by David Aries
“Stop dodging the question.”
“We should catch up. How about a hug for your big sis?”
I swallowed a breath. Was Gall being literal, or was this more of her eccentricity? If not, then the person on the other side of the floor was…
“I don’t have time for this. Where are you hiding my daughter?”
My chest tightened. I knew it.
The child in question was by my side, trembling. Titania’s breathing had turned erratic and grew more so by the second. Any louder and they’d hear us.
“Tina’s in town?” Gall said. “First I’m hearing about it. Wish she’d come visit.”
“Do you really mean to continue this farce?”
“What farce?”
“I know she’s been here. We’ve had reports.”
“From my reliable drunkards?” Gall laughed. “Come on, Maggie. You’re better than that.”
“Is that so? I couldn’t help noticing your previous guests. Wasn’t that girl the cause of all this?”
“What of it? Diarmuid’s an old friend. You know I love company. Family included. You should stay for supper.”
“I’ll ask you one more time,” Maggie said. “I know the fugitive is here. Hand her over.”
Gall chortled. “Has your job gotten to you? I’m a model citizen. Always pay my taxes; always follow the law. Don’t you trust your own flesh and blood?”
“My flesh and blood have a habit of betraying me.”
Titania whimpered. We had a problem. She was losing control.
I hunted through the darkness and found her shaking hand. I squeezed, letting her know I was there.
It did the trick. Titania’s breathing slowed a tick. Enough to keep us concealed. Maggie marched off without being alerted.
“Not stopping for a drink?” Gall queried.
“This isn’t over. You can’t hide her forever.”
The door slammed shut and the club went silent. Titania’s harsh breathing was all I could hear. It drowned out the pounding of my racing heart.
Gall opened the room. “Coast’s clear.”
“That who I think it was?” I asked.
“Talk about cutting to the chase,” Gall sighed. “Unless you’re a dunce, yeah. Didn’t know she’d come sniffing in person.” She wiped away her melancholy and replaced it with a smirk. “Don’t worry, sweetcheeks. You’re safe with Auntie Gall. I don’t let studs slip away so easily.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” I went to leave the pit, but a weight stopped me.
Titania was motionless, staring into space. Her poker face had never been brilliant. She looked mortified.
“Are you okay?” I asked, receiving no reply.
“She’s fine,” Gall said. “Doesn’t wanna let go of her boyfriend’s hand, is all.”
That triggered a response. Titania checked her occupied hand. It was clenching hold of mine. She shrieked and pulled away. “The fuck are you doing, pervert?!”
“I didn’t do anything,” I protested.
“You did! You tried to take advantage of me.”
“Give over. It was your hand, not your chest.”
“So, you admit it,” she said.
“What? How was that admitting it?”
“Tina, baby, cut the boy some slack,” Gall said, leaping to my defense. “It’s only natural to cop a feel when the lights are off.”
“Don’t lump me in with you,” I complained.
“You saying my Tina ain’t good enough to grope?”
“When did I say that?”
“It was implied. She ain’t got the tatas you’re after.” Gall grasped her truly giant breasts, shaking them about.
Titania snarled, covering her smaller variant. “Jerk.”
“That wasn’t&emdash;”
“Shut up. Leave me alone,” she snapped, storming off.
I groaned and pinched my nasal bridge. What an exhausting change of pace.
Gall roared in laughter. “That should distract her from brooding.” She offered her hand.
“A little warning would be nice,” I said, accepting. “And why did I have to be the bad guy?”
“Suck it up. You were born to play the role.”
“That supposed to be a compliment?”
“Take it how you will,” she laughed.
Gall did a decent job of shifting the mood but I couldn’t forget. It was my first time seeing Titania make an expression like that. She looked like a wounded animal.
“What was all that about?” I asked.
“Still going there?”
“Can you blame me?”
“Nosy bastard,” Gall sighed, shaking her head. “How much do you know about Tina’s mom?”
