In the center of the city, the Council’s Spire stood taller than anything else, piercing the very sky and reminding everyone who was in charge. It was crafted from pale marble, and Sephi knew that up close, the stone was streaked with veins of silver, gold, and platinum.
The Citadel was paradise, the crown jewel of the Cradle, a shining beacon of perfection, the pinnacle of magical civilization.
Persephone hated it.
She was much more interested in what was on the ground beneath the Citadel. Over the centuries, the Undershadow had sprung up under the Citadel like moss growing beneath a stone. Where the Citadel was symmetrical and beautiful, the Undershadow was chaotic and practical.
Sprawling clusters of ramshackle dwellings lined muddy, unpaved streets. A few larger buildings poked their heads above the rest, but they never rose more than three stories. Most of the bigger places were dedicated to drinking, gambling, or less savory pastimes, offering the kind of fun that couldn’t be found in the Citadel.
The rest of the Undershadow was mostly people who weren’t lucky enough to be born into one of the five magical families or one of the prosperous merchant guilds. Space in the Citadel was limited to those who could afford its luxuries. The poor had to live somewhere, and this was it.
Then, there were people who chose to live in the Undershadow. These were a much rarer breed, and mages especially avoided living beneath the city, separated from their own kind. Sephi and Echo were exceptions to the rule, and living in the shadow of their former lives was where they had met and become instant friends.
Despite their friendship, Echo staunchly disapproved of Sephi’s reckless nature, and she brought up the old argument as their wagon rumbled into the outskirts of town.
“You can’t keep this up, you know?”
Sephi frowned at her friend. Echo was three years younger, but to Sephi, she always seemed like an older sister.
“I’ve heard your thoughts on this already.”
“And yet, you never listen,” Echo said. “These jobs keep getting more dangerous. Today, it was stormbird eggs in Tartarus. A few weeks ago, it was stealing war relics from banshees in the Mire. Before that, it was taking bloodstones from a haunted warlock stronghold.”
“Allegedly haunted,” Sephi cut in. “We didn’t see any ghosts. Or warlocks, for that matter. So disappointing.”
Echo sighed in frustration and offered an eyeroll. “Whatever. My point is, Bobby keeps sending you on riskier assignments.”
Sephi shrugged. “A girl’s got to make a living.”
“You can’t make a living by dying.”
“I haven’t died so far.”
“Not for lack of trying,” Echo said. “Sometimes, I wonder…”
“What?” Sephi prompted. “What do you wonder?”
Echo was going to say she wondered if Sephi wanted to die. But she couldn’t give voice to that thought. If Echo was wrong, it would just sound cruel. And if she was right, talking about it wouldn’t change anything.
“I just wonder when it’s going to end for you,” Echo said instead. “When are you going to stop all this shit?”
“When I finish my business with Bobby,” Sephi said. “I have an obligation.”
“I get it, but that obligation is shackling you to the past, and it’s keeping you from living. Don’t you want a normal life?”
Sephi laughed. “A normal life? Like there’s any such thing.” She shook her head. “Until my debts are paid, there’s no sense in daydreaming about the future.” She tugged on the reins and pulled the cart to a stop. “Speaking of paying debts, we’re here. It’s time to see him.”
Chapter 2
The first floor of the Cantina Vela was always packed.
Persephone weaved between the people clustered around the gambling tables. Nobody gave her a second glance. They were too focused on the small fortunes being won and lost all around them.
Sephi bypassed the casino floor. She wasn’t here to play games, and the real business went on upstairs.
A pair of stone-faced guards she didn’t recognize blocked the staircase tucked away behind the bar. They were almost certainly human, but from the sheer size of them, Sephi wondered if their mothers had enjoyed an all-night romp with the one-eyed giants who lived northeast of the Cradle.
She resisted the temptation to voice her suspicion out loud. These brutes didn’t look like they had a sense of humor. No need to stir up trouble for no reason. “I’m here to see Bobby.”
