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CHAPTER FIFTY

Ellery

With our weapons in hand, we bypassed the remaining homes as we headed toward the castle. I didn’t know what good our arrows and blades would do against whatever happened here.

This seemed more mystical than flesh and bone, but I still felt better with a dagger in hand and my bow on my back. If anything, maybe lightning could be a defense against it.

The cart in the middle of the road had a large pile of ash and four iron shoes where a horse would have stood. I stared at those shoes for far longer than I should have as I resisted my impulse to run back through the town and away from this place.

However, I wasn’t a coward who would leave others behind to deal with this. Still, those shoes somehow made what happened here more real than all the piles of clothes.

Placing one foot in front of the other, I walked away from the wagon. Scarlet and Callan loitered before hurrying to catch up with me.

No one spoke. What was there to say?

We all had a million questions, and none of us had the answers. But someone did… or some thing .

As we walked, we encountered more ashes in the streets with remnants of clothes over top of them. I could almost hear the laughter and chatter probably occurring when these amsirah were wiped out in an instant.

And it had to be an instant as there were no weapons or obvious signs of distress. I didn’t know how the piles could tell us if they were distressed, but I was sure they wouldn’t have been playing the piano if shit was hitting the fan.

“It’s the city of the dead,” Ianto murmured.

The name unnerved me, but it was an apt description. I had no idea what could have happened here, but as red flashed again, I became increasingly certain that light had something to do with it.

When we passed a tavern, I stopped to peer through the thick glass. Unable to see through the dim glow, I cupped my hands to my face for a better view. It didn’t help much, but curiosity drew me from the window to the door.

“What are you doing?” Ryker asked.

Tension emanated from him as his mercury-colored eyes burned into me before darting around the street. Something had destroyed all these immortals, but I sensed no imminent danger.

Maybe I was a fool for thinking we were safe… for now… but I was certain we were alone here. “I have to see.”

“See what?”

He didn’t like that I’d stayed, but I was glad he didn’t fight me too much on it. We were a team, and while he sought to protect me, I was as deep into this as he was and wouldn’t be deterred.

“I don’t know,” I admitted.

With that, I opened the door and entered the dimly lit room.

Shades were drawn over the windows, which was why I couldn’t see inside.

A small amount of light still filtered through the small holes in the screen-like coverings, but they kept most of it out and set the mood for all those who’d once been within.

“I think it happened during the daytime,” I said. “Why else would they have shades over the windows?”

“To keep others from seeing what was happening inside,” Ianto said as he nudged a flimsy red negligee with his toe. “I’m pretty sure this was a bordello.”

I took in the large space with numerous tables and chairs spread around the scarred, hardwood floor. The bar, a circular structure in the middle of the room, blocked much of the other side from view.

Dozens of stools sat around the bar. More than half had a pile of clothes on them or nearby.

On the bench of the ruby red standup piano in the corner lay a maroon jacket. In more assorted piles throughout the tables and chairs were small red, pink, black, and white coverings that would reveal far more than they concealed. I didn’t have to look at all the clothing to know ashes filled them.

Cards lay on some of the tables. It was probably morbid, but I lifted some playing cards to reveal the last hand this immortal had ever seen: a pair of aces.

I placed them back on the table and tapped them as I eyed the pile of chips in the middle. I almost walked to see what the others once held and who would have won, but I resisted the whim.

No ghosts floated between the buildings or down the streets, but I couldn’t help feeling as if the dead lingered here. And while I’d snooped on these cards, I couldn’t bring myself to look at the others.

As we walked across the room and around the bar, the other half of the building came into view. A stage took up most of that side; more clothing lay on top of it and the many chairs gathered around it.

Turning in a circle, I took in the vast space surrounding us. Golden sconces hung on the paneled walls, but there weren’t any decorations.

Three hallways branched off from the main room. I didn’t doubt private rooms lined those halls, but I had no desire to confirm my suspicions.

“There were so many in here,” Scarlet whispered.

“And they never had a clue what was coming,” I murmured.

No one else said anything.

“We should go,” Ryker said.

I didn’t argue with him, and when he offered me his hand, I took it. His calloused palm was familiar, and mine fit perfectly within his.

Our boots thudded against the floor as we left the bordello behind. Many other businesses and homes lined the street, but I didn’t explore them.

The street carried us higher until we arrived at the castle gates. The open front gates further confirmed that no one in this town had seen this coming.

If there had been an attack, they would have closed the gates. As we stepped into the bailey, Ryker released my hand to grip his sword with both of his.

The red light pulsed over the land.