* * *
“You are late,” Neph said dryly, not bothering to rise from where he sprawled in the grass with both arms crossed under his head. A book levitated above him, pages open and fluttering lightly in the evening breeze.
Stopping just above him, Jala looked down at the cover of the book and raised an eyebrow. “Poetry?” she asked in mild shock. She never would have guessed Neph to be the poetry sort.
“Was glory and honor the gallant man sought as he rode forth on that day,” Neph began, his gaze locked on the sky beyond the book. “With his armor shining and his bright banner flying he bravely joined the fray. In blind courage he fought with fury and blade to protect all he held dear.” He paused in the quotation and turned to look at her, a cynical smile on his face and winked. “Took but a single man with a wave of his hand to teach the gallant man fear. As the fire rained down and the earth shook, the gallant man fell back in terror. For as we all know when battling foes, to cross a mage is an error.” He finished and flipped his hand toward the hovering book. With a solid thud the book closed and he plucked it out of the air gently. “On occasion, poetry is amusing. Even if it’s poorly written poetry such as that particular piece is.”
“I don’t think it’s bad. I’ve never heard it before though. Is it from that book?” Jala asked trying to get another look at the book’s cover.
Neph gave a slight nod and stood slowly, stretching his arms above his head. Glancing up as he lowered his arms he examined the book’s binding critically and nodded again. “It’s a fairly rare book and the only one I have anything published in. I’m my father’s pride and joy let me tell you. I hate hunting, detest brawling, write poetry and I’m a finger wiggler as if the rest wasn’t bad enough.” Critically he looked her over, eyes lingering on her posture and then flicked his gaze back up to meet her eyes. “What?” he asked, then paused and glanced around the garden.
“What’s wrong?” Jala asked, her tone a bit too hopeful. By the way he was acting she was sure Neph sensed something. If he did that, would make him the first out of everyone she had been around today.
He shook his head lightly seeming distracted and cast a quick spell. “Can’t really put my finger on it,” he mumbled and his frown deepened. “It’s like we’re being watched but I don’t sense magic.” His voice trailed off as he looked around the courtyard again and then back to her. “Have you had anymore troubles today that I need to know about?” he asked, his tone a bit suspicious.
“No, not trouble,” she said with a shrug, watching him closely.
Flicking his gaze back to her he narrowed his pale blue eyes. “No, not trouble, eh? So what do I need to know about that isn’t trouble?” he asked.
“Well I suppose it kind of is trouble,” she began, shuffling her feet slightly. With a sigh she dropped lightly to the grass and crossed her legs under her. “Sit, I’ll explain,” she said and motioned for him to join her on the grass.
“This is more important than lessons?” Neph asked doubtfully.
Without pausing to consider, she nodded and Neph raised an eyebrow. Silently he sat down across from her and motioned for her to begin. “It would probably be simpler this way,” she said quietly and handed him the letter Shade had sent. He gave it a brief inspection and then began reading silently, his expression never changing.
“Is it here now?” He asked as he folded the letter once again and returned it to her.
“Yes she is. Her name is Emily,” Jala replied. Nervously she flipped the letter in her hands and locked her gaze on Neph’s pale blue eyes. “There are more of them in the city though, Neph, and they are hunting here. We have to warn the others but I don’t even know where they are right now. The city is not safe right now,” she kept her voice steady as she spoke, though her fear was growing steadily. Her friends would have no way of even knowing these creatures existed.
Neph gave a bitter chuckle and smirked. “This city is never safe, Jala.” With a sigh, he stood slowly and offered her a hand up. She stood slowly and watched him for any sign of what he intended to do. With another sigh, he looked her over, eyes lingering on her jewelry. “I’m assuming you want me to help you warn everyone tonight?” he asked, looking less than pleased at the prospect.
“I don’t know where Finn is. I suppose I could try to warn him with a mental link but if he is drinking …,” she trailed off with a helpless shrug.
“He is at the Pits,” Neph said, eyeing her jewelry once more. “And if we go there it may get interesting unless you change.”
