by Cait Ashwood
Rowan shot him a glance with a raised eyebrow.
Zeche shrugged. It was going about as well as he’d expected so far. He let Nikita get a bit of a lead on them, not that he expected his words to go unheard. “Be careful with her. Don’t promise something you’re not willing to give.”
Rowan blanched, face souring. “No problem.”
Thank heavens. He doesn’t want her. Whether that was because he’d been warned about the guild mistress his entire life, or simply due to her advancing age, Zeche didn’t care. As long as Rowan was spared ever having to deal with her in that fashion, he could die a happy man.
Kept us here for half an hour, and told us basically nothing.
Zeche fumed as he led the boy up to the surface streets, mildly distracted. In essence, Nikita didn’t know where she was. Rowan had been right about her running away, however, which Zeche found curious. Audrey hadn’t balked at her duty, she’d simply done it. No one could ever remember a Leaf that had been unwilling to serve, but maybe they were just kept quiet. It wasn’t like they’d had anyone closely monitoring their activities before they’d vanished. As long as the Groves and fields were tended, the public had been content. But whether she was the first or not, the matter of finding her was still at hand.
Where would I go if I were a teenage girl shirking my responsibilities and hiding from my parents? Zeche took a few moments to try and force himself into the alien mind space of a teenage girl.
“I’d come here if I were her.”
“Say what, now?” By all reports, she’d been dropped off outside of Calanon.
Rowan shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “She’s alone for the first time in her life. She’s used to being guarded, fed, and cared for. Here, she has the advantage of being where we’d least expect her, in easy reach of the Ravens and thus returning to the Tower, but that’s also exactly why she’d come here. If she got into trouble, all she’d have to do is call for a Raven, and she’d be safe.”
Zeche raised an eyebrow. “You put too much faith in them.”
Rowan snorted. “Greed is generally a safe bet.”
He thought it over, weighing the pros and cons. The girl would have had enough time to get here, even with the weather. Whether she’d had the funds for the ferry or not was something they could verify tomorrow. She certainly couldn’t have gone around and made it here by now.
“Well, if she’s here, we won’t be finding her tonight.”
Rowan grunted his assent behind him. Not even idiots strayed on Ebonwallowe streets after dark. Either you belonged to the night, or you were too drunk or sick to care. If Lily hadn’t found shelter, they may not find her alive.
“Might as well find a place to lay low for tonight.” With the ease of familiarity, Zeche scampered up a drainpipe and scaled the nearest building. Behind him, Rowan had to search for hand and footholds that Zeche had been using since he was six. He waited, thankful that the teen wasn’t as loud as he could have been. Ebonwallowe was a city that never slept, and that meant Zeche never slept in the same place twice. Patterns were what allowed them to track their foes and lie in wait. Zeche had no patterns.
Chapter Eleven
Stryker’s lessons with Sabre had been canceled for the day, and hell if he knew why. He hadn’t been given any additional orders, and even Vex wasn’t around to pester him. The quiet was eerie; he didn’t like it and settled for pacing around the compound to burn off some energy. There was only one ring he avoided, which was more out of habit than anything else. Zaddicus spent hours down in his lab, and if his father was there, Stryker didn’t want to run into him. Zaddicus always came out either cross or jubilant, and there was no in-between.
His mind drifted back to Lily, the girl he’d met in Ebonwallowe a few days ago. She was trapped by her parents just as much as Zad kept him trapped here, but she’d gotten out somehow. There was nothing particularly special about her, but maybe that was why she wouldn’t leave his head. She was pretty, sure, but otherwise, she was normal. Naturally, she hadn’t trusted him, but even as quiet as she’d seemed, she’d had the strength of character to leave a bad situation.
Yeah, well, there wouldn’t be Seekers chasing her if she left. That made flight rather difficult for Stryker. Zad had apparently continued his ban on Trackers, which almost begged the question of where he went all the time, but Stryker couldn’t truly be bothered to care. As long as the man wasn’t in his face, Stryker was content. He didn’t doubt that Zad would pull a Tracker out of his ass if Stryker decided to go ghost on him.