The taller guard eyed her up and down dismissively. “Fuck off, lady.”
Now she had a reason to poke the hornets’ nest. “Trust me, I’d love to ignore you like every other woman you’ve ever met, but you’re in my way.”
She probably would have been fine if the other guard didn’t laugh at her comment, but he did. It started with a snort and grew into a full-blown chuckle. That was when the taller guard went from annoyed to enraged.
The guard drew himself up to his full height, which Sephi had to admit was daunting. She was suddenly reminded that her magic had yet to refill, and with the still-healing burns on her back, she wasn’t in any shape for a straight-up street brawl.
“You want to ignore me?” the taller guard asked, yanking a huge cudgel made from knobby, bumpy wood from his belt and raising it threateningly.
Sephi raised her hands, ready to soothe his bruised ego. Then, her mouth had other ideas. “Nice dildo. Did your mother let you borrow it?”
Maybe someday she would learn to keep her big mouth shut. It wouldn’t be the first time it got her into trouble, and she doubted it would be the last. It was too late to back down now. Sephi put her hand on her hip, right by the hilt of her dagger. The guard took a menacing step toward her.
An annoyed voice called from upstairs. “Let her up, you goon!”
The guard froze. Sephi flashed a triumphant smile at him, and he glared at her with his fists clenched. With a grumbled curse, he stepped aside to let her pass.
The wooden stairs creaked as she ascended. The movements tugged at the tender skin on her back. Echo’s salve had dulled the pain somewhat, but she was walking a little gingerly when she emerged into Bobby’s office.
The office took up most of the second floor. Thick rugs cushioned her footsteps as she walked past the massive desk in the center of the space. A throne-like chair sat behind it, but the seat was empty. Bobby himself was staring out the window overlooking the street outside.
Even with his back turned, Bobby Candles cut an imposing figure. His long, dark hair was tied back neatly, and his broad shoulders nearly eclipsed the fading light coming in through the window. Dressed all in black, he could have been a shadow come to life, but shadows weren’t nearly as dangerous.
Sephi came up behind him and followed his gaze. He looked down at her cart. Echo sat on the wooden box with her legs crossed. Her eyes darted around nervously, and her hands fidgeted in her lap. She looked so small down there by herself.
“Do you have my carton of eggs?” Bobby asked, his voice low and gravelly.
Sephi’s eyes narrowed, and she stepped up beside him at the window. “That’s a weird way to phrase it, but yeah. They’re in that crate down there with Echo.”
Bobby looked down at the Green mage and frowned. “She never comes in here with you. I’m starting to think she doesn’t like me.”
Sephi never allowed Echo to join these meetings, but Bobby didn’t know that. He didn’t need to know. Just like Echo didn’t need to know the true nature of Sephi’s business arrangement with Bobby. It was her secret to keep, even from her closest friend.
“Nobody likes you,” Sephi said. “Don’t take it personally, but you’re a bit like the boogie man.”
His eyes widened, and he shot her a sideways glance. “Wow, that feels personal. Like, that’s the definition of personal.”
Sephi met his gaze and shrugged. “I’m just saying, a man in your position, everyone you know either works for you or they work against you. The
re’s not a lot of room in between.”
He looked thoughtful. “I guess I can’t argue with that. You’d think people would be more grateful. I just get them things they want. Things they can’t get anywhere else.”
She didn’t respond. He wasn’t really talking to her. He was just thinking out loud. Bobby shook his head, like he was shaking off dark thoughts.
“Goon!” he shouted.
The taller guard popped his head up from the stairs. “Yeah, boss?”
“Go outside and fetch the crate from the young lady in the cart out there,” Bobby said. “And be gentle. With the young lady and with the crate. The contents of that box are worth more than your miserable life.”
The insult didn’t seem to faze the big man. He nodded and ducked away to do his master’s bidding.
