19. Scarlet
Chapter 19
Scarlet
A n intense shiver rattled down her spine, the sensation dissipating into gentle pinpricks.
“What happened to three?” she asked, pulling from Thea’s grip. It had felt like the wall had been trying to repel her, so icy cold her skin continued to sting. The feeling had been so intense Scar had almost let go of the faerie’s hand.
Thea laughed, the sound awkward. “Three’s overrated.”
A gentle pat on her cheek. “Aw baby, you did so well,” Ruhne consoled.
Scarlet jostled her shoulder, shooting him into the sky. A cacophony of screeches erupted around her, and dozens of pixies came to greet Ruhne. They squealed and spoke in their high-pitched voices, only stopping when they noticed her standing there.
Scarlet suddenly became hyperaware of her surroundings, the quiet city street replaced with what looked to be a pub. Wooden tables, blending in with the earthy tones along the walls. A bar at the back that stretched the entirety of the space, and then there was the ceiling. It seemed to ripple with different colours. Candles floated at different heights, surrounded by over the top fluffy clouds that didn’t look quite real. Light shot from one side to the other as if there was a storm, followed by glistening droplets of rain that looked like diamonds.
Scar even lifted her hand, as if to catch one, but they never reached far enough. They simply dropped before disappearing.
“It’s a glamour,” Lucifer explained, his breath hot against her icy cheek. She hadn’t even noticed him approaching, too amazed by her surroundings. “Cool, right?”
Even the scent was welcoming, warm even. Fresh food had been placed on some of the tables, and Scarlet only just realised that all the previous white noise had stopped. There was no chatter, sloshing of glasses or even cutlery on plates. No, because everyone had paused what they were doing to stare at them. Or more accurately, at her wings.
She instinctively tightened them to her spine, meeting every set of eyes that looked more hostile than curious. There were people there that looked more beast than humanoid, with various skin tones and textures she wasn’t familiar with. A woman that was entirely in white stared the longest, not blinking when Scarlet looked over. Everything from her skin, to her hair, clothes and even her lashes held the same lack of colour. She had no irises or pupils, just sclera.
It took a moment for some of the sounds to return, for the patrons to grow bored and return to their drinks and conversations. The pixies began to screech once more, drawing her attention back up towards the ceiling where Ruhne was chasing some children through the diamond droplets.
“Don’t eat or drink anything,” Thea said, seeming to straighten her already tall height. “And remember the rules.”
“Wait, there’s rules?”
Thea looked back over her shoulder, her smile apologetic before she turned back around and waved at the man who’d just entered the room. He was tall, tall enough his head brushed through the clouds as he stormed over. His limbs were elongated, arms almost hitting his knees. His legs were just as lengthy, extremely thin and emphasised with a dark suit.
“Thea,” he growled, his eyes a solid black when they flicked between them. “This is the second time you have allowed those that aren’t welcome inside my establishment.”
“Hi Ilzake,” Thea said in her cheery voice. “This is Lucifer and Scarlet, and they’re here for a meeting.”
“They are not Fae,” he sneered, showing off a row of razor sharp teeth.
“Are they not?” She smiled at him, totally unconcerned about the terrifying spider-like Fae.
“You brought someone like him here.” Ilzake gestured to Lucifer, who was trying, and failing to look harmless. He’d worn a pair of jeans, the knees ripped and the fabric distressed. His T-shirt was tight, black that somehow went with the bright pink varnish on his short nails.
Lucy clicked his tongue, body coiled with tension. “Rude.”
Scarlet stepped in front of him to block Ilzake. Although the position didn’t last long, not with Lucifer pulling her behind him. The only reason she didn’t fight was because she didn’t want to reveal any weakness to a room full of Fae.
“A celestrial,” Ilzake commented, his tone no longer so vicious. “How quaint. My kind had wings once, before the dark king pulled them off for fun.”
“I wouldn’t have brought them if it wasn’t important,” Thea said. “Please, Ilzake. You’re the master of memories, surely you’ve seen the Council’s attack?”
Ilzake hissed out a breath, his slim frame seeming to vibrate. “I do not acknowledge the Council, or Lilianna as a voice for me.”
Lucifer stepped forward. “Do you really think Gideon will stop at just the Council? He’ll move onto the next power that could be seen as a threat, and that includes the High Lords. A glamour to hide the entrance wouldn’t be enough to stop him from destroying your lovely pub.”
