Chapter 28 - A Violet Heart
Sheerwater - East Market District
From the outside, the shop didn’t look like much. It was plain. Unobtrusive. Strands of cured meat hung in the front window, a decent enough advertisement of the proprietor’s business even if one discounted the sign hanging over the front door, which said, quite plainly, “Stockholm’s Meats.”
Classy, Blade thought with a touch of irony. Definitely going for the basic approach. It made sense, then, that it was her next stop in her hunt for information. A hunt that was becoming almost too widespread for her tastes. The more natural, the more seamless an informant was, the less chance they’d be caught.
Not that anyone working in the place probably knows anything, she thought as the door swung open beneath her talons. The whole shop had the appearance of a smaller link in the chain, just one more stop along the ladder upwards to the information she wanted. I doubt the one I’ll be speaking to knows anything past what I’m giving to him and what he’s giving to me—both of which are in turn either going to or have been passed from someone further up.
Security. It was all about security.
The shop was small, though it made good use of the available space. Cured meats hung from the ceiling, dangling just above head height, each with a quickly-scrawled price tag attached at the base. Three sets of shoulder-high shelving filled the floor space, one of them packed with more cured meats, the other two closed off and chilled from the look of the condensation on the glass. All three were slightly to one side, leaving a clear and well worn path towards the rear counter, where the butcher himself was at work.
“Can I help you?” he asked. His butcher’s knife came down with a sharp thunk as he spoke, punctuating his words.
“Yes,” Blade said, not bothering to switch to Equestrian. A good number of the contacts she’d spoken with already had only spoken Griffon. There was no point in bothering to do otherwise here. “I’m here to pick up a delivery order.”
“Right,” the butcher said, wiping his talons on his apron and then trotting over to the counter. His feathers had a dark shade to them, almost making it look like he was wearing a mask around his eyes. “What’s the name?”
“Konrad,” Blade said, holding up the note she’d been given by her last “contact.” “Konrad Jossed. He said you’d have it ready for me?”
“Konrad? Konrad?” The griffon looked puzzled for a moment before reaching for a small wooden box containing a row of notecards and flipping through them. “Oh!” he said after a moment, though she noticed he hadn’t actually stopped on any particular card. “Konrad! Of course! Just a moment, miss. I’ll need to go make sure his order is ready.”
Of course you will, Blade thought, but she smiled and gave the butcher a nod. “Fine. I’ll be here.” Waiting. Like usual. The butcher reached out and plucked the note from her claws before vanishing through a door behind the counter, off into the back.
He’s probably meeting with someone back there, she thought as she watched the door swing back and forth. Or meeting with someone who’s here because someone else gave them something to pass along … ugh. She shook her head. This is a rat maze of connections.
It hadn’t taken her too long to get in touch with some of her old inner-city contacts. The first two had been surprised to see her but hadn’t been able to help, only knowing that there was a connection to The Violet Heart in the city but not knowing anything about how to contact them. Not their business.
The third, on the other claw, hadn’t known directly, but had pointed her in the direction of a vague hunch. A hunch which had seen a misstep or two, as well as a broken wrist on the part of an overzealous pickpocket who thought he been higher up on the pecking order than he really was, but it had gotten her the first link in the chain.
She just hadn’t realized it would be such a long chain. She’d gone to a street musician and dropped the required “payment,” seven reeds with a note bundled inside one of them, into her collection basket, and then waited as she’d been advised to in a nearby square. Almost an hour later, on what had felt like her hundredth browsing of the square’s collection of food carts and temporary booths, a young kit had approached her asking for a few reeds worth of change, and in the process had passed her a response. Which had told her to go somewhere else and talk to a different individual. That had been four hours ago.
Now she was in a butcher shop in the east market district. Before that she’d been a stylist’s shop out on the west side of the city, a bar down near the docks … even a food market in the sprawl across the river. Her path had taken her all across Sheerwater, to almost every conceivable location in the city.
And now I’m here, she thought. Wondering if I’m just going to be sent out on another wild chase or if I’m finally going to get somewhere. Each time she’d met another link in the chain there had been a minimal exchange of information, the barest passing of name and intent. Though given what I’m dealing with, there’s little room for interpretation of what I want. The question was, would they have it? And would she find out before the day was over?
She was definitely upsetting a couple cabbage carts with her more aggressive push. Two of the locations she’d been to so far had told her to “wait until the next day” to make contact, but she’d ignored their advice and gone ahead anyway. Time was of the essence. At worst, they’d shove her away, and she wouldn’t get anything, which would have been the same result as if they’d wanted her to wait for a week. And if they did understand, then her actions probably were going to cost her. They told The Violet Heart’s network that she was desperate.
Not that it matters, she thought, tapping her talons idly on the counter. We are. We’re facing something almost blind. We need every scrap we can get.
And if The Violet Heart had it, she was going to get it.
The door behind the counter shifted, twitching before swinging wide open, revealing the proprietor once more. He had another note clutched in his talons, and she held back a sigh of disappointment as he walked up to the counter.
