Dust: A Bloods Book
Page 4
The room was massive. Cavernous. Two twisting staircases rose into the ceiling on each side of the room. Crystal pillars, circular and shiny, blazed with real flame at their centres, larger versions of the lantern Jinx held. Like the staircases, they reached from floor to ceiling in two rows, dividing the area into thirds. Dotted between these bright support structures were sofas, bookshelves, tables, a kitchen, game areas, punching bags and exercise mats. Everything people needed to keep themselves entertained.
And there were people. Not thousands, not hundreds, not even ten. She counted four people scattered around the grand room. Four people who had been alerted to their entrance when the door had opened and were now looking at Eliscity in varying states of unease.
Eliscity cowered in Jinx’s shadow, ashamed at herself even as she did it.
“Welcome to Vance Manor,” Jinx said, apparently oblivious to the tentative silence that hung in the room. “Or, at least, the dungeons of Vance Manor.”
Jinx glanced over to her and appeared shocked to find she was using him as a shield. Looking back to the four people in the room, frozen in their actions, he dropped his shoulders with a huff.
“Okay, everyone just calm down, she’s more afraid of you than you are of her.”
Barely resisting the urge to hit him, Eliscity shot him a glare and saw the edge of his mouth pull up into a smirk. The arrogant fool was enjoying himself.
A giant of a man stepped forward. Eliscity got the distinct impression he was placing himself in front of the other three as their protector. Largest by far of the four, a mad look was reddening across his bald head and under his grizzly bread. She was genuinely shocked the ground didn’t shake when he walked. She swallowed audibly as she imagined his thick fingers wrapping around her throat.
“What the Bloods is the meaning of this, then, Jinx?” His voice was thick, the words forcing themselves through teeth that got in the way.
Jinx was unfazed by the towering man’s manner. “Good to see you too, Raiden. Your obvious concern for me returning a day late is touching. Truly it is. Don’t worry, I’m not empty handed.” Jinx shook his bag at them, letting it clink and rattle.
“Definitely not empty handed.”
Eliscity looked at the owner of the new voice. He looked to be in his thirties, a five-o-clock shadow across his rough face. He joined the other man in the short protection line, keeping the other two well behind them. He had one arm lifted, pointing at Eliscity, thick hair bristling over his skin.
“Or bare-handed either,” Jinx muttered to himself before nudging Eliscity. “Do us a favour and hold up your hand. Either one will do.”
Cautiously, Eliscity raised her right hand, showing her Blooded insignia.
The air in the room shifted from hostile to erratic confusion in less than a second. Eliscity took the moment to survey the other two in the room. A dark skinned woman sat on a sofa. She’d been thumbing through the pages of a book before Eliscity’s appearance and was paused now with her hand lying delicately on it, like a bookmark. Eliscity couldn’t help but notice that Five-O-Clock shadow had taken extra care to shield her from sight. She was beautiful, her caramel skin offset against her eyes which were the palest blue.
To the woman’s right, further back, was an older man. Whitening hair topped his weathered face, tired eyes sitting above a nose that had been broken in the past. His age couldn’t hide the fact that he had once been handsome.
Jinx looked around the four people.
“Well, now we’re all relaxed –”
Eliscity wondered what room he was seeing, as these people were anything but relaxed.
“– How about we have a little fun? Go on, raise the other hand.” He nudged Eliscity again and hoping it would help her case, she obeyed.
The effect was instantaneous. The man named Raiden went from red to purple; Five-O-Clock shadow acted like he’d been shocked by lightning; the old man sought the table for support; while the dark skinned woman only tilted her head ever so slightly to survey Eliscity from a new angle.
Eliscity was beginning to get a new appreciation for what Jinx said about her being a rarity. These people had the same insignia as her. She could see it marking the woman’s left hand, she was a Born. Yet, while they were familiar with the mark, they were frightened and amazed at seeing both of them on her.
Clutching her hands to her chest, she whispered at Jinx, “Are you done with your games yet?”
He shrugged. “Fine. We’re going up to talk to Cyan, I’ll do the introductions when we’re done. Come on, then.” Jerking his chin up, he indicated she should follow the path he made through the room. As she fell in behind him, she was certain the four sets of eyes that watched their progress through the giant room made it a lot longer than it actually was.
“This is a dungeon?” Eliscity whispered, attempting to ignore the stares.
“Basement levels from the War, yeah. We call this level the Playground.”
“Levels? Plural?”
“Three.”
“Definitely not singular.”
Jinx chuckled. “This is the middle level.”
Reaching one of the twisting staircases, Jinx gestured for her to go up first. She climbed the steep, circular steps, rising through a hole in the ceiling that became a hole in the floor of the next level.
More of the elemental-made flaming crystals lit this level, bracketed to the wall. High corridors with wide doors stretched away from the staircase which continued up to the next level.
“This is where we sleep,” Jinx explained. “There are also med-rooms and a library. But we’re going up still.”
