“Oh, good, yer up,” the devil said as he walked into the room. “Pack up, we leavin’.”
“Didn’t we just get here?” Reven sighed. He felt drained, felt sick, and wanted nothing more than to crawl back into the soft feather mattress he’d been in and hide for another day or two.
“Yeah - three days gone, mate. Been sleepin’ it all away. Una’s given us a letter o‘commendation t‘the cartel lord in Mahala. We get in good wid 'em, we’ll be set f’life, mate.”
Reven did not have the capacity to sort out Liam’s lilting, drawling massacre of the spoken word.
“Girl, ‘ave we not had this discussion a’ready? Pants! They are a requirement among the general populace,” Liam barked, tossing things randomly into trunks and canvas bags. Ajana leaned against the door frame, shaking her head with a grin. Apparently, this had been a constant argument while Reven recovered from his malaise. He looked at the half-olven thief-taker and smiled. She smiled back, reminding him why he stuck around, why he put up with Liam’s absurdities.
“I am not outside,” Serai argued, yanking what few things she’d claimed as hers from Liam’s hand. The bickering continued until everything was packed and loaded onto a wagon bound for the Port Circle inside the Grand Fortress. Pack animals were not allowed in Avir, all wagons more like two-wheeled carts that were either hauled by hungry children looking to make fast coin, or by odd, salamander-like creatures that slithered along on four squat legs with webbed toes and slimy skin. They were rather large, easily the size of a gator without all the teeth.
“The jump from here to Mahala is too far,” Reven noted as they waited in the dank, dark corner of the fortress where the Port Circle was built. Reven did not care for this particular Circle. To be quite honest, he didn’t care for most things involving pirates. The construction of the Circle was not entirely stable, always in need of repair and recharging. Once, Reven was used for such a task at Liam’s offering, something Liam regretted when the bard was able to stand without spinning in place. In fact, Liam’s nose still bent to the right for that nonsense.
“We need t’make a stop first,” Liam whispered. Reven glanced at the thief-taker and sighed. Anywhere Liam had to be was anywhere Reven wanted to be far from.
***
Kaleo sagged as he stood before the Chateaus de Soie. Every window had a candle in it, the little flickers of light dancing against the pane of glass. All the guild houses in Grolly had a similar appearance, with scalloped eaves and swings on the porches. Kaleo often wondered if the rest of Damaskha was the same but never really had the opportunity to find out. The trip from Fromaige was done mostly on country roads or on the back of a wagon. He saw farms and small homes or the occasional water wheel. Most times, he saw his dragging feet. His travel experience, he was finding, was quite limited until recently. While he had traveled with his father, it was to allied nations; to large cities of wealth or to the outlying areas of their own nation.
Before The Fall, Grolly was a common visitation spot for him and his father. The Phoenix Empire did business with all the guild houses there from textiles and spices to laborers and personal escorts. In fact, Kaleo and his cousin would visit the very house he stood in front of thinking they were so grown and experienced. Ha! They were children playing games; games that left Kaleo woefully unprepared for the real world.
Problem, little one? Kaleo heard in his mind. Fionn did not come into the city, but the chimera was never far from his audaen, especially not after the odd experience in the Poppy Fields. Despite Kaleo’s concern for Jaysen, he’d not managed to muster the courage to go back. The guilt he carried over that weighed him down even more than his exhaustion, but the hope he’d been given was enough to keep his steps moving. Argento was ‘happy’. That was enough of a confirmation for Kaleo of his father’s survival.
No, Kaleo replied then sighed. Just tired.
Then go inside, little one. I doubt that sleeping on the street will help you.
The tease made Kaleo smile. It gave him enough energy to set his feet in motion, climbing each wooden step one forced movement at a time. Six years. He’d last been to see Mama Zuri six years ago with his cousin, Aeron. They’d run off without telling anyone and been dragged back to Illurian City by Navid, his father’s guardian. The centaur had been furious, their parents livid, and Zuri put in a rather precarious position between doting ‘aunt’ and corrupting mistress of a whore house. The boys did not go to a brothel for milk and cookies, after all.
