“Ugh I know, I’m disgusted by myself.” Jenko retorted with a theatrical roll of his eyes. He then laughed suddenly and held his arms out wide, “Besides what am I, a fucking ornament? I’ll still be here, brother, you know that.”
Tellan nodded with a grateful gravity and replied softly, “I know.”
“Good.” Jenko said with a firm nod and as he turned back towards his perch upon the window sill, he added, “Now get some beauty sleep before you start attracting flies.”
Tellan grinned slightly and retorted, “Yes, my Lord.”
He then lay upon the bed beside Reya with a heavy sigh that revealed the truth of his weariness and almost immediately, Reya rolled to face him, snuggling tightly against the warmth of his body. Jenko watched from the corner of his eye as Tellan raised his arm and as though they communicated without words, Reya wriggled deeper into his embrace until she lay comfortably in the warm safety of her uncle’s arms. Reya’s breath soon became deep in contentment and comforted by her gentle huffing, Tellan’s eyes fluttered softly with impending slumber.
When Jenko looked upon the pair, entwined in each other’s arms, he couldn’t help but feel a slight twinge in his heart; that as much as he loved Reya with everything he had, he would never be as special to her as Tellan was. It was difficult for him to remember that as much as he had wished he could have been with her every day for the past sixteen years, she had never known of his existence until only recently; a speck in comparison to the centuries he had lived himself.
But as immortal as he was – had been – those years without her was an empty chasm within the ocean of his lifetime and as he looked upon her now in Tellan’s arms, he truly wondered if there had been any real benefit in his anonymity. Would Reya have led a richer life with him there? Or would it have been soured by his presence? Jenko blinked when another thought occurred to him: would he have become so jaded and immoral with her influence? Reya looked so peaceful there, buried contentedly into her uncle’s chest…but as much as Jenko yearned for such intimacy from her, he honestly didn’t know if he had that softness within him.
The sooner Vella gets her act together and turns up, the better, He thought abruptly, his mood suddenly sullen at how emotional his musings had become. He stared out of the window again, his eyes ever watchful and narrowed as he flitted his gaze between every shadow and vantage point. Convinced that somewhere nearby, Belial stood in the shadows. Waiting.
The dawn light crept almost timidly through the darkened gloom of Dahlia’s morning, a sombre herald of the overcast day that awaited the bustle of the city. But a little poor weather was no deterrent for any citizen of this illustrious city, and soon the dull sunshine was joined by the commotion of early merchants setting up their wares for the new day. During the night Jenko had moved into the considerably comfier embrace of the chaise longue by the room’s circle table, but before he had allowed himself the luxury of sleeping, he had deployed several rudimentary traps around the doorway and window. Sewing thread crisscrossed an elaborate lattice by the door’s threshold, affixed to whatever ornamentation Jenko could glean from about the room and, set edge up in the window, a series of throwing knives gleamed murderously for questing fingers.
Tellan woke suddenly with the sensation of pressure upon his chest and after a moment of disorientation, he looked down at Reya’s tousled locks buried against his heart. At some stage during the night, he had climbed into the bed himself and now Reya clung onto the protection of his body like a limpet, entirely enveloped in the safety of his strong arms. He closed his eyes in adoration and listened to the soft, deep breathing of his beloved niece, so peaceful and serene that he could almost believe that everything was all right. Tellan found himself taken with an absurd notion then: that if only he left her undisturbed in this moment, everything that tormented her would just disappear. He smiled indulgently at his sentimentality and, keeping his eyes on that ruffled mop of golden hair, he gently disentangled Reya from his arms.
He stood slowly, so careful that he didn’t disturb Reya’s peace, but when he approached Jenko – sprawled open mouthed and snoring upon the chaise longue – he slapped the angel’s foot onto the floor in a rude awakening.
“Rise and shine, soldier.” Tellan rapped playfully.
Jenko was startled awake and with a momentary, bleary eyed blinking at his commander, he finally stretched and scratched his belly, “What time is it?”
