“Looking for my friends.” She wasn’t about to volunteer any information.
“Interesting,” the grey haired man said. He rested his hands on hips in a casual stance. “Who are you and who are your friends?”
Ebudae tried to gauge how much trouble she might be in. The Guardsmen may have arrested Aphry’s troupe for breaking into the warehouse and could arrest her next. They could also be corrupt. She didn’t share Pelya’s faith in all things related to the Guard.
“She is Lady Ebudae Pallon, also known as Pelya’s best friend,” a third Guardsman said, coming up behind the bald one.
“Oh, here now. You’re a friend of ours then, Milady,” The grey-haired man said. “I’m Florsy, the bald one is Grinkin and our quiet friend is Clutz. We’re here on behalf of Pelya.”
“Oh? Is she alright?” Ebudae remembered how tired her friend had been. “Did she find her father?”
Florsy nodded. “Yeah. He broke some ribs falling down stairs or so he says. No one knows what really happened.”
“He likes to be mysterious,” Ebudae said with a wry grin. It drew laughs from the Guardsmen. They truly were friends of Pelya, so she relaxed. “What about the troupe?” She gestured at the sealed tent.
“It’s not good,” Clutz said. He was calm in manner and spoke like a breeze rustling the trees. “Aphry, the leader of the group, and her husband were taken by Blavoci’s men. I’m betting that the tent and stage were signed over, but the administration building is closed til tomorrow.”
“What about Juggles?” He . . . juggles,” Ebudae said lamely.
They exchanged glances. Florsy came over and patted her on the shoulder. “Word is, he made a deal to save himself, but we don’t know what it is. A couple of reliable contacts gave us the information.”
Ebudae frowned.
“Did you know the muscle man too?” Grinkin asked.
“Lizor,” Ebudae said with a nod. “Pelya liked him. He was the first one we met when he offered us shade because it was so hot.”
“I’m afraid he was murdered. They found his body . . . well, I’ll spare you the details.” Grinkin rubbed his head and closed his eyes.
Ebudae felt tears sting hers. She hadn’t cared much for Lizor, but didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.
“I’ll see you home, Milady,” Florsy said. “When we know more, we’ll let Pelya know. I’ll stop by and give you the information too, if you like.”
“No thank you.” Ebudae shook her head. “I have other things I need to take care of and Pelya will tell me what you learn.”
“Here now,” Clutz said, his voice becoming hard. “I don’t care who you are, Blavoci is a dangerous man and we won’t let you go after him on your own.”
“No, no,” Ebudae replied. “I’m not stupid. I do have other things to do. I don’t care about him.” Even a powerful merchant wouldn’t mess with Lady Pallon’s granddaughter and Ebudae didn’t blame them. Her grandmother was scary.
“Well I should escort you,” Florsy insisted.
“No.” Ebudae was firm. She did not want an escort. He would probably want to talk to her and that would drive her insane.
There was a silent pause before he stepped aside with a bow. “Milady.”
“Thank you. Please keep Pelya safe. I think she’s more important than any of us know.” Ebudae didn’t know why she told them that.
When they slammed their fists to their chest in unison, it caused her to jump. “With our lives, Milady,” Grinkin said. Ebudae was suddenly thankful that she was on Pelya’s side.
Chapter 15
The Mosh district wasn’t as busy as Carnival, but people filled the brightly lit main streets. To her surprise, Ebudae saw Juggles from across the street. He was talking to a pretty acrobat who was vapidly giggling at his every word.
Ebudae froze for a minute, ignoring the glares of people who had to make their way around her. If Juggles had truly endangered the troupe, or worse, her and Pelya, then she had a score to settle.
Juggles didn’t see her cross the street and come up behind him, but the acrobat did and scowled as though warning Ebudae off from her man.
“Hello, Juggles,” Ebudae said. He jumped and dropped one of the balls he was juggling in his left hand. When he turned, Ebudae asked him outright, “Who have you told what to?”
