by Logan Jacobs
“Perhaps,” I chuckled. “But let’s focus on our task.”
“There.” Ashe nudged me and pointed to a woman who was across the marketplace and headed this way. She was relatively young, and her hair was long and as pale white as her skin. The dress she wore was the same color as it brushed off the ground as she walked, and her long cloak was a hazy gray color that matched her oddly light irises. Her pearly nails helped me to identify her as a White Witch, and while I only knew as much as Ashe had told me about this breed, she seemed confident the witch could help us.
“White Witches are always watching,” Ashe whispered as she steered me closer to the end of the alley we were in.
“That’s fucking creepy,” I muttered.
“Not in that way,” she snickered. “They just… can’t help it. Their powers make their minds a little disconnected, and they tend to sit around watching everything go by.”
“Kind of like the older White Witch we saw sitting by the well?” I asked.
“Exactly.” Ashe nodded. “Go ask this one.”
I let a few half-orcs pass before I approached the end of the alley we were in, and I studied the approaching White Witch while her wide pale eyes seemed to rove over everything without really registering it. She looked like she was half-focused on her surroundings, and I cleared my throat when the White Witch drifted toward a nearby stall.
“Hello,” I whispered.
The witch had clearly been in a world of her own, and she didn’t seem to have noticed us in the shadows until I had spoken. Then she startled, and her pale eyes widened like I’d interrupted something incredibly important. When I gestured for her to come a bit closer, though, she did, and she managed to hold my gaze for a few seconds at a time.
“What?” she spat in a breathy voice.
“We’re looking for a fairy called Sparkles,” I explained. “She’s a tinsel fairy. Do you know who she is, and where we might find her?”
It looked as though the spacey witch was about to drift back toward the avenue, but then a look of very brief concentration crossed her face as she thought over my question. For about five seconds, she appeared fully awake and present, and I was surprised when she ended up being incredibly useful.
“I’ve seen the fairy you’re looking for,” the White Witch whispered her response. “The tinsel fairies are hard to find, but they flit in and out all over these trees. Sparkles isn’t usually out this time of day. She’s always getting drunk in the tavern up the street.”
“Which tav--” I tried, but the White Witch already seemed to have checked out of the conversation.
She drifted off into the avenue before I could even thank her for her help, and I shook my head as I watched the pale woman wander nowhere in particular.
“You’re telling me those are dangerous witches?” I muttered to Ashe.
“You know as well as I do it’s the ones you don’t expect who are sometimes the most lethal,” the demon woman pointed out.
“True,” I agreed. “Come on, let's find the taverns on this road. I remember passing a few over the last couple of days, there should only be three in this area.”
The mental map of Rengfri I’d been slowly building up came to good use, and I did manage to find two of the taverns right where I thought they’d be. Neither of them had a pair of white wings in them, but as we neared the third, I already heard a symphony of mischievous giggles inside. I couldn’t tell who was in there exactly, but it sounded promising.
I opened the tavern door for Ashe and allowed her to walk in first before I followed closely behind. The tavern was dark with very little light seeping through the small, round windows, and a layer of multi-colored smoke permanently hung in the air from the pipes everyone appeared to be smoking. The majority of tables and chairs were already taken, and I realized many of the inhabitants of the Shadow Quarters were actually hiding out in establishments like this rather than in their homes right now.
I spotted some half-elves, orcs, dark elves, and even some black fairies who occupied the tables, and I studied the dark elves first, but the few in the establishment wore tattered vests and crumpled top hats that made me doubt they worked for our target syndicate. The orcs I saw snorted with every word they spoke, and the black fairies were constantly seen tracing their hands over the bodies of whoever sat beside them.
Then I spotted a table deeper into the dim tavern with a cluster of delicate white wings around it.
Sparkles was among the wings, and she appeared to be in a joyous conversation with the other tinsel fairies at the table, but her eyes caught onto me almost immediately. Her smile lit up the second she locked eyes with me, and she held up one finger as a way of saying she’d be with us shortly.