“What are the Pits?” she asked, already removing her jewelry and dropping it into her book bag carelessly.
Glancing around the courtyard once more, he flicked his gaze back to her. “A rather rough place that I would rather not take you to,” he said before returning his gaze to the courtyard. “I don’t suppose she would let me see her would she?” he asked.
Jala paused in removing an earring and shrugged. “I don’t know really. Emily will you let Neph see you?” she asked the empty air. She wasn’t sure at all where the child was or if she was even in the garden still.
“I don’t know if I like him,” Emily’s soft voice came from several feet behind them.
“Everyone says that when they first meet Neph,” Jala replied with a soft chuckle. “I will vouch for him though. I trust Neph as much as I do Finn.”
Neph turned to look at her with an arched eyebrow. “Do you now?” he asked, sounding amused.
She met his eyes fully and smiled. “I do,” she said simply and winked at him.
“In all honesty you should probably trust me more. I don’t have the tendency to lie, drink, and kill as your husband does,” Neph replied with a smirk.
“Finn is honest,” she replied rolling her eyes.
“When it suits him,” Neph agreed dryly. Turning his attention back to where the voice had come from he crouched low to the ground and crossed his arms over the top of his knees. “If you are guarding Jala then you have nothing to fear from me. I would like to be able to recognize you, though,” he said quietly in a soothing voice.
“By Fortune, Neph, you almost sounded nice,” Jala said with a smile and nudged his back with her knee.
“Shut it tart,” he grumbled with a slight smile.
“Don’t call her that,” Emily said quietly as she slowly became visible. With eyes locked firmly on Neph, she approached silently and stopped a few feet from where he crouched.
“Cat’s eyes, claws, and fangs. Brings an interesting mental image to the phrase Easy as taking candy from a babe,” Neph said, his gaze roving over the Blight child as he spoke.
“Go ahead, try to take her candy,” Jala said with another chuckle.
“I don’t have any candy,” Emily pointed out to the two of them with a frown.
Neph snorted in amusement and stood slowly. “So the Blights hunting in the city are adults?” he asked, looking to Jala for answer.
“I don’t know. All I know is that Emily senses more of her kind in the city,” Jala explained.
“Most likely adults. They probably have a hive set up somewhere in the city. I would guess the sewers or a ruined building that is remote,” Emily said and faded back to her camouflage state.
“Better camo than the Bendazzi has,” Neph noted, flicking a gaze toward Marrow who glared back at him with deep yellow eyes. “Admit it. cat, you can’t hide that good.” With another snarl, Marrow stalked off to sit at the edge of the courtyard.
“She could pass for Elder Blood if you hid her claws,” Jala said quietly.
Neph nodded his agreement and reached up to flip the earring she had forgotten. “Get that put away and we will go warn the two idiots,” he said as he gathered books and dropped them carelessly into a leather bag. With a sigh he swung the bag over his shoulder and looked at her again. “The Pits are in the worst part of town, by the way, and the environment there is always disgusting. There is a very good chance that we will be inviting attack by going to such a pl
ace. Please be prepared to defend yourself,” he said, his tone filled with warning.
“You think we might be attacked?” she asked doubtfully. Neph was dressed in his customary leathers which were finely embossed and obvious high quality. That, combined with his natural beauty, marked him clearly as Elder Blood and from high ranking. Not many would consider openly attacking an Elder Blood, let alone one of status.
“I think I’ve heard at least three times in the last week that the Assassin’s guild has contracts for you and if I were an Assassin I would not pass up such a golden opportunity. If we are stupid enough to travel to the Pits this late in the evening we should expect someone to act on that,” he clarified, watching her as he spoke as if he expected her to change her mind.
She gave a slight nod and cast a quick spell over Neph, then Marrow, and finally herself. “Protection wards from missiles. If they are going to kill us they won’t do it from a distance,” she explained as she noticed Neph’s look of confusion.