“Not a thing. Heard her mentioned a few times but I’m clueless.”
“As usual,” Gall snickered. “Guess Tina ain’t the type to share. I’d rather stay out of it, but you’ll find out somehow. It’s not exactly a secret. Not many in Grabadon more famous than Maggie.” Gall gave me a stern look. “I call her Maggie. They call her Magnesia the Fearless. Captain of the Grabadon guards.”
Chapter 10
The remainder of my day was spent in a state of disbelief. Captain of the Guard. Why had nobody warned me? The biggest threat to our safety was Titania’s mother; the biggest badass in the city.
I wanted to say something to Titania but I chickened out. She didn’t seem herself. Being subdued wasn’t like her at all.
Evening arrived before I knew it and we were shepherded back into our hiding spot. Gall reassured me that we were safe under her roof. Mistaken or not, the fact she was on our side was doubtless. She endangered herself to protect us.
We did have one impressive hiding place. If only it were more comfortable. Titania’s low spirits didn’t help. She wasn’t up for small talk and I didn’t have the gusto to push it. We settled in for an early night.
Kipping on a cold, solid floor wasn’t easy at the best of times. Before exhaustion had kicked in, sleep was almost impossible. No matter how much I willed it, relaxation was beyond my reach. Any moment spent under was shallow at best. I drifted between states of consciousness for seemingly hours.
That’s how I caught her.
I was in the midst of forcing myself back to Nod when something metallic squealed. I bolted upright and stared at the door.
It was closed tight. Nobody was coming in.
I sighed, relieved. It was short lived. The sound was no dream and it was too loud to be from outside. So where? A quick glance told me everything. The bed was empty. Our one piece of makeshift furniture had been moved from its spot in the corner. A hatch, identical to the one from the other hidey-hole, was in its place.
That girl…
I went after her. Inside was a ladder that led into the sewers. Footsteps echoed down an otherwise empty tunnel.
The vileness polluting the floor stopped any attempts at moving silently. Didn’t matter. Titania didn’t notice me. She motored ahead as if following an inbuilt satnav. Keeping up was a pain. At least our pest control had worked wonders.
After a short trip, she ascended to the surface and continued.
Cool air blasted me upon exiting the sewer’s stuffy innards. The sun had set long ago, bringing another chilly fall night to Grabadon. Winter was around the corner and you could tell. It was another occasion in which I was grateful for my demonic internal heating.
Apart from Titania’s squelching footsteps, the place was deadly quiet. Grabadon sounded every bit the ghost town it appeared. The moon’s silver glow did little to mask the impoverished condition of the slums.
I used the shadows for cover and trailed until Titania came to a stop. The area meant nothing to me. There was nothing notable about it. No shops, no sights, and no special attractions. It was a random residential spot.
It meant something to Titania. She stood and stared, eyes fixated.
All I saw was a house. Not even a pretty one. It was in decline like everything else in the are
a. Not that Titania cared. She was engrossed.
The moonlight did nothing to polish Grabadon’s hideous streets but it looked beautiful splashed across her expression. I spent so much time with Titania, and her perpetual scowls, that I forgot how beautiful she was. Despite being a tomboy, there was nothing masculine about her features. Her femininity shone through in moments like these. Her red eyes, which could be so piercing, looked ravishing reflecting the light from above. I know it’s cliché but they did look like rubies. They were wasted showcasing a glare. Not that I was pleased to see them filled with woe.
What now? Just gonna watch?
That was the plan. I’d followed out of concern, nothing more.
Not even curiosity?
Okay, maybe a little curiosity, but I wasn’t being branded a creep. Especially not by a demonic delusion who existed solely in my head.
You’re the one thinking up sweet sonnets while perving from the shadows.
I stepped back, defeated by the mental retort. My foot landed in a puddle, disturbing the tranquility.
Titania jerked. Her wild eyes glared my way.