“There’s that smile…” Ashe half-groaned.
“Get us a table,” I murmured into her silver-blue hair, and I left a light bite on her earlobe.
Ashe softened up at once and headed into the maze of tables, and I went up to the bar and ordered some drinks so we could blend in as much as possible while we waited for some private time with Sparkles. We hadn’t drawn too many eyes when we first entered, but there were enough side glances coming my way that I figured it’d be even more peculiar if we sat down without any drinks in hand. Plus, the smells wafting from the drinks in here had more than piqued my interest.
“What are you after?” a half-orc behind the bar sneered.
“Two of those,” I said as I pointed to the first drink I saw near me.
I didn’t know the names, or what was in the drinks themselves, but the half-orc didn’t seem to find my order odd. He nodded his large head, proceeded to make the drinks I asked for, and then slid two metal tankards toward me. The tankards were fogged in the smoke that lifted from the liquid inside, and I grinned as I looked down into the curious brew.
“Two dragon’s breaths,” the half-orc snarled. “Four pieces.”
I slapped the coins down onto the bar, took the drinks in each hand, and walked away. I found Ashe lounging as naturally as ever in a corner near a round window, and she had an amused smirk on her lips while she watched a half-goblin hit on a black fairy. Then she arched an eyebrow as I joined her, and she peered at the drinks with a dubious expression.
“What poison is this?” the demon chuckled, and she held the tankard gingerly, almost like she thought the entire thing was going to explode.
“It’s called a dragon’s breath.” I shrugged and grinned. “It might taste like shit, but I’m willing to bet this could be fun.”
“Have they run out of boiled eel blood today?” she asked in a playful tone.
“Unfortunately, it appears as if they have,” I replied with the same comical tone.
I was rather partial to a boiled eel blood down in the Hellscape, especially when it was served hot and straight from the source. The eels down there were immortal and about as large as this entire tavern was long, so they could regenerate enough blood to supply the masses of demons nonstop. The beverage had a spicy tang to it that seemed to satisfy no matter what void we came from, and I decided it might be the only thing I’d miss about the Hellscape.
I couldn’t imagine a tavern on the surface world would serve that sort of thing, but I was willing to experiment and find a new drink of choice up here.
I took the first sip, and I was instantly attacked by the bitterness on my tongue. Once the bitterness had subsided, I was met with a fruity taste that fizzed in my mouth and eventually eased into a flaming heat. The entire thing made my eyes squint closed, but from the surprised look on Ashe’s face, it seemed as though she liked it.
“I didn’t think I’d enjoy something that smokes at the top,” she giggled. “This is good, I could have ten more.”
I chuckled as the fiend proceeded to guzzle down the drink, and she barely stopped to take a breath in between each gulp. Her pink eyes were wide and elated when she finished, so I slid her a few more pieces so she could get herself another round.
I became more used to the brew the m
ore I drank of it, and while it was difficult to stomach at first, once I got past the bitter smoke on the top, the rest of it was alright. It didn’t affect my mind nearly so much as it seemed to inhibit the half-elves at the next table, and Ashe threw back four tankards without even a hint of flushed cheeks.
While we drank, I kept my eyes scanning the dim tavern, and most of the beings seemed to have stopped glancing our way at all. I noticed a few black fairies would occasionally eye me up and down before they’d return their attention to whoever they were seated with, and Ashe snickered when she caught on to this as well.
It wasn’t until Ashe finished her fifth dragon’s breath that Sparkles finally stood from her table, fluttered over to us, and let out a light giggle as she touched down on the window ledge.
“Hi, Atticus,” she cooed, and her voice was light and airy now that she had a few drinks in her.
“Hey, Sparkles,” I replied with a nod of my head.
“And hello again,” Sparkles giggled at Ashe.
“Hello,” the beautiful fiend said as she gave a slight nod.
“Do you think you could help us with something, Sparkles?” I asked the tipsy tinsel fairy.
