She leaned back and stretched, making a noise that made it hard for me not to slide right back out of my pants. Crawling out of bed she found her dress on the floor, somehow it had been spared from most of the blood. She replaced her mask which like mine had been speckled with blood. We joined arms and walked back towards the party. We would make quite the sight, both covered in drying blood, and me with no shirt. What can I say, Demons throw a hell of a party.
Cane motioned us over as soon as we left the room. “I take it you two worked out your differences?”
I looked over at Tessa and she smiled back. “We sure did.”
“Perfect, I can’t have my top two people at each other’s throats.”
“So what did you need us for so urgently?”
“It is time for me to announce you as the guest of honor and hopefully liven this party up a bit. I’d like you two to head to the center of the dance floor.”
“I’m not much of a dancer.”
Tessa smiled pulling me away from Cane, “I can help you with that.”
I was still feeling unsure about dancing in front of so many people. I had not worked so hard to build my reputation to see it ruined, turning me into a laughing stock. There was nothing to do now but to grudgingly be escorted towards the dance floor. As we approached, the music stopped and Cane rose to a podium at the center of the table. The dancers slowly filed off of the floor leaving Tessa and I alone in its center. A spotlight shined down upon us and the crowd grew quiet with expectation.
Cane started to speak. “I have called all of you here today to celebrate a very special event. Today we welcome two new members into our family and give them the names they so richly deserve. From this day forth I present to you The Frozen Heart, and The Crimson Whisper.”
Cheers broke out from all around us, people stood from their tables and began to shout our new names. They rang out all around the two story ballroom, a cacophony of different voices joined as one in praising us and our success.
Cane raised his hand and the room grew silent. “Tonight these two have proved their worth to our organization, without them our enterprise would have been threatened. They have silenced all of our doubters, and the market we have built only grows stronger. Tonight, we feast, drink, and debauch ourselves in their honor. Tomorrow we will rise stronger than ever before.”
The room broke into wild cheering, naked men and women wearing masks and painted with crimson and blue paint ran out to the dance floor. The music started and they began dancing and thrusting themselves around us. The tinkle of Tessa’s laughter filled my ears. I gave in to the pleasant sensation and let her spin me around the floor. More people from the tables around us joined the dancers and soon there was no room to do anything except gently grind against each other as the band continued to play.
When the crush of bodies started to feel unbearable, the giant stained glass window panes opened into the night sky. Rain from the growing storm fell down around us as we danced. Servers wove their way through the crowd dispensing drinks and other delights. I turned my head towards the sky and reveled in the feeling of Tessa pressed against me and the water falling on my face. If this was how the night started, I wondered what dark promises would unfold before the end.
8
Mathew
Rolling over might not have been the best idea I ever had. My head started spinning before my shoulder even hit the bed. Vertigo pulled at the edges of my senses sending my stomach into a free fall. The world continued to spin as my feet hit the ground and I stumbled my way into the bathroom. The bile came up as I turned on the shower but I was able to choke it back down. The cold water hit me, slowly pulling me back from the edge of consciousness. It struck me then that I had been suffering needlessly; I called on my gift to burn the remaining alcohol from my system. It felt good to be back in control instead of a slave to my body. Maybe today was actually going to be ok.
The water almost wasn’t enough to get through the first layer of filth that coated my skin. I turned the knob to make it hotter and started to scrape away the dried blood. The blood by itself wouldn’t have been so bad but at some point during the night a drunk fairy had taken it upon himself to rain glitter down on us. The mix of blood, rain, and glitter had dried into a thin crust during the short nap we had taken this morning.
I would have preferred to have stayed in bed with Tessa but Cane had been very specific on the time of the meeting. Seriously, did he not drink, or was it that he didn’t need sleep to function? Getting out of the shower and seeing Tessa laying there made me want to crawl back into bed and take comfort in her warmth. Instead I finished dressing; I had things to do and money to make. Plus it never hurt to head into the office early especially when you had already been told that you were receiving a promotion. Now was as good of a time as any to find out just what kind of strings would be attached to it, with a Demon nothing came for free.
I ran my fingers gently over Tessa’s arm on my way out; she sighed and rolled back over. The sheet pulled away from her and I was again struck by her beauty. There wasn’t a day that passed since I met her where I didn’t wonder, why me? She was a perfect match for me in every way, how did I ever get so lucky? She had done more to open my eyes in the last three months than the entire time I spent with the Ascendancy. I enjoyed this new life, now it was time to secure it. Nothing was going to stop me from keeping it, from keeping her. Adam had stopped trying to contact me, but that wouldn’t last forever. I might have to tell Cane exactly what I had done, so we could plan for the future properly.
The car ride to Cane’s was uninspired, but having a driver meant that I could sit back with the paper and have a cup of coffee. It always paid to be sharp and informed when speaking with Elijah. I had spent the last month starting to build a network of informants around the city. I knew that Cane already purchased most of the information I was getting, but I needed it anyways. You could never truly trust someone with a Demon inside of them. You had to know all the facts just to keep up, just to make sure that you weren’t going to be on the losing end of some deal they made.
