Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
The painted lady
NIK
The moon rested high in the hollow sky of Oscuro as we reached the city gates. The cover of darkness melded us with the shadows.
A few paces away, a patrol of Thorns approached. Matthias and I lingered by the gates, intending to join the back of the group as they made their way into the city without drawing too much attention.
They swept past us, and we slipped into formation, the shift as seamless as breath.
The stench that followed clawed its way down my throat, sour and fetid, and I shuddered before I could stop myself.
A sea of black stretched around me—feathers and wings reaching for the skies, stone walls crumbling into ruin, fabric whispering like ash against ash.
Even the scraps of colour that surfaced looked wrong, leached of life, as though the world had been painted in diluted ink.
I glanced at Matthias. His jaw was tight, eyes darting here and there. “If this is too much for you—”
He shook his head tightly. “We have to find her,” he said, his voice lowered.
A male Thorn up ahead, glanced over his shoulder, an evident scowl on his face. It wasn’t the first time he’d done it either. The look he gave us made unease coil in my gut. Could he sense something? Maybe the blue and red of our wings was shining through the charcoal disguise.
I gently elbowed Matthias in the ribs and jutted my head in the direction of the male. “Seems we have an admirer.”
Matthias’s top lip curled up—just slightly—obviously annoyed. The male didn’t seem to like the both of us staring at him, so he slowed his pace, dropping to the back of the line.
He turned to face us, walking backwards. His eyes kept flicking to Matthias, narrowing like he was trying to pin a memory. Finally, he leaned in with a squint. “Do I know you?”
The prince looked the male up and down. “You might. But unlucky for you, I don’t waste time remembering faces that are forgettable.”
I couldn’t stop the low splutter of laughter escaping my lips. A few heads turned our way, and for a brief moment, I held my breath. If we were discovered before we even found Sapphire, it would be the end of us.
The Thorn bristled, stepping closer, his hand twitching towards Matthias’s shoulder. “You’re a real piece of work, aren’t—”
That was all the invitation Matthias needed. He snapped his elbow up and drove it into the bastard’s gut. The sound was ugly—air rushing out of lungs, a strangled wheeze—and the Thorn folded like a sack of potatoes.
This time every head in the patrol turned our way. For a heartbeat, silence stretched thin.
I lifted my shoulders in a shrug, keeping my face blank. “He literally punched himself in the face.”
Matthias also shrugged, calm and collected as if he’d only swatted a fly. The Thorn groaned on the ground, and the others shifted uncomfortably, then looked away as if it was a normal occurrence.
Grateful, I fell back into step, Matthias flanked my left.
As I crossed over the threshold and into the city of Oscuro, it took everything in me not to flee.
The streets swallowed sound and colour the way a grave swallowed the dead.
Stone walls rose high and crooked. Paint peeled from wooden shop windows like dead skin flaking in the wind.
Beside me, the once prince of Oscuro muttered, “This all feels a little too familiar. Glad I don’t breathe this filth anymore.”
“What a sad place to dwell in,” I replied, as we weaved our way through the shadows like rats scrounging for food scraps.
Thorns leaned in doorways, trading curses and crude jokes, eyes shifting with every movement.
Fights broke out between buyers and merchants, arguing over fickle things like prices of goods, while other Thorns gambled in the gutters with dice made of bones, laughter sharp as knives cackled between them.
There was no sense of loyalty, or happiness. Just each for themselves and if you got caught in between, then you’d better watch your back.
His pale blue eyes travelled across the city before us before he reached out, catching the sleeve of a passing man. “A woman with blue hair. Have you seen her?”
The man barely spared us a glance, shaking his head as he pulled free. “Plenty of strange sights in Oscuro. Not one I’ve noticed.”
Matthias didn’t waste time. He scanned the street again, then stepped towards a woman clutching a basket of bruised fruit in her arms, the scent of overripe sweetness trailing behind her.
“A woman with blue hair. Have you seen her?”
She looked Matthias up and down, then yanked her arm free. “Saw one like that near the palace earlier tonight,” she muttered. Her breath stank of wine and rot. “Pretty thing she was. I’ve seen her around these parts too.”
My stomach dropped. I wanted to be sick. Sapphire at the palace? With the king?
I took a step towards the woman. “Where is she now?”
She shrugged. “How the fuck am I supposed to know, I got my own troubles to deal with.”