“No, that’s not what boggled my mind,” Neph objected, staring at her in disbelief. Slowly, he shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Jala, from now on, first thing in the morning when you crawl your scrawny ass out of bed, cast that spell. Don’t wait until someone is about to take you to the worst dive in the city. Someone could shoot you with a crossbow bolt anywhere,” he said, his tone filled with exasperation. “I can’t believe you didn’t already have that ward on,” he grumbled as he began making his way from the courtyard, waving impatiently for her to follow.
“You think someone would shoot me in class?” Jala called after him as she hurried to catch up with his longer strides.
“Embrace paranoia, Jala. Hug it, love it, and live it. Paranoia will keep you alive,” Neph said, draping an arm lightly across her shoulders. “Expect them to be able to shoot you inside your room and you will live longer for it.”
“Life was so much simpler in Bliss,” Jala said with a sigh.
“Your life will never be simple again. The sooner you accept that the easier it will be on you. From this day forth, someone will always want you dead and there will always be someone that you would like to see dead,” Neph said quietly.
“I don’t want anyone dead,” Jala objected.
Neph glanced at her and smirked. “Really? Yes, of course, I’m sure you have nothing but the fondest wishes for Cassia Avanti. She has after all been such a beacon of kindness to you,” he said sarcastically.
“Treat others as you wish to be treated,” Jala replied quietly using a phrase she had often heard from Father Belson as a child.
“Rubbish,” Neph grumbled. “Treat others as they deserve to be treated. Cassia deserves to be filling a corner of some compost heap. At least then she might do something to benefit someone. Corpses make excellent fertilizer, or so I hear.”
“That’s disgusting,” Jala replied, wrinkling her nose.
“That’s Sanctuary, Jala. Don’t doubt for a minute that she wouldn’t leave you rotting somewhere if she thought she could get away with it. You are going to have to learn to be as brutal as they are,” Neph said, shrugging one shoulder. With a sigh he began to guide them toward a portal stone and glanced down at Marrow. “I go through first. Wait two minutes and then follow with Marrow ahead of you. I don’t expect there will be trouble but make sure the Bendazzi crosses before you do, anyway,”
“All right,” Jala agreed quietly, her eyes roving over the portal stone. It wasn’t a district she was familiar with. “Where are we going? I mean, I know the Pits, but what district is it in?” she asked before he stepped through.
“This used to belong to Goswin. It belongs to Graves now. While Hemlock rules most of the city, the Lord of the Warrens rules here. Not even the Justicars really go to this section much, Jala. We aren’t only giving them opportunity, we are sending invitations,” he said with a smirk and pressed his palm flat against the arch activating the transport magics.
* * *
Mage lights filled the streets, illuminating the crowds in a hellish red light. Jala looped her arm through Neph’s and tried to stay as close to the imposing Delvayon as she could. He stood several inches taller than most of the people here and his expression was dark enough to send all but the drunkest scurrying from his path. Her gaze flicked from building to building, reading the swinging wooden signs.
“Neph, what’s a donkey and dog show?” she asked, her eyes lingering on a wooden sign that portrayed a widely smiling donkey. The building seemed quite crowded with rather rough looking men gathering on the porch waiting to get through the door.
Neph glanced down at her and then toward the building. With an amused snort he pushed his way through the streets pulling her past the establishment a bit quicker. “It’s a form of animal cruelty considering the women that work there. Even dogs have standards,” Neph said, once they were out of the thick of the crowd.
“Why is it so packed here. Who are all of these people?” Jala asked, deciding it was best to ignore his animal cruelty remark. She wasn’t likely to get a better answer from Neph.
“These are dock workers, sailors, thieves, and just about every other sort that enjoys low brow entertainment. It’s always crowded here at night. Graves provides them with every sin they could want at an affordable price,” he said with a smirk.
“And Finn is here?” she asked in a bit of disbelief.
Neph let out a short burst of laughter that caused her to stumble in shock. Still chuckling, he helped her regain her balance and continued on. “Finn practically lived in this district the first year he was in the city. He is probably the most famous man here aside from Graves himself,” he explained.
