by Jason Parker
Jhenna nodded. “Okay, I’ll trust your judgment. I agree, she doesn’t seem like a spy, but she’s more than just a simple serving girl. Anyway, it’s certainly concerning someone is using the name Vladrik, but I’m even more interested in this infection. Tell me more.” She cut a strip of pork.
He chewed for a moment then frowned. “I wish I could tell you more, but all I heard was the infection made people go all crazy and blood thirsty. Oh, this Vladrik person can somehow control them. I think I heard them say this. Weird.” Skenan swigged his ale.
“Hmm,” she said, drumming her fingers on the table, “I wonder if this is a type of infection I could help out with.”
“That’s why I wanted to tell you about it,” he smiled. “If there’s anyone who could cure an infection like this, it would be you. You’re amazing.” Skenan raised his glass in the air and smiled wide.
Jhenna felt herself blushing. “Thank you, but I can’t do much of anything unless I have a subject to study. Be sure to keep your ears to the ground and let me know if you hear more about it.”
“Of course,” he said, “you’ll be the first to know.” He looked down and cut into his roast and took a large bite.
“I have something I wanted to tell you, too,” she said, taking a quick sip of wine and glancing around for Ghost. She was near the bar. “Before I ran into you earlier today, I paid Wexworth a visit. I asked him if there was any of the poison used on you in his lab. He said ‘no’, but I don’t think he was being completely truthful.”
“Jhenna, why did you do that?” he asked with food in his mouth and a furrowed brow. He swallowed then sat back. “He’s dangerous and now that you have accused him, he might try to do something to you.”
The thought had crossed her mind. “Don’t worry, I don’t think even he would be bold enough to do something to cause harm to a member of the clergy.”
“Maybe you’re right,” he said looking slightly less upset, “but promise me you’ll be extra careful. It’s hard telling what that brown-butted psychopath may or may not do.”
Jhenna giggled. “Believe me,” she responded then took a breath. “I’m always careful.
Over the next half of their meal, the air in the bar took deeper root as more patrons entered. The roast pork and potatoes were tastier than Jhenna had expected and Skenan’s company was a pleasant departure from her norm. She stayed quietly interested as he chatted on about his adventures. Sipping and smiling all lifted her spirits. His penchant for stories and story-telling was downright hilarious.
Ghost appeared a couple of times to clear their plates and attend to their drinks, but became too occupied with other tables to pay them any special attention. Each time she arrived, Jhenna’s intuition’s alarm resounded.
Skenan finished the end cap on a story and then swallowed the last bit of his third ale. Jhenna stopped after her second glass of wine. He flagged down Ghost and gave her a few coins.
“Thanks,” she said. “I’m sure I’ll see you around, Skenan, and it was nice meeting you Priestess.”
“You, too,” Jhenna replied. “And if there is anything I can do for you, ask for me at the castle. My name is Jhenna and I work in the infirmary. Most of the staff knows me. You and I have more in common than you might think. Find me, even if you just need someone to talk to.”
“Uh, uh…sure,” Ghost said. “Thanks, I think.”
Jhenna smiled at her and edged around patrons as she and Skenan made their way out of the Silver Chalice. The evening held a breath of daylight’s warmth. Jhenna craned her neck to the celestial sky and the twinkle of stars. Then she took a deep breath and glanced upon the fully waxed moon. Her heart felt the wink of the heavens.
“I had a great time,” Skenan said. “I hope you will allow me to escort you back to your apartment.”
“I’d like that,” she said once again noticing his boyish good looks and strong shoulders. Against the backdrop of the night sky, her heart bloomed an inch more. She didn’t mind at all when he slipped his fingers between hers and led her toward the castle. The walk was short and they traveled mostly in silence. The silence of the night, the stars, and the moon.
Her mind traveled to an image of Skenan asking her out again. She recognized her complete turnaround and now wanted to see him again. She had several dismantling thoughts that she was being unreasonable. She brushed them aside and enjoyed the moment.