“Ohhh, it depends what you need help with,” Sparkles sighed happily.
“Well, we need to know about the Blessed,” I replied.
“Why do you need to know about them?” Sparkles squeaked and wrinkled her nose in disgust. “They’re real pieces of shit.”
“I agree,” I chuckled. “But we’re hoping to locate a few of them in particular, and I’m wondering where their headquarters would be in a city this large. It would save me a lot of time tracking them down.”
Sparkles thought for a moment, and she kept her bleary eyes roving over the tavern occupants before she let out a high-pitched hiccup.
“Yes, I can’t be of any help,” she said finally, and Ashe sighed. “My expertise is really centralized on the Shadow Quarters.”
“So… you don’t have any guesses of a general direction?” I queried.
“If it’s outside of the Shadow Quarters, then no,” Sparkles replied. “And the Blessed are certainly outside of the Shadow Quarters. However, I know someone who can probably help you.”
“Who?” Ashe sighed impatiently.
“Black fairies, of course,” the tinsel fairy giggled. “They know allll about what goes on outside the Shadow Quarters. They make it their business to know.”
I cast my eyes across the room and found the same group of black fairies I’d noticed watching me earlier. One of them looked pleased to see me glancing their way, and she sent me a coy smile.
“You sure this isn’t going to cause trouble for me, Sparkles?” I checked.
“Only the fun kind of trouble,” the tinsel fairy giggled.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Ashe growled, and her demon voice rippled in her throat.
Sparkles’ smile dropped as her already huge eyes got bigger, and she seemed to realize how much more serious Ashe took this situation than her.
“Heyyyy, Flaky,” Sparkles finally squeaked. “I know you’re kind of touchy about your master, but you should trust me more than this. I’m so excited to have demons in the Shadow Quarters! I wouldn’t try to get you all in bad trouble. Just good trouble. Like… sexy black fairies who are closer to demon-sized… or shitty elves who might be really fun to murder. That kind of trouble. You know, the fun kind.”
I smirked as the tinsel fairy offered Ashe a drunken wink, and I could tell my demon lover was trying not to grin.
“Fine,” Ashe murmured in a less demonic tone. “But I’ve got my eye on you, fairy.”
“Such pretty eyes, too,” Sparkles sighed. “But go on and ask the black fairies! They all live together under the same Madame’s protection, so it doesn’t much matter which one you pick. As long as you’re good to the black fairies, they’ll be good to you.”
“Understood,” I muttered as I glanced back toward the coy-looking black fairy across the room.
I already knew her kind would do pretty much anything for some attention, so all it took was for me to gesture her over with my hand, and the black fairy jumped up from her seat.
She had on scraps of red leather that left very little of her creamy figure to the imagination, and her midnight black hair was tied up on top of her head in an elaborate design. Her large wings were pitch-black and gauzy with fraying ends, and she was only a few inches shorter than Ashe, but her gray eyes were still too big for her pixie-like face.
“Well, have fun!” Sparkles said with a peppy hop from her window ledge.
“Yeah, you, too,” I said, and as soon as the tinsel fairy fluttered back toward her friends, the black fairy slid into the one open seat beside me.
Then she angled her body so close to me that she was almost tumbling into my lap, and I caught Ashe’s instant amusement out of the corner of my eye. I was about to clarify to the fairy that I wasn’t seeking any kind of private attention from her, but my demon lover cleared her smoky throat before I could speak.
“You have not earned the right to sit upon my master’s lap.”
“Oh! Sorry!” The black fairy shifted back into her seat.
“Better.” The Infernal Huntress nodded in approval.
“How can I earn the right to sit on his lap?” the black fairy asked Ashe, and her voice was soft and seductive.
“We’re told you might be able to give us some information,” Ashe explained. “About the whereabouts of the Blessed in Rengfri.”
“The Blessed?” She arched a black eyebrow. “Have you got some trouble with them?”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “Can you help us out?”
