Misfortune Market: A HASEA CHRONICLES STORY (BOOK 1.5) (8 page)

Grey pointed beyond the smoldering Skinshifter to where the skin piles were mixed in with clothes and masks. I nodded and we rushed over, slipping into the overalls as fast as we could. They were massive on me, and I had to roll up the legs to stop them draping over my shoes, but they unlike the ones we discarded they were still relatively clean. We placed the masks over our heads and I prepared to leave.

“Guardian.”

The voice was timid. I glanced to my right and saw the Pixie mother I’d noticed when we’d first arrived, still huddled under the blanket with her children. “You said you are Alliance?”

“We are.”

“Does that mean you are here to help?”

I nodded. “We are.”

“Then give me your other clothes and I’ll mix them in with the skin. If any of the guards come this way, I’ll make sure that everyone says that the shifters attacked each other over the girl. Will that buy you some time?”

A wave of relief rushed over me. “Thank you, that would buy us a
lot
of time.”

The woman nodded. Then she leaned forward, her eyes glistening with tears. “Save us…please.”

“I promise.”

Grey tapped my arm. “Come on Alex, let’s get back.”

We turned and rushed back down the passageway. I glanced over my shoulder to see the Pixie slip out of her home and start to gather up our clothes. A second later others joined her, talking amongst themselves in hushed tones.

There was a crackle in my ear and a voice bloomed into life. “Orion this is Crow’s Nest. Guardians are ten minutes out. Hold on.” A split second later came Gabriella’s voice. “Received. Thank you Atlas.”

We emerged back into the market. Nearly everyone in attendance had crammed towards the auction stage, leaving the front area relatively empty. Market traders looked bored, staring down at their wares or slumped down on chairs, drinking cups of beer and wine. As we walked, vomit, urine and dropped food squelched nauseatingly against the soles of our boots and I had to force myself not to look down. We passed by the pop-up bar and I noticed that the Bloodseeker was slumped over in his seat, his frame expanding and contracting slightly as he slept. His hand was clutching a mug of dark beer.

The chair that had held the Will O’ Wisp was empty.

We pushed and excused our way through the wall of Pandemonians until we rejoined the team. They were all staring at the stage, where the Overseer was finishing off the penultimate auction, which was for the teeth of a Tikoloshe – a rare Fera creature only found in South Africa.

The Overseer was gesticulating wildly, explaining the benefits of such an odd item as Zaris held up a small but bulging leather pouch. “When combined with salt water these simple looking teeth will dissolve, creating a potent chemical reaction. Anyone who subsequently drinks the residual liquid will be utterly forgettable for the next three days. They will fade from people’s memories during that time, no matter what they have done.” He paused for a moment to let the information sink in. “Think about the benefits. These teeth will allow the perpetrator of any crime to be
forgotten
. Kill the person you hate, hell kill a
Guardian
after using these teeth and no one will ever remember it was you,” he said adding a pompous air to his words. “The perfect crime.” He waited for a moment before speaking again. “We will start the bidding at seven notches.”

“Everything go okay?” Gabriella whispered to me.

“Not exactly. Edeline – the Shinroba Elf, was badly injured by one of the Shifters. She’s stable…for now. The citizens are helping us to keep her calm. I said we would go and help heal her afterwards.”

“Of course. So what’s the status of the Skinshifters?”

“Dead.”

Gabriella tensed up. “Seriously? I didn’t want you to kill them, Alex,’ she hissed. “I’m not sure if you heard the Overseer earlier, but murder isn’t exactly tolerated here. I doubt three dead Skinshifters are going to go unnoticed. That could cost us.”

And I knew that, but I still decided to go crazy on them.
I glanced awkwardly at Grey. 

“We had no real choice Huntmaster,” he said. “They were gunning for us as soon as we confronted them. It’s all under control though; the citizens are designing the scene to make it appear as though the shifters attacked each other. Our identities are still safe.”

“Can we trust them though?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

There was a bloated pause and then Gabriella nodded. “Okay, as long as you’re sure.”

“I am.”

There was silence for a moment on our end and all that could be heard was the rapid-fire commentary from the Overseer as the bidding on the auction lot climbed higher. “So what about this end…did we get everything we needed?” I said.

Gabriella unfurled her hand and I saw one of the notching coins nestled in her in her palm. “Yep.”

“Whose is it?”

Delagio nodded towards a very drunk Imp, who swayed from side to side a few feet away from us. His chin was resting on his chest and he was almost asleep, snorting and jerking his head up occasionally as if someone had shouted his name, and then letting his chin droop back down again. “Poor sucker don’t even know it’s gone,” chuckled the Kinesist. “Candy from a baby an’ all that.”

“And the Wisp?”

Scarlett pointed up towards the Mayor’s office. “Under lock and key with our friend Albert.”

“And the Bloodseeker?”

I stuck him with a pinknife coated in Sandman balm. He won’t know it’s gone for hours.”

The auction ended at fifteen notches. The prize was collected by an Ifrit whose flaming hair had melted the edges of his tragedy mask, adding to its effect. He took the leather bag of teeth from the Oni at the side of the stage and sank back into the crowd.

“What shall we do about that?” I asked.

“Us…nothing. We don’t have time.” Gabriella raised the coms bracelet to her lips. “Crow’s Nest, an Ifrit will be leaving our location in the next few minutes with an outlawed item on his possession. Have those who arrive first looking out for him.”

“I have passed on that information Huntmaster,” said the Crow’s Nest representative. “Thank you.”

Gabriella dropped her hand and then stared back at the stage as the audience fell into a hushed silence. The final hidden item was what had caught everyone’s attention.  She took in a deep breath. “Here we go.”