The man’s so confusing. Stryker pulled up short, finding himself staring at the opening of the tunnel that would take him up to the surface. He hadn’t intended to leave, but he could phase from here. He glanced into the darkness over his shoulder, seriously considering it. What’s the use of being able to phase if I can’t go on little trips? He wouldn’t leave permanently; that would invite retribution. But trips to the surface every now and then? Couldn’t hurt anything.
He smirked. Hadn’t Zad told them to work on recruiting more fighters to the cause?
Stryker blinked as he took form in the back alley behind a baker’s house that he used when visiting Ebonwallowe. It wasn’t too far from the red-light district, which was arguably his excuse if any of his father’s men saw him in the area. Likely as not, they’d just wink and keep their mouths shut. They weren’t supposed to be here, either, but Zad didn’t keep many women around. Or anyone our age, either. Is that on purpose. Isolation was an effective way to control them. Stryker wasn’t even sure if Vex had noticed the manipulation. Then again, she seemed more than willing to be the dog barking at Zaddicus’ heel.
And why am I not okay with it? It was easy to say that Sabre had introduced him to new ideas and ways of thinking, but if he was being honest, it went back further than that. Why was it that Vex always accepted everything, and he always challenged Zaddicus’ so-called logic?
Lily’s face swam in front of his eyes, her tentative smile in the dark making him grin in spite of himself. She was sweet. Likely any one of Zaddicus’ lesser punishments would seem barbaric to her. But how did he come to realize what they were, and how was it he could still stand to live there?
I need a drink. All this thinking is giving me a headache.
He knew better than to drink on an empty stomach, though. He headed toward the baker’s place without much thought. She’d been known to sneak him an extra pastry every now and again, and if ever he could use a bit of pampering, it was now. Her raised voice reached him about the same time the delicious aroma from her pies did.
“I could hire an urchin off the street for half the wages you want, girl. Shoo now, begone. I’ve no use for you.”
Stryker raised an eyebrow, heading around to the open window where Bergie put her pies.
The plump woman rounded on him, her face twisted in a fierce scowl. “Didn’t I tell you to--oh, boy, it’s you!” Her expression cleared immediately and she began rummaging around for one of her old flour sacks.
Jackpot. “Hey, Bergie. Someone giving you trouble around here?” He glanced about, but whoever it was appeared to be gone.
“Oh, don’t you worry yourself, sweetheart. Just some girl wanting work.” Bergie began filling the bag with baked goods from the day before. “Little old to be trying to apprentice, if I may say so.”
Something about the situation caught his attention. “Bergie, what did this girl look like?”
“Hm?” The woman turned, putting her hands on her hips. “Now I know all you young rapscallions are convinced you’re dandelions to spread your seed to the wind, but I’ll not have no part in that.”
“No, nothing like that, Bergie. I just met a girl in the city a few days ago and I know she’s looking for work. I figured she would have found something by now, but...” he trailed off, shrugging.
Bergie stared at him for a long moment before finally sighing. “Alright, then. A bit shorter than yourself, pretty red hair and freckles, and the bri
ghtest green eyes you’d ever seen.” Bergie sniffed. “Though she needs a bath. Reeked of horses.”
That’s her. “Was her name Lily?”
“Oh sonny, I don’t pay attention to every waif’s name what comes through here. But if you know her, maybe I’ll let her haul scraps out of town for me one day, if she stops by again.”
Stryker looked after where Lily had gone, trying to pick up her path. “I’d appreciate that, Bergie. I’m gonna head out, though.”
“Not before you have your sweets.” Bergie put the bag on the counter and patted it.
Stryker gave her a thankful smile and headed off through the market crowds. Where would she go? If she was trying to find work, she could be literally anywhere. But if she was a merchant’s daughter, then the market would be like a second home to her. Bergie’s place was a bit off the main path, but the market wasn’t far. Lily’s red hair would make her easy to spot in a crowd, too.
