Chapter 18
Uma’s face felt hot. It had been that way for the last few days ever since she had walked in and was caught staring while Laro hammered all that into Vrin. She couldn’t even look at them when she delivered their meals and fresh supplies without blushing and making a hasty retreat from the holding room.
On the other hand, seeing Laro completely wreck Vrin while Kam humped the air behind them had been one hell of a Mother’s Night Gift.
She fanned herself with her hand. She had been prepared for the mess—and it had been one holy hell of a mess—but she had not prepared herself to witness that. And it was due to continue for days still.
At least the station would be empty. Although the snow had not picked up into another storm yet, with the Withering Days, the staff was working out of a small building within the guild headquarters in order to restrict contact between the guardswomen and Ragoru. She was not so oblivious that she wasn’t aware of the fact that her own scent wasn’t part of the ongoing problem with the males, but she could at least spare them from having the fresh scents of numerous women occupying the space.
“No, just you get to suffer, Uma,” she muttered to herself as she dropped back into her chair tiredly and glanced at the same case file spread across her desk with disgust. “I just don’t get it. Why would someone go out of their way to find a potent drug and just hold onto it on the off chance of having an opening to poison a Ragoru without drawing attention to themselves? And to have it ready and on hand so close to their mating season when they should be comfortable in their dens... What does one have to do with the other?”
She drummed her fingers on the desk as she considered the matter. Logically it just didn’t make sense for someone to risk having an illegal poison on them within the citadel waiting for an opportunity to encounter a triad.
A heavy frown settled across her face, and she leaned back in her chair and nearly tipped backward entirely when the clock chimed loudly through the station. Her chair clattered loudly as the front two legs made contact with the floor. She squinted up at the clock face. Midday already?
A grimace pulled at her mouth as she glanced around the dimly lit room. Although the wind wasn’t blowing, the snow outside was heavy enough to cast long, grim shadows as little sunlight penetrated through the cotton-soft gray world outside the station’s door. Where had the time gone? It still felt like early morning.
“Feeding time,” she muttered as she reluctantly got to her feet. “Back into the den of licentiousness. I can’t wait.”
And now she was talking to herself. Uma sighed and dragged a hand over her face as she headed to the kitchen. It was almost a pity that there was no one there who would understand her struggle and therefore fully appreciate her sarcasm. It was well warranted even if it was wasted in the empty space.
At least she would be able to get in and out of the holding room quickly. She had the foresight to thaw several days’ worth of meat from the station’s supplies. As much as she enjoyed torturing them with her stews, at least the meat had been slow cooking in the large ovens, requiring minimal oversight other than occasionally stirring the coals and adding more wood. Once the meat was pulled out, she would simply throw in more meat to cook the remaining hours until evening. If her own diet was a little unvaried, it didn’t matter all that much for the sake of expediency.
Gods, she could use a bit of sweet decadence from Saint Ann’s Bakery and Cider House where she usually spent the days following Mother’s Night when all the pastries were marked down for quick sale. If it were any normal year, she would be at home tipping back a mug of hot cider while she stuffed herself with sweet treats. She rubbed a hand over her belly and sighed. Later. There would likely still be something left after she escorted the Ragoru to the edge of the citadel’s territory and booted them over the invisible line. Maybe before they headed out, she would ask Ann to set some aside for her when she returned.
She smiled at the thought, her mood rapidly improving at the promise of a sweet treat. Hell, she could probably even grab a couple on her way back to the station. The Ragoru wouldn’t notice that she was gone.
Humming a little to herself, she headed to the massive oven and, taking a large meat fork in hand, began to skewer and lift the meat from the racks before throwing it into a large pail set beside the oven for that purpose. It landed with greasy slaps, the scent of roast meat filling her nose. At least it didn’t smell half bad. She wasn’t a great cook, but she grew up roasting meat over campfires with her brothers enough that it was at least one thing she could make reasonably well.
Upon removing the last slab of meat, she quickly refilled the racks and stoked the fire until it crackled cheerfully and the meat began to faintly sizzle. That done, she picked up the pail with a grunt and carried it back through the station to the holding cell. Six sets of eyes immediately turned toward her as she stepped inside, her arms straining with the weight of the pail as she bumped the door shut with her hip, and her mouth promptly pulled into a sympathetic grimace.
Blessed Mother, they looked terrible. Vrin had lost his cocky look and eyed her tiredly from where he slumped against the bars facing the door. His fur was slick with a viscous substance that she didn’t want to even begin to scrutinize closely. His ear turned toward her, and he heaved a rumbling sound that was like something caught between a growl and a sigh. It was almost pitiful.
A soft whine teased her ear, and her head turned, her eyes falling on the male flopped in a heap on a pile of bedding. She shook her head. “Kam, you look like a rug.” She paused, tilting her head. They looked terrible but also different—some of that urgency had fled. Edging closer to the cell, she gave him a sympathetic smile as she set the pail within reaching distance of the bars. “Are you okay?”
