I walk with her, keeping myself aware of my surroundings, watching the streets and alleys of anymore Jackals, making our way to the bridge. I notice the full head of blazing hair first, leaning against the lantern post.
“Carson.” Not a question, but just to get his attention.
He looks at me, but his eyes linger down towards the girl beside me. “You really brought her with? I thought you would have dumped her off in safety or something.” he reads her expression first, then looks back to me. “What happened?”
“He almost killed me, that’s what!” she says coldly, making eye contact with me as I look at her through my peripheral vision. No hint of amusement showing on my face.
Carson looks at me with an arched brow, disbelief in his blunt expression. “I held her hostage to get the upper hand when five Jackals cornered us. Turns out,” I meet her gaze fully, stopping in front of my friend. “she works for the royals.”
“Whaaa-” he looks at her, eyes wide and mouth hanging wide open, before shaking his head at me. “Give her back, Mal. Those royals will tear you apart if you mess up her hair!” half a tease, half a confirmed threat.
“Well, she knows our face and I can’t just take her back with all the Jackals about. Plus, the palace is closed.”
He nods. He must have heard it from the people, too. She resists slightly towards my grasp. “I won’t run away. Just let me go.” she stares up at me, searching my eyes as I stare her down. She shrinks back slightly, but the defiance remains.
I sigh, letting her go, dropping my hand slowly. She dramatically dusts herself off, straightening her cloak. She looks at me with narrowed eyes, turning to me fully. “You have my things. The acts over; I want them back now!” she takes out her hand, expectantly.
Carson snickers, shaking his head before turning around to make the journey back home.
She waits a second before I nudge her forward, making it clear she needs to keep moving and to stay in between us. She seethes, clenching her fists as she walks, following behind him.
We walk for several minutes; the sky sets as shadows take shape and dance on the different walls and huts encompassed across our side of the bridge. Jackals don’t dare make their way over here for fear of being skinned alive by the townspeople who reside on this side of the turf at night. You are relatively safe if you kept to yourself and don’t flash any shinnies or Dreuge coin around. If you are royal, wealthy or a Jackal, you are a focused target.
“Keep your head down.” Carson says over his shoulder to the girl, whom I still have yet to learn her name. We single file into the ajar entrance to the sewers. Carson lights the torch this time, creating light.
“You live in the...” she wrinkles her face is disgust.
“Yes. It is where most people who aren’t royals or royal helpers”, I say, eyeing her, “live.”
She remains silent, following between us. We walk for a small while, coming back up to the Black Abbey. I stick close to her side, keeping one hand on my bag strap to keep in mind of the weight-remaining subtle, as we walk through.
She looks around, shadows covering the upper half of her face, but I know she is shocked.
“What is...” she begins, but I hush her, bringing my mouth close to her ear and I whisper to her.
“Welcome to the Black Abbey... A place where the wicked, crooked and those for hire make their fortune.” I say, straightening back up as I notice her shiver at my words. “Stay close.”
She abides, walking with us silently to the far side. Carson groans a pace ahead and I look in his direction, noticing Malvius sitting at the end of the threshold, legs crossed.
“Welcome back!” Malvius chuckles, brushing his gaze over me, then slowly, over to the girl, his face shadowed. “Nice to finally meet you.” he bends at his hips, still sitting in a mock bow. She stiffens.
“You shouldn’t mock her Malvius, she works for the royals.” Carson says, low enough that even Malvius had to lean into hear him.
“Is that what she is?”
Carson and I look at each other in question. “You’re the one with all the answers, it seems; why even ask?”
He flashes us a dangerous grin, his teeth sharp points. “Confirmed the knowledge from earlier I see.”
Dismissing the girl; the fact he knows we went in search of our own answers disturbs me into light unease. Were we followed?
He stands, chuckling, before taking a step closer to us, making sure nobody can hear. “I hear... the queen, herself, is infected.”
“That isn’t true!” the girl raises her voice.
He crooks his head, his face still unseen, but his hood setting the motion. “I wonder, dear, how you come to know this?”
His tone is baiting, and Carson and I just stare at them. She shifts, uncomfortable, before dismissing him. “I’m tired.”
Malvius snickers to himself, turning towards Carson and I. “Time is ticking. You have less than two days before this city falls.”