Sure steps took him through a few back alleys and he came out into the market square. He leaned casually against a grocer’s stall, tossing the man a coin and taking an apple from the display. The grocer gave him a dirty look but didn’t fuss as Stryker had overpaid. With the grocer reluctantly compliant, Stryker turned his attention to the crowd.
In only a few minutes, his patience was rewarded. She was talking to a merchant a few stalls down who appeared to be selling grain. Of course. Only the best for that horse of hers. Not like she has the coin to splurge, though.
Stryker maneuvered his way closer, enough that he could eavesdrop on their conversation.
“That’d be ten silver for the sack and not a copper less.”
Ten silver is exorbitant. But she’s a merchant’s kid, she’ll know that.
“Oh.” Her face fell and she bit her lower lip, thinking. “Can I buy half a sack?”
What? She’s not even going to try and barter? He watched the rest of the conversation, and she never doubted the quoted price. She scanned the rest of the market and found someone else selling grains. She promised the merchant she’d be back later to make her purchase and headed off toward the other stall, not even attempting to hide her destination.
Suspicion gnawed at him. A merchant’s daughter, no matter how sheltered, should be one hell of a haggler and have an innate sense of market prices. Ah, but she never actually said she was a merchant’s daughter. She hadn’t told him he was incorrect, but why would she? There were very few reasons a girl of her age would have no trade, and Stryker felt his gut sink. He slipped behind another stall, trusting the fabric of the roof to shield his eyes from the average bystander. He switched into the sight and cursed under his breath. He could track Lily anywhere she went, her reading was so strong. There wasn’t a hint of the taint in her, either. Her blood was pure. He dropped his sight before the glow of his eyes could give him away. He shoved his hands in his pockets, not sure what to do.
He knew what Zad would want him to do. Kidnap her and bring her back to base, where she could become part of whatever plans he cooked up for her. Hell, she might even be used as a bargaining chip for some of the half-breeds to be returned to them. There was no telling what Zad would do with her.
Their conversation replayed in his head. Forced to marry? No, forced into service was more likely. The rest of it rang true enough. She didn’t want the life of a Lily. He didn’t want the life his father had picked out for him.
Were they really that different?
She started leaving the market, and Stryker hadn’t decided what to do. Technically, he didn’t have to do anything. But what if I were in her shoes? What if I’d managed to get free of my father, and just needed a bit of help staying free? Wouldn’t I want someone to help me?
His father. Zaddicus would torture him for weeks before finally killing him if he even knew what his precious heir was considering right now. Vex wasn’t in the city and his father never left their stronghold, so the risk was small, but it was there. Stryker pitched his apple core in a refuse bin and ground his teeth together. That coin he gave her wouldn’t have lasted her long. The least he could do was pay out her room some more. She didn’t have to know he’d been spying on her.
That plan worked all well and good in his head, until he heard soft weeping as he approached the inn. The sound came from around back, by the stables. Ignore it. Just ignore it, you’re fine...
“Thunder, I don’t know what I’m gonna do. I can’t find work anywhere. I don’t want to sell you--” her voice cut off and was strangled by sobs.
His feet moved before his brain even had a chance to weigh in on the decision. She was standing in a stall with the big gelding, her face buried in his mane. For his part, the horse had his head tucked behind her shoulder, giving her the equine version of a hug. He snorted softly upon seeing Stryker, and Lily pulled back from the horse.
“What is it, boy?”
Stryker grasped for the first thing he could think of to say as she turned around. “Not every day I see a Lily trying to get work as a baker.” Idiot. While he cursed himself out inwardly, his sly mask was firmly in place. Living with his father, he was the expert of appearing one way while feeling another.
Lily sniffed, turning back to her horse. “So, you’re here to turn me in? I don’t remember seeing you at the Institute before.”
