by S A McClure
She placed the crown on her brow and twirled around to see Amber’s expression.
Amber stood for several moments, her lips slightly ajar. There was no doubt about it. Morta was one of, if not the, most beautiful people she had ever met. Tonight, she looked like a queen.
“Stop gaping,” Morta commanded. “And show me what you intend to wear. Tonight may be a celebration of our deal with Spade, but it is also a declaration of the future.”
Her features darkened as she spoke, and Amber wondered what secrets she still had. No matter how close they were or what Morta revealed to her, Amber never felt like she ever really knew her employer. She was an enigma. Maybe she always would be.
“This place has been a cesspool of crimes against the Naturally Augmented for too long. I intend to see that end.”
Amber jerked her head towards Morta. “What are you talking about.”
Morta didn’t reply. Instead, she reached into her closet and pulled a ruby, lace gown. It didn’t look like it had a lining to it.
“Wear this one,” she said, thrusting the dress at Amber. She stalked over to her dressing table and retrieved a pair of dangling diamond earrings. “And these.”
Amber accepted the items with a shaky hand. Memories of the last party she’d been to filled her mind and she gulped. They still hadn’t discussed the girl trapped in Spade’s basement.
“Umm, Morta, I’ve been meaning to ask you…” She trailed off, unsure of how to broach the subject again.
Morta glanced at the grandmother clock against the wall. It chimed softly as it reached three-quarters of an hour. Her nose wrinkled in distaste as she turned her attention on Amber. “Spit it out. Our guests will be arriving soon, and I want to make my entrance at the exact right moment.”
Amber cringed at Morta’s reaction, but knew she couldn’t let something as diminutive as fear stop her from continuing.
“I was wondering if we could discuss everything that’s been going on again. Who was the girl locked in Spade’s basement? Or, at least, why did they have her locked down there? Why would someone send the shade to kill us? None of it makes sense!” Once she started, she found she couldn’t stop.
“Amber, it is not the correct time to answer those questions. I’m sorry, but this conversation will have to wait.”
Frustration roiled within her. She didn’t know why Morta refused to answer her questions, but she would be damned if she let her off the hook that easily. She’d nearly died at the shade’s hand. She’d been having nightmares about the girl for days. And, to top it all off, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Morta knew more than she was letting on.
“Why won’t you just tell me!” She dropped the dress and the earrings to the floor as she strode toward her. By the time she reached Morta, her anger had reduced to the meagerest of morsels. She stammered over her next words. “You keep things from me when all I want is to be of service to you. To this place. Don’t you understand that?”
Morta took a step back. Her features remained unphased as she patted down her dress and turned on her heel to walk away.
“Don’t turn your back on me, Morta!” Amber screamed.
She glanced over her shoulder at Amber and smirked. “My dear girl, I can do whatever it is I please. I’m the queen now.”
Amber gaped after her as she exited her chambers. She waited until she could no longer hear her footsteps before sinking to the floor and letting the tears that had been building cascade down her cheeks. She’d been a fool to think that she could ever persuade her employer to tell her something she clearly had no interest in sharing.
She remained like that for several moments. Her head ached by the time she stopped crying, and her shoulders and back were tense. Pinching the bridge on her nose she counted backwards from ten as she waited for the pressure to subside.
Checking her bracelet, she scrambled to her feet. The party was about to start, and she was expected to be in the high roller room before it began. She changed quickly. The lace dress clung to her curves. It hit her legs mid-thigh, but she knew it would ride up when she sat. Holes between the floral designs in the dress revealed her tanned skin beneath it. She scowled at her reflection in the mirror.
Closing her eyes, she envisioned the person she knew Morta wanted her to be. Flirty. Sensual. Witty.
She always played her part well.
Tonight would be no different.
The earrings were a perfect match for the dress, making her appear older and way more sophisticated than she actually was. Since the encounter with the shade, she’d lost so much weight that the hollows of her cheeks were visible and her collarbone was prominent beneath the curve of her dress. She doubted anyone at the party would notice the gauntness to her bones or the sadness in her eyes. People tend to overlook the things they would rather not see.
She smiled at herself in the mirror before applying a few touchups to her makeup. She would appear flawless to every scumbag in the place. Some of them would have the balls to approach her, but most would be too scared to make a pass. It was better that way. She could focus on her work.
Slipping through the crowd, she made her way to the back of the casino, where the high roller room had been setup, complete with champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries, and men and women who had been paid handsomely to distract the players with lively conversation and sexy flirtation.
She was just about to open the door when a firm hand wrapped around her wrist and yanked her back. She dug her nails into his hand and hissed, bringing her free elbow up to hit her assailant in the solar plexus.
He gasped for air as Amber jammed her foot straight into his instep. He groaned as she threw her hand up and into his nose. She didn’t hear it break, but the satisfying gush of blood put a genuine smile on her face. She finished by kneeing him in the groin.
“Morta taught me how to sing,” she said as the man dropped to his knees on the ground.
