Thirty One
"I didn't expect to see you here." Celsia Verain forced herself to smile as she raised her eyes to meet Abberline's cool expression. His face was carefully schooled into the smooth, affable mask reserved for business.
"I could say the same thing." Abberline smiled showing the tips of sharp teeth, all fluid grace and charm taking hold of Blaise's trembling hand and pressing cool lips to her knuckles. "Ms Harman, I didn't expect to see you in the dens." And unspoken, do you think it wise?
"I've come for my son." Blaise voice hissed from between her clenched teeth.
He nodded and smiled again, not a trace of emotion in his eyes. "You won't get out alive."
He turned his back on them and disappeared in the crowd, heads turned, recognised by all and his presence the gossip of the gathered People. Celsia gripped Blaise's arm. "You remember our bargain, witch." She hissed and followed Abberline.
"You should not have come here." Abberline murmurred when Celsia joined his side.
"You told me to find her." Celsia snapped.
"I did."
"I remember you told me quite specifically." Her hand hovered by her throat. "She's here, isn't she?"
He did not reply, his eyes sliding across the crowds. "What do you want me to do, Cebren? I have done what you asked and even this is wrong. I don't understand."
"Enough." He gripped her wrist hard. Do you forget where you are?
Why are you here? She challenged. "I thought I was the designated babysitter."
Abberline smiled revealing sharp teeth.
But Celsia knew the answer to why. Because deep down in the coils of his being he could not let Saben Frost march to her doom, he had to be sure, he had to see it for himself. He was weak and she knew she could stick her knife into the tender underbelly of this sickly yellow weakness and twist the blade.
"You even think it-"
She shook her head, no. Because he was the Head of her House, he was the one she loved, the one who had lifted her from a nothing to a somebody. She could feel the treacherous prickle of tears at the corner of her eyes.
Great shadows moved behind Abberline's eyes, his own secrets he had not and could not confess to her or even himself. No, he couldn't leave, Saben had said it herself: flesh and blood.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time."
They turned together and a great set of doors opened, it was dark inside. Abberline could smell the child flesh even from this great a distance and was beckoned by it.
You won't get her out alive. Celsia softly shaped the words in his mind.
She doesn't seem intent on staying alive. Abberline replied despite himself.
Celsia smiled. Then why are you still here?"
Abberline walked into the dark passage without answering her question.
*
"I need to get out of here." Saben erupted, hands turning to fists as she paced up and down. Drowsy and drugged eyes turned to her, uncomprehending expression, no help could be offered by them. "I have to get out."
They were sprawled on sumptuous cushions, opium pipes draped on their lips, reams of pungent smoke commingling with the smoke of torches and incense. Someone was playing a pipe but the melody was jagged and infrequent, annoying Saben.
Iris face peered up from where she was half buried in cloth and limbs. "There's nowhere to go, sister."
"The master wants us here." Someone murmured.
"Come join us." Another raised their hand.
Saben slammed her fist against the locked door, the sound echoed down the corridors and the sudden sharp sound frightened the gathered, waking up if only for an instant from their dream state.
"You're panicking them." Iris hissed her pale face appearing beside her.
"You don't understand." Saben said, lips now trembling, the banks of her emotions ready to burst.
Iris small hand gripped her wrist. "I understand perfectly." Her hold became tight enough to snap bone. "You need to sit down, now."
Saben's insides were twisting, keen with worry, thoughts racing but the pain in her arm brought her back to senses. The shining eyes of the others were turned toward them, despite being intoxicated the danger was still there.
"You may be favoured by the master but you are no favourite amongst the others."
"Iris-"
"The only way out of this room is through me Saben Frost."
Saben stared down into the vampire child's wide eyes, her small perfectly shaped fangs gleaming in the torch light. Iris was not human, hadn't been human for far too long and the vicious little creature could tear Saben limb from limb.
"I never gave you a reason, Iris." Saben whispered.
Iris' grip on her hand loosened, her shoulders slumped and a growl vibrated past her sweetheart lips. "The door between the tapestries' is unlocked."
Saben cast a look at the tapestries, large rotting pictures of angels and men.
"Thank you."
"No." Iris said with a half snarl, half grin. "Never thank me, Saben Frost."
Saben sped to the tapestries, slithered through the delicate cloths and pushed hard at the door that gave way without a struggle. She was outside in the corridors, the scent of rosewater and beneath it she could find Star's cotton candy rot smell.
She came upon a skin walker guarding a set of doors. The doors were unremarkable, much like any other, it would lead to a large room but there must be something in side worth guarding.
The skin walker's lips drew back from sharp yellow teeth, a hiss was released by his tongue, lashing her like a swiping claw. "What are you doing out of your room, little morsel?" His lips smacked together and he made a show of tasting the air with a lolling, crimson tongue.
It looked half wild, already thin limbed and covered with a thick dark fur, its ears pointed and drawn back. It fell on all fours, its hands and feet bear, both dark and sharp nailed.
"I'm lost." She said, forcing such emotion into her words it was disoriented with it.
