“Then how are we meant to find the tower?” I asked. “Do you know where it is?”
Dhav looked uncomfortable.
“No. I had some maps with me but I left them behind when the succubus lured me to the oasis.”
“Great.”
We stood in silence for a while. Then Kiran spoke hesitantly.
“We could ask the cairn-witch.”
I stared at her.
“The what?”
“The cairn-witch. I remember her from when I was a child. She lives outside the village but if the stories are true, she knows where the tower is.”
“Why?”
“Because she used to live there. She might help you find your way.”
“You’ve been gone a long time,” I said doubtfully. “What if she’s dead? Or moved out?”
“She’ll still be there,” said Kiran confidently. “Witches live for centuries and they hardly ever move. Their familiars don’t like it.”
I didn’t know if she was joking or not.
“Why would she help us?” asked Dhav sceptically. “She doesn’t even know us.”
“Yes, but cairn-witches are notorious bargainers, aren’t they?” said Kiran, as if this was common knowledge. “She would do it for payment.”
“We have no money,” Dhav pointed out.
“Not yet.” I looked at him with a wicked grin. “The poker game, remember? If we win, we can buy all the supplies we need, and pay the old witch for a map. You know what they say.”
“What?”
“Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.”
Dhav raised his eyes heavenward.
“Very well. But on one condition. I will be playing.”
“You?” I laughed. “Can you even play cards?”
“I was at Eton and Cambridge. Trust me, I can play. Besides, you will have a very important job for which you are much more eminently qualified than I.”
I didn’t like the sound of that.
“What job?”
“If I’m going to win, I will have to throw them off their game.” He looked me up and down. “You’ll have to distract them.”
Chapter Eighteen
I looked at myself in the mirror and scowled.
“I look like a hooker.”
“Don’t screw your face up,” Dhav said mildly. “Try to remember you’re supposed to be alluring.”
I stuck my tongue out at him. But I had to admit, he looked pretty good. Maeva had rustled him up a suit, and he was wearing a grey jacket over a black shirt. He looked debonair.
In contrast, I looked like I belonged on a street corner.
“I think you look lovely,” said Kiran loyally.
I looked down at the garish sequinned dress. Kiran had borrowed it off a ‘friend’ – I suspected she meant one of the good-time girls that plied their trade at the inn. It was cut to reveal as much cleavage as possible, with a slit up the side that showed a flash of thigh every time I moved. I felt horribly exposed.
“How am I supposed to sit down in this thing without showing my underwear?” I complained.
“Don’t wear any?” suggested Dhav innocently. He dodged as I threw a hairbrush at him. “Temper, Samira. Your job is to distract the other players. They all know each other, so they’ll try to gang up on me and shut me out of the game. But if they can’t keep their eyes off you, I’m in with a chance.”
“It’s so sexist. Why can’t I play poker and you flirt with the guys?”
“Would it help if I pay you?”
My ears pricked up.
“Pay me? How much?”
“What do you want?”
I thought of the chandelier in his palace dining room.
“Sapphires. I like sapphires.”
“Then sapphires you shall have. A king’s ransom of sapphires.”
I looked at him suspiciously.
“Is that a promise? Cross your heart?”
He solemnly placed his hand on his chest.
“I, Prince Dhavani of Ashfahaan, do hereby decree that your reward for pretending to be a… how did you put it? A hooker, will be a kilogram of sapphires from our vaults. Satisfied?”
“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Just charm the men, Samira. I’m sure even you can pretend to be agreeable for one night.”
“Maeva says they’re not very nice,” said Kiran doubtfully. “The working girls won’t go near them.”
I gave a wolfish grin.
“Good. Then I won’t have any competition. And if they try anything funny, they’ll find out I’m not very nice either.”
“Not until we’ve won,” Dhav warned. “I’ve borrowed our buy-in from Deelan and Maeva, whatever happens I have to win enough to pay them back.”