“I don’t fear Daemons.” Ilzake sneered, showing his teeth.
“You should,” Lucifer said, his voice lacking the usual teasing she was used to.
Ilzake’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t deal with anyone but Fae.”
“We both know that’s bullshit.”
Ilzake shook his head, upper lip curving when he turned to her. His eyes seemed to deepen, the once matte black rippling into an endless cavern that had her falling forward.
A strong hand around her upper arm, keeping her in place.
“Trance her again and she’ll slaughter you where you stand,” Lucifer warned, his tone so cold it was biting. “Trust me, she has a knife kink. Don’t fuck with her.”
“Such sorrow,” Ilzake said, his eyes never moving off hers. “It’s delicious –”
His head snapped to the side, Lucifer standing between them with a raised fist. He’d moved so fast she hadn’t even had time to blink.
Ilzake snarled, a red welt appearing on his pale cheek. Hands hooking into claws he went to retaliate, but stopped once flames crackled along Lucifer’s arms. The pub had become silent once more, eyes boring into them as they watched the commotion. It took a moment for Ilzake to realise, his face calming as he tugged at the edges of his suit.
Ilzake’s chest rattled, and it took a moment to realise it was a laugh. “Point made, Daemon. Follow me.” He didn’t wait for another response, his head swivelling to stare at his patrons, who quickly returned to whatever they were doing, before heading towards the back of the pub.
Lucifer gestured for her to go ahead of him, his gaze sweeping across the unfriendly looks. She didn’t argue, finding she liked him protecting her back as she followed the tall Fae. Bending, he took them through a curtain of beads to a small room surrounded in clutter. The ceiling was just as tall, allowing him to stand to his full height, but every inch of the walls were covered in shelves, books and trinkets. It made the already small space even smaller, forcing Lucifer to press against her wings to fit.
Ilzake folded himself comically at the small table, the length of his legs too long to fit beneath. A ceramic teapot sat on the top, steam billowing from the small spout.
“Tea?” he offered, reaching behind him for three miniature tea-cups.
“No, thank you,” she said, choosing to be polite.
Ilzake even placed the cups on little saucers.
“Ask what you came to ask,” he said, pouring himself a cup before picking up the saucer and bringing it to his lips. His elbow knocked against the wall, a book tumbling from its shelf and onto the floor behind him. He ignored it.
Lucifer was hot against her wings, so she opened them to allow him a little room. He only stepped closer, his heat pressing against her spine before he manoeuvred them so he was partially in front.
“You’re a sin-eater, right?” he asked. “You buy and sell memories.”
Ilzake didn’t answer, continuing to sip his tea loudly.
“Then I want to buy memories. Anything that can help us track down more of my kind.”
The tea-cup was placed gently on the table, empty. “What if what I want in exchange is something you don’t want to give?”
Lucifer chuckled. “I know how this works, you don’t take the memory, just mute it. You can take anything in exchange for the knowledge.”
Ilzake nodded, lips peeling back into a smile. “I can already tell your memories will be worth the price, but for coming into my pub with a weapon you will forfeit a memory.” He turned to her for the last part, his eyes no longer bottomless depths, but back to matte.
“Thea took my weapons,” she said, feeling Lucifer’s eyes on her.
Ilzake’s smile turned into a grin. “You have a knife hidden in your boot.”
Scarlet stilled, even as his black eyes dipped to just over her wing to where she wore her bow. Guess he could see that too, but how had he known about her boot?
“I can sense the metal,” he answered, as if he could read her thoughts. “It’s an insult that usually warrants death. But I will allow you to forfeit a memory, or this exchange is over.” Ilzake sat back, head bumping against a shelf.
“Scar, wait outside,” Lucifer said, a dark current rippling beneath his voice.
Ilzake’s nose wrinkled, as if to snarl.
“Will it hurt?” she asked, moving to stand beside him rather than slightly behind. “If I forfeit a memory?”
“Scar…” Lucy warned, shoulders rigid.
“No,” Ilzake answered, “It doesn’t hurt, and you’ll retain it to an extent. It will just become muted.”
“Muted?” A pressure began behind her eyes, as if something was tapping inside her skull.
“I take the emotions, leaving the memory for you to recall without the fear, sorrow or anger. You’ll still remember, but won’t feel anything.”
Lucy stepped in between, his brows furrowed. “Scar, you don’t have to do this.”
