Vallan takes my place, muttering, “We’ll find Vanison Shirin, silverblood. He’s somewhere down in these tunnels, I’m sure.”
There isn’t anything I’d rather do less than leave Sephania alone. However, if Vallan believes it’s safe . . . I look at him to make sure he does think that.
“My bloodsight,” Vall explains with a nod. “Come, cub. Let us give Sephania her reunion with her mother. We can be of use elsewhere.”
We turn to leave, but a shrill male voice croons down the hallway. “Iron Sister Keffa! How can you expect me to keep you safe when men are kicking the door off its . . . hin . . . ges. Oh, balls.” Barman Kep appears from down the hall and sees me before anyone. “Damn it all!” he wails, throwing his arms up. “Last time I saw you, I said I never wanted—”
“Me to step foot in your tavern again?” I interject. “I haven’t, dear Kep.” My arms spread wide. “I’m under your house.”
“Even worse, you half-bred cock-sucking—”
Vallan takes the space between us, making everythingverystuffy in a heartbeat. He stares down at the shorter man, who is not short by any means.
Kep’s eyes climb the ladder of Vall’s body, landing on his large beard and frowning face. The color drains from his cheeks, until he looks not dissimilar from me or my brother-in-arms. “True fuck me, but you’re a proper massive bastard, aren’t you?”
“No one talks to my cub like that unless they’re part of our band,” Vallan grumbles in his cavernous voice. “You’re not in the band, little man.”
Kep sighs. He tries to look around Vallan’s wide body and fails. His tone shifts instantly. “Iron Sister, if you needed to allowguests to come see you, all you need do was ask me. I would haveunlockedmy door. Now it’s broken to shit and there’s a crowd of drunk cock-swingers outside ready to draw weapons if I give them the go-ahead.”
“Then you’d best tell them to stand down, Master Kep,” Keffa says politely. “These guests were unexpected. Not unwelcome, however.”
I slide out from behind Vallan, an idea coming to mind. “Fuck telling them to stand down. Let them stew in the cold night. I have a better use for you, Kep. You want us out?”
He nods vigorously.
“Then lead us out. Not the way we came in though.” I clap the stiff man on the shoulder. “Your hidey-hole will be man-free once more.”
Chapter 15
Vallan
We emerge out of an underground basement in an empty house a block away from Kep’s abode. Giving the backs of the onlookers at Kep’s house one last look before moving on, I say to the cub, “Attention is bad for business with Sephania down there.”
“You agreed to go on this retrieval quest, brother,” Garroway says. “We’d best be quick about it to get the Sisters what they need.”
Agreeing with the spindly dhampir, we head west and north, leaving the more ragged regions of Nuhav behind. The streets are thronged with angry citizens. It didn’t used to be this way. “They’re not careful,” I say as I bump into a roaming merchant and nearly barrel him across the street, “a curfew will be enacted. Will be harder to revolt if they’re kept under lock and key.”
“Who will enforce it? The Bronzes?” Garroway chuckles. “You give the lawmen too much credit. Especially with the new law in town.”
I grunt. “Don’t trust the Silverknights, either.”
My shorter companion mutters something about me not trusting anyone, and I disregard it. Now that we’re fugitives, we’re all on edge. I can’t deny feeling even more curmudgeonly than I typically do.
Through streets we go, past emptied stalls of scared traders, crates of rotten fruit. Two vampires hiding in plain sight.I’m leading us toward Vanison Shirin’s most recent hideaway, though I doubt he’ll be there. Good thing for us, I know all five of the silversmith’s recent locations.
It will be a long night if we have to search each one, yet I’m willing to do it for my silverblood.
“Speaking of trust,” Garro muses, “have you noticed tension between my master and Sephania’s master?”
My bushy brow rises and I look down at the concerned dhampir. “Lukain is not Sephania’s master, cub. He is merely like the rest of us.”
“A lover?”
“A tool to be used for her ends.”
Garroway frowns deeply, which is a disconcerting expression on his affable face. “Do you truly think so little of us, brother, in Sephania’s eyes? Or worse, do you truly thinkshethinks so little of us?”
“Little?” I’m confused. “What have I said to offend your sensibilities, Garroway?”