Eliscity obeyed, continuing upwards. If the Playground had been the middle level it meant they were now ascending the ground floor of the actual house. The staircase ended in what Eliscity assumed was a closet, but as Jinx slid the door open and she stepped out, she realised was actually a wall; the door a panel. Resetting the panel made it look like the rest of the wall. They were in a richly decorated sitting room with beautiful paintings of mountains hanging on the walls. A light breeze fluttered over her face from an open window and she sighed, thankful to be out of the tunnels and the underground levels. Rather than the flaming crystals of the basement levels, unlit candles were bracketed to the walls.
“Wait here for a moment.” Jinx looked uncertain. “Should probably give Cyan some sort of warning,” he admitted before leaving her alone.
Nervously she scooted over to the window and peered out. The sun was dipping from the sky – they’d been in the tunnels an entire day. But there was still enough light to see the manicured front garden, with high hedges and vibrant roses. In the distance, over Vance Manor’s tall front gate, she could make out more manors and estates framed by mature trees and bright hedges.
She had definitely left the Southern Cities.
“Heard we had a twin in the Manor.”
Eliscity jumped, spinning around. A young lad leant against the wall. Tall and lanky, he had sandy blonde hair that swept around his face. Across his right cheek sliced a deep white scar, touching the outer corner of his eye and travelling down to his top lip. He looked far too young to sport such a gruesome injury. Despite the ugly mark he was grinning wide.
“Well, not a twin as such, but seems like a fitting name,” spoke a voice to her right. Looking around she discovered the same young lad as the first one. There were two. Twins, calling her the twin.
“Gonna have to do one better if you want to beat us.”
Eliscity spun to her left, cursing out of pure shock.
There were three. Triplets, identical down to the scar trailing across their cheeks.
Her head was beginning to hurt.
“So, has the twin got herself a name?” asked the first triplet.
Before she was given the chance to answer, the one to her right – the second one? – grabbed for her hand. “I’m Forrest. This here’s Fletcher.” She found her hand passed to the third triplet like it was a rag doll.
/>
The first lad grabbed it from his brother to shake it vigorously. “And I’m Faust.”
“ ‘Spect they’re damn sorry to be rid of you.”
“Casamir says Jinx brought ya –”
“Did he find you?”
“Thought he was hitting Wrethic not –”
“What’s it like being Born –”
“ – and Blooded?”
Completely unable to get a word in and already uncertain which triplet was which, she settled for standing there, mouth hanging open.
“Makes you sought after.”
“Kinda a novelty.”
“Honour to meet you.”
“I suggest getting to know her first.” Jinx’s voice broke through the commotion. “Then decide whether it’s an honour or not.”
Unnoticed by Eliscity under siege, Jinx had reappeared. He was leaning idly against the door frame, a cheeky smile plastered on his face. Instantly the Triplets swarmed him, adopting his posture by throwing their weight against the walls.
“Jinx!”
“What’s the deal?”
“What happened?”
“Can we come next time you –”
“Yeah, next time you –”
“Where’d you find her?”
“Okay!” Jinx said loudly. “You’ll have to excuse us. We’ll meet you down at the Playground after.”
Eliscity was surprised when the Triplets obeyed. Grumbling, they opened the wall panel and folded their lanky frames into the space.
“They may be intense but they’re damn helpful,” Jinx laughed. “Tricky little fools can break most locks and as you already know their crystal lanterns are rather useful.”
“They’re the elementals?” She didn’t know what she’d expected, but it certainly hadn’t been three fast talking, scarred young boys.
“Yeah.” Jinx pushed off the door frame. “Ready? Cyan’s waiting for you.”
CHAPTER TWO
The Gentle Reigness
• Acanthea •
Acanthea had Dust in her veins.
It built sandcastles in her heart.
Closing her eyes, she forgot about the moonlight creeping in through the window and the embroidered hangings it touched upon. Noise from the hallways beyond her quarters fell beneath the rising thump of her heart. Acanthea’s surroundings held little interest to her. So she let them fade into the background as she focused, instead, on the Dust trickling into her heart, tickling her with its granules. With each pump of her heart the drug rushed from it, pushing through the thickness in her blood.
Dancing.
The sandcastles were still building. With each new spire constructed, her heart tickled and her head swum uncomfortably. But she knew the swimming would pass to make way for the blue dance. She would just need to wait for the sandcastles to fall.
She’d never been to a real sand dune before. The closest she had come to a real sand dune had been when, on her seventh birthdate, her Mother had had the library filled with a thick layer of sand as a present. Together they had built a grand sandcastle up high, choosing to model it from their imagination rather than the palace they sculpted in. No detail was left out. Her Mother had even scratched their names into the drawbridge. It had been a work of art.
A work of art she had cried for when the maids had pushed it over and cleaned it up.
Now, over nine years later, it was the kicking over of the sandcastle that Acanthea waited for. She waited as the cold flecks of Dust gathered themselves together, fighting for space in the chambers of her heart. Pressure built in her chest and the last bits of air vanished from her lungs. Her throat was sandpaper as she sucked in a long dry breath. She didn’t panic when the Dust scraped against her veins. Instead she savoured the moment.
