Chapter 8 #4
A tide of sand was rising like a great beast under the light of the moon in the distance and I swallowed thickly at the sight of it.
That storm was one big bastard and it would reach us soon.
We needed to be inside before it did – ideally back at The Den where there were supplies to see us through the length of time it took the raging sands to pass over the city.
I dropped back down into the darkened streets with a wave of unease in my chest. But the weight of the bag on my back brought a smile to my face as I ran through the dim alleyways to find the others.
“That storm is closing in,” I said darkly as I arrived, finding the four of them precisely where I’d left them.
Cassius looked more than a little out of his comfort zone between the outlaws, and I couldn’t help but take some sick satisfaction from forcing one of the privileged upper Fae to endure the company of those he thought were so far beneath him. “We need to move.”
“This one can’t see the route to The Den,” Finn growled, pointing at Cassius who remained silent.
I ground my teeth in irritation. He was right, but blindfolding my latest mark was going to cause issues to our speed.
I removed my cloak and wrapped it around Cassius’s shoulders. He frowned at me as I drew the hood down over his face, but he didn’t voice any protest to the situation as I tightened it so that he couldn’t see out.
I gripped his left arm and Balthazar took his right and we started running for The Den with Pip leading the way.
The wind howled and sand pelted us with more intensity as we raced through the abandoned streets, running from ring to ring as we headed for the north edge of the city.
No one else was dumb enough to be outside with the storm this close to hitting and I cursed as the sharp grains battered my exposed arms.
I cupped my free hand over my eyes, trying to shield them from the worst of it as the roar of the sand-laced wind battering the walls around us grew louder, and the jingle of windchimes picked up all across the city.
Fae hung them outside their doors, the gleaming metal meant as a ward to protect them from the force of the storms, the songs the chimes made an offering to Karu, the long-forgotten deity who supposedly controlled the raging winds.
I couldn’t say I believed in any of that shit, but I did know for a fact that the louder the chimes sounded, the worse the storm was getting and from the sound of them ringing and clattering all over the city, we needed to hurry the fuck up.
“We aren’t going to make it!” Pip cried as another gust drew even more sand over us, the sharpness of the grains scratching at any piece of exposed skin that it could find.
I did not want to get caught out when the sand came slamming down on us in full force. It would slice into our flesh and blind us within moments of hitting and I had no intention of battling through the hell of that if I could avoid it.
“Not much further,” I growled, dragging Cassius along even faster as we ducked left and right. We didn’t have time to take an indirect route to The Den and I just had to hope the ex-guard wasn’t managing to keep count of our turns.
Probably best to make sure he can’t.
“Cassius?” I called and a muffled response came from beneath the hood. “I want you to start counting back from two hundred. Out loud.”
“Why?” he grunted, clearly focused on running while blind and in no mood to indulge me.
“Do it or die,” Balthazar snapped and the sound of Cassius reluctantly starting to count down came in response.
We raced on, passing beyond the white walls through thinner alleyways and closer packed buildings of the twelfth ring before finally spilling into the slums where wooden lean-tos and poorly erected shelters were built in a ramshackle fashion all over the place, making our passage harder and harder as the sand poured down on us in droves.
I hissed in discomfort, drawing my tunic up over my mouth and nose to keep it out as best I could, missing the protection my cloak had been offering.
“Open sesame!” Pip shouted ahead of us, and I couldn’t help but snigger at the fact that he still believed he had to say that to gain entry to The Den. Fucking classic. I was never telling him the truth about that, and I’d kick the arse of anyone who revealed it to him too.
The hidden door was thrown open in the centre of the wall ahead of us and we tumbled inside as the storm slammed into our backs with the ferocity of a pissed off rhino charging down a lion.
I had to scrunch my eyes closed against the onslaught of sand and by the time I opened them again, the door had shut behind us and we were plunged into the pitch black of the hidden passages which led to The Den.
We jogged to the foot of the darkened stairway, and I kept a tight hold on Cassius so that he didn’t fall while shaking my head to dislodge some of the sand from my black hair.
I couldn’t see who had let us in, but I recognised her footsteps as she led the way through the dark passage, something about the way her steps landed on the stone reminding me of the way her arse bounced as she walked.
“Can I stop counting now?” Cassius grumbled as he made it down to fifty-three.
“Yes, by all means shut up,” Balthazar replied. I swear that bastard didn’t even know how to smile. He had a face like a slapped arse at all times and he seriously needed to work on his people skills. Grunting and grumbling were not attractive traits, not that he ever took my advice on that.
The tunnel went on and on and Mira’s hand skimmed against mine as she walked.
I almost smiled in response as I drew my hand away. I wasn’t foolish enough to accept her advance in front of the others. She belonged to Egos, and I liked my head firmly on my shoulders far more than I liked the idea of taking pleasure from her flesh.
She sighed dramatically and the sound echoed in the tight space, but no one asked what was bothering her. Likely no one cared. There was always something with her and it was damn tiring trying to keep up with it.
We walked on, taking turns and passing through more hidden doors in the dark, maintaining the silence until we finally reached the ladder which led up to The Den.
Mira brushed past me, climbing up the ladder and opening the hatch at the top for us, allowing some light to descend into the dark so that we could see each other again.
I took my cloak from Cassius as the others climbed up into the noisy space above and I held him back, looking at him in the dim firelight which filtered down to us.
The sound of The Forty talking and laughing loudly poured over us and I was confident we wouldn’t be overheard as I leaned in close to speak with him.
“I need to talk to Egos alone,” I murmured. “Mira will look after you but no matter what she offers you, don’t touch her. She belongs to Egos and he’ll cut you into quarters if you so much as hold her hand.”
“What makes you think she’ll offer?” Cassius asked in surprise, seeming more than a little out of place here already and we hadn’t even made it into The Den yet.
“Because it’s her favourite game. And you’re not terrible to look at. You’re no me, but you’re no Finn either.”
“Right,” he said, looking me over like he wanted to object to that, but he couldn’t because my face spoke for itself. And yeah, I knew it. But I wasn’t gonna apologise for it – this face of mine had saved my life more than once.
“Don’t go blushing on me. You’re not getting a kiss out of me. Just sit tight while I talk to the boss and in case you hadn’t realised it would be a terrible idea, don’t tell them your former profession.”
“Obviously. And I don't kiss men. Apparently, horses are more my thing.”
I barked a laugh, surprised and more than a little glad to find the arsehole really did have a sense of humour lurking away under all of that upper Fae propriety.
“Well, it’s not every day you come across a face as alluring as mine so no matter your preferences, don’t try your luck with me. I’m not the kind to settle down.” I motioned for him to climb the ladder and he headed up with a hint of uncertainty in his gaze.
I shook some more of the sand from my black hair as I waited to follow him, pushing it out of my eyes and hoping I’d be able to bathe sooner rather than later before climbing up too.
I emerged in the wide space which was home to the main area of The Den.
It was the full first level of a huge building on the outskirts of the city and our sleeping quarters filled the floor above it.
The room was divided into several areas, some set out with makeshift tables built from old apple crates where men gambled with dice and cards.
There was a huge fire pit where Tobias could almost always be found cooking for anyone who had earned their meals by providing enough loot to pay for them.
Throws and rugs in a range of patterns hung from the walls where someone had made an effort to brighten the space up at some point, but the floor was well worn tiles, their red colour faded from years of feet passing over them.
The windows were securely shuttered against the storm, but they were never open anyway, the shutters kept locked to keep prying eyes from seeing inside our haven of sin.