was busy grooming himself in front of a marble vanity. Cole watched with interest as Valen used Wisdom to cut and style his hair into a fashion resembling the locals down in the courtyard.
“So you’re coming out after all?” Cole asked.
Valen hastily dismissed his spells and stepped away from the mirror. “Well someone has to make sure you all represent The Sill with some dignity.”
Cole laughed, stepping up to the mirror. He couldn’t remember when his last haircut had been, but judging by the werewolf staring back at him he was long overdue. His pride wouldn’t allow him to ask Valen how to cut hair, and that resulted in a patchy, rough-cut mess that took far longer than he would have liked. Even after he labored for a half hour in the mirror, the women had yet to emerge from Eliza’s room.
Not interested in small talk with Valen, Cole walked around the room, admiring the artwork and statues, and trying out the furniture. Everything looked too expensive to look at, let alone touch. After setting fire to what turned out to be a kitchen stove, Cole stepped out onto one of the four balconies and indulged himself in the view. All of the shops had closed, but the streets below were crawling with people wandering among clubs and restaurants. The liveliness of the city sent giddy sensation wandering up into Cole’s chest. He had never so much as seen a party back home or sneaked a sip of alcoho
l, save for the one time Alvani offered him a pull from her wineskin. Afraid to make a fool of himself, he tried a few bouts of his meditation. He was dreadfully unsuccessful, however. He was simply too excited. Behind him, a door opened, carrying with it Sitra’s boisterous laughter.
“What’s that burning smell?” she sniggered. “Valen are your pants on fire again?”
Cole returned to the common room. The women looked like a trio of rising stars. Their faces were striking and exotic, with sharp angles, elegant features, and full lips accentuated beyond their usual beauty. They had forgone their usual hair styles, instead adopting silky straight curtains that swept over their shoulders and down their backs. Cole didn’t remember them buying any makeup or hair products, but with Wisdom at their disposal it seemed they hardly needed either. Eliza wore a soft, cobalt tunic made from live flower petals. Sitra had cut her cherry-red dress even shorter, showing off chiseled muscles while still flaunting her feminine physique. If not for her warm smile, Cole wouldn’t have recognized Lileth in her aquamarine dress. It was cut very low down the back and very high up one of her slender legs. Cole shut his mouth, hoping it hadn’t been hanging open too long.
“Shall we go then?” Eliza asked, stepping out onto a balcony. Her hair had been magically lengthened. Instead of a short pixie cut it now looked like a golden river down her back. Taking in Cole’s and Valen’s star-struck looks, she rolled her eyes. “Well, we may as well make an entrance. I didn’t spend two hours getting ready to trudge around in these shoes.”
“Right behind you, Liza,” Sitra said, snatching Valen’s arm along the way.
“I’m only coming out for an hour,” Valen said, walking stiffly. “We ought to get some rest before the trial.”
“Valen, for one night in your life I forbid you to be responsible,” Eliza said, taking his other arm. “Tonight, you are just Valen.”
Cole laughed, watching them dip out of sight. He followed, excitement rising.
Someone grabbed his wrist, pulling him back. Lileth hissed in his ear, “Wait.”
“What’s wrong?” Cole asked as he was spun over to the mirror.
“Let me do you a favor,” she said, dragging him back to the vanity. Lileth stood behind him, flicking her hands through his hair, which shaped itself into a tight crew cut. She spun him around, giving a final inspection before patting him on the shoulders. “Much better.”
“How’d you- never mind,” Cole said, running his fingers through his hair. “What about the stubble?” he asked, raising his chin to the mirror. He had been afraid to shave his face too close with his wobbly Wisdom.
“Leave it. It suits you.” She winked, taking his arm as they followed the others off the balcony.
The crowds parted in the courtyard as the unit descended. Cole imagined they looked like a flock of emerald-winged angels. Some voiced their disapproval, scoffing and turning away, though most gawked with wide eyes full of envy.
As Cole was unable to summon wings of his own, Lileth conjured him a flashy pair, which carried him down in slow, graceful flaps. The five alighted in between two fountains, seamlessly rolling into a casual stride as if they had just strolled out from dinner. Their wings shattered in a small waterfall of ethereal shards, clinking over the pavement before vanishing with little cracks.
Following Sitra’s lead, they quickly settled into a restaurant that specialized in meat and mead. Waiters and waitresses came and went, arms laden with flagons and skewered roasts. Cole recognized nothing on the menu, but accepted everything. He quickly lost count of how many animals he’d eaten and drinks he’d downed.
Sometime during the second round, the unit was no longer a unit. They were just friends. Their training, their enemies, the trial, none of it mattered. Months of tension melted away like the sweetened steaks that sizzled on their tongues. Valen had long passed his self-allotted hour, lounging dreamy-eyed and content in their booth. Sitra wove a tale about a time she and Storn had been caught stealing food from Roth’s bags.
“We were in the rock gardens lugging those stupid boulders, Eliza had broken a nail or something…” Sitra paused, taking a swig from her mug while shushing Eliza with a wave of her hand. “So Storn and me sneaked round the side of the rock gardens where we made camp. Roth had been chewing on that spiced jerky all damned day, so we rifled through his bag looking for the stuff.”
“What would possess you to steal from Roth?” Lileth asked through a mouthful of seared fish. “I think I recall this little misadventure. He caught you both, didn’t he?”