“Time for the last lot of the auction,” said the Overseer, gesturing towards the curtain. “As those of you who have attended the market before know, we always keep the best for last and today is no exception. Indeed, I would say that this is perhaps the most incredible lot we have ever had in the history of this auction.” He leaned forwards over his cane and slowed down his words, to add drama. “Something like what you see before you might never appear on this stage again and is truly once in a lifetime opportunity.” He gestured towards the Devil, who pulled the second rope. “Pandemonians and Hybrids, kidnapped by our SOS friends and delivered here for your purchase, I give you…a Chosen!”

The second curtain dropped to the stage. Shackled in adamantine chains and gagged, was Andrea.

I’d never laid eyes on the girl before - not even a photograph - but I knew beyond any doubt it was her even without the Overseers words. A Chosen is immediately identifiable to another Chosen – it was an instinct thing.
Gabriella was right; she’s had her Awakening. We need to handle this carefully.

Andrea was staring wildly around her, her expression an equal mix of surprise and terror. She was wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a red Mario T-shirt, sporting the words
‘Fixing your plumbing needs since 1981’
underneath. Her blonde hair was shaved on one side and she had a number of tattoos running down her arms and creeping up to her neckline. They reminded me of my own bizarre tattoo and for a moment a low static of whispers fizzed in the depths of my mind. Squeezing my eyes shut, I willed them away.

A stunned silence had fallen over the market. The patrons looked nervously at one another, not sure how to react. A slow rise of cheering and protests started from all over the market, growing in intensity until the noise was almost deafening.

“You can’t sell a Chosen!” yelled a female Goblin, her light green skin covered in pot marks and badly healed wounds. “You’ll have the Alliance crawling all over us!”

You got that right.

“Screw that, I’ll buy the bitch!” growled one of the drunk Skinshifters who hadn’t left with his – now dead - friend. He raised his mug, spilling ale over those next to him in the process.

“No, she’s too high risk!” shouted another voice.

“Who cares? All Chosen need to die. Sell her!” said another anonymous voice from the crowd.

The storm of noise continued to sweep around the market, the final lot of the auction clearly dividing the room. Many gave disgusted shakes of their head and left the market, until there was less than half the number of people than before – still around four hundred.

“Please everyone
calm down
,” said the Overseer, rapping his stick against the wood.
“I understand that a Chosen is a high risk purchase, but…” he leaned forward and stared out, his eerie doll’s mask grimacing at the crowd…“aren’t all of the best things in life.”

Ignoring the continued protests of some, the Overseer walked over to Andrea and tapped the cane against her leg. “She is a strong specimen. Tough and hardy.”

Andrea made a muffled noise and managed to get the gag to fall away from her mouth. “Get the hell away from me you creepy bastard,” she barked, glaring at the Overseer.

He gave a loud chuckle. “Also quite feisty too.” With a swift movement he bought the cane down on the back of her neck so hard it made her collapse to her knees. Raising a finger, he pointed down at the groaning girl. “But remember, any wild beast can be tamed if the master is up to the challenge.”

I glanced at Gabriella, silently willing her to give the go-ahead, but she shook her head. It was taking every ounce of my resolve to resist jumping onto the stage and shoving the Overseer’s cane straight down his throat so I didn’t have to listen to any more of his sickening words. I coiled my hands into fists. As much as I hated to admit it, it was the right call. If we acted now without thought, we were as good as dead.

The voice crackled in my ear. “Five minutes Guardians.”

The Overseer walked back to the podium and gestured for Zaris to bring Andrea over. The Devil hooked a hairy arm under her armpit and hoisted her to her feet.

“Get off me!” she shouted, writhing against him. It was a valiant effort but ultimately pointless – she was bound far too tightly by the chains to do anything of note.

The Overseer continued to address the crowd. “For those who still have concerns, please let me assuage them. I can assure you that the Alliance has no knowledge that we have this Chosen in our possession.”

Wrong.

“Of course they will discover in time that she is missing once they finally get their act together and attempt to recruit her. By that time she will be long gone, as will this market and those in it.” He pointed the cane out towards the crowd and swept it slowly from side to side. “And one of you lucky market-goers will have your own Chosen to do with what you will.”

The Overseer began to walk up and down the stage, swinging his cane like he was acting in some kind of stage play. “I know that some of you tolerate the Chosen and the ever-so-tame Pandemonians that help make up the numbers in their organisation. Some of you may even
like
them, after all they do
try
and make this world safer for everyone…even though their methods are often suspect and nearly always ineffectual.”

Wrong again. Where are the SOS now? Scattered into corners of the world, that’s where. Terrified of standing against a growing Alliance that has them outnumbered and outgunned, and worshiping an idol that no longer exists.

Because I killed it.

My fists coiled even tighter as I tried to pacify the deep anger rising inside of me.

“So if you are one of those who embrace our intolerant Big Brother, by all means please leave as others have done,” continued the Overseer. “This is not the auction for you.” He slammed the cane down hard on the wood, the sound echoing through the silent market. “But for the rest of you. The ones who are fed up with the oppressive Alliance and their heavy handed ways, then this is the auction for
you.”

He gestured towards Andrea once more.

“Look,
look
and really see what is being offered. A real life
Chosen
standing here before you.” He emphasized his words, adding more drama to the already tense situation “A Chosen who could be yours to own. Your
property
if you are willing to pay the price. You can make her your slave. Beat her. Sell her. Kill her. Do whatever you want with her. Think about it. What better way is there to say ‘fuck you’ to the Alliance? A middle finger to show that treating those such as us with such disrespect and intolerance does not go unanswered!” His voice rose into a crescendo, breaking into a heavy silence as he stopped speaking.