“How do you know this?” I ask, unnerved.
He doesn’t laugh, only smiles as he puts a bony finger to his gray lips, indicating it is a secret. He takes a step back before sitting back down, dismissing us completely.
I look at Carson, who gives me a grim look. We continue forward, keeping the girl between us as we let his words sink in.
We walk cautiously towards our space. We make sure nobody follows or is in the nearby vicinity before we lead her to the crawl space. One after one, we each crawl in, walk down the curve of the tunnel and into our small space. She drops her hood and looks in, unamused at the already tiny fit, now made smaller that she will share with us.
“You can have the top.” I say, giving her my spot, that being the only way to host as I can offer. She peeks at it silently before sighing and climbing into it. She sits up there and turns to us.
“What are you two going to do?” she asks, warily.
“Discuss.” I say as I set my daggers on the small, wooden, splintered desk and set my bag down. I notice her eye the daggers first, then my bag as if she just remembered I have her treasure. She says nothing and I pretend not to notice.
“What’s the plan, Mal?” Carson asks quietly.
I stay silent, taking off my cloak and set it on the small corner, moving an extra wool covering onto the floor, barely making a layer of comfort as I sit atop it. “I don’t know.”
“We should leave.” Carson says after a few moments in silence.
I look up at him, and I catch his eyes. We hold each other’s glance before I nod. “Where to?”
“I need to stop in Cherrwarden.” he says. I raise an eyebrow and he motions to speak, but the girl cuts him off.
“I must return to the castle before you leave!”
I look at her and hold her stare. This time she doesn’t shrink back.
“I’m sorry. But that isn’t possible.”
“That is my home. I can’t stay here in this...” she tries for a word, as I assume, to not appear crude, but I bring it up.
“Filth.” she stares at me, silence falling over her. “Say it. You can’t stand this... filth.”
She glares but says nothing. I smirk, giving in a bit to my frustration. “You royals and royal loyalists. Idiots and naïve, all of you.”
“At least I don’t steal.” She motions with her glance towards my bag.
“Some of us don’t need to.” I throw at her. Carson shifts uncomfortably as he looks anywhere than at us, making himself busy.
“I’m hungry.” She states.
“Do you have food?” I ask her, already knowing her answer.
“No.”
“Some of us also can’t always eat a feast.” I rustle in my bag, throwing half a small loaf of bread at her. She catches it and looks at me with disgust before giving in and devouring it, trying to pace herself to not look too hasty.
I lay down, making myself comfortable on my makeshift bed in the corner, keeping my bag curled against me and under my arm.
“Make yourself comfortable girly, I’m shutting off the light.” Carson says with a yawn.
She huffs but obeys. After a second, Carson shuts off the light, darkness and silence filling in around us. I let it ensnare me; envelop me as my eyes twitch shortly after, letting myself get lost in the dreams before me.
Cold. So cold.
I can see the mist of my breath ahead. Everything is white, so white. I look around the surrounding area, covered in white. Snow. It was snowing.
“Where am I?” I ask aloud, not expecting an answer.
“Where...” I look ahead, the surrounding changing. Almost like magic, atop the snow, red footprints appear, one at a time. I follow, more and more appearing. I look behind me, just a glance at where I stood a few seconds ago, and nothing but an unyielding blizzard behind me, no tracks visible.
I look forward, continuing on, realizing I am on a mountain top, but now a frozen lake. I blink and before me appears a large tree of sorts. A weeping willow, but white crystalline snow covers its branches, its leaves, it’s bark.
Whispers hiss in the wind, and before I can decide what to do, I am compelled forward. I breathe heavily, feeling numb from the cold. Pain at my fingertips, my cheeks, my toes, nose, ears...
I fall to my knees, unable to bring myself back up. “Almost there...”
I struggle to move, walking if you could call it that, on my knees, snow brushing through my dark leather pants.
“Almost there...”
I am about ten feet away, and before I can get closer, the shadow of the tree moves unnaturally towards me, almost like the sun came from the clouds behind it, casting it away. I fall, unable to get up, unable to move except the tilt of my head. A pressure begins at my stomach, my breath slipping.
“Almost... there...” I say, it coming out in a broken whisper. My vision blurs, but something bright ignites against a branch. Growing and growing.
My eyes widen, feeling a comforting, yet powerful warmth. Was it the sun?