When they reached her apartment within the castle, Skenan stopped her and turned toward her. He looked into her eyes. Then with quiet grace, he wrapped his strong arms around the small of her back and drew her close into the sweetest, most gentle kiss she had ever felt. She melted into his arms. After a moment, he stepped back and traced his fingers along her cheek as chills coursed through her body.
“Goodnight,” he said quietly and walked down the corridor.
Unable to speak, she sank against her door and watched him until he disappeared around a corner from sight.
CHAPTER 20
Belene, or Ghost as she was known on the streets, strolled out of the Silver Chalice with a pocketful of coins and sack full of bread and day-old roast pheasant. A good night. A really good night. The tips were better than average and Shanda, the owner, was exceptionally generous with doling out leftovers. She and the kids would eat well tonight.
An unusual night, too, she thought. Seeing a Priestess in the Silver Chalice was strange, almost a twisted omen. Stranger still, it appeared the Priestess was flirtatious with Skenan. Clergy could see whoever they wanted but Skenan was an unlikely companion. He was a heavy drinker and a chronic gambler. Not exactly the type of guy who fit in with the goody-goody dogma the Church bandied about.
Ghost was also freaked out by how the Priestess knew who she was. Maybe not who she was exactly but what she was. Oddly, she did feel a connection with the Priestess. How could it be? A connection with the clergy? Regardless, she was not going to confide in her or anyone who was tied to either the Triumvirate or the castle, Skenan included.
She suddenly smiled remembering Skenan’s story about Wexworth. A picture appeared in her head of the cruel Master Scientist running in shame with a brown smelly load in his pants. She chuckled. They at least shared a common enemy. Perhaps she gave herself away by laughing with them but she didn’t care. It felt great. She didn’t know what Wexworth did to Skenan, but the asshole deserved the humiliation and much more for all he had done to her.
As was typical in the early hours past midnight, the street outside the Silver Chalice was mostly deserted. Further away from the castle, some of the seedier taverns full of seduction and drunkenness stayed open all night. Shanda, on the other hand, tried to run a semi-respectable establishment. She closed, cleaned, and then re-opened for breakfast.
To ensure she wasn’t seen, Ghost turned down the alley between the Silver Chalice and the neighboring building which housed a rug merchant. The shop was closed. Once she was sure she was out of sight from any prying eyes, she focused her mind for a moment while briskly walking. A silvery glimmer appeared in front of her and quickly expanded into a shimmering portal leading to the welcoming sight of Ghost’s burrow—her home. Never breaking stride, she stepped through the portal and instantly closed it behind her. She had learned her lesson about letting portals linger and now shut them almost subconsciously.
“Ghost!” Ashlon shouted.
“Hey, guys,” she said opening the bag of food, “look what I’ve got.”
“Wow!” Eleven-year-old Ashlon exclaimed as he grabbed a slice of pheasant. “This is great. I’m starving!”
Tamryn, the precociously quiet ten-year-old, smiled and helped herself to a portion as well. Tamryn rarely spoke. When she did, it was usually one or two words in response to a direct question. No doubt she had been through some shit. Ghost found her a couple of years ago cowering in an alley behind a trash container, malnourished, badly beaten—nearly dead. Ghost’s life had been a struggle since her parents died, but watching Tamryn’s and Ashlon’s
eyes light up at the food made her feel fortunate. It even made up for some of the crap she’d endured as Wexworth’s captive.
Tamryn was a sweet girl, but her hardships had aged her beyond her ten years. With proper early childhood care she would have been a beautiful girl. Ghost could see glimpses of it once in a while.
Ashlon was altogether different. His demeanor was as fiery as his red hair. His life hadn’t been roses but he was extremely resilient. He wouldn’t open up about his past, but Ghost suspected he ran away or more likely hobbled away, from a bad situation. Ghost smiled. An accident, or possibly a birth condition, rendered his left leg lame and required him to use a crutch. A year earlier, Ghost and her gang saved him from being caught stealing an apple from a fruit vendor. The limp made him a slow thief. He was a quick thinker, though, and managed to talk his way into her group. He argued he could use his condition as a distraction while the rest of them went about their thieving. He made it work well enough to earn his keep.
