Synnergy, Chaos Time Book 3 (2 page)

“They’ll take you, you’re young, fresh, and dressed
the way you are, it’s pretty obvious what ilk you belong to.”

“Ilk,” Slayde grinned, “already talking like one of
the locals?”

Hunter lifted a brow. “So help me, Slayde, if you
screw up like you did the last time, I’ll tear your arm off again
and this time I won’t let Synn heal it back,” his words were laced
in venom.

If either one of them had fangs they would have been
snapping and snarling at each other. She glanced at Arianna, but
knew there’d be no help from her, so she got in the middle of the
tense filled stand off and shoved them apart.

“Hey,” she snapped at Slayde who was breathing heavy.
“We have a job to do.” She turned to Hunter, but he was cold,
seeming unaffected by the testosterone bullets whipping between
them. He dipped his head once and took another step back.

She was seventeen. The youngest one here, but she
swore there were times she was more mature. It was pathetic. She
dropped her hands.

“Are you boys done? Or should I get a ruler?”

“We both know who’d win that contest, love,” Slayde
winked.

“Oh, you’re so disgusting.”

Hunter ignored the comment and picked up two large
wrapped bundles that had been lying at his feet since the moment
they’d stepped through his glow tunnel. He tossed one to her and
the other to Arianna.

She began to unwrap hers from around the stick
inserted through the top, but he shook his head. “Those are night
clothes, robes and a nightgown. Being in the trade it’s expected
you come prepared.”

Slayde’s jaw clicked. She didn’t turn to look at
him.

“Carry it over your shoulder. Usually you’d come off
a ship with a trunk, but it’s not unrealistic to expect ladies such
as yourself to be slightly impoverished. Also, they pay for
everything in dust or nuggets here. It’s the height of the rush so
I’ve included two small pouches of dust to help out with whatever
expenses you might incur.”

Butterflies were gnawing away at her innards.

“Head down the hill,” he pointed with his thumb over
his shoulder, “into the town. Look for a wooden placard with the
words: The Parlor, stenciled on it. Go inside and ask for Long
Nose.”

The time was here, and she was loathe to leave her
calm oasis bursting with wild flowers and waving green grass.

“We’ll tail you, and make sure you make it there
safe. If you find out anything whisper my name away from prying
eyes and I’ll show up. Got it?” Hunter looked between the two of
them.

“I don’t like this,” Slayde growled again, his finger
tracing the curly cue pattern on the holster of his belt.

“Slayde, please, don’t make this harder for me,” she
pleaded.

He stared at her for the longest time. Absently, she
noted the fine dusting of red whiskers and couldn’t control the
quick beat of her heart.

“Fine, whatever,” he finally said and looked away
from her.

She was such a masochist. At first she had wanted him
to leave her alone, but now that he was ignoring her she wished he
wouldn’t. Sometimes she barely understood herself.

“Go,” Hunter whispered, his eyes drawing the lines
and planes of Arianna’s face. And though she could tell he was
desperate for her to acknowledge him, neither she nor he spoke
up.

Sable turned on legs that shook like jelly. She was
halfway down the hill when a small, cold hand clamped to hers and
flooded her body with gentle swells of warmth. She shuddered
gratefully.

“Thanks,” she mumbled to Arianna, who wasn’t looking
at her, but who nodded anyway.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Surreal. If there was one word that encompassed what
she was presently feeling, that was it. This place could hardly be
described as a tent city, but there were enough of them around to
make it almost possible. They were shoddily erected structures of
tanned canvas with slits for openings. Most seemed to be dwellings
with the slits roped shut. A few men covered in grime and grease
from the top of their dusty hats to the soles of their worn boots,
sat on short wooden stools, smoking on a pipe. Or they whittled
away with long knives at wood or bone.

They didn’t look much different from the men and boys
of her day. But that didn’t stop her from trembling. Why? Because
the moment they walked past, searing gazes searched their bodies
with very clear intentions in their dirt rimmed eyes.

“Hello, darlin’!” one daring boy, judging by the baby
smooth jaw and bird chest, cat called. “Hows about you give ol’
Gideon a twirl tonight?” He pointed a mud-encrusted finger at
her.