I try again, barely able to sit up as I take deep breaths, the pressure unreceeding against my stomach. I look ahead; the warmth catching my exposed skin as I put a hand on my knee, using it to stand up shakily.
Blinking, I can see it now. It was no sun. It was a bird.
A bright, ignited bird. Orange eyes with red shadows, stare at me, its fiery feathers expanding in a wingspan.
Before a second, it hovers, lifted from the tree and dives. I block as it rushes to me, closing my eyes, extending my hand to stop it.
“Ugh!”
My eyes burst open, sweat pooling in rivets down my face, the pressure at my stomach in full throttle, my arm outstretched, gripping an icy surface with a stinging pain.
My vision is blurred and I blink several times, noticing eyes, then a mouth, a face, staring down at me. I blink once more and see her; the girl sitting atop of me. I look at her, panic in her expression as she sits there in shock; I look to her, to her arms, outstretched above me, to my arm.
I grip the familiar dagger; the blade enclosed with my hand. Red dribbles down my arm in a couple of tiny streams. My breathing quickens as I throw her off, her landing with a hard thud. Carson bursts up and sees us, taking a second before he pieces it together.
“Mal?” he asks, looking at my hand.
I just breathe, staring back at her, her expression pained. I sit up, look at the dagger in my hand, at the blade, at the blood, at the small gash. Would I need stitches?
She scoots further away from me, making her way to the tiny corner, just enough space between the beds and the wall for her to push her way into.
I study her.
“I can’t believe you! We saved you in the streets and you decide to kill him in his sleep? How cowardly are you?!” Carson starts, grabbing his own dagger, standing to his feet.
“Carson...” I say, to which he snaps his head over at me.
“No... No!” he shakes his head at me, “Don’t let this slide! You... No, Mal.” he huffs. He eventually looks back at her and then at me before slamming the dagger down onto the desk, kneeling on the floor, ruffling his rusty hair. What he does when he is stressed.
“Girl.” I say, gaining her attention. “Come here.”
A tear begins at the corner of her eye. I repeat myself in a warning tone. A tear falls before she slowly makes her way over to me. When I remain silent, she kneels, then sits on her legs, giving in.
“If you’re gonna kill someone,” I shoot out with my injured hand, making her squeak in surprise as I make her grab the dagger, bringing it to my chest, to my heart. “then you better aim here and sink it in so deep, your opponent won’t wake up.”
Carson facepalms, shaking his head as if I’ve lost it. “Why would you tell her that?!”
“Because. She didn’t strike. I didn’t feel resistance when I held her arm. I shot out at her in my sleep before she had finished deciding.”
“I’m sorry...” she says, not daring to break away from my grip on her to my heart. “I just...” she begins, failing to hold back the tears that were no longer only threatening to come.
Carson rolls his eyes, mumbling something about letting a girl into the group and now we are stuck with her. He grumbles, throwing me a clean cloth before rolling over in his bed. “Don’t look at me if she stabs you in the heart, now.”
I look her in the eyes, debating if it would be better to just take her back or to see what else the night gives.
“I won’t... I’m sorry. I just... I’m overwhelmed.” She notes the cloth and looks to me for permission.
I take it, not allowing her to help.
Her expression looks defeated as she stands, backing up a couple of steps. I finish bandaging my wound, making a note to find some medicine later to help it. “Go to sleep.”
She climbs to the top, taking a last glance at me as I put a hand to the lantern. “If you get out of bed, before I turn this lantern back on, I will kill you.” I say it with all seriousness, making her eyes go wide and shutter. She silently lays down, holding the blanket tight before closing her eyes shut. I turn off the lantern and try to get comfortable. The rest of the night is full of fitful sleep.
By dawn, I awake to the familiar sounds of the bell ringing. The bell is above ground and atop the church sanctuary in the city, but that wakes the city, making everything come alive. In the sewers, where there are no windows or natural light sources, this is how the underground city relies on knowing the time.
I turn the lantern on, Carson rubbing his eyes as he yawns, the girl pulling the covers over her face. Good, she is still there.
“Time to wake up.” I say, stretching up, slightly sore from laying basically on the cold, hard ground. I wait two seconds before I put a foot on Carson’s bed and lift myself, shaking the girl awake. “Wake up.”