The woman threw us a haggard look and melted back into the shadows. Matthias snarled under his breath, stomping deeper into the streets. The only way we were going to find her was by asking questions to whoever would listen.
I followed Matthias, weaving our way through the crowds when I almost bumped into a man with broken teeth and a throat full of phlegm. I grabbed his wrist. “Have you seen a woman with blue hair around these parts?”
The male wheezed. “I don’t have to tell you nothing,” he said, pointing at my chest with a dirty finger. “All you Thorns are the same. Demanding pricks the lot of ya. But if she was gonna be anywhere she’d probably be at a brothel.”
He stumbled away before I could ask him anything more.
Sweat beaded across my brow. The palace or a brothel. Always the same chains, dressed in different rooms. My heart sank like a stone in dark water. Even here—even in death—she hadn’t escaped.
The thought tasted like ash. I clenched my fists until my nails bit blood from my palms, but I forced myself to keep moving. If she was here, I’d find her. I didn’t care if it was behind silk curtains or iron gates—I’d find her.
I glanced beside me at Matthias. His mouth was set in a firm line, he hated being here just as much as I did. I rounded the corner, my boots coming to a grinding halt. Matthias ran into the back of me, stopping with a grunt. “What the he—”
Two Thorns peeled themselves from the shadows, stepping into the light gleaming down from the oil lanterns overhead. Eyes narrowed, suspicion sharp enough to cut the tension between the four of us.
“Hold,” the one closest to me barked. “I don’t know you two. State your ranks.”
My pulse thudded hard, but Matthias didn’t falter. He tipped his chin, cloak shifting just enough to suggest authority without showing a damn thing. “Ranks?” he said, his voice smooth as oil. “You really want to waste time splitting hairs when we’re on a personal mission for the king himself?”
The Thorn’s eyes flicked between us, doubt and greed wrestling in his skull. The one behind him shifted awkwardly on the spot, like he couldn’t hurry away fast enough.
Matthias’s tall frame leaned in, low enough that his words carried weight.
“You stop us, you slow us down. You report us, and the king will flay you alive for getting in the way of his personal servants. Do you want to explain to him why we were stopped? All because you didn’t know our ranking . . . do you?”
I remained silent. If anyone had authority or knowledge of how to navigate these situations, it was the prince himself. Though I was ready to throw punches if he called for it.
The Thorn shifted, folding his arms across his chest. For a long breath, I thought he’d press it further. Then his shoulders squared, taking a step back. “Fine. Get on with it. But if I hear you’re causing trouble, I’ll find you.”
Matthias smirked. “Not if I find you first.”
The pair looked us over one more time before they melted back into the shadows. I finally drew in a deep breath once we were out of their sight. Too many close calls already and we’d barely covered the outskirts of the city.
As I passed by what seemed like a washers room, a woman stepped outside. Her hair was bundled up in a cloth on top of her head, eyes a dull shade of brown. “Heard you was looking for someone.”
There was nothing kind in her voice. Her undertone held a sense of bargain. What could she gain from me if she gave up the information that I sought. “What do you know?” I said, taking a step towards her.
She didn’t cower under my stare, but I caught the way her throat bobbed ever so slightly. “How much is it worth to you?”
Matthias stepped in, blue eyes squinting, a growl upon his lips. “Tell us what you know and I’ll spare your miniscule life.”
The woman cowered then. “She works at The Painted Lady around the corner.”
I didn’t even wait for her to finish, I was already moving.
Persistence. I had to keep going. I had to find Sapphire and bring her home. She’d already been in Oscuro for far too long. I needed to give her the coin that sat safely inside my trouser pocket. She needed to have the choice to leave this light forsaken place if she so wished it.
Through blackened streets I wove, darting around drunkards and slumped bodies by the wayside.
Matthias hurried beside me. The Painted Lady crouched at the end of the street like a gaudy predator, all red velvet curtains and cloudy windows.
Lanternlight bled through cracks of the glass panes, painting the cobblestone in rust. Matthias didn’t hesitate—he pushed the door wide and strode inside.
I followed, the smell of smoke and cheap perfume burning my nose.
The room hushed when we entered, wings folding tighter, eyes tracking us. Women lounged in corners, men hunched over dice and cups.
A woman with black hair pulled tight into a knot on top of her head eyed us before sauntering over. “Are you here for a wonderful evening, gentlemen?”
“We’re looking for a girl,” Matthias said, his tone clipped. “Blue hair. Goes by Sapphire.”