The fairy looked between Ashe and I, and then a subtle but wicked smirk crossed over her deep-red lips.
“My Madame could,” she replied. “But it’ll cost you to go see her.”
“How much?” I asked.
“It depends on how you intend to pay me,” the fairy purred. “You can meet the price in pieces, or… other ways.”
Her thin finger began to draw a spiral onto my arm to help emphasize her other form of payment.
“You could not handle his cock.” Ashe let out a low growl in warning.
“Ohh, I think I could… and I think you’d love to watch me handle it.” The fairy offered my demon lover another coy smile.
“Maybe I would.” Ashe grinned manically.
“I’ll give you ten pieces,” I said. “We don’t have time for other activities.”
“Make it twenty, and you’ve got yourself a deal,” she replied.
“I’ll give you fifteen if you take me to see this Madame right now,” I countered.
“I can do that,” the black fairy agreed.
I dug in my pocket and slid the coins onto the table, and the black fairy counted out each one and then slipped them into a small velvet bag that she had hung around her wrist.
“Thank you,” she murmured in her same sultry tone. “Now, follow me.”
Ashe and I stood from the table and followed the fairy out of the tavern and into a dark alley. For a moment, I wasn’t sure if she was leading us into a trap, and I was prepared to kill the bitch if she tried any dirty business, but my suspicions died down as the sultry woman continued to walk.
The black fairy took us through the alley and onto the side street that ran behind it, and then she proceeded down another tree-lined avenue I hadn’t noticed yet.
“You’ll want to talk to Madame Nyra,” she told us without turning around. “She knows everything about everyone of note in Rengfri, whether they are good or bad.”
“Where is Madame Nyra?” Ashe asked.
“Just up ahead,” the black fairy answered. “Through the veil.”
Ashe and I exchanged a glance, and I quickened my pace a little to catch up to the sultry fairy in front of us.
“What veil?” I clarified.
The black fairy chuckled in response, and she sent a mischievous smile over her sho
ulder at me. She only walked another ten or so paces before she slowed to a stop at the end of the avenue, and this area looked mostly vacant. Two ancient stone buildings sat on either side of the lane with a grove between them, and I glanced around at the gnarled trees behind the black fairy as she raised her slender palm.
“This veil,” the fairy said.
Then she waved her hand, and the air behind her suddenly turned a silky gray.
It rolled softly like a curtain had sprang up out of nowhere across the entire dead-end, and beyond the gray veil, I could see a large, black house. It was surrounded by a long, black, iron fence, and it looked like elaborately spun cobwebs decorated nearly all of the windows on the outside.
The fairy crossed through the gray veil and pushed open the iron gate, and I felt like I was passing through a damp cloud as Ashe and I followed after her. When I turned back around, the mist was gone, and while I could see the rest of the avenue perfectly fine, I had a feeling no one could see us anymore.
“Not bad,” Ashe admired. “We should get some of this fairy magic for ourselves.”
“Maybe,” I agreed.
“Follow me, beauties!” The black fairy was already trotting up to the main doors which were painted a dark red, and we hurried to catch up to her. Then she turned the black iron handle on the door and walked inside, but we stood by the door and waited instead. Black fairies were of course known best for being sultry and cunning, but they would often steal from those who fell into their traps of seduction, so I kept my guard up while Ashe kept an eye on the grove behind us.
It wasn’t long before another fairy came to the door, but this one was far older than the one who had led us here. She, too, had gauzy black wings, but hers were more ragged and tattered from age, and long clumps of gossamer almost trailed across the floorboards when she walked. Her dark hair was graying at the roots, and she wore a full, corseted dress, instead of barely-there pieces of material. It looked like this woman had lived a lot in her life, but there was something clearly beautiful about her aged face, and this all gave me the impression she was Madame Nyra.
“I hear you need to speak with me?” she asked in a somewhat gravelly voice. She had one hand balanced on her hip, and she fluttered her dark eyelashes at me while she waited for a response.