“You need to leave, little girl,” the acrobat challenged. She put a hand on a knife hilt on her belt.
Pelya had taught Ebudae about intimidating people. Instead of making a sword hiss, Ebudae had little tricks that took almost no energy. She whispered a few words and made gestures. The effects created were a blowing of her hair as though she was casting a powerful spell. A glimmering effect surrounded her body and her eyes turned solid black.
It was enough for the acrobat to turn and run away at full speed. Juggles dropped the rest of his balls and backed a step away. Ebudae held up a hand, and in an eerie, magically-enhanced voice said, “Stay. You will answer my questions.”
“Y . . . yes. Anything you want.” Juggles gulped and held onto the lamppost he had backed into.
Ebudae released the effect. “What did you tell them?” She didn’t know if he had told anyone anything or if it was just rumor, but she had the upper hand and bluffed in order to press the advantage. The feeling of being watched tickled the back of her neck yet again. She ignored it so as not to lose his attention.
“It’s not safe to talk here,” Juggles said, looking around nervously.
“I’m not willing to be led into a trap,” Ebudae warned.
“Blavoci’s men might be following me. If they find you, things could get bad. I know a place they won’t find us.” He continued looking around, refusing to make eye contact.
“Fine then, but I’ll kill you first if this is a trap,” Ebudae snarled.
The blood drained from his face and his hands began shaking. So nervous was he, that he forgot his juggling balls on the ground where they had fallen. Ebudae followed carefully, keeping an eye on their surroundings while making certain he didn’t do anything tricky.
The feeling of being watched kept tickling the back of her neck. It went away for a few seconds when she rubbed it, but came back. It was setting her even further on edge. Juggles turned down a side street and then another. When he turned into a small alley, she stopped.
He turned. “It’s not an ambush. There’s a neat courtyard ahead that few people ever go to. I promise it’s safe.”
She shouldn’t cast magic, but that was a secondary consideration to staying alive. Ebudae didn’t trust him at all. With a gesture and a word, she protected her mind. The feeling of supernatural wind ruffling her hair felt wonderful. Next, she cast a small ward against magical spells. It wasn’t her favorite, but took little energy. Lastly, she cast a spell that hardened her skin without hindering movement, protecting her better than any chain shirt.
The dragon mark heated her back again as she took a slow breath. Juggles was backing fearfully away from her, a hand out to touch the dirty stone building next to him as if for moral support. Ebudae lifted her chin and moved forward. “Pray for your sake that you’re not lying to me.” After the words came out of her mouth, she thought it sounded lame, but at that point, anything she said would probably frighten him.
He turned and led her through the short alley. Dralin had thousands of hidden treasures and the courtyard was one of them. Ivy covered walls surrounded a cobblestone area filled with overgrown nightflowers. “They only bloom at night when the moons are out and they have enormous petals to catch the faint light.” Juggles gestured at the lavender blossoms laced with orange veins.
“I know what nightflowers are.” Ebudae forgot that she was supposed to be alert for a moment and went to run her fingers over the petals and inhale their sugary aroma. “They don’t normally grow in Dralin. It’s too polluted.”
“There’s some sort of enchantment on this place that keeps the air pure.” Juggles put his hands on her waist. “They’r
e beautiful, aren’t they?”
Ebudae froze, the touch of his hands bringing her back to the present. She mentally kicked herself for not remaining alert. When he began sliding his hands up her sides, she twisted aside and slapped them away. “What do you think you’re doing?” She glanced around. It was just the two of them.
Her reaction surprised him. “I told you there was no ambush.” He gestured around the courtyard. Butterflies with wings that glowed in the dark, fluttered around the flowers. It was entrancing. “Don’t you feel it? The nightflower aroma floating through your veins?” He grinned amorously and moved in to put his hands on her again.