“If you’re as good as you say you are…”
“I am.”
“Then there should be no problem, should there? Come on. Let’s get this show on the road. And afterwards, I’m going to burn this dress.”
The poker game was in a back room that stank of cigars and whisky. There was a separate bar here, run by Maeva, to keep the card-players well lubricated.
Four of them were already sitting at the table when Dhav walked in. The two wealthy-looking gents I’d seen drinking wine last night; the Duwa with his single eye staring out of his forehead; and an enormous giant with a craggy face and overhanging brow.
His biceps were bulging out of a badly-cut shirt, and his hair was green and mossy. This could only be the rock troll.
His eyes crawled over me as I slinked into the room, doing my best to be seductive. I quickly realised I could have been wearing a bin-liner. This dude was not picky, as long as his quarry was female.
The two fat men leered at me, one of them giving a slow whistle. I smiled at him – or rather, I bared my teeth and hoped he’d think it was a smile.
The Duwa, on the other hand, didn’t seem impressed. His creepy yellow eye flickered over me, then fixed back on his drink.
A fresh deck of cards stood unopened in the centre of the round table. Each player had a pile of chips in front of them.
“Mind if I join you, gentlemen?” Dhav slid into the last remaining chair and arranged his chips.
“Who’s the skirt?” leered the troll. Maeva came to the table with a tray of drinks.
“She’s new. She’s helping me with the service in here today, as it’s so busy out front.”
“And what service does she provide?” He looked right at me and licked his lips. I tried not to bristle.
“Bar service,” said Maeva firmly. “Now, you know the rules. Dhav here is from out of town, so show him some hospitality.”
“Out of town?” The Duwa peered at him. His voice was high-pitched and nasally. “Where are you from?”
“From Karachi, originally,” said Dhav easily. “And you gentlemen are?”
“I’m Gol. These two gentlemen are Holgate and Cobb. And that’s Ignius.”
The rock troll hadn’t taken his eyes off me while the introductions were made. He leaned towards Dhav.
“Is she yours?” he asked. Like I was a possession.
“She’s her own woman. Although I’m hoping she’s open to suggestions,” Dhav grinned.
“Easy, Ignius. Keep your mind on the game,” warned Holgate. “Shall we start, gentlemen?”
Maeva grabbed my hand and walked me over to the bar as the men unwrapped the fresh deck of cards.
“Are you sure about this?” she said in a low voice. “Ignius is not known for his good manners.”
“I can handle him. By the looks of it, distracting him from the game is going to be easy. But the Duwa’s different. He doesn’t seem interested.”
“I’m not surprised. Duwas are hermaphrodites.”
“You mean, they have both sets of…?”
“Yes. Male and female reproductive parts. He doesn’t need a partner to procreate.”
“I’m not interested
in making babies, thanks. What about fun? How does he get his kicks?”
“He’s doing it now. He just wants to win diamonds. Duwas are like magpies. If it sparkles, they want it.”
The game started behind me, with Cobb as the dealer. He shuffled the cards expertly, and I saw he was no amateur.
“Five card stud, joker’s wild, no limit. Nice clean game, gentlemen.”
He doled out the cards, one each face down, followed by one face up. The betting started. I leaned against the bar, making sure I was in the troll’s eyeline and occasionally letting him have a flash of thigh.
An hour in, and Dhav was losing. His mound of chips was significantly depleted. Holgate and Cobb both had respectable piles, but Gol and Ignius were well ahead in the game.
I ground my teeth in frustration. Dhav was being too tentative, falling for bluffs and folding too early. I loaded a tray with fresh drinks and sashayed over.
“Liquid refreshments, gentlemen?” I inquired smoothly.
I bent over the table as I placed their whiskies down, giving them all an eyeful. The Duwa steadfastly ignored me, but the others stopped playing for a second to stare.
When I was sure I had their attention, I leaned against Dhav and deliberately let my fingers graze his shoulders, smiling seductively at him. I figured a bit of envy on the part of the others could only work in our favour.
