Chapter 41
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
FRID
After we got back to the room, we spent half the night arguing and yelling at each other.
Victor, of course, wanted both of us to leave immediately and fly all the way to Darragh, abandoning the sisters.
I was determined to do the last mission for them, to fulfill the promise I made.
Both of us were too stubborn to come to any sort of agreement.
Shortly after a simple breakfast in the communal room, I was dressed in my leather suit and waiting for the order to leave from Mahin. Victor just stared at me with his less than friendly eyes.
“What if you get caught?” he suddenly asked.
“I’m not a child, I can fight.”
“Sort of.”
“What in the holy—”
“Alone. You’re going to be alone. This is something your new friends aren’t willing to do, to fight for their own.”
“They just want to get some intelligence.” I rolled my eyes because we were going in circles.
“What exactly can you offer that they can’t do themselves?”
“What’s your problem? My situation might not be great, but I did it for both of us. Did you forget that I dragged you all the way here from Darragh?”
“How can I? Not after your daily reminders.”
“I‘m sorry, it must be horrible to wait for me in the comfort of this well ventilated room, well fed, with plenty of alcohol, and very friendly women.”
“Those women . . .”
“What?”
“Never mind.” He gritted his teeth.
“What did you want to say? Spit it out!”
“I can’t.”
I pressed my lips tightly together, walking around Victor.
“You know, you could at least shapeshift so I could talk to you now and then.”
Victor clenched his jaw, but did not respond.
I looked down at the floor and shook my head before leaving the room.
It was difficult to say what I hated more. The fact that I would have to go back to the surface or the fact that he obviously was too busy to simply check in on me while I was out there. How could he say that he cared about me and not be even a little concerned about me?
I followed the narrow corridor, the sun came in hot and strong from up above. Its light was glaring down the surface of the walls, making every crevice and every line more noticeable. Half way to the market area, I saw Amira who appeared to be walking to fetch me.
“Are you ready?” Her eyes were cold, appraising.
“Yes.”
She turned and both of us went toward one of the tunnels that led to a guarded exit.
To my surprise, right by the steel door that separated the compound with the wastelands stood Mahin. No other guards were anywhere in sight.
“This is your last mission and I wish you the best of luck. I know our Mother Goddess will be with you every step of the way.” Mahin glanced at her wife, and Amira moved back down the tunnel, the way we had come.
I turned my head, watching the high priestess.
“I know what we agreed upon, but I have another favor to ask,” she said quietly.
Mahin waited for my reply, but every muscle in my body tensed. I did not like it. Everything about this meeting. The tunnel, the secrecy.
“What is it?”
“Veramorr. The leader of the Scars; a demon, a monster, and a sadist. He killed many of us. He doesn’t deserve the air he’s breathing,” the priestess continued.
I furrowed my brow, watching her large, dark eyes. Conviction was written all over her face and by her tightly pressed lips.
“You have to kill him,” she said.
I inhaled, not trusting myself to respond.
“I know this is not what we agreed upon.”
“You think?” I snapped.
“This man is the one standing behind those atrocities. He has to be eliminated.”
“Do it yourself then.” I hissed.
“Look around you. Do you see any capable warriors here? Anyone who could storm the Scars’ settlement and take him down?”
“That’s not my problem.”
“By doing this you will save many lives.”
“Why did you lie to me? Why tell me that you simply wanted to know where they were?”
“Because I understood that you would never agree.” Mahin stepped closer, lowering her voice.
“You’re right. I would never agree.”
“If you do this. I will reward you.”
“There’s nothing you have that I want!” I raised my voice.
“I will make you a high ranking official with unlimited powers, money, and resources. Anything you want. Do this and you will be forever provided for.”
“I’m not a killer for hire.”
“But you are! You are! I can see it in your eyes. Both of you are.”
She kept staring at me and slowly my confidence gave way.
How many people have I killed? Five? Seven?
A dozen? I clenched my teeth. I never killed without a reason, and yet remembering their faces was not something I could easily handle, even now.
Their voices still rang in my ears and haunted me on long, windy nights.
I walked past her and removed the heavy metal lock.
“Will you do it?” Mahin asked.