“Yup,” Sitra said, nodding vigorously. “He watched from the shadows. Let us eat the whole bag too.”
Valen’s mug clunked onto the table. “If I remember correctly, neither of you received a hiding from him. I always thought that odd. He did punish you, didn’t he?”
Sitra lowered her voice, making them all lean close. “He didn’t say a word to us. But after we finished he popped up like a phantom and then politely asked us to go back to the lesson.”
“Really?” Cole asked, taking a gulp of his mead. “You sure we’re talking about the same Roth here?”
Sitra cut into him with a questioning glare. “Have you ever had Roth’s spiced jerky?”
“Can’t say I have,” Cole said. “But then again I’d never be stupid enough to steal from Roth. I like my arms just the way they are, unbroken, connected to my shoulders, no extra joints.”
“You forgot ‘smallest ones at the table’,” Sitra added, eliciting a chorus of laughter from around the table. “Finishing the lesson was punishment enough. Storn and I found out the hard way that Roth’s spiced jerky was laced with banshee peppers.” The chuckling ceased immediately, replaced with pained hissing and wincing. “The Firedancer wasn’t the first time I had to deal with bubble gut.”
Laughter exploded again, accompanied by slamming fists and sloshing mugs. Valen’s laughter rose above all.
Valen dried his eyes on his sleeves, catching his breath. “It looks like you got your hiding after all! I’m sorry Sitra, I shouldn’t jest. That must have been dreadful.”
Sitra’s cheeks flushed as a grin wrestled free from her frown. “The rock gardens wasn’t even the worst part. Storn and me had to climb the Endless Wall feet-first when the bubble gut really kicked in.”
“Oh, you poor thing,” Eliza said, giggling through her fingers.
Amidst the warm revelry, a blooming sadness crept up Cole’s throat. Storn should be here laughing with them. He felt a hand slide over his, giving him a gentle squeeze. Lileth’s eyes met his, pouring her compassion through the gaze. She looked absolutely stunning.
Gathering himself, Cole stood and raised his mug. The group fell silent. “While we’re laughing at the dead, we ought to take a second to drink…to their memory.” He paused, his heart quickening and cheeks blazing. This was the first speech he’d ever given.
“Excellent idea!” Lileth said, rising to her feet and raising her mug as well. “To Storn. May he be a thorn in our enemy’s backsides, even from the grave.”
Eliza stood, gripping her mug with white knuckles as though it might fly away. Blinking a tear away, she raised her trembling mug. “To Deekus. May he be the wind at our backs.”
Sitra and Valen stood, raising their mugs and completing the circle.
Cole steadied his nerves and spoke as loudly as his choked voice would allow: “And to Habbad and Lexy. May they…” Unable to think of something clever, Cole settle on something simple. “Well, they were the first people to show me any kindness on this planet. I’ll miss them.”
“To the fallen,” Valen offered.
“To the fallen,” the circle repeated.
Five mugs thudded on the table. The silence was broken by a loud belch from Sitra, who wiped the froth from her mouth and gave them all a challenging smirk.
“Let’s get out of here. There’s a place we need to see up on the second level. You gentlemen will have to cover the tab here, and upstairs.”
; “How’s that fair?” Cole blurted.
“I also fail to see the equality in this proposal,” Valen added, voice slurring.
Eliza stood and spun, waving her arms over the length of Sitra’s body. “Where do you expect us to hide a stack of coins in these?”
They left the restaurant with their pockets and minds significantly lighter. Eliza and Sitra locked arms with Valen so he couldn’t sneak off back to the hotel. Throwing caution to the wind, Cole offered his arm to Lileth, who took it without a word. She still towered head and shoulders above him, but at the moment he felt taller than he’d ever felt in his life.
Cole’s head felt as if it were slowly spinning in warm honey. The very air seemed to brim with opportunity and he found the smallest things profoundly amusing. He was part of a group of real friends who were simply enjoying a night out. He felt as if he were right where he needed to be, completely at ease in his own skin. None of the beautiful strangers they passed knew he was human. Even if they did, what would it matter? He was where he belonged. This was his home.
Sitra led them up a flight of winding stairs. Vines crept over the ceiling, and a pleasant, musky aroma tickled their noses. As they ascended, a deep, melodic booming grew louder. When they rounded the final corner the stone beneath their feet began to shake along with the music.
The unit came to an abrupt halt at a set of ebony doors that were twice their height. Standing in front like a pair of matching weapons were two men, each nearly as tall as the doorway. Their skin was rough and scaly, and their fingers ended in white claws. One of them set his elliptical eyes on Cole, raising his upper lip to reveal rows of thin fangs. They were Domina.
Cole’s munisica threatened to burst forth. He could feel the shroud crawling its way up his arms and shins. Lileth pulled him aside, burying him in a plush curtain of vines. From in between the leaves and budding flowers, Cole witnessed the others approach the Domina, arms outstretched. The Domina bent down and sniffed each of them, tapping their claws over Valen’s suit. A bony, scaled fist banged three times on the double doors, which opened and filled the air with a thin cloud of vapor and thumping music. Eliza, Sitra and Valen disappeared through the doors, which slammed shut, muffling the wild tune inside.
Saving The Dark Side Book 2: The Harbingers Page 26