When I entered the Prince and the Pauper, a tiny bell over the door jingled. Cane called out from the back of the shop, “I’ll be with you in a moment.”
There wasn’t much for me to look at in the shop. I had seen it all before. There also wasn’t any place to sit, so I stood there silently waiting for Cane to invite me back to his office. After a good five minutes, not that I had been staring at my watch impatiently, he entered the main shop through the batwing doors.
Before he saw who it was he said, “Sorry to keep you waiting, there are certain times when you can’t stop a potion if you don’t want to have to start from scratch. Now tell me what can I help you with today.”
“I would have come later, if I had known you were in the middle of something.”
A smile broke out on his face. It never sat quite right, his longer than normal teeth always made you feel just a little bit uncomfortable. “I didn’t think you would be up yet, after the evening you and Tessa had. Guess I was wrong.”
“Trust me, I would have preferred to stay in bed with Tessa, but last night you told me I was getting promoted, and well, it seemed rude to be late for a meeting like that.”
“It would have been rude indeed, but seeing Tessa last night I would have understood.” He motioned for me to follow him and walked towards the back of the shop.
Cane’s office was even more disorganized than I remembered. Files were scattered about the place, sometimes with contents spilling out onto the floor. Although it gave off a sense of dysfunction, I knew better than to buy into it. Cane held the heartbeat of the city in the palm of his hand. Someone stepped out of line anywhere and he knew it almost before it happened. This just had to be for show, or it was the start of another one of his games. Either way I was ready for what was coming.
Cane sat down and I waited for him to motion towards the chair before taking a seat. I had learned early on that
a little extra courtesy went a long way with him. The chair was worn but comfortable, and if you put the clutter out of your mind the office was a decently sized space. I waited patiently for him to address me.
When Cane looked up from his papers his eyes were burning red. It was hard for me to stay calm in the presence of his Demon, but I fought to keep my eyes locked on his. The red faded from his eyes and he spoke, “Today I am going to be placing you in charge of the most important part of my enterprise. Before we get to that, I have been told there is something you wish to tell me.”
Damn. His demon must have plucked my thoughts of Adam from the surface of my mind. I steeled myself. I was sure that Cane must have already known about my deal with Adam, he had always been able to read me easily. I came out with it all, about how my leaving the Ascendancy had merely been a ruse to put me into the position of finding who controlled the market. I also told him about my contact with Adam at the beginning of our relationship. Finally I told him that I could not see myself anywhere else now, that I had finally found a home and a life of my own.
Cane nodded. “I had a feeling about you being in contact with Adam, but always wondered how nothing of value was ever taken from me. I was surprised that it had taken so long for you to switch from being Adam’s lackey to controlling your own fate. The reason we are here today is I trust in the choice you have made. As for what to do about Adam going forward, we can work out a final message to send him later.”
“Thank you for understanding the situation I was in, Mr. Cane. I wasn’t sure if telling you the entire truth was going to have a favorable outcome for me.”
“For our relationship to move forward there needs to be no secrets between us. If you hear anything from anyone you used to know in the Ascendancy you must tell me at once.”
“You have my word.”
Cane flashed his wicked teeth at me again, and the meaning was clear. He had more than my word; he had my life resting in his hands. The smile faded from his face and he spoke to me again, “Now let’s move on to the good news. You are being placed in charge of the underground market’s security. Your new position comes with the extra benefit of your own house and triples the pay you are making now.”
A low whistle escaped my lips, triple the pay was more than I had ever expected. With that kind of money on the line it meant there was extra risk involved somewhere. Something told me I would be earning every cent of that money, and probably wouldn’t have enough time off to spend it. “Tell me what the catch is.”
“No catch, your work as my assassin has been so successful that your name inspires just the proper amount of fear. There is risk however. The clientele in the marketplace are not the sort of people to be trifled with, and your job is to keep them in line.”
“I think I will be able to handle that.”
“I do too, which is why you are getting the post. It also doesn’t hurt that you are sleeping with my new assassin. It makes you quite the formidable couple.”
“Ah, so Tessa is going to take my spot?”
“Yes, and with her behind you people should be properly awed. Still, you won’t be able to do it alone. There are ten men assigned to your command at the market. Five watch the entrances and five watch the marketplace. If you have an issue with any of the men you can replace them at any time.”
“I’d actually like to replace a few of the guards on the market floor with females. Most of the men will ignore them, it will make it easier for them to overhear what is going on, and if we can find someone halfway as competent as Tessa, they will be able to handle anything thrown at them. I’m sure you have a list that I can choose from.”
“That is why I chose you, you think of all the angles instead of trying to crush everything with brute force. I will send you a list of candidates later today.”