“Which memory?” she asked, ignoring him.
“Something worth this transgression.” Ilzake shrugged, but there was tension there as he leant forward. An excitement he was trying to hide beneath casual indifference.
‘So what will it be?’
Scarlet stilled, realising his lips hadn’t moved, and yet his voice was inside her head.
‘So much pain and fear,’ he purred. ‘Give it to me.’
There was a second of hesitation, and the pressure that had been building eased when she’d decided. She didn’t have to say anything, not even in thought before her vision blurred.
She was no longer in Ilzake’s office, but standing over her own shoulder as she repaired the Unhallowed heart.
‘What do we have here?’ he rasped. ‘Does the Daemon know your little secret?’
The scene happened as if it were a play, and she was simply a spectator. The memory replayed exactly how she remembered, the disgust and fear as realisation of what Cassiel was tightening her chest just as it had the first time.
‘No, no. This will not do.’
Ilzake picked at her mind, recalling memory after memory. Meeting the officers for the first time. Confronting Aeron. The training academy, and how she’d practiced with her bow until she’d perfected it. She felt every cut and every hit of the hand-to-hand combat as if she were there. She could even feel the wind on her face, and the sweat dripping from her skin.
‘Ah, what’s this?’
The memory shifted, sweat turning to rain that fell from above. She could feel the phantom drops against her shoulders, even as she watched herself walk so calmly through the darkened street outside her brother’s house.
Stop, she thought, her voice weak.
The memory skipped in a single blink, and Scarlet already felt bile burning her throat. Silas lay crumpled on the cold floor, the rain beating so heavily against him that she’d automatically spread her wings in shelter.
‘Now this is delicious.’
She was able to watch it like a spectator, frozen on the spot. She’d found her brother not far from his own home, dumped as if he meant nothing. He was already dead when she’d gotten to him, his mouth open in a silent scream. But she hadn’t realised, dropping to her knees to try and heal.
He’d been left on his side, atop the wing that hadn’t been torn from his back, the other tossed carelessly to the side. The way he had been placed hid the damage to his chest, and it was only when she’d touched him had she felt every broken bone. That his heart no longer beat, and his lungs no longer held breath. That he had been…
Scarlet ripped herself away, a scream caught in her throat.
Lucifer stood in front, his hand wrapped around the blade of a knife. He’d caught it mid throw, and it took a moment to realise it was hers. She’d somehow pulled it from her boot, all while watching the memory of her finding her brother.
Blood dripped from between his fingers, the golden tip only an inch from Ilzake’s nose.
She could barely breathe, the air between them stretched thin. Eyes burning she turned towards the doorway, and fled without a word. She didn’t stop when Thea waved at her from across the room, her name lost amongst the general noise of the crowd.
She just needed to get out of there, her mind stuck between the past and present as she found the exit and forced her body through the glamour. The wall rejected her easily, propelling her back into the street with little effort.
Scarlet caught the sob that threatened to escape, the heel of her palms pressing into her eyes to stop from crying. But it wasn’t enough, not as her shoulders shook and she released everything she’d kept buried inside for so long.
She’d tried to submerge the memory of finding her brother. Not wanting to relive the panic at seeing him crumpled on the floor, and then the horror of realising he was dead. She wasn’t even supposed to be at his that night, wanting to return his personal planner to him that he’d left at hers a few hours earlier.
“I think it’s getting serious,” Silas said. “He’s different, you know?”
Scar watched her brother, noticing the nerves running beneath his excitement. “Are you sure you’re not moving too fast?” she asked. “You’ve only just met him.”
Silas rubbed at the back of his neck, a slight flush darkening the skin. “Hey, don’t do that.” With a creak, he lurched to his feet. “You always do that.”
“I’m just trying to protect you.” She swallowed her unease. “You always fall so hard, and so fast then get your heart broken.”
His eyes hardened. “Scar, why can’t you ever just be happy for me?”
He’d been so smitten with a new secret boyfriend she had yet to meet, and she’d been nothing but negative. She’d used the excuse of the forgotten planner to apologise, but then she’d found him, tossed away like he meant nothing. When in reality, he was her entire world. Her only family.
Another sob broke through, and like glass she shattered into a million pieces.
Large arms wrapped around her tightly, and she stiffened for a split second until Lucifer’s familiar rumble whispered against her ear.
“I’m here, angel. You’re okay. It’s going to be okay.”