“His name is Goon?” Sephi asked.
Bobby grinned. “Oh, who the hell knows? I’ve had to hire extra security. I can’t be bothered to learn their names.”
“Extra security?” she asked, frowning. “What’s up?”
Bobby moved away from the window and sat in the chair behind his desk. “I’ve been hearing troubling rumors. It might be nothing, but in my line of work, it’s best to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.”
Instead of sitting in the chair across from him, Sephi leaned her elbows on the seat back. “What kind of rumors?”
He spread his hands. “Strange folks lurking around, a rise in dark magic, and of course, the mages going missing.”
Sephi frowned. “What do you mean, missing?”
Bobby narrowed his eyes at her. “How have you not heard about this? Those are your people, not mine. I was actually hoping you could shed some light on the situation.”
She shook her head. “It’s news to me. And those aren’t my people. Not really. Not anymore.”
“Keep telling yourself that, kid,” he said. “Magic is in your blood. Or however you Merlin-types cast spells.”
Sephi tilted her head in confusion. “Merlin? Is that a friend of yours?”
Bobby laughed. “Never mind. My point is, once a mage, always a mage. You might be done with the Citadel, but it’s not done with you.”
“We’ll see about that,” she said.
“Anyway, whatever is happening to mages, you might want to watch your back. I hear it’s not safe for you wand wigglers to go out alone.”
She leaned forward. “How many mages have gone missing?”
“Six in the last month. A handful of others before that.” He held up a hand to stop her from interrupting. “I know it’s not many, but I’ve been asking around, and no one remembers anything like this happening before. I figure it’s worth keeping an eye out.”
Sephi grinned. “I never pegged you as the skittish type.”
“I’m not skittish,” he said. “I just have a nose for trouble. I know when things are getting too hot and it’s time to move. It’s how I ended up here in the first place.”
“On Esper, you mean?” Sephi asked. “Like when you left Earth?”
Bobby leaned back in his chair and spread his hands innocently. “Whoa, I never said Earth. I just meant here, in this place.”
She lifted an eyebrow at him. “Sure. I notice you’re not actually denying being from a different Realm.”
He shrugged. “I’ve been around.”
She was going to ask a follow-up question, but Goon came clomping up the stairs. The crate looked small and light in his hands.
“Where should I put this?” he asked.
Bobby gestured at a stack of boxes in a corner. “Over there.” He turned back to Sephi. “And you, sit.”
“I’m fine standing,” she said.
“You’re making me nervous. Sit.” He gave her a stern look. “This isn’t me asking.”
She sighed and sank down into the hard chair. The raw skin on her back roared in protest, and Sephi winced at the pain.
Bobby nodded as if that was the reaction he’d been expecting. “You look banged up. What happened?”
“We had a few close calls. Nothing I couldn’t handle.”
He frowned. “Are you sure? I don’t want you getting hurt out there. You remind me of someone special. Someone I had to leave behind to keep safe.” He gestured around at nothing in particular. “Most of the assholes who work for me are disposable, but you aren’t.”
She smirked. “So I’m an asshole, too? I’m just not disposable?”
Goon cleared his throat by the stack of boxes. “You know, I can hear you, boss?”
Bobby rolled his eyes. “I know, and I don’t care. That’s how disposable you are.”
Goon looked like he was about to say something else, but then he just shrugged, seeming to accept his place near the bottom of the food chain. He finished adjusting the crate and then went downstairs without another word.
Sephi watched him go. “And you wonder why nobody likes you?”
Bobby waved her comment away. “Don’t change the subject. Tell me the truth. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. The job was tough, but whatever. All your jobs are dangerous.”
He frowned. “No, you demand that I give you the dangerous jobs. I’ve got plenty of low-risk work.”
“Low risk, low reward,” Sephi said. “I don’t want to work for you the rest of my life. No offense.”
