City of Daggers (The Iron Teeth Book 2)

by Scott Straughan

  Blacknail definitely hadn’t killed a group of three people. He would remember that. Had Herad sent backup, or had the humans perhaps done something stupid and killed themselves? Blacknail knew from experience it was hard keeping humans alive sometimes. Half of Herad’s band would be dead if he hadn’t kept getting them out of trouble.

  “I know there’s more than one assassin here, and that’s the problem. You’re disturbing our business with all this violence, and it’s unacceptable. The only reason the assassin came here to kill Najget was because he allied himself with you,” Luphera replied coldly.

  “We were just here to protect our employer. We can hardly be blamed for him having enemies. That’s why he hired us in the first place,” Malthus responded scornfully.

  “Then why have so many of you knifemen been coming and going? I’m not blind. You’ve been using this place as some sort of waystation or hideout, and that’s unacceptable. This is a brothel not a den of assassins.”

  “We’ll leave once we’ve captured the masked assassin and not before. We’ll be doing you a favor by getting rid of him anyway,” Malthus countered.

  “I’m not an idiot. Now that Najget is dead, the other assassin will have no reason to stick around. He was smart and skilled enough to completely outplay you, so he’s probably already long gone. If I let you stay until you find him, then you’ll never leave. I have no intention of letting you control me the way you did Najget,” Luphera argued.

  “That’s not my intention! I want that bastard's head. He’s here somewhere, and I’m going to find him!” the assassin growled with barely contained fury.

  “No, you’re not. This is my business now, and I’m telling you to leave! If you refuse, then these gentlemen behind me and the many others like them throughout this building will forcibly remove you in the most unpleasant method possible,” Luphera ordered the man.

  “We could offer you the same deal we gave your boss,” Malthus pleaded.

  “Frankly, even if I required your services, and I don’t, I doubt you could deliver on any promises you made. Your track record lately has been truly pathetic,” the new mistress of the house told him dismissively.

  “You’ll regret this.”

  “I doubt it. Now get the hell out of my brothel and don’t come back, unless it’s to spend your coin on our services,” Luphera commanded him coldly.

  Muttering and the sound of footsteps filled the entire floor as all the searchers started giving up and leaving. Blacknail was relieved when the man closest to him walked away and shut the closet door. The closet grew dark again, and the hobgoblin took a second to scratch himself now that there was no one around to see. He was getting kind of hot and sweaty. After a few minutes had passed, the building around the hobgoblin grew quiet.

  “Go make sure they’ve all left. I want some privacy,” Luphera then announced from where she was standing out in the hall.

  “As you wish,” a male voice replied before fading footsteps signaled his departure.

  “That means you can come out, Blacknail. It’s just me here now,” Luphera then said aloud.

  That didn’t actually make the hobgoblin feel safe or like coming out. He was still more than a little confused as to what had just happened, but he knew he’d been tricked. He should never have agreed to help her out. She was a lying liar.

  “I know you’re there, and we have important things we need to discuss. I have a message for Herad that you need to deliver,” the woman announced.

  Blacknail sighed and reluctantly pulled himself out of the bag. It didn’t smell very good in there anyway, and he couldn’t stay there forever, so he stalked out of the closet and to the bedroom door. Silently, he peeked out into the hallway. Luphera was there, and she was alone. She also wasn’t armed. He’d been half expecting her to be carrying a loaded crossbow or something. She was, however, wearing more clothes than Blacknail had ever seen her in before. A full-length purple frock with golden embroidery covered her. The clothes and her straight posture lent her a new air of authority.

  The hobgoblin took a tentative step out into the hallway. Luphera turned toward the masked hobgoblin and smiled his way when she heard him approach. “There you are. For a second, I thought you were avoiding me.”

  Luphera was a little unsettling most the time, but now Blacknail thought he heard something weird in her voice. It made Blacknail uncomfortable, but he really wanted to know what was going on.

  “I didn’t kill Najget yet-ss, but I was totally going to-ss,” he told her as he carefully walked over.