“How did he get famous here?” she asked, eyes roving over the brothels and bars.
“The same way he did in the arena. By killing people. I really hope you don’t think he is a nice guy, Jala. Finn is probably the coldest blooded person I’ve ever met,” Neph explained quietly as they came to a stop outside a large warehouse. The roar of a large crowd came from inside the building followed by yells and a high pitched scream. “Well, here we are,” he said dryly, waving a hand toward the crowded open door.
“He has never seemed cold blooded to me. He has always been charming and sweet,” Jala said quietly, eyeing the doorway with dread. From the looks of it they would have to force their way inside and she doubted Marrow would set a paw in that place.
“That has always struck me as odd, how nice he is to you that is. I mean Finn is charming when he wants to be, but he can smile at you one moment and kill you the next. I’ve seen him do it before. But with you it seems genuine love,” Neph said absently and shook his head lightly. “I will never understand him. He is a thug,” he added with a sigh and began making his way toward the door with Jala close on his heels.
I will be above watching. If you have desperate need of me call and I will come inside, Marrow told her as he quietly padded off toward an alley. He lifted his muzzle as he went and gave the air a long sniff. With a snarl he shook his massive head. With the way that place reeks of blood and piss though, you had better be dying if you make me come in there, he added as he disappeared into the Shadows.
I’ll be with Marrow. I’m too hungry to be around that much blood scent. I think you are safe with Neph, though, Emily said, adding her own mental voice to Jala’s mind.
Nodding slightly, Jala gazed at the alley they had vanished down before stepping into the dimly lit building. Neph was just a few feet ahead now but already she was losing sight of his back in the push of the crowd.
“What we got here?” a harsh voice slurred as she moved inside. Rough hands grabbed her from behind and pulled her back.
“Let go of me,” she snapped, trying to pull back from the grip. She twisted around to get a look at her assailant and found a grubby bearded face looming inches from her own. “Let go of me now,” she demanded. His hand moved up her side and squeezed her breast roughly and he began to chuckle at her struggles.
“
Fiery one eh,” he mumbled, leaning his face closer to hers. Her eyes began to water at the stench of his unwashed body mingled with cheap alcohol. “So pretty too,” he added, his rank breath thick on her face. Twisting again, she tried to get a hand up to slap him but he held her wrist firm.
“Hey, find your own,” the drunk objected loudly as Neph pulled her out of his grip. With a snarl, Neph’s larger hand settled over the man’s face. There was a bright flash followed by the overwhelming scent of burnt flesh. The man crumpled to the floor, his face a ruin of charred flesh and his eyes burned from their sockets.
“You killed him,” Jala muttered, stepping back from the corpse and closer to Neph. His arm still gripped her tightly and he pulled her back farther from the body as those surrounding the corpse began to scavenge. She watched in mute horror as the man’s pockets were emptied and the most serviceable clothing removed. Numbly, she allowed Neph to lead her out of sight and deeper into the building.
“I did,” Neph agreed glancing back at her. “You are obvious Elder Blood, Jala. You are too beautiful to be anything else. If he had the gall to treat you that roughly, imagine what he did to commoner girls who couldn’t defend themselves. Treat others as they deserve to be treated. He deserved to die,” Neph said, his voice a low growl. He maneuvered them through the crowd, moving ever closer to a large circle of people near the center of the building. “You are going to have to learn to kill, Jala. It’s kill-or-be-killed” and you aren’t allowed to die,” he said in voice that was almost gentle.
“But he was drunk. Maybe he wasn’t like that when he was sober,” Jala objected feebly.
“I hate it when people use intoxication as an excuse. Alcohol doesn’t create a desire, Jala, it simply removes the inhibition. If you don’t rape women when you are sober but you do when you are drunk it isn’t the alcohol that created a rapist. The drink simply removes the fear, the desire was always there,” Neph said, his expression disgusted. He paused in step and scanned the crowd quickly as the people near the center let out another loud roar.
The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 2 Blood Honor and Dreams Page 12