Without missing a beat he slid his hand through the slit in my skirt and let his fingers rest on the back of my thigh. I tried not to jump.
“Have you come to bring me some luck?” he drawled.
“You look like you need it, honey.”
“Just biding my time.”
“What for? A miracle?”
The other players laughed unkindly, and I realised they didn’t see him as a threat. With a start, I wondered if Dhav had been playing badly on purpose for that very reason, to lull them into a false sense of security.
I glanced at him and he dropped me a wink, confirming my suspicions. He took his hand from my leg to reach for a card, leaving my skin warm from where his fingers had rested.
Over the next half hour he clawed back his stake, never playing well enough to rouse suspicion but managing to increase his winnings to a respectable amount.
The men took a break after the next hand. Holgate and Cobb lit cigars and wandered into the main bar. Gol and Ignius stayed at the table with Dhav. I took them fresh drinks, making sure Dhav got the watered down version. The last thing we needed was for him to get drunk again.
“You doing okay, sweetheart?” I asked him, flashing him a sympathetic smile. “Or do you still need a dose of good luck?”
“I know exactly what I need,” he growled, and unexpectedly tugged me into his lap.
I frowned up at him, wondering if I’d accidentally given him the full strength alcohol after all.
And then he leaned down and kissed me, and suddenly I couldn’t think straight.
Chapter Nineteen
His lips were warm and firm, and I felt myself starting to respond. Then he turned his head and nuzzled my earlobe. It took me a second before I realised he was murmuring something quietly into my ear.
“The troll is cheating. I think he has extra cards in his pocket. Can you get them?”
I flushed, realising he’d only wanted to talk privately.
“Ahem.” The Duwa cleared his throat. “Do you mind? Women are not allowed at the table.”
“No, no, let her continue.” The troll gazed at me hungrily. “Me next.”
“You have no discipline, Ignius,” the Duwa admonished him. “We are here to play poker, not fornicate.”
“Can’t we do both?”
I realised the split in my dress had fallen open while I’d been sitting in Dhav’s lap. Hastily I tugged it closed and wriggled to my feet, avoiding his gaze. I knew what I had to do, but that didn’t mean I liked it.
I smiled flirtatiously at the troll and glided over to him. He was massive, the buttons of his jacket straining as he pushed back from the table. He patted his lap hopefully and I gave a little giggle as I sat gracefully on his tree-trunk legs.
I tried not to grimace as I brushed imaginary fluff off his shoulders. Up close, he smelled dank. Like the underside of a stone left on damp earth too long.
“Normally my gentlemen friends give me presents before I get friendly with them,” I said. “Mr Dhav bought me a drink earlier. What have you got for me?”
“I could get you another drink.” His hand tightened on my thigh uncomfortably. “A bigger drink.”
I ignored his grip and pouted prettily.
“I don’t want another drink. Do you have something else?”
He hastily rooted around in a pocket, and my sharp eyes caught the glint of something white. He grunted, coming up empty-handed, and felt around in his other pocket. With a triumphant grin he held his paw out to me, and something gleamed in his mossy palm.
I gasped, not entirely acting.
“Is that a diamond? For me?”
“Just a small half-carat. Surely that’s worth a kiss?”
Without warning he grabbed me and planted one on my lips. His mouth was unpleasantly wet and it was all I could to stop myself from gagging in revulsion. I let him have all of five seconds before I pushed him away.
“Time to get back to the game,” I told him. “But I’ll take my present.” Because I damn well earned it. He dropped the diamond into my outstretched hand.
“And when I win, you and I will celebrate properly,” he smirked, pinching my thigh again. I slid off his lap, trying not to shudder.
“Don’t count your chickens. Mr Ignius,” I said airily. “To me, it looks like Mr Gol is winning. In fact, Maeva told me he’s won the last three games.”