His warm brown eyes met her, and she faltered.
“YOU!” she hissed, bringing her arm up to strike him again. “What are you doing here?”
“Personal invitation,” he gasped. His nose continued to trickle blood.
For a moment, Amber almost felt pity for him. It was quickly replaced by annoyance. “I highly doubt Morta personally invited you to the party, J.”
He pulled out the small black card with roses scrolling across the border. Silver filigree made it glisten as he showed her where Morta had signed the card.
“You know she has a stamp for that, right?” Amber asked with a smirk.
“Figures,” he replied, rolling his eyes.
She suddenly felt awkward standing in front of him as he continued to bleed over his tux. He had saved her life, after all.
She held her hand out to him. He didn’t even hesitate as he reached up and grasped her hand in his own. She pulled him to his feet and guided him to the staff room.
“Wait here,” she commanded as she went to retrieve a first aid kit from behind one of the bars. Most of them contained the weird goo used by the medics to close and heal wounds.
“Really, I’m fine, Fortuna. There’s no need—”
She found the spray can of healing goo just as he finished, “—I’m fine.”
To her surprise, the bleeding had stopped of its own accord. The bruise that had previously spotted his cheek where her elbow had connected with the soft spot just below the eye was gone.
“How did you—” she stammered.
He shrugged. “How are you the luckiest woman I’ve ever met?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Flattery won’t get you anywhere,” she said. “But I thought you could control the weather.” She thought back to the first time she’d met him. Hadn’t he controlled the winds? Now she wasn’t so sure.
“Oh, that,” he shrugged, “that was nothing compared to what I can really do.”
She glanced at him, trying to determine if he was joking with her or not. A small dimple formed in his cheek as
he smiled at her.
“So, what led to my employer inviting you to this party?” she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
“Well, if I’m being honest, I don’t exactly know.”
She didn’t believe him. Not for a second. “What do you want here, J?” she asked. She sounded cold, even to herself. She valued honesty over anything else. Except for ice cream. Nothing was more important than ice cream.
He smiled at her, bemusement shining in his eyes as he leaned down and placed his hands on the wall to either side of her head. She pressed herself against the wall, her insides squirming at being pinned by him. His lips tickled her ear as he whispered, “I came here to see you again.”
His words left her feeling hot. She squelched that feeling as much as she could, but it clung to her like a spiderweb in early morning dew.
“You look ravishing in that dress,” he continued as he skimmed his knuckles over her cheeks. He kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger just long enough for her heartbeat to increase to a racing speed.
Unconsciously, she leaned into him. A part of her hungered for his warmth. Her lips parted slightly as she tilted her chin up towards him.
He stepped away, creating a vacuum of space between them that felt like an ice wall. She shook her head, regaining control of herself as she stared at him.
“I wasn’t lying,” he said. “I came to see you.”
“Why?”
“There’s something I think you should see,” he replied as he stretched out his hand for her to take.
Her fingers curled inward as she fought the impulse to take his hand. She refused to be one of those girls that turned to mush the minute a handsome guy walked into the room, that she kind of, sort of, maybe liked. That wasn’t her.
“Then show me,” she said, crossing her arms of her chest and tucking her hands beneath her armpits.
He chuckled at her but didn’t force the issue.
He guided her back through the casino, towards the front entrance.
“Umm, J, I know you want to be all secretive and mysterious here, but I need to remind you that I can’t leave the Underworld. Not tonight.”
He turned towards her then, the smile wiped from his face. When she didn’t budge, he sidled over to her and pulled her against the wall. Their bodies were so close, Amber didn’t think even a piece of paper could fit between them.
“What are you doing?” she breathed, turning her face away from him. She knew that if she met his gaze or looked at his lips that she would be done for.
“Pretend like you’re enjoying yourself so that no one pays attention to us,” he hissed at her.
She paused for a second as his words sank in. Then, she wrapped her arms around his back and began moving them up and down his spine, as if the only thing keeping her grounded was his support. It wasn’t far from the truth.
“Tell me what’s going on,” she growled at him through clenched teeth.
“Do you want to know about the people Spade locks in their basement or not?” he asked, his lips grazing her cheeks as he spoke.
“You’re joking, right?” she asked. Her palms turned clammy at his words. How had he known about the girl locked in the basement?
“Do I look like someone who would joke about something as serious as that?” he responded, staring her straight in the eyes.
She gulped. He didn’t. But then, she didn’t really know him that well. She wasn’t sure she could trust him. Not yet anyway.
“Could you tell me what you know instead of showing me?”
“No.”
“And it has to be tonight?” she asked, already knowing what his response would be.
“Yes.”
She clenched and unclenched her hands as she thought about his words. She could go with him. See what he had to show her. And then come back. It was busy enough that no one would notice if their chief anti-cheater left for a few hours, right?