“Stop,” I said, stepping into the light with my hands aloft. “It’s only me.”
Her tension drained only to return with double the intensity. “You followed me?”
“I was worried about you.”
Titania clicked her tongue. “I can take care of myself.”
“Who cares? You snuck out in the middle of the night. What’d you think I was gonna do?”
“You wasn’t supposed to notice.”
“No shit,” I responded. “What’s gotten into you? You’ve been weird since your mom came.”
Her features twitched. “You knew?”
“Gall told me.”
“She should mind her own business,” Titania snapped.
“She’s worried about you. As is Blair. And you can add me to that list.”
“That your excuse for creeping after me?”
Told you.
Because it was the appropriate time for my internal peanut gallery to get rowdy. “I didn’t know what you were gonna do. Sightseeing never crossed my mind.”
“Don’t trust me. Is that it?”
“You don’t make it easy,” I admitted, stroking the back of my neck. “I haven’t the foggiest idea what you’re thinking.”
“Good. That’s the way I like it,” Titania said.
“And that helps me trust you how? You’re not giving me a chance. Trust’s a two-way street. If you won’t believe in me, how can I believe in you?”
“Shut it,” Titania growled. “Why should I trust a fool like you?”
“What about Blair? Don’t you trust her?”
“She’s the one keeping secrets.”
“So are you,” I reminded her.
Titania hesitated. “That’s none of your business.”
“How can you scold Blair for lacking trust when you refuse to trust her?”
“I do trust her. I want to trust her,” Titania mumbled, head dropping. “You make it sound so simple. It’s not. People change. Those you trust the most can turn their back on you at any time.”
“Blair would never.”
“You don’t know that. What if she grows to hate me? What if she learns I’m nothing like the person she thinks I am?” Titania’s expression, often overflowing with energy, was weighed down by misery. Sadness clouded her usually fierce eyes.
“It’s a risk, I can’t lie,” I said. “Choosing to trust anyone’s a gamble. But it’s one worth taking. It’s that or spend life alone, pushing everyone away. You can’t live like that. Nobody can survive without letting anyone in.”
“Stop talking like it’s so goddamn easy. The entire city’s branded me a traitor. Old friends glare like I’m trash.”
“Blair doesn’t.”
Titania stumbled. “For now. It can change in a moment. You don’t know what it’s like to be betrayed. I never wanna feel that pain again.”
“You really think she’ll betray you? What about Gall? Dessa? Esther?”
“Shut up,” Titania growled. “Did you only come to talk shit?”
“I’m trying to talk some sense into you. You don’t have to tackle things alone. We care about you. We want to help you. Me included. I wanna be on your side. I wanna help with whatever’s troubling you, if you’ll let me.” I offered Titania my hand. “Please, let us help. Don’t push us away.”
Titania slapped my hand. “Don’t get cocky, you womanizing trash. I ain’t interested in warming your bed.”
“This isn’t about that.”
“Yeah, right. Trust you? In your dreams. I don’t need your help. I’m no weak little girl. I can take care of myself.” Titania turned tailed and bolted into the night.
I reached out to stop her, but it was too late.
Wow. That was an unmitigated disaster.
“Tell me about it,” I sighed. How did I get from checking on her well-being to having a domestic?
Remind me again how you managed to woo two beautiful fantasy babes?
“Shut it. Since when have I styled myself a pick-up artist?”
True. With all that preaching you’re better suited to the clergy.
“Because subtlety would have worked wonders.”
You’ve got a point. You’re an expert on being pig-headed.
This seemed a wonderful moment to give my inner demon the cold shoulder. I was more concerned with Titania than some self-inflicted ribbing. I’d suspected something was eating away at her. It was worse than I’d imagined. What had shaken her concept of trust to such a startling degree? There had to be a way to help. I couldn’t stand the desolation plaguing her eyes.
Watch out!
I answered instinct’s call and rolled away.