“Perfect. One more thing, I have never seen the market and have no idea how to locate it. So I am going to need your help there as well.”
“Of course, our last piece of business today will be a quick tour of your new domain. Before I forget here are your new house keys and the address. Also you will be retaining your driver. That should make it easier to conduct business around the city.”
“Perfect, I’m ready to go when you are.”
“No reason to stand on ceremony anymore, outside of myself you are now the most important man in this organization. From now on you may call me Elijah, and if you would follow me we can get your tour started.” As he stood and headed towards the door he also passed me a coin. “Keep this with you at all times, it will allow you to see through the glamour of the market’s entrances.”
“Of course, Mr. Cane.” It still never hurt to show proper respect.
To say I was impressed with my new work location when we pulled up outside of a derelict building on the edge of town would be a gross overstatement. If this was the lap of luxury I was receiving for all my hard work, well then he could keep it. The car came to a full stop and Cane got out. I followed closely on his heels still wondering why we were even here. The inside of the building was not in a better state of repair than the exterior. I was starting to wonder if maybe he had taken me here to kill me off after Tessa failed.
He continued further into the building, with me slightly behind him. A rustling noise seemed to be following us; looking back I could see that our footprints were being erased by some kind of spell. This could really still go either way. My magic was boiling just beneath the surface waiting to be called upon at the first sign of any treachery. Our journey continued to the back of the building where a wall had caved in, the rubble covering an old staircase leading into the depths of the building.
With a word Cane moved the rubble off of the stairs and motioned for me to start heading down. As soon as I was five steps down Cane followed and shortly thereafter the debris crashed back into place sealing us in the darkness of the stairwell. Calling on my gift I created a faint blue orb, sending it hovering out in front of us. The glow was enough to light the dark space around us for a few feet in each direction. Cane stepped back in front of me and we continued down into the void. Two stories below the earth, the stairwell ended at a door. Cane placed his hand to the right side of it and it briefly flashed red before the door slid open.
The doorway opened into a long underground tunnel, the center of which was filled with water. The raised walkway on either side would keep us dry as we moved through the pressing darkness. I increased the amount of power that the orb was using and it flared briefly in the darkness. The shadows seemed to jump in their haste to pull away from the light. I was happy to see that the uneasy feeling that had been creeping up on me was unjustified. The only thing down here besides the shadows was the green moss on the walls. Cane closed the door behind us and we continued into the tunnel. It was hard to tell which direction we were traveling but it felt as if we were moving back towards the city.
Cane continued to move over the slippery walkway at a brisk pace as he called over his shoulder, “All of the outer doors have been altered to allow you to enter the tunnels at will. The inner doors to the market are all guarded, one man inside and one outside. The outer guards remain under my command, the guards inside of the market all work for you.”
“Is there a reason the outer guards do not answer to me?”
“The separation is simply to cut down on loyalties. The outer guard controls who is allowed to enter the market, the inner guard controls who leaves. More importantly, with both guards in place we will never be caught unaware. In short it’s another layer of control.”
“Why have an outer guard at all?”
“They mostly just provide the eyes and ears so we know when one path to the market needs to be closed; they also redirect human traffic away from this section of the city. They are not fighters, if something is wrong they are trained to alert the inner guard and disappear.”
“How do the merchants get all of their wares down here?”
“We have a few ways to move goods in an
d out for a larger shipment and for a fee we can create a portal into the market, otherwise they do it the old fashioned way, on the backs of others.”
“Do the merchants pay an upfront fee to sell goods or will I be in charge of watching their sales and collecting taxes?”
“The fees are paid for the size of space they occupy as well as for your services, some of them may feel that entitles them to tell you how to run and protect the market. Understand that this is not the case; you have sole discretion on what to do. If they don’t like it I have a waiting list of merchants that would love to take their spots. You have to command respect here, no one will give it you.”
After that statement, walking in silence seemed like the best option. By now I suspected that we had traveled several miles into the tunnel. After we rounded the next corner a large circular door came into view. The door itself was open and I could see the giant wheel that could be spun shut to close the doorway and seal off the passageway from intruders. The entrance was covered with heavy red tapestries that Cane moved to the side as he entered. The small glimpse of the market his entrance provided to me took my breath away.
I would have never imagined something so large could be hidden below the city and kept under the nose of the Ascendancy. It had to be a very closely guarded secret indeed. The heavy curtains fell back into place behind me, and my eyes tried to take in the entire scene. Lights hung from the rafters illuminating the area in a multicolored glow. I had never seen so many fairy lights in one place, the cost of bringing them in must have been extensive.
Large structures filled both sides of the space from end to end; the middle of the market was filled with various canopied stalls. Large crowds wandered through the center of the market, some moving off to the outer walls where they could find food and drink, as well as some cheap companionship. Hanging from the roof over the center of the market was a large structure with multiple walkways leading to and from it.
Ascendancy Origins Trilogy Page 33