She glanced around the casino as she considered his offer. She could either get answers from J or wait for Morta to trust her enough to tell her the truth. The queasy, unsettled feeling from their conversation earlier that evening pulsed within her. She needed the truth.
“Fine,” she snarled. “I’ll go with you.”
His sigh of relief was palpable.
“But on only one condition,” she countered.
“And what’s that?”
“You promise to tell me anything I want to know.”
“Within reason, sure.”
“No, I want to know everything,” she said. “You’re the tutor,” she continued, “teach.”
He smirked at her. “Good. You catch on quickly.” He brushed a stray strand of hair from her face and leaned into her once more. “I think we’re going to get along quite nicely.”
“Maybe. Or maybe I’ll kill you in your sleep and make it look like a suicide.”
He chuckled at her again. Despite herself, she kind of liked his laugh.
“You’re dark, but I like it,” he said as he tugged her towards the door. “Now, let’s go show you what’s really been going on in Spade.”
Chapter Eleven
No one stopped them as J led her through a series of back alleys and through the V’s slums. Greenish-brown slime coated the metal walkways. The smell was worse than the sight. Amber kept sniffing her own hair to keep herself from retching.
“How much farther is it?” she asked.
Instead of responding, he gripped her elbow and turned her towards a dilapidated building at the end of a street. Broken windows stared out at the empty driveway, vacant and Although there was no wind, it seemed to sway as they strode down the pathway to the door.
“Watch your step,” he said as he leapt over a hole on the porch. He smiled back at her when she did the same.
The stench of the main room was overpowering. While on Earth, Amber had smelled a lot of foul things. She’d had to remain in the room where her parents had died for days before someone came to help them. She didn’t think she could ever forget the way the flies had started to swarm around her mother’s rotting body or the smell of flesh slowing decaying.
Somehow, this was worse.
She gagged. Bile swelled in her throat, threatening to suffocate her if not released. She swallowed hard and pressed her nose into the length of her hair. Not even that was enough to stop the scent from permeating every part of her.
“Where in the stars did you bring me?” she seethed.
He held up a single finger to his lips as he helped her navigate over the rotten floorboards of the small house. She had the feeling that he was taking her someplace she would never be able to forget.
The buzz of insects hummed at the back of her mind. She scanned the rooms, searching for their source, knowing this place was death. Closing her eyes, she prayed that whatever it was J wanted to show her wouldn’t scar her for life. Well, at least not more than she already was.
He pulled a small, flat disc from his jacket pocket and depressed a groove at its top. It began to glow a soft blue color. Using it to light their way, he continued to lead her further into the house. It was bigger than she had thought from the outside. Each room was styled the way she remembered the house on Earth being. Concrete walls. Little adornment. Almost sterile.
“What is this place?” she asked as they rounded a corner and came to a locked door.
“This is where Spade dumps the things they find undesirable.”
Amber didn’t know what he meant by that. Why wouldn’t they just place them in the trash collector if they didn’t want them? Why have an entire house dedicated to ‘dumping’ them? She opened her mouth to ask additional questions when she heard the hiss of the door opening, and the overwhelming stench of death stopped her in her tracks.
He thrust the orb of light into the room, and Amber nearly collapsed at the sight.
Dead bodies were piled atop one another in different stages of decay. Blood coated the floor where some of them had bled out,
apparently still alive when they were left here. There were too many to count. Too many to name.
Tears filled her eyes the longer she stared at the massacre.
“What happened here?” she managed to stutter.
He didn’t immediately answer. She closed her eyes, willing the tears to remain locked inside. She couldn’t show him that kind of weakness. She didn’t want anyone to see it in her.
“I told you. Once Spade decides that something isn’t valuable to them anymore, they get rid of it.”
She spun on him then. She couldn’t believe that he was describing these people as things. Objects owned by, of all things, a gambling syndicate. They had been people. Just like him. Just like her.
She jabbed her finger in his chest, her eyes gleaming with her tears as she freely let them spill down her cheeks. “Who in the stars do you think you are? Huh? Can’t you show a little respect to the dead?”
She turned away from him, hurriedly wiping away the tears. She knew the damage was already done, but she didn’t care. Her shoulders shook as she thought of all the other things she wanted to say to him. He was a coward, bringing her here like this. what was she supposed to do about it? She was just the person Morta had assigned to deliver the death cards and ensure that no one was cheating in the high roller room.
Nothing more.
“Why did you bring me here?” she whispered. Her anger fled from her like a rabbit being chased by the wolf.
He laid a warm, comforting hand upon her shoulder before speaking. “I thought you needed to see what was at stake. All these people. They were like us. Special.”
“They were Naturally Augmented?” Amber asked, turning to look J in the eyes. He nodded once, the only confirmation she needed. She sucked in a deep breath. There were so many. She hadn’t even realized there were so many of them living on Thoth.
“Why would Morta keep this from me?” she asked. She didn’t expect an answer.
“I think she was trying to protect you,” he said as he moved his hand across her back until he was enveloping her in a one-armed hug.