“Dawn has just broken.”
Jenko’s head fell back with a disgusted groan. “Really, Tellan? Would just another hour have been too much to ask?”
“Reya?” Tellan called gently as he approached the bed. He then carefully swept her hair away from her face and as she stirred with a sleepy moan, he murmured, “It’s time to get up, sweetheart.”
Reya blinked up at him in confusion, still shrouded in the cotton wool of her deep sleep and with a rubbing of her eyes, she yawned, “It’s morning already?”
“Yes, my love.” Tellan replied and he grinned at the soft moan of protestation that followed.
Tellan then stood and walked towards Jenko once more, whose eyes had already hazily fluttered shut and as Tellan slapped the angel’s other foot, he rebuked, “The longer we stay indoors, the easier it is for us to miss Vella. We need to get moving.”
Jenko groaned as he swung upwards into sitting and with a sweep of his hand up the back of his neck, he asked wryly, “And by that you mean ‘Jenko get your arse in gear and go find her?’”
Tellan’s lips hiked in a playful smile as he reached for Jenko’s sword belt and passed it to him, “Just so.”
“Alright, alright.” Jenko wearily replied with a slight snatch of his belt and as he stood, he blinked the remainder of his sleepiness away.
Tellan left him crouched by the door, disarming his traps with far less delicacy than any smuggler should have displayed, but soon he stood back up and left the room without ceremony. The door clicked shut softly behind him and as he buckled his sword belt into position, he walked down the hall with a purposeful stride. He had nearly reached the stairway when he heard his name called out and as he turned slightly, he saw Lily waving at him from further down the corridor.
Jenko eyed her as she came closer and he greeted bluntly, “What?”
Lily paused halfway through pushing her hair into a high knot upon her head and blinked at him deadpan. “Good morning to you too.” She said sarcastically through the pins in her mouth. She then began positioning the pins into her hair and added, “Why so glum?”
Jenko sighed shortly and grumbled, “I’ve woken up after a night in a brothel, alone, fully clothed and sober. What do you think?”
Lily smiled demurely at him as she pushed the last pin in place, “If you were at such a loose end then you should have come and visited me. My door is always open to you, Jenko; you know that.”
“And have Omus beat the shit out of me?”
Lily tilted her head and quipped, “I would have been amused.”
“You’re all heart, Lily.” Jenko replied dryly to her laughter and as he made for the stairs again, he asked, “Anyway what do you want?”
Lily chuckled before she dipped into what Jenko couldn’t help but notice was a very appealing cleavage, and held up a folded piece of paper for his attention. “A courier dropped by with this message for you, not ten minutes ago.” She said.
Jenko stopped in mid step and as he took the paper from her, he squinted at her suspiciously and asked. “Did you read it?”
“Jenko, really.” Lily replied chidingly with a roll of her eyes.
Jenko unfolded the message with a smirk at her insulted tone and as he read the scrawled words within, he frowned slightly. “How did this get here?” He asked neutrally, careful that he kept his sudden suspicion from his voice.
Lily shrugged dismissively. “Like I said it was a runner; some boy.” She then registered the change in Jenko’s attitude and with a skewing of her eyes she asked curiously, “Why?”
/> “Thanks, Lily.” He said without answering her question and as he crumpled the paper into a ball, he silently headed back for the stairs again.
“Hey! Where are you going?” Lily called after him confusedly.
Again Jenko left her question unanswered, however it soon became quite clear to Lily that she would get no sense from him, and she flung her hand up dismissively. Jenko walked purposefully towards Reya’s room and as he knocked upon the door quietly, he considered the troubling nature of the message thoughtfully.
As soon as Tellan answered, Jenko held up the paper in his fingers and announced gravely, “Vella’s made contact.”
Reya sprang onto her feet from the floor with a smile on her face; her new dress was fresh and well–fitting – her favourite shade of dusky pink with a beautifully ruffled chest – and her boots were on her feet, waiting to be laced. Her smile widened at the sight of Jenko and she greeted him happily, “Good morning, Jenko!”