She opens her eyes groggily as she peers out at me from under the covers. “It’s too early.” and she rolls over, back to me.
I look to Carson, who shrugs, mouthing ‘your mess, not mine’ and moves to pack his normal things.
With a sigh, I pull the covers completely away. She jumps, not expecting that and tries to grab aimlessly before turning to face me, with a heavy frown.
“Get ready.” I say again, this time in a sharp tone.
Once ready and the path is clear, we one by one make our way outside.
We make our way into the Black Abbey, scanning it first. Malvius is, for one, nowhere in sight. We begin treading our way to the rightful entrance, when a forceful grip pulls my shoulder back, whipping me around to face nobody but Jarvis.
“Jarvis...” I say, glaring.
Carson readies himself, careful to not draw attention with his daggers as he faces him.
“Oh, you brought a lady friend.” Jarvis’s grin spreads so wide, flashing his half rotten teeth, a perfect target for my fist.
“Hmm... You seem familiar.” He takes off her hood, a closer look. Recognition plasters across his face and a wicked chuckle rumbles out of his half rotten mouth. I feel her shift, uncomfortable behind me, as if trying to hide and sink into the surrounding shadows, to become invisible and out of sight.
“My boy, how did you come across her?! Now that story must be worth telling. Sleeping with her Majesty.”
“What?!” Carson blurts, looking at her, then at me as if to see if I knew. I look at her, not quite believing this until I see her, staring up at me, gripping my arm from the revelation. That was why she was so adamant about defending the wealthy, the queen, mentioning it was her home. Although servants had their own quarters, she acted like a spoiled brat, too. It should have been a given. I bite my lip, trying not to let the fact of being lied to, get to me.
“You’re the princess.” I say flatly.
“I’m sorry... After, yesterday... I thought it was wise not to say who I was.” she tries shrinking further, my unyielding stare and surprise making her more uncomfortable.
“Oh, this is going to be interesting. Whoring with a royal and you didn’t even know it. Tell me, how does it feel sleeping with royalty?”
I feel fire in my stomach, the fiery heat burning my face as I muster the most natural glare, the feelings of hate and annoyance, I allow to bubble to the surface. “I’m not sleeping with her. We are taking her back if you could get out of our way!”
Jarvis’s laughter subsides and his goons circle around us. The exit’s blocked off as well, that I notice. Looks like they learned from last time.
“I think it’s my way, Malachi.” he grabs the princess, as she grunts in protest, her hold on my arm loosening.
“No, I don’t-” she starts, but he gives her a sharp tug and she comes free from my arm. I stand there, stiff and frozen. Should I help her?
Angry tears slip from her eyes as she clenches her fists, glaring up at Jarvis, nearly twice her size. “Oh, don’t give me that look, Princess. I’ll take good care of you along with my boys.” His crew snickers, their wicked smiles pointed in her direction, looking her up and down with a hunger in their eyes.
“I want to go home. Please, let me go. They were going to take me.” she tries, but I know it is pointless. She obviously wasn’t taught how to reason with people like him.
“I think... Malachi and Red can take you back,” Carson flares, nearly snarling, balling his hands into firsts, his eyes low and dark at his nickname and situation beforehand. I shoot an arm out, keeping him from moving any closer to do anything he would regret or make matters worse.
“If and only if they complete a favor for me.” he grins, noticing Carson’s fiery temper. He continues baiting my friend. “Red, I am sure you know what to do if people get in the way.”
Long ago, on a job, Carson was forced into a difficult position. He saved my ass and his, saving another ransomed group of kids, but only by doing something just as horrible. It was a mess; it was brutal and since; they nicknamed him Carson the Red. He hated it, but some knew him by it, stayed away from him mostly because of it. I never heard him bring it up since.
“You fucker...”
“Carson, he’s baiting you...” I say sternly and giving him a look. It is time to play soldier. My friend only shifts his gaze towards me, his eyes defiant but understanding glimmering within them.
“Tonight, at the palace. I need you to grab something.” he starts, becoming more serious than his usual sadistic self. “There are trade route papers enclosed with the queen's seal. Bring them to me. You have until dawn. Do I need to tell you what happens if you do not complete my required task?” he looks down at the princess, a malicious smile splayed across his lips.