“I think I am dead,” he rasped as he tipped his head toward her with what appeared to be considerable effort. “I never thought a male could die from expelling seed, but I am certain that I am dead. My cock is chafed and may have fallen off. I am not sure and am too tired to check.”
“Your cock is still attached to you, despite Vrin’s threats to tear it off when you sprayed half the cell,” Laro interrupted tiredly, barely looking up from where he was slumped against one corner.
Uma’s eyes dropped to the floor and her lips twisted. Damn. He really had. The crusty coating and its pungent scent made her eyes water. But then what was new? When she cleaned up the used rags and replaced them every morning, they had been so fragrant with the males’ release that it had taken her best efforts not to gag. And now they all looked as miserable as she felt.
She pursed her lips thoughtfully as she surveyed the cell and then studied each male in turn. Yes, five days seemed to be about right. And they were a sorry case for it. While it was obvious that they tried to keep themselves clean, their fur was still crusted in spots that they missed or were simply too tired to deal with. She rocked back on her heels. The guys needed at least some kind of pick-me-up. No doubt they lost more fluids and burned more calories that they had taken in. And that gave her the perfect excuse for her own little well-earned treat.
“You know what this situation needs?” She glanced at the males, but they returned her gaze so unenthusiastically that she had to bite back a smile. They looked like she was about to condemn them to some new torture.
“If it is putting us out of our misery, I have not yet reached that level of desperation,” Vrin grunted as he slowly drew back from the bars and sank to the floor with a look of resignation stamped on his face. All the fight had clearly left him and for some reason it made her heart ache with sympathy.
She summoned a bright smile just because she knew it would annoy him and shook her head, her unbound braids lighting striking her shoulders. “I’m afraid it is nothing that good, but just wait here and I will return shortly.” Turning to the supply shelves, she grabbed several more rags and passed them through the bars to set them on the bench. “In the meantime, have a cleanup.”
Kam lifted his head to peer over at her curiously, and she gave him a little wave as she stepped out of the holding cell and hurried to grab her cloak from where it hung from its peg near the central woodstove. Throwing it around her shoulders, she almost felt too warm for all but a minute until she threw open the door and was immediately grateful for it as the swirling snow and icy cold air hit her all at once. Ducking her head, she drew up the hood and hurried outside.
The street was as empty as she expected. The snow was heavy enough to discourage even the children from frolicking outside. She shivered as snow melted and penetrated her clothing. It was tempting to turn back, but the soft light from Saint Ann’s Bakery drew her like a beacon. Rubbing her hands together briskly, she headed down the road at a fast clip, the lanterns from the store growing brighter the closer she got to it. Stepping inside, however, was pure bliss as the cozy heat of the bakery and the sweet and earthy scent of fresh baked goods filled her nose. The bell jingled as she stepped inside, and Ann popped up from where she had been bent behind the counter, a cheerful smile on her face.
“Uma! I was wondering when I was going to see you. I thought perhaps you decided to abandon my humble shop for Mother Kennedy two blocks down.”
Uma grinned back at her as she stomped the snow from her boots at the entrance and headed to the counter, her gaze flicking among the baked goods on display. “Mother Kennedy’s? Perish the thought. I have just been stuck at the station dealing with things, but it seems to be more under control now, allowing me to escape for a few minutes.”
She hummed quietly to herself as her gaze skimmed over the marked-down goods on display around the counter, her mouth salivating. Sweet rolls stuffed with custards, jam tarts, twisted bread coated with cinnamon and sugar... and a surprising number of cookies and cakes still left over.
“Do you have hot cider today?” she queried.
Ann laughed in response. “Of course! When do I not have hot cider for you? Just the usual jug, or you going to spoil yourself and go for two this time?”
She considered and shook her head. “Six, I think—if you offer discounts for a half-dozen,” she added as she peered at the baker with a sly smile.
The woman laughed and waved a hand. “For you, we will work out a good discount.”
Uma straightened, her smile widening. “Excellent! In that case I will take four jelly rolls, seven of the cream.” Would the Ragoru like something that sweet? She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Two dozen of the twists.” Her gaze landed on some meat pies marked down from the morning and she brightened. “And all of the meat pies.” There were ten of them there and she mentally winced at how much that was going to come to, but she suspected the boys needed the extra calories now more than ever.
Ann’s eyebrows went up as she listened, but she nodded and quickly wrapped and bagged Uma’s selection. “Are you unnaturally hungry, or...”
“I am taking care of... guests,” Uma replied. “The station is hosting a triad of Ragoru until I can escort them from citadel lands.”
Ann paused and looked up at her in surprise, a twist gripped in a paper in her hand. “Ragoru? They are locked in the station? Did they do something...” she swallowed nervously, “bad?”
Uma shook her head. “No, nothing bad,” she quickly soothed. The last thing she wanted was for word to get around that there were dangerous Ragoru running loose through the citadel. “More just a complaint from some of the gentlemen at the tavern and an incident that happened earlier of another triad being poisoned that we haven’t yet solved. It is better for their safety to keep them within the station and see to it that they make the border territory without incident.”
Ann visibly relaxed and pursed her lips as she bagged the twist and grabbed a new sheet of paper to fetch another. “The gentlemen’s club is up to its usual antics again, are they?”