A net captured the patch of dirt I’d been mulling on.
“Ah, shit. Almost,” a woman complained.
“He ain’t as trash as I thought,” another said.
“What a fucking pain. Now we gotta do this the hard way,” yet another said, brandishing a small dagger.
The female threesome emerged from the shadows, each closing in from a different opening. Their all-black garb was perfect for this sort of late-night ambush. Bandanas covered their mouths, masking their identities. Each was armed, so said the silver glistens reflecting from waist level. They weren’t guards. The dress and mannerisms were all wrong. I’d been in enough scraps to know the difference between a trained fighter and a novice. These were the latter. A bunch of punks. Gender was all that separated them from the chumps back home. Not that I was writing them off as a bunch of girls. I’d spent enough time on Terix to know who the breadwinners were.
“Common thugs. It’s been a while,” I said, eyeing them up. “Here for the reward?”
“You know it,” one of them replied, swinging a knife around. “Be a good boy and come quiet and we won’t hurt you, yeah?”
“Does that line ever work?”
“All the time. Most people are smart, yeah? They don’t want no trouble.”
“Your bounty’s dead or alive, innit?” one of them informed me. “Be a real shame if we had to slice you up.”
I had not known, but I shrugged. “If you want me, come take me.”
“Cocky bastard. Who’d he think he is?”
“Who gives a shit? Let’s fuck him up.”
My heightened half-breed senses caught the whistle of throwing knives sailing toward my back. I dodged to the side, sending them whizzing past my shoulder.
You’re welcome.
There was a dagger at my throat before I had a chance to thank my inner demon.
The assassin was fast but I’d dealt with quicker. I sparred with Esther every day. Compared to her, this chick was moving in slow-mo.
I leaned back and the blade passed harmlessly across my front. Before she escaped, I grabbed her arm and slammed her into the floor. A final blow put her to sleep for a while.
It wasn’t easy being chiv
alrous against someone aiming for your head.
The remaining two used their noggins and charged in unison, executing a pincer offensive.
I lunged toward the one on the left.
She stopped and hopped back. Her partner came for my exposed rear.
I’d been counting on that. I shifted my weight and darted back, catching the off-guard attacker with a forearm to the jaw.
The other thug saw her chance and came for me.
Again, all within expectations. I span around and kicked, catching her in the stomach.
She scurried back, clutching her midriff, and regrouped with her partner. Both managed to avoid my follow-up knockout blows.
“Shit, he’s good,” one of them grumbled, rubbing her jaw.
“Since when can men fight?”
“Don’t compare me to those layabouts,” I said, telling them to bring it.
“Now the fucker’s getting cocky. This bitch boy’s pissing me off.” Out came her next tool. A small glass bottle. She shattered it on the floor, releasing a vision-obscuring cloud.
I put up my guard. This was new. Roddy had never played ninja. I couldn’t see a bloody thing through all the smoke.
The net burst through the dense screen.
I caught it before it did its worst.
It’d done enough. My guard dropped and the bandits followed. They sliced me in the stomach.
The cold steel lacked penetration but it was enough to make me wince. I backed away while using my arms as a shield, dropping the net over my own head.
Both bounty hunters kept up the assault, tearing through my flesh with scary ease. My forearms got the worst of it. Laceration crossed butchered gash. They gushed blood like nobody's business.
It was raw agony. I bit down so the thugs didn’t get the satisfaction of hearing me squeal.
Dead or alive. I repeat, dead or alive. Do something before you croak.
As if I hadn’t thought of that. It wasn’t that easy. There were two maniacs slashing me and a net tangled around my head. I’d underestimated them. They were smarter than the thugs back home.
Not that I intended to lose.
I threw my weight back. The hug of a freezing muck floor was a relief compared to being chopped up. Not that I was there to rest. I swung a leg, aiming for theirs.
One hurdled. The other was too slow. She tumbled face first into the dirt.