Then Ebudae remembered a fact about the flowers. They gave off an aphrodisiacal aroma that incited creatures to lovemaking. The spell she had cast to protect her mind made her immune to it even though it was a sensory effect. “So it is an ambush after all, just a different sort.” She backed away, glancing over her shoulder to make sure there was nothing to trip over.
“You don’t feel it?” he asked in surprise. “Come to my arms. I’ll make your fantasies become real.” It was a cheesy line and made her giggle involuntarily. Juggles continued to move forward with what Ebudae assumed was supposed to be a seductive look, but instead gave the impression he was constipated.
“No, I don’t. Now tell me what information you gave to them.” She stopped moving back and stood her ground as he came face to face with her. “No more distractions.”
“I’ll tell you things you never knew.” He gripped her arms and tried to kiss her. She turned her head and tried to push away. He was stronger though. The next thing she knew, his arms wrapped around her while he squeezed his body against hers, his breath hot in her ear.
Ebudae was terrified and froze for a second, desperately trying to figure out a way to escape. He held her so hard it hurt. One of his hands grabbed her hair and yanked her head around to get the kiss he wanted.
What would Pelya do? The training Pelya had given her to get out of just this situation became clear in her mind. However, she was off balance from the way he was holding her. His breath was strong in her face as he tried to find her lips.
She brought her knee up into his crotch. It was a terrible aim and she was sure she missed, but the motion threw them both off balance and they fell to the ground. Her head smacked against the cobbles, making spots appear in her vision.
“Oof,” Juggles grunted. Ebudae didn’t know why, considering he landed on her. He got up to his knees and looked down at her. “Are you alright?”
She rolled over to her hands and knees trying to get her breath back. It came in a rush and she gulped air, trying to clear the fog out of her head. Answering him wasn’t a concern.
Ebudae felt his hands on her hips again and his crotch pressing against her. “Stop it!” she yelled while jumping away and to her feet.
His amorous words and stupid facial expressions were gone. Replacing them was a mean sneer and snarling voice. “I’ll just take what I want then.” Then he rushed her.
Without having to think about it, Ebudae shifted to the side and held a leg firm to trip him. He didn’t adjust fast enough and fell sprawling to the ground. As he got to his hands and knees, Ebudae braced her left leg and swung her foot between his legs with all her strength.
A terrible wail of pain burst forth from the lips that had attempted to molest hers just a moment before and he crossed his arms in between his legs, curling into a fetal position. Ebudae stood at the ready, trying to decide whether to kick again or whether to kill him. His face was buried in the leaves of one of the nightflowers and he groaned in misery.
Dizziness threatened to overwhelm her and she staggered to the side. Ebudae caught her balance, but she felt weak and sick to the stomach. If he managed to get up, she didn’t know if she’d be able to fight him off again. She turned and ran from the courtyard.
***
After traveling a few streets in the general direction of home, Ebudae stood with her back against a dark wall. There was no one around, so she put her face in hands and sobbed.
Pelya would have planted Juggles on his back at the first sign of trouble if he had done that to her. Ebudae had barely managed to escape. He had been so strong and determined to take her. There was no time to cast spells or make the gestures necessary to cast a spell and she didn’t even know what to cast in that situation.
Ebudae looked up at the moons and banged her fists down against the wall at her sides. Going out on her own was supposed to be an adventure, but was turning into a nightmare instead. Things were starting to rush through her head again, threatening to overwhelm her.
She focused on the moons, the green and blue shapes on Siahray, directly above the street, were fascinating. Piohray was also visible further distant and off to the right. At times, Piohray seemed sinister, but tonight it was merely there.
Tiredness brought thoughts of changing into a nightgown and climbing under her safe covers. Crying was a waste of time anyway and she tried to avoid it when possible. Ebudae remembered that she still hadn’t collected Shade, her emo bunny. Running fingers through the sides of her now tangled hair, she considered whether to go home or to the temple.
A noise from an alley across the street startled her. She thought she saw a shadow move in the dim light of a distant street lantern. Ebudae headed toward home, constantly looking over her shoulder.