Sable’s instinct was to stiffen her back and march
off. But keeping in character, she curled her lips and cocked her
hip out, trying to appear as alluring and tempting as possible.
“I’d break you, little boy.”

That set the men off. They roared with laughter and
slapped their knees at his sullen, rejected face. The one closest
to Gideon—a big bear of a man with a thick graying beard hanging
past his chin and deep set brown eyes—cuffed him hard. Almost
knocking the boy to the ground, and earning him another round of
guffaws.

“That’s right, whelp,” his melodic growl boomed,
“leave the loving to the men.”

He winked at her, and though she knew she’d made a
fan and would likely encounter him again, she also felt a slight
swelling of pride that she’d pulled it off. She tilted her head in
acknowledgement of her coup.

Now that the ice had broken, some of the men were
beginning to approach them. That was the last thing she wanted.

“Look at the exotic bird,” a man with a swarthy
complexion standing two tents over said as he pointed to
Arianna.

“Ain’t never seen anything so perty,” another
said.

“Say somethin’, dove,” another voice insisted, and
then green eyes turned toward Sable. “Why ain’t she speaking?” He
spit a large wad of amber fluid from his mouth the wiped the back
of his hand against his lips, leaving a dribble of some on his
chin. He hooked his thumbs under his red suspenders as if supremely
proud of himself.

That had easily been the most vile thing she’d ever
witnessed. Hygiene was clearly not a priority in this old mining
town.

“Yeah, say something.” And this time the voice was
right in front of them. He was a short man of undistinguishable
features; sandy blond hair came eye level to her chin. He grabbed
the fat curl lying on Arianna’s shoulder and rubbed his fingers
against it with a look of wonder in his eyes. As if he’d never
touched anything so soft before.

Sable shot the healer a look, but she was staring at
the man with a blank look. If it weren’t for the fact that Sable
felt the shivers of Arianna’s twitching muscles, she would
seriously think the girl a machine.

A spark of irritation caused Sable’s temper to flare.
She pulled the healer closer to her. “She’s a mute. Now, get the
hell away,” she snapped.

“Didn’t mean no harm by it.” The man’s words were
gentle as he dropped Arianna’s curl with a regretful sigh.

The grizzled man of earlier pointed a long finger
down the street.

“Parlor’s thataway,” he said with another wink, and
she could swear he was giddy as he said it. His ruddy cheeks blazed
and the way he looked at her was a promise of a visit in the not
too distant future. The boys better figure out fast where to find
the second Lord, Sable had no desire to stay here longer than was
absolutely necessary.

She dipped her head and penguin marched off to the
steady rhythm of wolf calls and whistles.

“Freaking A,” she groaned with a mixture of disgust
and disbelief when they were out of earshot. “Hope the guys didn’t
see that crap back there, Slayde would probably kill them if he
did.”

“Yeah,” Arianna agreed.

Sable was so shocked to hear her speak she did a
double take.

“Wow, so you are alive. For a second there you made
me wonder.”

But her teasing didn’t elicit another reaction from
the too quiet brunette. Giving her up as a lost cause Sable
concentrated on finding the parlor before any other scenes like the
last one could happen again.

A few wagons loaded down with stuff rumbled past,
kicking up brown dust clouds. She sneezed a few times and waved a
hand in front of her face to clear away the almost constant barrage
of grime. They passed a few more guys up here, but these men seemed
more preoccupied then the ones down the road. They barely spared
them a passing glance.

Finally the tents ended and a wooden sidewalk opened
up on both sides of the main road. They were dotted with stores and
establishments. There were several bars. Seemed like every other
door lead into one, but none had the wooden placard Hunter had
mentioned. She saw a mercantile, a place with a couple of horses
tethered inside, and one ringing from the strikes of hammers
against anvils.

A clothes shop boasted a dress on a mannequin in the
window, but as of yet, she’d seen no other women apart from
Arianna. And just at the point that she began to wonder if there
was another main street she’d missed, she finally saw the swinging
sign. Her short heels clacked on the pitted wooden slates as she
hurried toward it.