During the time Ghost was held as a captive lab rat by Wexworth, the other alpha in her gang, Gren, took care of Tamryn and Ashlon. She was thankful for that and she owed him one. Gren was by her standards, the slickest thief around. She respected him, but their alliance had always been fragile.
They relied on each other for skills and abilities lacking on either side. He needed her portal ability and she needed thieving skills of his crew. She and Gren butted heads on a lot of decisions. She was well aware, however, that what she brought to the table was by far the most valuable: creating portals. So, most of the time, she called the shots. Gren didn’t like it.
When she escaped and reunited with her gang, they didn’t understand why she needed to go legit for a while. Wexworth and the rest of his scum knew too much about her ability. They knew her weaknesses and they would be looking for her. Resuming her previous lifestyle would make her too easy to find. She would end up back in the lab and Wexworth would have all of her friends killed.
Gren didn’t understand. He called her a coward. He said she was turning her back on the group just because she was scared and wanted to hide. They needed her. He walked out and they all followed—even those most loyal to her. She didn’t blame them, but it felt like a dagger in her heart. When the dust settled, only Tamryn and Ashlon remained. Gren said they were worthless and threatened to kill them if they followed him. She doubted he’d actually kill them, but he would definitely cast them aside. She couldn’t abandon the two of them. Eventually, though, she would have to find an alternative for them. Her primary focus, her only focus, was finding the most painful means possible of exacting retribution from Wexworth.
Ghost sighed and shook her head. A month had passed since her escape and she had made no progress on her quest for vengeance. Dying her hair blue and making herself up to look older served the dual purpose of disguising herself and then enabling her to obtain work as a serving wench at the Silver Chalice. While no members of Wexworth’s staff frequented the tavern, many who worked in the castle were regulars. After a few drinks, they eagerly offered up whatever gossip they knew, but she had learned nothing useful.
Tonight was the first time she had heard anyone mention Wexworth. The talk of a major disease and then someone calling himself Vladrik was interesting, but beyond her immediate concern. Since the Priestess was some sort of healer or medic, Skenan was likely just using the talk of disease and infection to get her excited and work his way into her panties or whatever she wore under her robe.
Ghost grabbed a hunk of bread and addressed Ashlon. “What have you two been up to?” Then she took a slice of pheasant.
“We went begging in the market place this afternoon,” Ashlon mumbled while chewing. Swallowing, he continued, “We only got a few coins and we used them to buy some bread and fruit, but it wasn’t much. We’ve been waiting…hoping you would come home with food.”
Ghost gnawed on her bread.
“Oh yeah,” Ashlon said, his words again garbled by a full mouth, “we ran into Gren and a few of the others.”
“Did he say anything,” she asked.
“Not much,” he replied after a swallow. “He asked if we were still with you and when I said we were…well, he said to tell you to look him up if you change your mind.”
“The thieving business must be sucking,” she said in mild amusement. “You guys finish eating and then go to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”
As she strode toward her room, she paused briefly to muss Tamryn’s thin brown hair and exchange a front-back hand slap with Ashlon—a thief gesture of comradery. Tamryn giggled a bit which brought a smile to Ghost’s face.
Ghost’s room was one of three in the burrow. Aside from the common room there was another bed chamber shared by Ashlon and Tamryn. The burrow was actually the basement of an abandoned, partially collapsed building on the fringes of Corava. Ghost used the building as an off-and-on hideout. She had been fortunate to accidentally discover the concealed door that opened to a set of stairs leading to the underground burrow.
When she first descended into the burrow, it smelled musty and everything in it was covered with a thick layer dust. It was furnished with a mismatched arrangement of old sofas, tables, cots, and incandium lamps which, after a bit of cleaning, proved to be quite serviceable and comfortable. Since her portal ability eliminated the need for doors, she re-concealed the door behind an assortment of rubble and debris and boarded it securely on the inside. If anyone managed to find it, they would be unable to open it.