Before reaching the door, a familiar scent brought that memory back to Kaleo’s mind. Even from the porch, he could smell the sharp spices and sweet perfumes used so heavily inside the brothel. The door to the Chateaus de Soie was never locked but he hesitated all the same. The memories he had were a bit on the awkward side.
Suck it up, idiot, it was one night, Kaleo said to himself. He grit his teeth and stepped in as if ready to step into battle. His first and last visit as a ‘man' had been a unique experience to say the least. Walking through the door a second time was worse. Everyone in the grand foyer stopped to regard him as if he were a flea that just jumped off a filthy dog. Gorgeous men and women of all races weighed him for worth but found very little in what they saw. It was so bad, Kaleo even went so far as to look down at himself to make sure he wasn’t too terribly stained. While his clothes weren’t pristine, they were, at the very least, clean; he’d made sure of that. He was not the best traveler in the world but he knew how to take care of himself. The scratches were mostly healed if still angry and hot; he wasn’t a total mess.
“We have no extra work tonight,” said a stunning woman with amber eyes. She had tiny horns that curled up from just above her ears, perfectly decorated with jewels and gold chains; a runeli woman. Kaleo had only seen one other of her kind in his short life. They were rare among the mortal races and highly sought after as concubines from what he’d read. It was only after her stunning beauty struck him did he realize what she’d said to him and frowned.
“Work? N-no, I’m not- - uhm, I’m here to see Mama Zuri, please,” Kaleo forced out. The runeli woman arched a single narrow brow, eyeing him up and down with a distasteful purse to her full lips.
“Mama is not seeing anyone tonight,” she dismissed. Again, Kaleo glanced at himself then frowned at the runeli woman.
“Can you please just go tell her Kaleo Oenel is here to see her. I promise she’ll want the interruption.” The eyebrow arched further, lips pursed into a tighter pout of distaste, but the woman turned and glided up the stairs all the same. Kaleo followed her with his eyes, watching her hips sway back and forth on each step, the sheer silk of her skirt hugging all of her curves. He was supposed to be annoyed with this woman, not entranced by her! He looked at the iron stair rail instead, then at the intricate pattern of swirls and flowers on the lush rugs beneath his dirty boots. Seeing the caked-on mud and grass made him step off the rug so as not to sully it further. Weeks of travel did not leave much time for shining one’s shoes.
“Kaleo Oenel,” the runeli woman barked from the top of the stairs. Kaleo jumped in spite of himself, feeling his heart leap up into his throat. “Mama Zuri will see you. Come.”
Kaleo followed. The halls were lined in brocade paper that shimmered in the wash of white light cast by magically wrought bulbs sitting in iron sconces. The intricate rugs covered polished wood floors, mirrors and pieces of art hung on the walls, and every doorway was draped in heavy velvet fabrics that could be pulled aside to invite guests in or closed for privacy. There were no doors inside the Chateaus de Soie that Kaleo had ever seen. It was lavish in its simplicity, welcoming while being grotesquely selective. From time to time, the runeli woman glanced over her shoulder to remind him how selective they were. He did his best to ignore her, following with eyes cast down. He was taken to a large room with a heavy black curtain draped in front of it. Inside, everything was lit with candles. Incense burned and the furnishings all consisted of low-lying tables and elaborately embroidered pillo
ws or settees.
“Thank you, Mina,” an aurum woman said without looking away from the open balcony. A cool breeze rustled the woman’s raven black hair and golden- brown wings. Aurum were related to avians in that they were a winged race though they were generally much taller with dark hair and eyes and bronzed skin that almost seemed to shimmer. Mina, the runeli woman, gave Kaleo one last glare and left the room. “He’s not here, Kaleo.”
Kaleo did his best to not sigh heavily. “I know, Mama. But he was here and-”
“A dangerous accusation to make, highness,” Zuri said, turning to face him with a playful grin. She was a handsome woman with sharp features.
“It isn’t an accusation,” Kaleo countered. “It’s simple fact. The girls said as much. But I know-”
“So, they made it to you,” she said with enough relief in her voice to tell him she had worried. He nodded.