It growled and bounced back on two feet. "There are no lost ones in the dens only the found and the fools stupid enough to get caught where they don't belong."
"Are you calling me a fool?" She asked.
It nodded, neck crooked at an awkward broken angle, the next instant it launched toward her. A giant black blur, musky fur and saliva stench suddenly knocking her to the ground. It was laughing, a horrific hyena sound that filled her skull with horror.
"You're going to die, bitch." She didn't know if she heard it from its mouth or if it was the cruel little voice in her head telling her this.
But she couldn't die now, Daniel needed her so she couldn't simply give up. This thought fuelled her, forced her to raise her arms, her hand finding their way to its bristly throat, she could feel the muscles working against her grip, its gnashing teeth a hairs breadth from her face.
It's nails cut her arms, her thighs, she could feel her blood run and congeal and as her flesh fought to heal itself, it would open new slashes. The pain was near unbearable but she had to bear it.
She squeezed with every ounce of strength and felt something crack and crunch and her hands were sticky hot with its blood. The long limbed hairy carcass slumped on top of her, a strange air and gurgling sound rasping past its lips.
She struggled to free herself from him, her flesh stinging, her dress in bloodied ruin. She crawled on all fours toward the door, immaculate beech wood painted white and now stained with her blood.
She stood, legs trembling and after taking a moment to compose herself she wrenched open the door which gave little resistance. She closed the door behind her and was faced with a room full of skin walkers and children.
Large teeth flashed and a chorus of growls rose.
*
"What are you doing here, whore?" A dark skinned skin walker hissed, his slender tongue slithering past his thick lips much like the creature who had been outside.
There had been a long history of dislike between those of Mezereon's chosen harem and his enforcers, aside from the division of race, the skin walkers convinced that all the chosen were simpering whores and viciously indulged children.
Saben was deep in enemy territory and her limbs were trembling from her encounter outside. "I'm here to help." She said putting the full force of will behind her voice.
One of them snorted. "Trust that rickety old bastard to send a simpering whore to help." Saben had no clue who the rickety old bastard was.
"Is this all? No more of you?" The dark skinned one said, nostrils flaring as it sucked in her scent.
She shook her head, no. "No one else could be spared."
"Too busy sucking each others quims and cocks to help with the important work." Another grunted.
Of course they didn't trust her, even she could see some of them crouched and ready to attack, those who were already in fur and pointed ears were bristled and large teeth gleaming, waiting to be provoked. But they didn't have a choice and niether did she.
Saben turned her attention to the children, beneath and between the skin walkers they were crouched or slouched, shivering with fright and some soiling themselves still. They had not fully succumbed to a spell and a wave of memories threatened to knock her senseless.
The skin walkers' eyes were on her, glittering with the keen edge of hunger waiting for her to make one wrong step and to set upon her like ravening dogs. She forced herself further into the room, scooping up a child into her arms, a child no more than a few years, perhaps it was Emil Motague, perhaps not. Her skin sung the sweet symphony of pain but she ignored it.
The child writhed in her arms and she looked into his face. "It's okay, baby." Tears prickled in her own eyes and so she began to hum softly to distract both herself and the baby. "Have the mangy old dogs been scaring you?"
Someone growled in warning but they had all gone to their work, bathing, oiling, clothing the children. There were only a few of them there, Daniel was not amongst them and neither was Star. They're being presented in rounds, she thought.
Her humming had turned into a softly sung song and it seemed to sooth the children and hypnotise the Hounds and soon it was as if time itself was standing still, the skin walkers and children were frozen, the child in her arms was now asleep on her shoulder.
"Why have you stopped?" One skin walker asked, his voice sluggish as if half asleep.
"Sing." A child demanded.
She was tongue tied for an instant and realised she had indeed woven a spell with her song. "Where are the others?" She asked softly to one side.
One child extended a chubby digit to the twin muslin drapes. She gently lay the baby in her arms down on the table and slipped between the curtains. She shut down the rational part of her mind, the part that said, what the fuck do you think you're doing, there are monsters in there. She was swamped by darkness, burdened with it, her senses dulling and drowning in it.
Someone or something took hold of her arms, icy hard skeletal grip and a cold damp thing invaded her mouth stifling her scream.
"Enough."
The torches ignited in an instant flooding the room in orange light. The bodies of children were strewn across the room, like rag dolls, broken limbed and face down, flesh smeared with the rich, thickness of their own blood and other things.
The smell was suddenly so strong, water clouded her vision and she fell to her knees in front of Star's little body still shuddering with breath.
The girl groaned, gold eyes flashing, "Daniel…"
Saben was mortified, she felt sicker at that instant than stumbling in on the bloodless bodies of children. She had failed Star and she had failed-
"Looking for this? Mezereon stood with his hand curled in the dark hair of a boy slumped at his feet, the child's face obscured but his body was as still and the child as silent as the dead.
"Daniel." Someone screamed though Saben was sure she hadn't spoken herself, wasn't able to speak around the thing in her mouth.