Chapter 13 Cas
CAS
The Frenchman procured the list within minutes, and Gideon handed us half of the folders—six places to visit.
The snake wisely opted to remain behind, sunning by the window. I couldn’t blame him. I was relatively uninterested by the whole affair myself, albeit a little curious about how it would wrap up in the end.
I had my own suspicions as to whom might have fought it useful to raid the brand-new goddess’s energy and to what ends, but there was no point in sharing my thoughts with the party. It would just end up opening the door to too many questions I had no way to answer truthfully.
The mystery of the whole affair amused me. In the old days, they would have shot a bird and read the entrails for the answers. A little more gruesome perhaps, but more expedient if one had the skills.
“You never told me about the thief you dealt with.”
Silver titled her head. “Hm?”
“The one you mentioned in my sleep.”
“Oh.” She led the way down the flight of stairs, swift despite her little legs, either because she liked to go fast, or because she wanted to put as much space between us as possible.
If the latter, she was disappointed. I didn’t even have to hurry to catch up.
“There’s a network of artifact thieves who target the archives.
It’s a whole system. See, the archives in Highvale are open to the public, like a great museum full of the knowledge and history of the city.
The world, really. Only the regular mortals consider it myth, rather than reality.
And the way we preserve those artefact makes them worth an absolute fortune outside of Highvale.
So, occasionally, some people try to nab something.
The thief grabbed a small chest of historically relevant items—weapons, armor.
It was retrieved relatively recently and still being processed by the archivist, which means that the weapons weren’t stored with dangerous items.”
I was surprised to hear her expound, expecting a two-word answer, probably grunted.
Silver obviously enjoyed her job.
When she paused, I asked, “And did you catch him?”
“Well, our mentor promised extra points to the first to apprehend him, and I was trying to make it to protector, so I tried. All day, all night. I was bloody exhausted by the end of it, but I knew Isla, Francois, and everyone else were also doing their best, so I only gave up at midnight, when I was too tired and figured the asshole was sleeping in the hole he hid in.” She smiled.
It was strange how much her face changed when she did so, going from sullen to downright mesmerizing.
Quite frankly, a woman so short should have looked almost childish, definitely cute rather than beautiful, but no one could have looked at this five foot nothing little doll and called her anything but gorgeous, fierce.
Sexy, too, in the tight black leather, with a touch of pink peeking out under the jacket.
I blamed the tits. I’d never seen a tiny woman with tits so round before. While on the subject of roundness, I’d be remiss if I didn’t also give a memorable mention to her leather-clad arse.
“You’re a tease, Edith Silver. Instead of telling me you caught the truant, you want to vaunt the whole story.”
She laughed. “Truant? Vaunt? Who even speaks like that.”
I shrugged unapologetically. In my defense, I was born and raised in another era, and my memory stretched back literal thousands of years. It was to be expected that some of my vernacular was outdated. “Me.”
“Well, you can get the whole story or none of it.”
I gestured for her to carry on.
“So, there’s this bar close to Dionysus’s temple.
Very private. Kleos made her father buy it so we’d have somewhere to hang out.
I was pretty far from home—an hour’s walk—and I thought I’d stop for a drink.
Only I forgot the man who used to run it, Vance, ended up getting all enthused by Zeus and was killed a week ago.
So, the bar was closed. But I could see a dim light flicker through a window. ”
“Ha. Your thief, I take it.”
She glared at me. She seemed rather fond of doing it. I’d tell her it made my cock twitch, if I weren’t certain she’d stop. “You’re rather fond of ruining a good story, aren’t you?”
“No point beating around the bush.”
That made her snort. “I bet you say that to all the girls. I truly pity anyone you take to bed.”
My turn to laugh. “Oh, pretty doll. Shall we bet on that?”
“As if!”
I was both surprised and gratified to see her cheeks catch fire. So far, she only ever stopped scowling to glare. Blushing and laughing was certainly new.
Come to think of it, she’d been rather lovely during my week-long nap, too.
Considering the differences between then, now, and the many times she’d made a display of her animosity and mistrust, it wasn’t hard to note the difference: company. Or rather, the lack thereof. She was only hostile in public.
Wasn’t that interesting?
“So, you found the thief hiding in the bar and then what?”
I let her prattle on, describing every obvious detail. I asked after all, and letting her tell me allowed me to understand her.
She loved her job. That much was certain enough when she showed up this morning despite discovering a fortune in the Gold Bank, but it also conveyed in the way she relished in the retelling.
Silver genuinely wanted to protect this city, rotten as it was.
I felt rather uneasy as I recalled the many reasons it was doomed.
Last night, I accepted the hospitality of Gideon rather than remaining under the watchful eye of two Regises and the kindness of the healer. The miscreant we’d been sent to observe lived nearby, in a modest apartment between the gates of Hades and Poseidon, on a narrow street.
The six-story building seemed to house two names per floor. Silver rang Mattis Frazt of 27-1A twice, and received no answer.
She peeked at the window to the left, frowning.
Rows of closed shutters made it impossible to see what went on inside.
“What makes you think he isn’t on the other side?” I vaguely gestured to the wide-open windows to our right.
“A1 means first floor, first flat. That’s 1B.”
“Ah.” After a moment of deliberation, I pressed on 1B, the apartment of one Eris Delcourt.
A clear bell rang, followed by a sharp high-pitched bark. At Silver’s side, Amavi happily barked back, tail wagging.