The rock troll scowled at the Duwa.
“That was just bad luck,” he muttered sulkily. “This time, my luck’s changing.”
Think again, shit for brains. I blew him a kiss and walked back to the bar. When no-one was watching, I surreptitiously slid the jokers I’d lifted from his jacket under a beer mat.
Holgate and Cobb came back in, and Maeva brought them fresh drinks.
“Last round, gentlemen,” she said. “Bar’s closing.”
The final hand began, and this time Dhav wasn’t holding back. The atmosphere became decidedly more tense.
By the penultimate round of betting, Cobb and Holgate had nothing. They folded.
The Duwa had a pair of nines and a four on show. He was dealt another four. With his facedown card he could have a full house, but his expression gave nothing away. Not that his single eye was easy to read, anyway.
Dhav had the ten, seven and six of hearts. He got dealt an eight. He raised his bet, which meant he was either bluffing, or he had a flush. Maybe even a straight flush. I hoped it was the latter.
Ignius had three twos on show, which wouldn’t beat either hand unless his hole card was a two as well. He was dealt another two.
The Duwa folded. The troll’s four-of-a-kind beat his hand, whether or not he had a full house. Ignius grinned at Dhav.
“Just you and me now, son,” he said amiably. “I’ll raise you.”
He pushed his pile of chips into the centre of the table. Dhav eyed it.
“I don’t have enough.”
“So fold.”
“Not so fast. How about if I throw in something you want?” Dhav leaned back in his chair, never taking his eyes off the troll. “Samira. Come here please.”
You have got to be kidding. Plastering a fake smile on my face, I glided up to the table.
“Yes, honey?”
“I need to raise the bet. I’m sure Mr Ignius here would consider your company to be a worthwhile stake. What do you say, Mr Ignius?”
The troll’s eyes slithered over me and I felt my flesh crawl. I put a hand on Dhav’s shoulder and dug my nails in, smiling sweetly.
“I’m sure Mr Ignius would prefer something more valuable. Like your watch, for example?”
He gave a slow smile.
“Actually, I prefer the first suggestion. How long? One hour? No, make it two.”
“Two hours of your fair company, Samira. Is it a deal?”
I narrowed my eyes and looked hard at Dhav. His expression gave nothing away. But he must have a winning hand, I thought. He wouldn’t bet me away so blatantly if he didn’t.
Would he?
I mean, he didn’t like me but surely even he wouldn’t be so blasé about handing me over to the Hulk there.
I nodded reluctantly.
“Okay, honey.” Though my feminist gran will be turning in her grave, I added under my breath.
Dhav pushed his chips to the centre of the table, just as Ignius had a sudden coughing fit. He fumbled in his pocket for a handkerchief.
“Just one second,” he wheezed. “Allergies.”
He groped around a bit more. I saw his eyes widen as he couldn’t find what he was looking for.
He tried another pocket, his face taking on a distinctly worried expression.
“Are you alright?” asked Dhav innocently.
“Yes, yes, just can’t find my... my handkerchief, that’s all.”
I went to the bar and got a napkin.
“Here you are, Mr Ignius,” I said with a smile. He took it from me, scowling.
“Come on, stop stalling,” grumbled Cobb. “I want to see your hand.”
Looking a bit green around the gills, Ignius flipped his hole card over. It was a jack.
But he still had four-of-a-kind, and that hand beat almost everything else. Only a straight flush could win now. We all turned to Dhav. Even Maeva stopped polishing the bar as we waited expectantly.
He kept his eyes on Ignius as he slowly turned over his last card. Everyone gasped, and the troll let out a groan.
It was nine of hearts. Straight flush. Cobb clapped him on the shoulder.
“Well played, sir. Well played.”
Ignius watched thunderstruck as Dhav dragged all the chips to his side of the table. The Duwa stood and gave a little bow.
Mark of the Djinn: A Young Adult Urban Fantasy Romance Page 12