She looks up at him, fear in her eyes with a hint of disgust. She looks back at Carson and I, her eyes pleading silently.
“We’ll get it done. Where are we to enter?” The palace is shut down, nobody coming in and out.
“I’m sure you can figure out a way.” he jerks the princess to make a point. “Meet me by the docks when you’ve completed my task. My ship is ported there at the Tukt’s River.”
I only glare, and he motions for his crew to follow, a firm grip on the princess. Before much time can pass, they disappear to where I assume he is headed to his ship.
“Damnit!” I throw my head in my hand forcefully, closing my eyes shut as I hold in the irritation, ignoring the stinging pain my hand makes. I almost had forgotten about the wound.
“Let us see a healer, then we plan our raid.” I turn to Carson, my eyes burning with a rage I only get with Jarvis. “We are leaving the city after this.”
Carson nods, his expression grim. We begin our preparations, spending the day gathering resources, finding supplies not only for the job but also our journey ahead. As I carry and fill an extra bag for the princess, I’m not sure if she will accompany us; I wasn’t sure if the queen is sick, and it will force her to leave from the plague or if the plague is even here. Malvius couldn’t know that information without being in the palace himself.
I sat for a second in thought... Without being in the palace himself. “Carson!”
He snaps his head towards me in surprise at my sudden tone, standing at the ready. “What is it?!”
“We need to find Malvius! He knows the queen is infected. If we are to assume he is telling the truth, then he would have to have been in the palace to know this as even the Jackals aren’t allowed in or out of the palace!”
His eyes go wide, an excited smile splaying with agreement. We decide on splitting up in the Black Abbey. Not that it is too big, but because it is dark and crowded. Too many shadows linger here.
Before long, we both meet back up in the middle of the vast space.
“Looking for someone?” we hear that familiar voice from behind us.
“Malvius,” I start, not even bothering with small talk. “How do you know the queen is...” I notice some nearby onlookers and I wait for them to keep walking before I continue in a whisper. “How do you know the queen is infected? You must have been in the palace, right?” I wait, hope must show on my face as he chuckles cruelly.
“I might have been, I might not.”
“Damnit Malvius, we need to know!” Carson pitches in, grabbing his cloak at the scruff.
Malvius stops laughing but keeps his sharp-toothed smile. “I may know of a way.”
“Then tell us! Malvius, we need to know!”
“For the Princess?” he shrugs, a coy smile before rolling his eyes back at us.
“I knew you knew! Your words when you met her... they were purposely chosen!”
“Correct!” he says, throwing his hands in playful surrender. Carson flares, but I take hold of my friend.
“We need to know how to get in.”
“You already know!”
I look at Carson, then back at him, anger rising.
He sighs before continuing, less cryptic. “The water channels that separate the market district and the poor district... Where does that lead to? Where does that water come from?”
And it clicks into place. The water is an exit, dumping from the side of the palace into the ravine slope below. We cross the bridge everyday nearly. How did we not realize this?
“Thank you!” I am about to turn away, but Malvius’s hand shoots out at me.
“There is another task you must make inside the palace.”
“Are you kidding me? This is task enough! We are stealing...” Carson doesn’t finish his thought aloud.
“Yes, but there is also... research on the cure!”
“The what?” I say, impatiently waiting for him to get to the point.
“The plague ravishing our lands, our people. The origin is unknown, yet there is foul play. You must find his research for the cure!” he laughs, clapping excitedly.
“Who’s research? There is a cure for the plague”? I say cautiously.
“Then why didn’t you grab it?” Carson asks, crossing his arms, being careful with the torch.
He snickers. “I was not meant to grab it. I cannot go where I am not welcomed.”
We look at each other, Carson and I in a ‘he has lost his mind’ expression.
“You will find it in his study. The Queen’s brother. He is gone, he is missing, he is crazy!”
We look at him, the wildness in his laugh nearly inhuman.
He stops and looks at us. “Go to his study. Grab his research. Leave this city.” Almost an order if I had not known better.
A stranger in a dark cloak walks between us, and I have to step out of the way. After glaring at the stranger, I look back towards Malvius, but find nobody.
“Malvius?” I say.
“What the hell is going on...” Carson mumbles.
“I don’t know, but this is getting weird.” I say, not looking forward to what lay ahead in a few hours.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
