Dark Secrets (8 page)

At the end of the night, as everything was getting packed away under a sliver of moonlight, three men approached. Immediately alert, I went from tired to awake in a heartbeat. They were either looking for work or looking to steal my coat and buggy.

One was as tall as me but broader in the shoulder and older. Then there was short and stocky. Another man might have felt threatened by the casual brawn but I could drop them all with a thought and they’d enjoy it. I gave the men a once-over and spent a moment finding the right thoughts to be on the safe side. When none of them attacked, I spoke.

“I’m looking for a doorman who can use his fists when required.” Fists before a gun. Shooting troublemakers only bought more trouble. Blue Balls tavern was a prime example of how not to run a business, and yet it had been around for years. Cheap and dangerous and frequented by people who couldn’t afford better or didn’t care.

“Doorman for what?” asked the tall one.

“Lust house.” It wasn’t like I could hide what the business did.

One of the shorter ones snorted and walked away. Good. I didn’t want anyone who’d dismiss a woman’s safety so fast. The other two were still interested, Stocky and Tall. They gave me another open stare, as if trying to work out where I fit.

“What’s the catch?” Stocky tilted his chin. The light caught his nose and highlighted every uneven bump. Ah, this was the victorious Jawbreaker.

“You work when we work. You answer to me or my partner, a woman.” I wanted to make that clear now, because if I managed to pull off what I was hoping, Korene would be running the lust house before next month. And I’d be dead or as far from Reseda as I could get. “And you don’t get to play for free.” I looked each man in the eye.

Tall shook his head, a wave of disappointment rolling off him. Really? Just because a woman was a loose-skirt didn’t mean she wanted to bed anyone in her spare time. I didn’t want to bed most of my clients even when they were paying. It would be nice to not have my head filled with others’ desires. Maybe then I could find my own.

Anisa hovered at the edge of my thoughts. I wouldn’t bring her down to my level, but I could lift myself up.

Jawbreaker remained. I’d seen him break another man’s ribs earlier. His hands were a mess and his face wasn’t much better. Lords, he was going to scare the clients away.

“What’s in it for me?” He
wanted
the job—it was sweating out of his pores, but not with the fraught sense of desperation some had.

“Steady pay. You got papers?”

He nodded. “Farmer.”

He was a long way from any farm, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t selling produce in the market or from a cart.

“You trade produce?” I needed to know where his focus was going to be.

“Yeah. Days there, nights here.”

And asleep on both jobs. Still, what did I expect? He was probably making more coin here than at the market and even then I’d personally make more coin in one night than he did in a ten-night. However, as I had learned today, my overheads could be high and unpredictable.

Jawbreaker knew he was losing me. “My son is taking over the cart. There’s not enough there for both of us. I’ve been letting him keep most of the takings. He’s got mouths to feed. I’ve just got the wife.”

And he wouldn’t be able to keep fighting and winning for many more years. I drew in a breath, caught the scent of blood and sweat. There were no other takers for the job and Jawbreaker, as far as I could tell, was being open about his reasons. He certainly was hiding nothing dark in his mind.

“Come to the Red Lust House tomorrow morning and we’ll talk further.” With Korene listening for lies.

His mouth dropped open like I’d punched him on the nose. “On Brewers, in view of the Decihall.”

It was more like glimpses of the Decihall, but it was as close as a lust house had ever gotten to the center of town.

“There is only one.” And even if folk couldn’t afford it, they knew about it. Some hated that whores could live such a life, jealous of the coin without understanding what it meant to sell yourself night after night after night. After a while, there wasn’t much left.

He shook his head in disbelief. “I’ll be there in my best coat, sir.”

Yeah, coin talked. It didn’t matter that I was a paperless whore as long as I held the purse string and the purse held gold…or had held gold.

It must have been the hour of the Arcane when I finally drove the buggy home. The sky was black and still. The Hunter would rise with dawn and the day would start again. As I neared the center of town, lightning boxes illuminated my path. In the dark the damage was more obvious. The lack of golden light told of the clash between the FAA and Union a few months back. Glass had rained down on the cobbles, and lightning had snapped through the sky and along the street. In the morning the street had been stained red, bodies hanging from the posts. FAA or Union, all men still bled and died the same.

With Master Cog’s challenge laid down before all of Reseda, I feared another night of brawling. It didn’t make sense to me. Why not just lower the price of magic? That would win the support of the common folk and take the wind out of the sails of the FAA. There were a few other changes I’d suggest, like switching off the lightning boxes, but that would create a whole other problem—regular folk didn’t know about the resurrected. Those who’d been on the wheel came off broken, like a part of them had been sucked out to power the lights. Most were never rescued and died on the wheel. I shook my head and gave a prayer to the Hunter, feeling lucky for the first time that day. I was alive. That was enough for the moment.

Around me, Reseda was almost quiet. The stillness echoed inside me. I hadn’t felt so empty and alone for several years. It was nice. I needed to get out at night more often and enjoy the peace. As I neared the Decihall it gleamed in the false light, a welcome sight even for me. The Lords were always watching. Tonight there were no loose-skirts looking for clients. Working around the Decihall was always risky, but after this morning’s round-up, even more so. I didn’t pause in case militia were watching, but I did roll around from Smith Road to Brewer Road very slowly.

