It was probably one of the bastards we pissed off when escaping. "Can you break it?"
"Curses are not my specialty. Sickness of the body I can treat." He straightened, "Sickness of the mind and soul are much harder."
Behind me Garrick's briefing faltered. I felt every gaze on the litter and me.
Heat prickled across my skin, the old instinct whispering that scrutiny always meant teeth. I adjusted my cloak over Dalia's shoulders, and forced my tail to stay still.
Helena cleared her throat. "I know a specialist in Wolvsbane, an old comrade called Maxim. Humperdink-" She nodded towards the kobold,
"informed me that the watch threw him in the city jail. No explicit charges were listed, which either means politics were involved or Maxim is being difficult again." She tapped the crutch once on the plank floor. "If you all fetch him, he will be able to read this curse easily."
Zephyr cleared his throat softly. "A moment in private, Lady Helena." She weighed him with that molten amber eye, then gestured upstairs. Their footsteps faded overhead, boards groaning under Helena's weight.
Qapla spoke, voice deep yet steady, "We know these streets," he motioned towards Velyan, "If Maxim's in a cell we can help you get him out by legal means. Or more under the board procedures if all doesn't go well."
Annalise twirled her braid, her smile bright as a coin. "A jailbreak sounds exciting. I am absolutely coming."
I gave a single nod. Speaking thanks felt too close to need. Better to bank emotion for later, and pay it back in action.
Helena's heavy tread returned, Zephyr trailing behind her like a silent storm. Whatever passed between them upstairs remained locked behind the stillness in his eyes.
"You should head out at first light," Helena said. "Eat, rest, and sharpen what needs sharpening. Tomorrow, you are going to walk into a guardhouse that is not fond of questions."
Cots filled the sides of the hall in groups. I brought Dalia over with the help of Velyan. I slid the blankets high beneath her chin, then sat cross legged at her side. Around us footsteps echoed, shutters rattled, and snores started. Soon the lamps were snuffed out as Qapla did some rounds. As long as Dalia was sick, I had to watch out for both of us. It would be a painful lesson learned if I fell asleep and she got hurt. The snoring continued around me in the dark as I kept my vigil.
A moment later I jolted awake.
Moonlight scratched across the rafters as a chill rolled over me. I feel asleep, damn it. Every cot around me still breathed in the slow rhythm of exhausted bodies, yet a cool draft slid over my horns like a cold finger. The guild house door stood open a handspan, night air sifting through the gap.
I rose, silent on the planks, and crossed the hall. When I set my palm to the wood a voice drifted in from the step.
"I thought you preferred the outside wind."
Ran Zephyr stood in the frame, coat dark as the street behind him. The lanterns were all out, yet his eyes caught the moon and held it like small red embers.
"Why are you outside at this hour?" I whispered.
"Making certain the wind keeps watch." He glanced past me to the rows of sleepers, then the litter where Dalia lay. "And considering an offer."
I followed his gaze and felt the knot of fear tighten. "Speak plainly."
He straightened, hands empty and open. "Your sister carries a curse spun by a Duke of Hell. I know curses very well, and that is not one of the mortal plane. It is infernal in nature, as are you."
I had never mentioned I was a hellborn.
"Few can fix it inside the two days she has left. Unless Maxim possesses the right set of skills, your sister will die."
My pulse throbbed in my ears. "2 days?"
"Less now." Zephyr stepped into the threshold closer to me; cool air folded around him without stirring dust. "I can break the curse. More than that, I can lift you both beyond such threats. No sickness, no blade, no age."
Immortality. The word rang heavy. "What's the catch."
"Sunlight." His tone was conversational, as if bartering for cloth. "You would walk by night or beneath heavy shade. Your sister as well."
I tasted the offer against everything Hell taught me: power never came free, yet some chains were velvet at first touch. "What do you gain?"
He allowed the faintest smile. "An investment. An ally in this new realm." I could almost feel his breath over me, "I only offer this gift to those I deem worthy and are in desperate need of it. You have the proper caution, the
A pause settled between us, filled by the distant rattle of a watch patrol.
"I will not press you," he said as he stepped back, and cool air hit my face again. "Call my name before the next two nights pass and I will answer. Say nothing, and the choice no longer matters."
He stepped back into the street. A stream of air hit the avenue, I blinked, and he was gone, leaving only the sound of far off bells tolling twelve times.
I closed the door and slid the bolt, palm lingering on cold iron. The weight of his decision pressed down like a midnight ocean. His offer was tempting, but it was one with a price I didn't want. I just escaped hell, I just got to feel the sun's warmth.