Uma shrugged in reply. Although there were several men who had been recognizable members of the club, she couldn’t swear by it that it was intentional rabblerousing from the club. She wouldn’t put it past them, however.
“The club was the biggest supporter of the Order.” Ann sighed. “It is no wonder that they would intentionally cause trouble after the changes were made in the citadel’s laws and laws throughout the western continent from the capital. They protested it quite loudly.”
She had forgotten that. Uma grimaced to herself, but her expression shifted into a puzzled frown as she silently watched Ann fill her order. Was the culprit that she was looking for somehow affiliated with the gentlemen’s club? It was unusual for a man to hold such a lowly position—how had she overlooked that? Perhaps it was because the tavern was owned by a gentleman, and she assumed that he had offered gainful employment to some of the rehabilitated lawless who had been found lacking by the merchant class and founding families. But it was quite possible that the scene had been staged for the purpose of the gentlemen’s club.
If so, her hands were going to be tied until she returned to the citadel and had time to gather enough evidence to secure a search warrant, if they even allowed her to have it since the club was outside her jurisdiction. But at very least she would do her part to see that the culprit was apprehended and unable to make trouble again.
The door jangled, drawing Uma’s attention. Although she refrained from turning to see who entered, her eyes slid toward it as she listened to the customers stomping off their feet at the entrance and the grating, boisterous laugh of a particular warder, Ava. It was a pity that the Council decided to not make the warders subject to the regulation of the Guardsmen Guild or else Uma would have had her guts for garters a long time ago from some of the things she had heard. The only thing that kept her from dealing with the woman herself rather than just collecting evidence to submit to the appropriate office was the shit storm it would cause.
“I tell you, Kris, it’s disgusting. I see them with her around town and want to vomit every time,” Ava complained to her companion. “Fucking Ragoru. Filthy creatures. I can’t even imagine how depraved that woman must be to allow them to mount her. Not my business, of course, except that they interfere with my ability to oversee my own matters in my assigned zone. I can’t even walk on the same street by happenstance without one of those creatures glowering at me. As it is, I can’t return to my street for a few more days still due to the agreement they forced out of me.”
Uma’s brow inched up. That was news to her. A case like that would have had to been filed and the reason for it investigated. The only reason it wouldn’t be was if Ava didn’t want her supervisors to know what she was up to. She cast a casual glance toward Ann to see if she was listening—she didn’t want her to fall into trouble due to the careless talk behind her—but the baker had the obvious good sense to ignore the conversation between her customers as she moved along the display case.
The other person—Kris—clucked her tongue in commiseration. “I just can’t believe that it would be Betani of all people. She finally crawled up out of the gutter with her brood, and now she’s playing bitch to a triad. I would expect it of some of the ladies in the pleasure district. But a woman like Betani? I am completely shocked.”
“I am as well. I’m telling you it was a mistake for the Council to even agree to this—and the High Council in the capital even ratified it, which is worse. Not that we are obligated to do everything they tell us to do, which is why there are loyal citizens out there trying to overturn things. Ragoru won’t be tolerated much longer,” Ava replied with a chuckle.
“Are you saying that they are endorsing the return of the Order?”
“Shh,” Ava hissed. “Of course not. At least not really. The Order may have kept the Ragoru in line, but no one really wants them to have control of the citadel again.”
There was a sound of movement and Uma knew without looking that the other woman slid closer to the warder.
“But there is some cooperation?” Kris whispered.
There was a squeak of wet boots, and from the corner of her eyes Uma watched as Ava shifted nervously.
“I wouldn’t know about it,” Ava muttered and cleared her throat. “Some subjects are better to not be discussed.”
Yeah... right. Uma rolled her eyes but smiled when Ava set the large bag filled with her order on top of the counter and heaved several jugs beside it, each fitted into a leather carrying harness with a long strap. Ignoring the gossipy bitches behind her, Uma stepped forward and dug out her coin bag.
“How much do I owe you?”
Ann looked over the goods and quoted a shockingly low price that had her eyebrows flying up in surprise.
“You know, compensation for them. All things considered, I can’t think of anyone who deserves a bit of charity more,” Ann whispered with a faint jerk of her chin toward the waiting warder.
Uma gave her a grateful smile as she collected her order and stepped away from the counter. “You truly are a saint, Ann. Thank you.”
With a nod toward the woman, she turned and skirted around the warder and her companion. She offered them both a hard, knowing smile. Ava, despite being nearly the same height and similar build, shrank but from her, her jaw-length dirty blonde hair falling forward to obscure her expression. Despite that, she didn’t miss the mulish expression that darkened her face.
Let her think she had something to say about how the citadel was run now. Uma rather wished a bitch would.
“You can thank me for coming back to share a cup of hot cider soon,” Ann called out, and Uma looked back over her shoulder and offered her a cheerful grin.
“It’s a date,” she called back and gave a wave before stalking out into the snow with her collection of treats.
She couldn’t wait to see the boys’ surprise when they saw what she brought them.