  Luphera smiled at him and winked conspiratorially. “Nonsense, I have several guards that will swear they saw you do it. I’m told it was very impressive too,” she responded with a chuckle.

  Blacknail had no idea why she was making that weird eye motion, but compared to some of the other things he didn’t understand about Luphera, he supposed it was nothing. Also, the hobgoblin was also sure he would have remembered killing a man in purple with a mustache and two guards… Well, whatever. He would have killed the man if he’d found him first, so it was kind of like he’d done it.

  “I’m very good at killing people,” he bragged, which caused Luphera to smile.

  “So I’ve heard. It’s also very impressive how you led that idiot Malthus on such a merry chase and avoided him so effortlessly,” she said appreciatively as she stepped closer to him.

  “Yes, I’m very stealthy; even when I’m right beside them, people can’t see me,” Blacknail replied. It was even technically true sometimes, like when it was very dark or when he was hiding in a sack.

  All of a sudden, Blacknail felt Luphera’s hand on his shoulder. He flinched in surprise. When had she gotten so close? Wait, he was doing it again! He was letting Luphera’s words and smiles distract him. He had to focus.

  “You lied about how easy the job would be. I think you tried to trick me. Why?” Blacknail asked her suspiciously. Luphera’s grin broadened and took on a slightly sinister look. Blacknail instinctively took a step back away from her.

  “I owed you one, or it might be more accurate to say, you owed me one. I know it was you who killed Galive, and he wasn’t the only one that died that night. There was a woman, and while I barely knew her, she was still one of mine,” Luphera explained.

  Blacknail frowned as he thought about her words. He did remember killing a woman who had been in bed with Galive. He hadn’t really had a choice though. She would have messed everything up. Had she been of Luphera’s tribe and not Galive’s? Human tribes sure were complicated.

  “Sorry, I didn’t know she was-ss yours. She was just in the wrong place,” Blacknail explained reluctantly. Did this mean they were enemies now? The hobgoblin's left hand crept closer to the dagger he kept hidden in his coat, but Luphera didn't make any hostile moves.

  “That’s all right, you didn't know, and you’ve almost paid me back now. There’s just one more thing you can do for me,” she told him as she walked closer.

  Now Blacknail was very uncomfortable. He took another step backward, but Luphera glided effortlessly after him. She was impressively nimble on her feet…

  “Um, right, I need to go back to Herad… You said you had-ss a message for her?” Blacknail remarked nervously.

  “Running away to another woman, eh? How mean. Well, you’re not going anywhere until I get a chance to properly thank you. Why don’t you take your mask off and relax with me?” Luphera smiled knowingly.

  “I can’t do that… I was told not to because um... magic,” the hobgoblin replied nervously. The woman smiled at his response and took his hand. Blacknail flinched.

  “I don't believe you. Could the real reason be because underneath it you’re not human? Don’t worry, a bit of green skin isn’t going to scare me off. It sounds exciting, actually,” Luphera told him excitedly with a hungry smile.

  Blacknail’s eyes went very wide. He’d been kind of hoping it would though… and wait, she knew he was a hobgoblin. He’d been found out! How
had she figured it out? He was a great pretender and had acted exactly like a human at all times. Someone else must have let the secret slip. It had probably been Khita, she practically never shut up.

  “Why are you so surprised? Knowing things is my business or half of it anyway. I look forward to showing you the other half very shortly,” Luphera explained flirtatiously.

  Her closeness and the scent of her skin caused a shiver to work its way down the hobgoblin’s spine and come to rest below his gut. He smelled a lingering trace of the perfume from before on her clothes, and it began to do strange things to his head.

  Part 4: Queen of Swords

  Chapter 27

  The cloaked hobgoblin tiptoed silently down the shadowy hallway. The dull noonday sun shone in through the nearby windows, but he kept out of the light and in the dark. Since this passage was rarely used for anything but storage, it didn’t get a lot of traffic, and the windows were the only source of light. Blacknail could hear the creak and thud of people's footsteps moving around him, but none of them seemed to be moving in his direction, and that was good. He wanted to avoid detection at all costs. He’d come fairly close to being caught earlier when a guard had walked by, but Blacknail had managed to duck aside and hide behind a shelf at the last second.