“If you say so.” Jenko responded glumly, to which her mouth skewed in disappointment at his gloomy candour and she sat back upon the floor again.
Tellan stepped aside as Jenko entered the room and while he adorned his tired overcoat, he noted the troubled expression on his brother’s face. “She’s here?” He asked as he watched Jenko’s face carefully.
“Not quite, she sent a runner.” Jenko answered deeply with a thoughtful scratch of his chin, watching Reya tie her boots with a sightless gaze. He then unfolded the paper one again and elaborated, “This message simply says she’s been waylaid and won’t make it to the Herald’s Square. She wants to meet at the dockyard instead.”
“Good, now we’re getting somewhere.” Tellan said as he pulled on his gauntlets, and with a final tug to adjust their fit, he looked up at Jenko and added perceptively, “So what’s troubling you?”
Jenko regarded his commander in thoughtful silence for a moment, until he shook his head with what Tellan could tell was self–reproach. “Perhaps I’m just being overly paranoid…” He began dismissively. But with a suspicious skewing of his eyes, he held a hand out and asked somewhat rhetorically, “She was supposed to come here and see Orchid, sure. But how did she know we would come to the Flowering Garden?”
Tellan stared at him in enlightened silence when he realised the gravity of wisdom in Jenko’s suggestion and he reached abruptly for his harness, shrugging into it with practiced ease. “Follow us from the rooftops and keep an eye out for anything unusual. But don’t stray too far.” He commanded as he strapped the buckles into place, “Dahlia’s dockyard is too large for us to risk becoming separated.”
“Yes, Lord.” Jenko replied with a firm nod. He hoped fervently within his heart that he was wrong, that the message really had come from Vella and not some other third party…but he was a suspicious bastard by nature, and rarely wrong when his gut spoke its opinion.
“I’m sure she’s fine, Jenko.” Tellan said astutely with a hand upon Jenko’s shoulder.
“If anything’s happened to her, I’ll fucking kill the bastard responsible.” Jenko oathed fiercely.
Tellan’s lips drew in a line of empathy as he patted him on the back and called out to Reya, “Are you ready, my love?”
“Yes.” She replied as she jumped onto her feet.
Jenko nodded at her once and with a last slap upon Tellan’s chest that signalled his own readiness, he murmured, “Right, let’s go.”
Together all three left the brothel room and as they walked down the hall with a fast pace that felt to Reya as filled with purpose, she sketched her eyes nervously between her two guardians.
“Can I say goodbye to Lily?” She asked as she hurried behind after them, for she could sense the foreboding disposition of the two men as palpably as an electric charge.
But Tellan simply glanced at her behind his shoulder as they walked along the corridor, not breaking his stride once when he answered simply, “No, we leave now.”
Reya’s mouth gaped uncertainly when Jenko pared off suddenly towards the brothel kitchens and with an anxious finger pointed at his disappearing back, Reya asked her uncle haltingly, “Um…Where’s Jenko going?”
But Tellan’s gait was unforgiving and as she stumbled awkwardly after him towards the stairs, his simple response was, “He’s taking another route.”
“Oh…okay.” She replied in confusion.
All Reya could do was hurriedly follow her uncle down the stairs and into the sharp dawn light of Dahlia’s docks, blinking in the waxen harshness of the new sun. Fish merchants already hollered their wares at the crowds that gathered eagerly around their stalls and when Reya walked past the tantalising sizzle of a grill, her mouth watered in anticipation.
“Uncle Tellan, could we get some breakfast?” She asked hopefully, in spite of how briskly Tellan led her through the throng of jostling bodies.
But her hopeful stomach was to be left unsatisfied, for Tellan’s step never faltered once as he powered on through the crowds. “No time.” He replied sternly without so much as a glance at her, “We need to keep moving.”
“But–”
“Reya, do as I say.” Tellan rapped.