She gripped Arianna’s hand so hard she was sure it
was painful, but the healer didn’t seem to mind. Synn was busy
looking herself, not with as much interest as Sable, but it was
good to see her at least acting somewhat normal.

A man, wearing what might have once been a white
shirt, but was now a dingy brown and stained in the pits, smiled at
them with a lecherous sneer. She noticed his front two teeth were
missing. He was old, or maybe weathered, whatever the case, he was
brown. With lots of wrinkles, pockmarks and a large scar running
from his brow to this mouth. In short, he was ugly.

“Fresh meat,” he said, but it came out more of a
whistle without his front teeth. She eased in front of Arianna and
threw the man a nasty look.

But the healer surprised Sable when she yanked her
hand free and twirled around, eyes wide and glittering with a wet
sheen.

“You,” she hissed, venom dripped off her tongue.

Shocked into silence at seeing Arianna display some
real emotion, Sable could only stare.

He licked his lips and then grabbed himself.

The rude gesture snapped her out of her temporary
trance. Sable refused to even let him finish whatever perverted
thought was ready to leap from his tongue; she grabbed Arianna and
jerked her around. “Are you crazy?” she whispered.

Arianna brows dipped into a vee, and she threw the
now cackling stranger a heated glare. Sable’s skin prickled with
the knowledge of watching eyes pressing into their backs. This was
definitely not the way to blend in.

She pulled Arianna behind her and didn’t let go until
she swung open the parlor doors.

It was dark inside and it took her a moment for her
eyes to adjust. Dust motes floated lazily by from holes high in the
walls. She knew the town was only beginning to grow, and could only
assume those holes would someday hold windowpanes.

There was only one customer sitting at a back table,
and he didn’t turn or lift his head when they entered. His
shoulders were slumped. A soft snuffling sound came from his
direction.

A bartender stood behind the long wooden bar, leaning
on it while he counted nuggets.

She was transfixed by him. Danger. That’s what he
looked like. There was a patch over one eye; the side of his head
facing them looked as if it had been dipped in wax. His skin was
taut with burns and marred pale white in some spots, brown in
others. Half his ear was missing. Whatever had caused those
injuries had almost killed him. She tried to scent him for traces
of power, for anything that might brand him as different, but she
wasn’t even sure that was possible.

Every instinct inside her screamed that he was
definitely
off
, different from the typical down and out
vagabonds she’d so far encountered. She wasn’t really sure why she
felt that way, only that she did. But where he was hideous to gaze
upon, his smell was almost intoxicating. Like a pine forest after a
hard rain.

It didn’t really make sense, because so far each
person she’d encountered had smelled rank and unwashed, maybe for
months on end. But instinct wouldn’t be good enough for Hunter, and
saying that he smelled good sounded silly even in her head. She’d
just have to make sure to keep an eye out on this guy.

If he was the Lord, he’d eventually do or say
something to give it away. The mere thought made her breathing
quicken. She licked her lips and wasn’t sure what she might have
done if he hadn’t looked up. A dull brown eye pinned her in place.
He looked drunk. Or maybe sick. Steeling her nerves, she walked up
as he continued to stare at her in silence.

“I’m...” she cleared her throat, feeling a tickle,
“I’m looking for Long Nose.” She held her back straight, proud that
her voice hadn’t faltered. Much.

“The Lady ain’t up,” he muttered, and she swallowed
the instantaneous gag reflex the second the fetid stench of his
unwashed teeth and alcohol laced breathe slammed against her
nostrils.

“The Lady’s right here,” said a slow, sensuous drawl
lilting with the gentle twang of an Irish brogue.

Sable looked up, spotting the tinniest and yet most
perfectly fashioned woman she’d ever seen standing at the top of
the stairs. Milly was wearing a thing of creamy lace and ribbons,
covered by a flimsy robe that fell to her ankles. As sheer as the
material was, it revealed as much as it covered.

Long Nose couldn’t be more than five feet tall, if
that. But her shoulders were held back, and her neck so erect, it
made her appear much larger. Shining black hair curled long and
heavy down her back. Her clear brown eyes filled with a shrewd
light as they took in the two girls below.