The white house of the Lawman loomed in front of me. The buggy crept forward, barely moving. It didn’t matter what I did. I was drawn to Anisa the same way I’d always been. Some things never changed.

I closed my eyes for a moment. I knew she was in there, could feel her, and I was willing to bet she hadn’t been seen by any healer. I pressed my lips together. The lightning box out in front of the house flickered. It had never been right since the riot. I glanced up at the window the Lawman’s first wife had fallen from. Some say she was pushed, others that she jumped. Either way I knew that her death still bothered Brixen—not because he loved her, but because it reflected badly on him.

Me seeing Anisa reflected badly on him too, and he was afraid I’d tell her exactly how well I knew him. If he knew how well, I’d be hanged as soon as he could find a rope. I was going to have to be very careful about how I saw her next time. I had to see her again, since what she said would dictate what I did next. In my mind I imagined she’d be happy to be in my arms again and run far from Reseda with me. A better man would have wished her happiness with her husband, but I’d proven long ago I wasn’t a good man. I wanted to be the husband who made her happy.

If she’d have me.

I skipped over that part of the forming plan. The way I saw it, the hardest part would be in getting away without being followed. Brixen wasn’t just going to let Anisa walk away. If we both vanished, he’d hunt us down.

I looked at my hand resting on the tiller of the buggy. I could make people’s fantasies come alive in their mind so they thought it was real. Could I do the same with their fears? Was that a line I could cross?

Shadows moved around me. I let the throttle out and took the buggy the short way down Brewer Road. I couldn’t outrun the answer. I knew I’d do whatever was needed to break free of the Lawman and take him down in the process. And I knew how to do it so he’d never look for me or Anisa again.

All I had to do was see if Anisa was willing to gamble everything on the untried magic of a Rogue Arcane.

The Lawman’s Wife

Virtuous, honest and above reproach, like her husband’s heart.

There was a letter on the kitchen floor that I almost didn’t see. On the front was an H, nothing else, but I knew the handwriting the same way I had six years ago. For a heartbeat I thought I’d fallen asleep and was dreaming, my past blending with my present.

I scooped up the letter then crept upstairs so I could read the contents in private. In the attic I lit a candle and sat at the table. Wax trickled down the side, and I stared at the paper, desperate to know what Anisa had written, yet unwilling to have it confirm my fear that she hated everything I was. She must know what had happened.

It would be a fitting end to one of the worst days of my life. I unfolded the paper and smoothed it out; it was blank. I laughed, knowing immediately what she’d done. After her sister had found a poem she was writing to me she’d written them in juice—was she hoping I’d remember? I held the paper to the candle and let the juice darken in the heat. Her words emerged out of the white.

I’m
sorry
.

The candle flickered, dancing behind the paper. Sorry I got branded? Sorry he found the ribbon? Sorry she told him everything? No, I’d be dead if he knew. Did she know the risk she’d taken in writing this? While it might have kept her prying sister away, it wouldn’t fool her husband for half a breath. Or did she simply not care about the danger?

I did. I would find a way to see her and I’d warn her and tell her of my half-formed plans for us. I moved the paper, searching for more writing. Letters formed.

Don’t
reply
.

I almost crumpled the paper but a final line appeared.

Don’t
Seek
me
out
.

My heart stuttered.

Then I looked at the words more closely. The “Don’t” had been added after—it didn’t line up with the other sentences. Seek had a capital S. The longer I stared the more certain I became. She wanted me to find her, but she was afraid. I had a healthy fear of Brixen and I only saw him once a ten-night.

I carefully folded up the letter and tucked it beneath my pillow. Tomorrow I’d find her, and I’d ask her in person. If she could look me in the eye and tell me to leave her to her fate, I would. I had to. Breaking vows was a serious thing. Not that I’d ever made any to know how that felt. With a sigh I pinched out the candle, lay on the bed and let the darkness envelop me. My dreams were full of those moments that I held close.

Anisa
was
in
my
arms
as
we
danced
.
The
heat
of
the
day
had
faded
as
the
sun
had
sunk
and
colored
the
sky
in
shades
of
gold
and
pink
.
Her
arms
were
wrapped
around
my
neck
,
her
body
against
mine
,
but
we
didn’t
care
who
was
watching
.
Our
betrothal
had
been
announced
at
the
All
Lords
Day
celebration
.
She
was
mine
—
once
I’d
finished
my
apprenticeship
.
Until
then
she
lived
with
her
parents
and
I
with
mine
.

We
couldn’t
have
been
happier
.
We’d
drunk
a
little
wine
and
were
laughing
as
we
spun
around
and
around
.

She
leaned
closer
,
her
lips
brushed
mine
. “
Tomorrow
?”

“
While
they
sleep
it
off
?”
Our
parents
were
celebrating
hard
like
everyone
else
.
The
day
had
started
with
a
service
in
the
Decihall
and
had
been
followed
with
feasting
.
After
fasting
the
day
before
,
everyone
was
making
merry
.

Anisa
nodded
,
her
eyes
bright
.
We’d
talked
,
we’d
whispered
and
slid
our
hands
beneath
clothes
,
but
until
today
we’d
never
been
bold
enough
to
do
more
.