  His heart still hadn’t slowed to its normal speed and was thudding in his chest. It would be very bad if he was discovered, and Blacknail didn’t even want to think about the consequences. He had to stay hidden from the humans no matter what! Of course, he was unlikely to be found. He’d proven over and over again that mere humans couldn’t detect an amazing hobgoblin like him. He was the dreaded Faceless Assassin and Herad’s undefeated sneaky killer!

  “What in all the hells are you doing, Blacknail?” Saeter asked from right behind him.

  The hobgoblin’s heart exploded in panic, and he jumped several feet into the air. Oh no, it was master Saeter. Blacknail hadn’t heard anyone approaching! When he hit the ground, he was already dashing away down the hallway as fast as his feet would carry him. He had to escape and quickly!

  “Stop right there, you little green idot! Come back here, or I swear I’ll go get my bow and hunt you down through Daggerpoint and all the lands beyond it,” Saeter barked loudly.

  Blacknail believed him; he could hear the stubborn certainty in his master’s voice. When he used that tone, there was no arguing with him, and he always did what he said he would no matter how stupid or dangerous it was. The hobgoblin reluctantly stopped running, went completely still, and let out a pitiful whimper. This was the worst possible outcome. Why did it have to be his master that had found him? The urge to flee and hide was overwhelming, but he knew that wouldn’t work. Saeter would find him soon enough. He was incredibly annoying like that.

  “Right, now come back here,” Saeter ordered impatiently.

  The hobgoblin sighed and obeyed. With his head down, he walked sullenly back to his master. He didn’t dare meet his eyes.

  “Lose the hood, and look at me,” his master ordered next.

  He sounded very annoyed, so Blacknail reluctantly pulled his hood down and met the old scout’s gaze. Saeter looked him over inquisitively for a few seconds, and his expression changed from an angry look to a concerned one.

  The hobgoblin cringed and had to turn away a few seconds later. What if his master could smell something? What if it showed? His master spoke up.

  “What bloody nonsense has gotten into you, Blacknail? You’ve been acting weird and avoiding everyone since you returned from chasing those assassins. You told Herad that they got away after a brief fight, and she didn’t question it. She doesn’t know you like I do though, and I’ll eat my boots if that’s what really happened,” he asked the hobgoblin quietly so no one would overhear.

  “Yes, it is. That totally happened,” Blacknail nervously replied while his anxious eyes wandered around the room.

  Saeter just glared at the hobgoblin stubbornly; he obviously wasn’t convinced. Blacknail withered under his master’s gaze for several seconds. The hobgoblin knew Saeter wasn’t going to let up until he got an answer, so obviously he had to lie through his teeth. Blacknail looked up and met his master’s eyes. He licked his lips with his long tongue nervously as his brain worked feverishly to come up with the greatest lie ever told.

  “I got lost…” he muttered a second later.

  His master crossed his arms and gave the hobgoblin an unamused stare. Blacknail winced and groaned regretfully. Why had he said that? That was a stupid lie and totally unconvincing! Why hadn’t he thought of anything better?

  Overcome with shame, the hobgoblin flipped his hood back up to hide his face. He then crouched in order to make himself as small as possible. Maybe if he stayed like this, his master would eventually get bored and leave…

  “Seriously?” Saeter remarked in disbelief. The old scout reached down and pulled Blacknail’s hood off. He opened his mouth as if to say something but then froze.

  “Are you… blushing?” he asked in surprise as he examined the hobgoblin. Blacknail did feel weird, like all his blood was rushing to his face, especially around the cheeks.

  The hobgoblin opened his mouth to respond and deny everything, but he stopped. He did sort of want to talk to someone. Last night, his experience with Luphera had been very… different. The memory caused Blacknail to flinch, and he felt his face burn hotter. Luphera didn’t act or look anything like a female goblin, so why had he let her drag him around by his handsome nose? He felt used, and he had no idea what he’d been thinking. That terrifying scent and her hungry smile had done something weird to his head… and other parts of his body.