“Aeron isn’t with them,” he added. “But the girls and Navid made it to where my aunt is.”
Zuri nodded, gliding toward him with curious eyes. She looked him over much like Mina had but with greater appreciation, the appreciation a parent might have for a growing child. Her wings were large and beautiful, flawless just like the rest of her. When she was done looking, she pulled him into a warm hug that was more needed than Kaleo was willing to admit. He was not fond of admitting faults or acknowledging his mistakes. Leaving home without a solid plan was a mistake. He had two bags and a guitar worth of belongings, two small pouches of coin and Fionn. The coin was running out faster than expected and so far, he’d nearly died twice, eaten scraps, and slept on too many twigs. He was spoiled and proud, and completely out of his league. So, he hugged Mama Zuri as tightly as he could manage, fighting a lump forming in his throat and only let go when she pushed him back gently.
“You need a bath,” she snickered. Kaleo made a face. A bath would be lovely but that was not why he was there.
“River water doesn’t come in scents,” he threw back. “Mama-”
She cut him off with a gently raised hand, settling down on one of the settees. She situated her skirts, her wings, then gestured for him to make himself comfortable as well. He did, tucking in to a pile of soft, silk pillows with some sort of bird embroidered on them.
“Honestly, I’m surprised it’s taken you so long to come to me,” Zuri began. “I suspect your mother had something to do with that.”
“Step-mother,” Kaleo corrected. Zuri smiled.
“Why here, Mama? Why not go to Esbeth where we were? It’s not any closer to come here than it is there, not for him.”
His father was a man of many talents; many peculiar talents. One of which was instantaneous Travel to almost anywhere in the world. It was a talent Kaleo was learning to manipulate as well, though he was not very good at it yet. He was much better at changing his appearance, his form - a secret of his own that he kept carefully guarded. His father had once Traveled from Illurian City in the Empire, clear across the entire continent and the Sovereign Ocean to the Dragon’s Tail. It took him three days to make it back home, but he’d done it. Energy mattered - the more energy, the further the distance which was why Kaleo could make it from one tree to the next at best and not a stitch further. But, his father was a very Powerful man with too many tricks up his sleeve. Hopping from Illurian City to Paladia was nothing. Hoping to Grolly was less than nothing.
“He has an anchor point here,” Zuri explained, making Kaleo narrow his eyes curiously. “He was injured and weak. Anchor points are what lock in Port Circles.”
“I know what they do but why would he need one?” Kaleo asked. Zuri shrugged. Her understanding of his father’s talents only went so far, it seemed. He paused for a moment, then looked at her again. “Where is the anchor point? Not in the city, that’d be too dangerous.”
“No, not in the city. The woods just off the path to Eviers.”
“Can you show me?” Kaleo asked. Again, Zuri smiled.
“In the morning,” she agreed. “First, a bath, then a meal that you don’t have to pay for.”
Kaleo opened his mouth to argue but was betrayed by his growling stomach. He shut his mouth with a click, glaring at himself.
Fionn… we’re staying the night.
***
Reven stared at the identical guild houses all lined up in even rows along the streets of Grolly. The city was familiar to him though he’d never been to Grolly or any other part of Damaskha in the five years he’d been with Liam and Ajana. Still, the names on each of the houses, their purpose, their color, or even the scents coming from each door and window made the bard’s stomach twist into uncomfortable knots.
“Are you alright, my love?” Ajana asked, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. He jumped, but nodded, swallowing the lump forming in his throat. He’d been here, he could feel it. But when?
“Fine,” he managed, offering a smile that he shared with Serai. They were instructed to wait outside on the street while Liam went inside the Maison du Ombres to discuss business. The thief-taker failed to mention what that business was, unsettling the bard further. So did the rumors whirling through the city, the haggard faces that dotted the tradesman and artisans that lived there. Something was not right, a secret being kept by an entire city. It made Reven shiver.
While it was not cold, it was not nearly as warm as it had been in Kalaegh or Avir and the storms that churned the seas were now starting to move across the land. Reven did not want a repeat incident of his malaise from the Hex Storm. Instead, he walked a few paces down the hill toward the large manse at the bottom of the hill.
