Page 37 of Shadows and Flames (Twin Blades #2)

Chapter Twenty-Three

TOMáS

“ N o, please —” The man begged, cries ringing in the darkened alleyway until cutting off into a despairing gurgle. The blade of my shamshir sliced him from clavicle to hip, and the rich scent of blood deepened even more.

The last three, it turned out, had come to us.

Including Viktor, their ringleader, who was now meeting his end at the curved blade of my favorite weapon. He staggered, gaze and movements panicked as his body spilled its contents, tissue and organs, from behind the tatters of his now ruined tunic.

Rounding my sword over my head, I twisted my wrist, as fluid as water, and brought it down again, slashing him in another clean, deep cut that crossed over the other.

He fell then, and I let him. Facedown in a filthy alley in a filthy city.

Nogón’s kills were far more simple, quiet, but more than a week on that cramped ship necessitated some exercise. What better than taking out those who’d made the journey insufferable?

“Always the heads with you.”

Elián had two of them at his feet, relieved of their bodies by the dripping short swords he now held relaxed at his sides.

Three humans against two Lylithans, the odds were never going to be in their favor, but time to stew further while restrained in the bowels of the ship during our last day was enough to cloud their last bit of reason.

And the humans, citizens of Vharas who milled by during the men’s ‘attack’ and our correction of the problem, let us be. They did not scream, nor did they help the men whose bodies now lay in various heaps.

“Ah,” I sighed. “Smells like home.”

Elián chortled and shook his head. While he crouched and used one of the dead men’s shirt to wipe off his sword, he teased me right back. “You like to show off.”

To that, I could only agree. I shrugged and commenced cleaning my own sword. Certainly, a far more common dagger to the heart, a quick slash across the throat, would have been sufficient. But it’d been a while since I’d been able to use my favorite weapon properly.

“And decapitation isn’t showboating?”

He shook his head again, but as we left the humans to be found or left to the scavengers, I nudged his shoulder with mine.

My brother had come out of Roza’s womb a grouch, but a good vengeful kill always left him in lighter spirits. Now, I watched him walk with relaxed shoulders, hands swinging lazily.

Our destination probably had something to do with it. “You think your female will be mad at us for stealing the fun?” I’d seen her in action once, when she’d saved my hide in this very city. But, that’d been with steel and our own wits.

When she restrained those blokes that came for her cousin and the Vyrkos, she’d used something far darker than I’d seen before. The same stuff, I’d guess, she used to conjure those black daggers of hers.

“Maybe. But I will handle her.” The lovesick fool smirked at the notion. She hadn’t directed those black snakes in my direction, but even walking past them sent every one of my self-preserving senses into an undeniable state of alert.

“ Handle her when she could steal your soul if you just glance at her wrong?”

Elián growled as we crossed the street, but it wasn’t threatening. Fire was something one inherently knew the dangers of—don’t touch unless you want to be burned. What in the hell did you do with whatever Death flowed through her veins? How was he not dead already?

“She cannot do that. And she would not hurt me.”

“You mean she wouldn’t hurt you again.” The shot left my lips before I’d thought it through—though it was the truth —Elián certainly didn’t like it.

He stopped us in the middle of the street as drunkards passed. A few paces down, some humans leaned on the facade of a derelict shopfront, scarce clothing showing off their bodies. A quick glance around and I already witnessed two thieves reaching into the pockets of passersby.

Nogón didn’t say anything but communicated just as effectively with one look. We’d sparred often, been around each other for centuries, to the point that I knew him like I knew myself.

The way he squared his shoulders, face closing off, had never been turned on me this way before.

I raised my palms and turned back toward the tavern ahead.

“All right. Your message has been received.” We ignored the propositions shouted our way, scowled to deter those who dared to get close, intentions to steal from us clear.

Most in Vharas, especially the central city, were armed in some way, so our weapons weren’t the usual deterrent.

“You’ve never acted like this with anyone,” I observed. It was one thing to hear of the hold this female had over him. It was another to see how she… soothed him. He might have been stony on the outside, but that Fire was always threatening to eat him from within.

But, godyx, when he looked at her, I watched the flames cool to a steady glow. They calmed in a way no other had been able to accomplish. Not his various lovers over the centuries, me, Nor, his parents, or even Leandro.