***
Yellem looked at the pretty girl crying across the street from the alley. He liked it when girls cried. They were so vulnerable and had soft skin. Yellem whispered over his shoulder, “You guys move to the far side of her. Don’t let this one get away.”
There was no answer.
He turned around. All three of his partners in crime were face down on the dirty ground of the alley. The moonlight showed circular bloodstains on their backs from where they had been stabbed. Rats wasted no time taking tentative nibbles out of two, while more were sneaking up on the third.
“What the . . . Unh.” Yellem grunted as cold pain traveled through his chest from back to front. Looking down, he saw a thin, liquid-silver blade sticking out of his chest where his heart rested. The rippling effect in the blade was odd. It disappeared suddenly, causing Yellem to fall to his knees from lack of support.
The air grew unnaturally cold as he fell forward to the ground. His cheek slapped against cobblestone. Yellem’s last breath came forth in a mist and the last thing he saw was a rat eyeing him from a short distance away.
***
Tina was sitting at the dining table in Ebudae’s suite, worriedly nibbling on a piece of bread from the tray of food she had brought up. She stood upon seeing Ebudae come in and then rushed over and looked her up and down in concern.
“I’m alright, Tina. Just tired and hungry.” Ebudae went over to the table, sat down and grabbed some cold cuts. “Thank you for taking such good care of me,” she mumbled around a mouthful.
Tina kissed the top of her head and took the cloak from her to hang up. “B, b, b, b, bath?” she asked on the way back. It showed how concerned Tina was that she took the effort to speak.
“Yes, Tina. I loved the mix of leaves and rose petals you had the other night.” Ebudae grabbed her hand. “I appreciate how well you take care of me. Thank you.”
Tina boldly hugged her and went off to draw the bath. A short while later, she tucked Ebudae under the covers and left the room. Ebudae closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
***
Juggles lay with his face in the flowers for a while. Moving wasn’t important. Nothing had gone the way he expected since that sorceress had come into his life. Now his friends were either being sold off as slaves, or dead.
The only reason the same hadn’t happened to him was because he told Blavoci’s man everything he had wanted to know before the torture could begin. Ebudae would get a nasty surprise when they found her. Even the Guard brat, Pelya, would be dealt with harshly.
He groaned while standing. The pain was dull, bu
t it seemed like it was everywhere in his body, especially up the length of his spine. Glowing butterflies fluttered between the flowers, ignorant of his discomfort. The moons gave off enough light for him to see his way and he limped through the streets to the apartment he was renting a short distance away.
Blavoci’s man had given him some gold for the information. It was enough to buy comfort for a year. He would find a new troupe to join when he was ready. At the moment, he just wanted to lie down and hope the pain would go away soon.
The small street seemed extra dark as he fumbled for his keys. He looked around, but nothing showed itself. Sweat dripped down his nose and trickled down his back, but he suddenly felt cold. Juggles concentrated on finding the right key and opening the door to the building. Once inside, he closed and relocked it. Then he headed upstairs to his apartment as quickly as his discomfort would allow him.
His apartment was dark, but he kept candles on a table just inside the door like most people. He lit one with a magical wick, available at all cheap magic shops. The flickering flame illuminated the sparse furnishings of the room. Juggles went to the shutters covering the lone window and opened them to let in the moonlight. Setting the candle on a small table in the middle of the room, he went to a cabinet where he kept a few bottles of inexpensive wine. They would be warm as well, but it didn’t matter.
Juggles opened the bottle and took a swig. The thick taste rolled around over his tongue and he swallowed in satisfaction.
Then he dropped the bottle. It shattered on the ground, splashing its red liquid everywhere.
Juggle’s chest was so cold it hurt. He looked down and saw a blade made of liquid-silver rippling from the front of his chest. He jerked back a step when it was pulled out.
His last breath came out in a mist as he wondered who had killed him and why.
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