The only other entrance to the burrow was a narrow curving passage which led from the common room to a lockable iron gate. Beyond the gate was a downward sloping conduit that connected to the city’s sewer system. Ghost considered sealing the gate, but since it was secluded and unlikely to be stumbled upon, she decided to just keep it locked using the key she had found in a table drawer within the burrow. It turned out to be a good decision as the gate allowed Ashlon and Tamryn a means of egress without needing a portal.
In her opinion, the burrow was the perfect home. Aside from Ashlon and Tamryn, no one knew of its existence and she made them swear on their lives to never tell anyone about it. She strung the gate key on a leather cord, placed it around Ashlon’s neck, and instructed him to keep the gate locked at all times in their comings and goings.
Ghost plopped down on her cot and finished the last of her pheasant and bread. The talk about Wexworth tonight brought to the forefront what she avoided for the past month. Yes, she wanted revenge on Wexworth. She wanted to stop him from creating a machine that duplicated her abilities. Wait for more information. Wait for a better opportunity. Wait for the right time. It was all bullshit and she felt it deep inside. The torture and the repeating nightmares were the seeds of her anxiety. The fearless Ghost was afraid.
She laid back and sighed. Skenan said Wexworth was meeting with Lord Vergilus and the High Priestess when he and the cooks orchestrated their prank to embarrass Wexworth. The meeting may have meant Wexworth achieved success with the portal machine or perhaps something else entirely. He was a very careful plotter and extremely desirous of power.
Ghost could only open portals to places where she had been. Unfortunately, in the castle laboratory complex she had only been to two places—the main lab where Wexworth had terrorized her and a side lab where she was kept prisoner. Opening a portal in the main lab was out of the question. There was constant activity at all hours. The side lab was risky but still possible.
Wexworth employed a large staff of lab assistants and technicians and also retained a trio of thugs. They posed as lab assistants but were clearly hired swords that had no knowledge of or interest in science. A personal security squad seemed excessive for a Scientist, but Wexworth’s ambition clearly stretched beyond being just the Triumvirate’s Chief Scientist.
The goon squad tended to hang out in the side lab—it was small and had a place to play cards and sharpen knives. Her portals opened silently but produced a shimmer that would immediately a
ttract the attention of anyone nearby. If she opened one in the side lab and someone saw it, the opportunity would be forever lost. Wexworth would be alerted and he’d triple his security. She had to be stealthy and cautious. Over and over she plotted in her head. The guards, the lab assistants, the timing, the shimmer of the portal. All must be aligned.
She sighed again and decided it was time to take a chance. The waiting was over. The time was now. Even at this late hour, she knew there would be activity in the lab complex, especially in the main lab. It would be quieter, however, than in the middle of the day. She determined her safest option was to open a portal along the ceiling of the side lab. The perspective of this type of portal always disoriented her. It was like looking straight ahead but seeing straight down. If she were to walk through such a portal, she would fall face forward to the ground. This was the trick she used to try and drop a lab assistant on top of Wexworth during her captivity.
Before she could convince herself otherwise, she focused on opening the portal. Liquid light shimmered to life in front of her. She inhaled deeply and gave herself a moment to adjust to the skewed perspective. The room on the other side of the portal was dark, but the shimmer of the portal provided faint illumination.
She squinted as her eyes adjusted to the dimness. She could see eight cots with bodies occupying six of them and the glint of sword hilts lying next to each. She couldn’t be absolutely certain, but all appeared to be men and all seemed to be asleep. Snoring eked through the opening. The place reeked of body odor and booze. She tried to make out some of the faces, but it was too dark. One began stirring and she immediately closed the portal.
Shit. Was Wexworth assembling his own private army? She did not dare open a portal into the side lab at ground level.
She would have to find another way.
CHAPTER 21