Elián grunted as we came upon the tavern, The Crow’s Nest.

And of course, his queen and her cousin were already waiting for us.

Just to shake his confidence a little, I spoke under my breath at him, “Just let me know the date of the mating celebration. I want to make sure my diary is free.”

As I took a seat beside the witch, I watched him scowl over the table at me, maybe in a bit of confusion, but I grinned right back. Meline and Tana glanced between us, questions in their eyes.

“Where have you two been?” The witch asked as Elián and his queen stared at each other.

I didn’t wait for him to respond, just relaxed into the creaking wooden seat and answered, “Rat hunting.”

The tavern was busy, lively with inebriated conversation and brimming with the aroma of hearty food. Humans clothed in sturdy leather and sun-weathered skin signified the clientele that frequented this place.

Our mark, however, was not here. I’d spent enough time with him to catalogue his scent.

And the bit of reconnaissance we’d done upon disembarking, checking the various ships docked at port, sneaking into the offices of the customs officers who logged all departures and arrivals, proved he arrived.

And with no planned departure for another three days.

“You got them all?” Meline asked, moon eyes all on my brother.

We’d mutually decided to not escalate the events of our voyage to the Vharan city guards.

Though most around the realm were shit anyway, these were mostly concerned with the theft of the goods that kept their economy churning.

A bit of intimidation and attempted murder of people passing through? They’d probably somehow make it worse.

“Yes.”

“A few we hunted down, the nastiest three coming straight to us. A bit of swordplay to work up the appetite. And you lot?”

And the competitive air descended once again as the females shared a beat of silent communication.

Taking care of Von Herron tonight would hopefully lighten the mood. Maybe we could have a bit of fun before the long trek back to more desirable places.

When was the last time I’d visited the beautiful Sjatas?

Or the wondrous desert of Banfas? Now, there some cities with good food.

Curious little goods abound, like the wooden puzzle sphere Noruh brought for the lad after her trip back home to Trylas.

They had such things in Banfas, and he seemed to like those more than the metal trinkets.

“We rented some rooms, bathed the ship air off of us.”

Someone stumbled behind our table, jostling my seat in their wake. They were too far gone for a sharp word to matter, so I redirected my annoyance to the far less experienced mercenaries. “Sure. And what about the other hours you had? Care to share?”

Nogón and I had our descent ready to execute for the wee hours of the night. If all went according to our meticulous planning, we would end one more life tonight.

Now, he rested his arm behind his queen, and both of their bodies shifted subtly into each other. Besides the visceral Shadow urge to complete what we’d started, the drive to finish the contract now was mostly an afterthought.

“How about you share what you have planned, oh so impressive Shadows.”

The queen’s challenge went unanswered by my brother and me, just as they’d done to us, because we were nothing if not competitive. It wasn’t even about the coin, at least, not for Nogón and me.

In a corner of the tavern, a bard took up a lively song, accompanied by a few red-cheeked musicians on lute and drum.

Not long after, an adolescent came by to take our orders.

There wasn’t much to pick from the limited selections, but that was to be expected in a place like this where the main draw was a good brew.

Said ale came by quickly, as did a small cauldron of stew with four wooden bowls and spoons. While we took turns scooping out our portions, Tana, seated beside me, kept our conversation on lighter topics.

“Where have you both enjoyed traveling most?”

I used a bright red crab leg to idly stir the steaming contents in my bowl. Nogón paused his devouring of his meal, mentally flitting through all the places he’d been before.

“Zonoras, I think.” The desert city had been hidden, just on the other side of a mountain range that bordered the kingdom of Banfas. My brothers’ birthplace was small but mighty. Once.

Nogón swallowed his food and sat back. “I do miss it. Very much. I would say that or Ralthas.”

I cracked the leg and plucked out the supple white meat from within. Yes, as far as we’d traveled in our years as Shadows, we still spent our days yearning for ghosts.

“Ralthas? Why there?” Meline was intent, leaning even further to hear Elián’s answer over the roar of the tavern.

“My father was from Ralthas,” he said and continued eating, but his queen looked… surprised. As if there was more to this information than the simple response that it was.