I stood for a long moment staring at the peeling paint on the surface of the metal before pushing the door open.
I stayed in the exact same spot where I spent the majority of my time the day before.
Everything seemed normal in the Scars’ commune.
Nothing much was going on. I sighed, leaning against the brick wall.
The heat from the stone surface nearly burned my skin and I could feel beads of sweat forming on the back of my neck.
What Mahin wanted me to do was nothing short of suicide. How could I enter the building, walk around unnoticed, find this Veramorr person, kill him and return the way I came?
I scratched my brow, watching two women drag a basket of wet clothes.
They swiftly placed the contents on the drying line that was made out of two poles and a rope between them.
A man guarded the entrance, and I could see the curve of his shoulder every time the door opened.
But, there was no one else watching the door.
For something so menacing, they really did not secure the entrances very well.
Hour after hour, I remained concealed in the shadows, watching the building until all the colors softened and the temperature started to drop. I watched women close the shades in the windows. Several women wrapped in brown fabric walked through a narrow path toward the building.
That’s my way in!
Not to do what Mahin wanted, but at least to get inside. I was confident I could escape any situation, shapeshifting and spraying them with fire was enough of a strategy.
Without hesitating, I ran to the end of the roof and jumped to the ground.
I quickly followed the women who never looked back.
When I reached the hanging clothes, I grabbed one of the capes and wrapped myself in it, covering my face.
I expected to be stopped at the entrance, but to my surprise, no one was guarding the door at this hour.
I followed the women who walked past the kitchen area.
I glanced at the walls, bile rose in my throat.
Rows of freshly killed rodents, some as big as cats were meticulously displayed on wooden sticks, ready for cooking.
Further along, a fire was already ablaze.
The scent of urine, smoke, and charred flesh tickled my nose as I stepped further into the room.
The floor was unfinished, with stains of condensation from cooking.
Some people had their beds up against the wall, and several used their possessions to cordon off their sleeping area.
It looked like they just took anything they could scavenge from the buildings nearby, mismatched furniture, dishes, and clothes.
They were sickly and malnourished people. Mostly elderly but even the few males appeared uncommonly thin. Mothers cradled babies wrapped in filthy cloth. Some rocked back and forth. I suspected it was more to soothe themselves than their infant.
“Got any food?” one of the women asked, but I ignored her.
None of this was like the tribe Mahin described. My eyes landed on an old man who was using a bucket to relieve himself, right in front of everyone. I covered my nose with the thick, moldy smelling fabric.
“Don’t just stand there!” someone shouted.
I made sure to look straight ahead and hurried along, careful not to step on people who were situated on the floor.
“I can’t!” a woman cried from somewhere behind a ripped, hanging curtain.
“If you don’t get out there, you won’t get anything for your kids.”
I lifted my eyes. In the center of the room stood a metal staircase. Several men went up and disappeared on the second floor. I paused only for a moment before following them.
On the second level everything looked quite crowded with stacks of crates and other things.
Someone was cooking some sort of spoiled grain, and the unpleasantly sweet smell was all I could concentrate on.
Along the walls, were multiple doors. I inched closer to one of them, noticing that the sun had completely disappeared and the gaps between the stained curtains and the walls looked nearly black.
The lack of natural light was something I could use to my advantage.
I boldly stepped toward one of the doors and opened it.
On the other side was a storage area with a hoard of dented buckets, further into the room, everything appeared completely dark.
I closed the door, returning my attention to the main room.
I looked around and snatched one of the candles that was melting in a tin cup. Slowly, I stepped around a tall pile of wooden boxes. Suddenly, someone bumped into me and my back hit the wall. I dropped the candle and a moment later I felt the sharp edge of the blade pressing against my throat.
“Looks like a rat got into the house.” A low voice hissed in my ear.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I live here.” I inhaled, brushing my hand against the handle of my dagger.
“Say, should I kill you right here on the spot?”
“Are you dumb? I said, I live here,” I repeated.
“This time Veramorr will pay me double,” the man mumbled.
I was about to kick him in the groin and slash his arteries, but the familiar name stopped me cold. This would be so much easier than searching the entire building. I relaxed my shoulders, allowing the guard to push me ahead of him.