To call each edifice a ‘house’ was highly inadequate. Each one boasted at least four stories, easily the size of a moderate inn with equal if not more amenities of an inn. Anyone that worked for that guild also lived within its walls, carefully monitored and well cared for according to Liam and Ajana. They were also incredibly selective, which was why neither of the bard’s companions worked for the Maison du Ombres or any other guild in Damaskha. Plus, according to Liam, each house took a twenty-five percent cut of anything brought in as income, something the thief-taker was none too keen on. He loved his money far too much to share it at such a high rate. He balked at having to share it with the people that helped put food on the table, giving it to a guild leader was not in the duende man’s capacities.
“Where are you going?” Ajana asked in a sing- song voice that made his steps slow. He wanted to stay with her. Just hearing her made him want to turn around and run back to her arms. He took in a deep breath, however, and continued on. Eventually, he knew, he would have to walk without the safety net he‘d been hiding in since being found.
“Just for a little walk,” he said. He heard the trotting feet before he felt a cool hand slip into his. He glanced down at his own hand then at Serai who smiled so innocently at him that all his concern melted away.
“I will come. I want to see this place. It is… singing to me.”
That made Reven smile. He heard the same song. Knowing that Serai heard it as well made him feel a little less crazy, a little less lonely. While Ajana was entrancing, she belonged to Liam. Serai belonged only to herself.
“Do you speak the language spoken here, master bard?” Serai asked in soft but fluent Damaskhan tongue. He glanced at her, grinning with surprise at her knowledge. She surprised him often, he found, something he was beginning to like a great deal.
“I do,” he said in equally eloquent Damaskhan. “I don’t how or why, but that seems fairly common for me.”
“You do not remember much, do you?” she asked, staring straight ahead as they walked hand-in- hand. They heard shouts from inside certain buildings or music from others. A few of the inns and taverns interspersed between guild houses were a riot of noises and scents that made Serai peek around Reven or tug him to one side of the cobbled street over the other to get a better look.
“Nothing at all, actually,” he admitted while staring at an odd sculpture in the front lawn of t
he metal smith guild. He tilted his head to the side, trying to put together what the welded pieces were intended to represent. Serai did the same, then tilted her head in the opposite direction. It did no good.
“What is it?” Serai finally asked. Reven snorted a laugh and shrugged.
“No clue,” he answered turning back to the street, to the house at the bottom of the hill. It called to him. The closer he got, the more his head hurt until he felt himself stop completely at the halfway point between Ajana and the house. Serai looked up at him, her eyes beseeching, red hair in wild disarray that was made worse by the breeze. At least this time she wore pants.
“Come,” Serai said, rocking him from his stupor. “Ajana is calling.”
He turned to look at the thief-taker. Liam stood beside her, arms folded while Ajana waved them back. Reven took one last look at the house at the bottom of the hill and then trudged back toward his friends.
***
Kaleo stepped out onto the porch after a good long soak in the bath and a hot meal in his belly. The coolness on the air was refreshing, helping him clear his mind. The conversations with Zuri were rather heavy, revealing more about his father than he originally knew. While he knew his father was no saint, he did not know that the former prince kept two other mistresses besides Zuri inside the Chateaus de Soie. Zuri’s son, Idris,
was another surprise; he belonged to Gannon Oenel. While Zuri had never said as much to her son, and never intended to, Kaleo put the pieces together rather quickly. She’d wanted a child and begged one of the prince. Much to Kaleo’s surprise, Gannon obliged her. Kaleo knew Idris. He was a few years older than Kaleo was, and a great thief-taker among other things. Noelani would have kittens if she knew about Idris. She would have kittens anyway.
He also learned that Aeron returned to the Chateaus de Soie after failing to find Gannon and then promptly left again, this time heading east. The last letter Zuri received from the young heir set him somewhere in Kormaine. The human-run nation that sat between Damaskha and what was now known as Cartha was not generally ‘tirsai friendly’. Recent rumors also put them in direct path of the demons that sacked the Phoenix Empire and Asphondel. It concerned him and put a seed of debate in his heart: did he continue looking for his father or did he go after Aeron?
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