This was it.
The blue dance.
The Dust was smothering the oxygen in her blood and letting her mind sail far away from her body and her life.
She was flying.
Colours popped and shimmered on the inside of her eyelids.
It was magic.
It was her escape.
Acanthea’s slim figure lay splayed out on the polished wooden floor of her quarters, but her mind was far away.
That was how Cathrainra found her.
Acanthea didn’t know how long she’d been Dusting for, but based on her maids frantic approach, it had been a while. As her vision swayed and finally settled, Cathrainra helped her to her feet, brushing her off with a thumping force that knocked the small amount of air she had managed to collect from her lungs.
“What are ya doing, Girl?” her maid scolded. “Ruining ya’self with that stuff. Ain’t nothing that’s so bad that ya got to use.”
Acanthea knew better than to deny it. Even if Cathrainra would believe she’d simply been resting in the middle of her hard, uncomfortable floor, she knew her lips would be tinged blue. They didn’t call it the blue dance for nothing.
“Have you met my father?” Acanthea’s voice was gravel in her throat.
Cathrainra’s nose scrunched briefly as it always did when the Lord Reigner was mentioned. “Them Blood highs are illegal for a reason, Girl. They’re no good.”
Acanthea levelled her heavy eyes to her maid. “So turn me in.”
She knew Cathrainra posed no threat to her little escape.
“Ya’ve been summoned to the Reigner’s study. Ya’re in no right state to let him see ya. What’re we gonna do.”
Acanthea pushed her maid’s hands away from her dress, which were trying to settle the creases that had folded themselves into it.
“He won’t notice,” Acanthea yawned. Another after effect of Dusting.
Cathrainra did insist on pinning Acanthea’s thick blonde curls up before letting her leave. Acanthea didn’t fight it. While she may be prone to using Dust to escape the world of her life every now and then, she understood the meaning for the trivialities necessary to being the Gentle Reigness. She even enjoyed many of them. The beauty regimen and pampering included.
Twenty minutes later, which no doubt would be thirty minutes too late for the Reigner’s liking, a guard knocked on his private study and announced her.
Someone who wasn’t familiar with the room would make the mistake of believing they were in a library. While it appeared that way from the books and papers that lined every wall, the stories they told were not found in volumes read for pleasure. They were all documents, official scrolls and contracts held by the Reigner. Acanthea knew there was nothing of interest to be found in any of them. The Reigner wasn’t the type of man to put his secrets in the same room as the one he would meet people in. Even his own daughter. And Acanthea knew the Reigner had secrets. She’d long suspected them to revolve around ceding of lands and deeds to estates, though truthfully, she didn’t much care.
This was the only room in his private quarters she had ever seen. It appeared to only have the one door; from which she had just entered, however years of being summoned to this room and knowing it to be empty when her father hadn’t left through the obvious door, she had determined that there was a secret exit. She even suspected where its handle may be – who put a mirror in a study – but had never verified this. When she was younger she had been curious to the point of nosy about what other rooms lay beyond this one. What the Reigner did with his time in them. Now, however, the thought held little interest to her. The story was the same for the Reigner himself.
He sat behind his crescent shaped desk signing his title with a flourish at the bottom of a document. No doubt, a family just lost their land at his ink stroke. The Reigner was aging gracefully. Handsomely, even. The white that streaked itself through his hair was also creeping into his trimmed beard. The change of colour was the only difference Acanthea had ever seen in her father’s beard. As long as she could remember he’d had it trimmed daily to maintain its constant length and shape. She had gotten her deep blue eyes from him, though his held a fierceness she’d never quite managed to master.
If it had been anyone else, they would have noticed in an instant. The Reigner, with his lack of paternal interest, didn’t find anything out of the ordinary in his only child.
“I sent for you too long ago,” he growled.
“My apologies, Lord Reigner –”
She never called him ‘father’. Not out of necessity but rather choice.
“ – I had to be summoned from the western stables,” Acanthea lied flatly. She’d found short excuses that alluded to her being taken out of lessons to be the best to appease the Reigner. Or at the very least, deter him from deciding to dish out punishments.
“The Season’s Sect is approaching and, of course, there shall be a banquet,” he said, his voice clipped with impatience.
The Reigner wasn’t one for small talk, not even with people he liked, so Acanthea wasn’t surprised with his abrupt nature. What she was surprised about was that he was informing her of this. Each Season’s Sect was celebrated and usually it would be one of his attendants that would be put in charge of telling her when the next celebration would be. She felt like this wasn’t going to bode well for her.
“I will require your attendance during the evening.”
Acanthea frowned. She always attended all the feasts and celebrations, why would the Reigner assume this one would be any different?
“The entire council circle will also be in attendance, including the beneficiaries and trade professors.”
Acanthea’s heart sank as she realised why she had been summoned here. It was rare for all of the people under her father’s thumb to attend the same feast.
“A good impression must be made. It is important for these people to remain confident in their Reigner.” He laced his fingers together and propped his chin on them.