  Luphera had invited him back, but there was no way he was ever going to do that! He felt dizzy just thinking about it. At first his instincts had taken over, but once they’d died down, he’d had no idea what he was doing there. What if he’d done something wrong… No, there was no way he was ever going to go back! How was he supposed to be around humans now? What if they could smell her on him? Their noses couldn’t be that bad, could they? He didn’t want anyone to know.

  Saeter coughed impatiently as he stood over the red-faced hobgoblin. Blacknail’s mouth hung open, but he had yet to say anything.

  “There’s this woman…” the hobgoblin muttered a second later as the truth burst out of him unexpectedly.

  Saeter’s face went through several stages. First his eyes narrowed in confusion, then he frowned doubtfully, then his eyes widened with shock and worry, until finally his expression settled into a look that portrayed deep but sad wisdom. The old gray-haired scout reached out and put a hand on Blacknail’s shoulder.

  “There always is,” he sagely told the confused hobgoblin.

  There was a weird twist to Saeter’s smile, and his eyes also seemed a little odd. Blacknail didn’t care though, he was just relieved his master wasn’t... overreacting. He grinned happily as he began unburdening himself. There was no way his wonderful and ever-so-wise master would make fun of him.

  Blacknail began to explain. “You see—”

  “Nope, keep it to yourself,” Saeter interjected quickly as one eye twitched.

  “But…” the hobgoblin exclaimed in confusion.

  “Some things you need to solve for yourself,” his master explained simply with a blank face. “Now come with me, Herad wants us.”

  Blacknail watched in confusion as his master turned around and headed for the door.

  “Ugh, I don’t even want to think about it,” Saeter muttered quietly to himself a few seconds later as he shivered slightly.

  What had just happened? The hobgoblin was glad his master didn’t seem to care, that was obviously the best outcome, but he also felt more than a little slighted. Saeter should have at least listened a little bit. Not that Blacknail wanted to tell him anything, of course. Yet surely, the whole situation was interesting and worth talking about, right?

  The confused hobgoblin was left there crouched on the floor of the hallway all by hi
mself. He stared after his master for a second before his thoughts untangled themselves. Then with a start, he remembered Saeter had told him he’d been summoned by Herad. Quickly, he got up and hurried after his master. No matter how embarrassed he was, it would still be a terrible idea to anger the chieftain. He was fairly certain he couldn’t actually die of embarrassment, but he couldn’t say the same thing about being stabbed.

  Blacknail quickly caught up with Saeter and followed him to the other side of the building. Their destination soon became apparent; it was the sitting room where they’d met with their chieftain after Galive’s death. Saeter walked right in, but Blacknail took a second to peek around the doorway before entering. He was still feeling more than a little shy and didn’t want to run into any unpleasant surprises.

  Herad was lounging back on a sofa in the middle of the room and was scowling darkly at everyone she saw. The bandit chieftain definitely seemed to be in a bad mood. She was wearing a pair of long black trousers and a dark brown leather vest over a black shirt. She held a silver goblet up in one hand while her other hand massaged the pommel of a dagger sheathed at her hip.

  Blacknail hesitated to walk into the room when she was so angry. However, Herad quickly noticed him standing in the doorway and glared at him, so the hobgoblin immediately straightened up and walked nonchalantly in as if he hadn’t been hiding.

  There were only a few other people in the room, and all of them were members of Herad’s tribe. Blacknail headed toward where his master stood in a deserted corner of the room. Once there, he kept to his master’s shadow and as out of sight as possible. He was still feeling a bit awkward about being around humans, and with Herad in such a bad mood, it was best not to attract attention.

  It took a few moments for everyone invited to arrive in the sitting room, but no one said anything as they waited. Their boss’ dark mood hung in the air, and no one dared break the silence. There were an awful lot of anxious glances being exchanged between the bandits though. When the last person arrived, Herad’s personal guards sealed the room. Blacknail jumped a little as the doors were slammed shut; not having anywhere to run made him fidgety and nervous. It was only then Herad finally spoke up.