“Yeah,” he said dryly. “You’re breaking my fucking heart here, kid. Don’t forget, you came to me, asking for my help. If you don’t want it anymore, I’ll give you the gold you’ve earned over the years, and you can walk away at any time. No hard feelings.”
“No,” she said, sounding almost panicked. “I still want it. I’ve worked too damn hard for this.”
Bobby held up his hand. “Relax. I’m still going to help you. I just don’t want you dying on me. That’ll leave a huge red mark in my ledger, and I don’t like leaving debts unpaid.”
She smiled. “Well, then let me earn the rest of it, and you can cross me off your books.”
He tapped his fingers on the desk indecisively. “There might be a way.” He paused. “You know what? Never mind.”
She sat up straighter in her seat. “Fuck that. You can’t tease me like that and then drop it.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m not teasing you. I just can’t go from saying I want you to be safe, to offering you this job. It’s too much.”
Sephi leaned forward and slapped her palm on his desk. “Let me decide what’s too much for me to handle.”
Bobby shook his head. “I haven’t even officially taken the job yet. It’s insane.”
“Insane enough to pay off the rest of what I need?”
He nodded. “And then some.”
“You’ve certainly got my attention. What do I have to do?”
Bobby exhaled heavily. “You ever hear of the Zekarian Whispers?”
Sephi paused for a second and then burst out laughing. “Dammit, Bobby. You had me going for a second. I thought you were serious.”
He scowled. “I am serious. This is a huge job. It would be the last one you’d ever have to do for me.”
She wiped a tear from her eye and tried to stop laughing. “I know you believe that, but whoever hired you is fucking with you. It’s a snipe hunt. The Whispers don’t exist.”
He leaned forward, his face a mask of intensity. “Pretend for a second they do.”
She stifled her laughter because she could tell how serious Bobby was getting. “Okay, fine. For the sake of argument, I’ll pretend this isn’t a fae tale. The Zekarian Whispers are a relic from the First Mage himself. Zekariah amassed all his knowledge of dark magic and wrote it down in the Whispers.”
Bobby nodded. “Right.”
Sephi shook her head. “No. Not right. Because the Whispers don’t exist. And even if they did, they were lost three thousand years ago. No one knows where they are or where to start looking. And even if I did have a clue where to start, nothing good can come from unearthing the evil shit that’s supposed
to be in those books.”
“It can’t be that bad,” Bobby said.
“Nobody really knows what’s in the Whispers. That’s the thing about made-up nonsense. People can say whatever they want about it, and no one can refute it. For all we know, it’s the First Mage’s cookbook. Or it could hold the secrets to destroying the universe. Or anything in between.”
“So you don’t want the job?” Bobby asked.
Sephi threw her hands up in frustration. “There is no job! Because there is no relic.”
“Well, someone is offering me an insane amount of money to retrieve this thing. They seem to believe it exists.”
“Sure they do,” she said, smiling. “They can offer as much as they want for something that can’t be found. Here. I’ll offer you infinity gold to go fetch me the sun. See how that works?”
“They’re willing to pay up front,” he said and leaned back in his chair.
The smile disappeared from Sephi’s face. “No way.”
Bobby nodded. “They seem serious. Money don’t lie, Sephi.”
Sephi shuddered. “I don’t even want to know who ‘they’ are. Anyone who wants the Whispers that badly is up to no good.”
“Well, I have no idea who they are. The meeting was in a pitch-black cave. For all I know, it was you trying to hire me.”
She laughed. “I’m not dumb enough to offer gold up front. What’s to stop you from taking their money and not searching at all? The end result will be the same.”
He shrugged. “They said they would know if I was making progress. Whatever the hell that means.”
“Who knows?” she asked. “Well, this all sounds like a joke to me. I can’t believe—”
A bell dinged twice in the office, cutting her off. Bobby frowned and got up from the desk. He went to a smoky window overlooking the casino floor. Sephi followed right behind.
The Lost Tower Page 2