Reya’s mouth clamped shut in startled shock at the harshness of his voice, so uncharacteristic it was of him that it frightened her on an instinctual level. She darted forward then, scooping up Tellan’s fingers in a childish desire for reassuring contact and as he held her hand tightly with fearsome protection, Reya was granted a tentative anchor.
“Uncle, I’m frightened.” She whispered, helpless to go anywhere else but behind him as he pushed through the crowd with a gentle insistence that spoke volumes of his urgency.
“It’s alright, my love. Look above.” He said as she was buffeted by his hasty journey.
Reya did as she was asked and at the sight of a fleeting shadow that matched their pace through the gutters and dormer windows high above, she gasped in wonder when she realised that it was a person. She watched in awed silence as the person leapt and clambered sinuously across the roof tiles of Dahlia’s clustered buildings, unbelieving that someone could move at such speed without the fear of falling to the ground.
“Do you see him?” Tellan murmured softly as he gently pushed a perusing commoner out of his way and upon Reya’s silent nod of open–mouthed awe, he explained, “That’s Jenko. If anything happens, he’ll be the first to strike.”
Reya gulped as she hurried along as best she could, comforted but still alarmed at the implications of Jenko’s lofty journey. She realised then that the further they walked from the Flowering Garden, the quieter the crowds were becoming and as she looked behind her shoulder, she frowned at the merchant stalls that disappeared into the distance. Even to her inexperienced mind she knew the dangers of separating from the busy crowds, but when she looked down at how tightly Tellan held her hand, she found herself comforted by his strength. She looked up at his face then, grimly set with his jaw locked in fierce protection of her and with a deep breath that calmed her jittering nerves, she squeezed his hand.
The brief squeeze of response warmed her heart, in spite of how ferociously Tellan’s eyes were focused on the broad stone wall that loomed beyond the corner of what was left of the market streets. Tellan’s pace slowed down when they approached the ominously large archway of the dockyard and as his eyes scoured the wide expanse beyond that was filled with the bones of semi–constructed boats, Jenko thudded lithely onto the ground beside him. Standing swiftly from his landing roll, Jenko’s gaze matched Tellan’s own as he prowled cautiously before the archway, noticing but not remarking on Reya’s presence.
“Nothing on the approach, my Lord. But the dockyard has far too many obstacles for me to see anything with my telescope.” He reported as he glared at the dockyard as though it was an enemy itself. The fact the yard was too well covered to see into troubled him more than the actual message: if it really was Vella that had set up this rendezvous, then he would give her a bloody good row when they came face to face.
“As you say.”
Silent apprehension crackled throughout Reya’s body as she was ushered gently through the archway, the gait of their approach so slow and ponderous that it heightened her already frazzled nerves. She played distractedly with the soft ruffles at her chest as they passed the bare skeleton of a boat, its beams and frame jutting like a colossal ribcage. It seemed to her as though they walked through the graveyard of tremendous beasts, the likes of which she had read about once in her books: enormous carcases left to decay in the sunlight.
As they walked around the edge of the dry dock, Jenko narrowed his eyes at the lack of Vella’s appearance. However it wasn’t until they stopped before the only place left for them to continue their journey, that the two men finally shared a mutual glance that was laden with grave significance.
The warehouses and buildings within this quarter of the dockyard were packed tightly together, sprawling constructions that boasted high sides and bamboo scaffolding that creaked in the wind. Jenko and Tellan both reached tentatively for their weapons without a single word and, with an apprehension that rang a deafening klaxon within Reya’s ears, the three stepped forward.
“I don’t like this.” Tellan murmured as he walked along the dusty street, his eyes darting across every window, scaffold and doorway nervously as his fingers played over the pommel of his bastard sword, “Something doesn’t feel right.”
“You have doubts?” Jenko asked as he trailed his own fingertips upon his throwing knives.
“From the moment we stepped in.” Tellan admitted as he turned watchfully, “There are too many vantage points for my liking…Vella knows better than to rendezvous somewhere so closed in.”
“We should turn back.”
The Fallen Page 28