Silver shot me a glare, but before she could voice her annoyance, the door opened in front of a woman who no doubt had been rather beautiful in her youth. Today, lines of care and puffiness under her eyes betrayed both age and tiredness.
“Mrs. Delcourt?” Silver started.
“That’s me,” she replied primly, as though expecting us to sell chariot warranties. “How may I help you?”
I saw the words that would come next: Silver would state her own name, her purpose, following by a series of questions, right here in the open, mere feet away from the criminal’s own home.
“Pardon the intrusion,” I quickly interjected. “But we wondered if you wouldn’t mind letting us know how you like living in the area? There’s a place for sale nearby, and we wanted to hear about the neighborhood.”
The woman’s eyes widened, a smile replacing all confusion.
“Oh, the penthouse on the nineteenth circle? I’ve been there a few times.
Elona’s a good friend. Come in, come in!
” She waved us over. “It’s bloody cold outside.
Especially for you.” Her eyes settled on my bare chest and she shook her head.
“Young people these days. Anyway, I just baked some cookies. Good timing. You can help me get rid of some before they contribute to my ever-growing waistline.”
As she turned back to her door on the right, I levelled a smug grin at Silver, who lifted her hand, the middle finger up.
I tilted my head, whispering, “What does that mean?”
“You know what huntsmen are but you have no idea what it means when someone gives you the finger?” she hissed between her breath, following Mrs. Delcourt.
“What a funny expression, giving the finger. Where am I supposed to put it?”
“You don’t put it anywhere!” she scoffed. “It means fuck you, Cas.”
I chuckled. She was far too easy to rile up. “Anytime, doll.”
She swallowed her retort, as we’d reached Mrs. Delcourt’s kitchen. As promised, a tray full of almond cookies awaited us, and served with it, tea, and no small amount of gossip.
“Lovely place, that penthouse. Too big for Elona after the kids moved away. Pardon me, may the puppy have cookies?”
Amavi barked her assent.
“I’m not sure she can have almonds,” Silver mused.
I rolled my eyes. Hellhounds of the blood of Orthrus could digest souls. “She can have almonds.”
“Well, the daughter went to Greece and the son, to London. Highvale isn’t a place for young people without the right name—or the right powers.
Well, I don’t have to tell you that. It was very good when they let us in during the Age of Blood.
Neither of you remember, but I was there.
I’m from Germany originally. Half witch, half shifter; screwed twice.
My own sister was caught by a mob protesting against the existence of supernatural creatures. Regulars are the worst—”
She continued for some time, needing very little input from us. Silver munched on cookies, occasionally bobbing her head. I grunted in agreement.
The cookies were excellent.
“—very nice area, close to the temple, only a twenty-minute walk to the Hall of Truce. During the attack last week, we were entirely spared since we aren’t too close to the gates.
Honestly, I’d make an offer myself, but my hips aren’t what they were.
I can’t take all those steps, and the elevator only works half the time. She told you about the elevator, yes?”
Silver nodded, taking another cookie.
“You’d move from this place?” I asked innocently enough, looking around the well-appointed room. “It looks great.”
The kitchen opened to a beautiful, light dining room. White walls, cornice and ceiling molding, handsome furnishings and blue upholstery; she had good taste and no small amount of pride in her house.
The little old lady sighed. “After thirty-five years, I’d hate to leave my house, but while the neighborhood as a whole is still one of the best in the Vale, I certainly can’t say the same about my new neighbor next door.
A newcomer. Poor Mary had to move to assisted living and her husband’s been dead for ten years, so she rented the place out.
Up at all hours, playing loud music at two in the morning, visitors all night.
I don’t know how long I can put up with it.
If I shift and bite his arse one of these full moons, it’ll be his bloody fault for ignoring my warnings! ”
Silver frowned. “Surely you can complain to someone. The owner, Mary?”
“Well, I don’t want to worry her when she just got knee surgery, do I? There are no decent facilities here in the city for people our age. Highvale only seems to prioritize those who can live five centuries without getting a wrinkle, let alone weak knees. So she had to move to Italy.”
It was Silver’s turn to grunt. “If you or any of your friends need care, you should go to the underside, not the vale’s hospital.”
Mrs. Delcourt gasped. “The underside!”
“I know. Believe me, I know. Mere weeks ago I would never have believed I could say that. But the underside’s a lot more civilized than we’ve been led to believe.
I know for a fact they have a nice community down there.
And they’re opening a swimming pool just because some elderly folk said they needed it. ”
The woman blinked, visibly intrigued. “A swimming pool?”
Silver nodded eagerly. “I can ask around, one of my friend’s grandmother will know all the details.”
We left with a dozen cookies packed in a Tupperware that Mrs. “Call me Eris” Delcourt made us swear to bring back.
Once she shut the doors, Silver reeled toward me. “Well, that’s one way to waste an hour on the clock.”
“Waste?” I grinned. “I’m not the one who decided to set up an ancient swimming club.”
“We got nothing out of that,” she argued.
I rolled my eyes, crossing the corridor to the door opposite Eris’s. “We got entry, doll.”
She opened her mouth and closed it again. “We can’t just—”
“Oops. I got lost on my way to the loo, silly me.”
“The door’s likely locked.”
It was. I jerked the handle down and shrugged innocently when the lock broke. “What? It’s not my fault if I can’t control my own strength.”
I could see the law-abiding protector wrestle between her desire to follow the lead or tell me off for a little breaking and entering.
“I can fix it on our way out,” I offered.
She sighed deeply. “You’re going to get us in so much trouble.”
But she walked in anyway.