Well, she’s comfortable enough to turn her back on me. That’s good, right? “I actually came to make sure you’d found work. Doesn’t look like you’ve had much luck.”
She shook her head, hands braiding Thunder’s mane, likely just to have something to do.
“Well, Bergie at the bakery will let you haul trash for her every now and then, as long as you’re not too much of a pest.”
She sniffed, like she was still blinking back tears. “Thanks.” She didn’t sound enthusiastic.
“Okay, so your skill set is pretty unique. Taking on with the Caretakers wouldn’t work, ‘cause it would bring you too close to your people. There has to be something else you’re good at.”
She still didn’t look at him, shrugging a shoulder. “Riding and horses is all I know.”
Stryker wracked his brain for ideas. “So, become a courier. If you’re any good with that blade you carry, then you could help guard caravans. Or hell, try and find work at a stable nearby. Offer to help exercise some horses for free, then maybe in exchange for boarding for Thunder. I bet you could work your way into a job soon enough.”
She finally turned, eyes swollen and puffy. “I have two more days at the inn. I don’t have time to work my way into anything.” She crossed her arms over her chest defensively. “I was stupid to ever think I could make it without them.”
That single sentence hit way closer to home than Stryker cared to admit. He wasn’t even sure where or when the idea of trying to leave his father had crept up on him, but for some reason it had and he yearned after the courage to follow it to fruition. He stopped on the other side of the stall door, heart in his throat. “Don’t say that. Don’t you ever say that.”
She took a step back, eyes wide.
“Look, I mean... you’ve broken free. You’ve done what a lot of people are too scared to do. Don’t give up now just because you hit a snag in the road. The hardest part is done, Lily.”
She stared at him for a long moment, then slowly started to nod. “If I go back now, I just prove them all right about me.”
Stryker wasn’t sure what that was all about, but she seemed energized.
“I’m going to visit a few of the stables I’ve seen before it gets much later. Thank you, Stryker.” She slid the stall door open and slipped by him, placing a hand on his shoulder as she headed out.
“Hey, Lily?”
She paused and turned, gazing at him over her shoulder.
“You’ve got another month on the room, okay?”
Her eyes shone with unshed tears, but she nodded at him and took off back toward the Maiden.
When she was safely gone, Stryker let go of his breath. He was dead if h
is family found out about this. If that was the case, then why did he feel so damned giddy about it? He shook his head and headed into the inn proper to pay for Lily’s room. The innkeeper’s wife seemed suspicious at first, but he managed to convince her that he was just looking out for the girl.
He stepped out of the inn, the sun sinking low in the sky. She’d be back soon, which meant he should be gone. She did funny things to him, made him reckless. He needed to be careful, now more than ever. Zad was looking for reasons to punish him and Vex, and he’d been gone long enough.
Stryker glanced both ways and crossed the street into an alley nearby. It would take a sharp turn after a few houses, then dead-end. He’d used the place before to phase out of, and wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings.
An arm shot out of the shadows, wrapping around his neck and hauling him into a door in the side of the building. Bergie’s bag of sweets got smashed between them, warm goo running down his back. Oh, you’re gonna pay for that, you idiot. Stryker fought against the hold, digging his heels in and wrapping both hands around the arm strangling his neck. He reached for the taint and--
“I found a job!” Stryker could hear Lily’s exuberant cry to the innkeeper even in the alley.
Stryker couldn’t risk her seeing him struggle. Knowing her, she’d rush in headlong to try and ‘save’ him; she seemed like the loyal sort if her relationship with Thunder was anything to go by. Going against his better instincts, Stryker let the arm drag him back into the house. Once the door clicked shut, however, he was grinning despite the lack of oxygen.
“You’re the worst sort of scum, you know that?” The voice growled in his ear, deep and menacing.
That ‘scum’ would be smashed blueberry pie, not me. Stryker kept his grip on that arm, getting himself enough leeway to take in a gasp of air.
“Keeping my sister on, what, as a paid whore? Trying to knock her up with your tainted seed?”