Another note. Great. More travel.
“I’m sorry miss,” the butcher said. “But I’m afraid Konrad’s order isn’t available. He still owes me for that last catering job I did.” Translation: we have what you want, but you’re going to have to pay for it.
“Oh,” she said, frowning. “How much does he owe?”
“Quite a lot, I’m afraid,” the butcher said. “He’s made quite a few orders, and some of the outstanding balance hasn’t been settled.”
She sighed. “How much?” she asked, leaning forward.
The butcher shook his head. “Not enough to pay today. If you come back later—”
“How. Much?” she growled, her wings flaring a little. “I don’t have time for later.”
“The amounts are large enough that they’ll need to be tailored to by a third party,” the butcher said, his composure hardly shifting, though it did appear for a moment that his eye twitched. He held out the note. “When Konrad is ready to pay, please have him present himself with the money. Give him this note if he has any questions.”
She snatched the note from his claws. I hate this cloak and dagger stuff, she thought as she glanced down at it. It was another address, along with an amount. Three thousand reeds and a plus sign. The meaning was clear. Bring the money, go to the address.
“And if he asks for your name?” she said, still scowling.
“Able,” the griffon said. “Able Duty.”
Right, and my name is Fleur de Liss, she thought as she nodded. It was a code phrase, just like all the others she’d been given. Independently, each portion of the name probably meant something, sent some message to her next contact about what she was like.
“Thanks,” she said. “Hopefully this will be the last thing I have to do today. I’ve been running errands for hours now.”
The butcher shrugged, though she was certain he’d understood her sloppy attempt at subterfuge. “Sorry,” he said as he walked back over to his work and hefted the knife. “I do what I can.”
Translation: I’m just the middle griffon. Don’t bother asking. I don’t know.
“Right,” she said, taking another glance at the address on the note before stuffing it into her bags. “Well, when I see Konrad I’ll let him know.”
“You do that,” the butcher said, already lifting his knife into the air. It came down with a meaty thunk, parting whatever was on the chopping block. “Have a nice day.”
“You too,” she said, backing up before turning and walking out of the shop.
So much for the hope of getting anywhere fast, she thought as she glanced at the position of the sun. Still, at least this address isn’t too far. A good half-hour’s walk, or a ten minute flight. Five if she pushed it. She spread her wings, trotting out into the middle of the street and launching herself into the sky.
There was one interesting factor she’d noticed so far about her hunt. None of the places she’d stopped in had been anywhere near any of the city’s pillars. The closest any of them had gotten was within several-hundred yards of the bases. But nothing yet had actually been on or near one of the pillars, and judging from the address she was looking for, the next stop she made wouldn’t either.
I wonder if that’s deliberate or just a byproduct of the kind of sapients The Violet Heart seems to recruit? she wondered as she flew over the rooftops, beating her wings only occasionally. The hot rise of air off of the stone rooftops and streets was more than enough to keep her in a decent glide, and she twitched her wings, adjusting her course as the winds parted around her.
A few minutes later, she glided down to a gentle stop on the somewhat busy street the note had given her. She pulled the small piece of paper from her pocket, running her eyes over the hastily scrawled building number and then looking down the street, searching for the match.
There. It was a large, wide building, with plenty of glass facing the street side, and a second level that was only kept from towering over the rest of the street by the broadness of the structure’s front. Madame Poleclear’s Music Academy, Blade read on the front of the glass. All students welcome. Huh. Well, I’ve come this far.
She walked across the street, picking her way through the crowd as she made her way to the front door. A chorus of faint noises reached her, distant horns and other instruments mixing in a muffled cacophony that was thankfully kept at low volume by what was probably a copious amount of buffering.
The door swung neatly inward at her touch, revealing a quite modern looking interior lobby with a scattering assortment of chairs, tables, and reading material. A crystal clear ring echoed through the lobby as she stepped inside, several waiting patrons looking up from their magazines or newspapers to check who the new arrival was before turning their attention back to their reading material.
Pretty upscale, Blade thought as the secretary behind the desk fixed her with a wide smile. Interesting that they’d operate out of a place this attention grabbing.
“Name, please?” the secretary behind the desk asked as she walked up to the smooth metal surface.
Definitely upscale, Blade thought as she eyed the silvery, metal desk. Very modern. Very clean. “Able Duty,”she said. The secretary frowned, her feathered brow furrowing as she glanced down at the calendar in front of her.
“I’m sorry,” she said, “but are you sure? I don’t have anyone by that name on our schedule today.”
The meaning behind the question was clear, though if she hadn’t caught it, the secretary’s opening of her calendar to the next day and the tapping of her claw on the date would have made that clear.
“Check again,” Blade said, leaning forward slightly but otherwise doing her best to just look like a normal patron. “I had it rescheduled just this morning. It’s today.” She could see a few of the other clientele looking up at her from the corner of her eye, curious expressions on their faces. Were any of them guards? It was possible. She tensed her muscles slightly, just in case she needed to move. “Trust me,” she said, making sure to keep the patrons on the edges of her vision as she moved her focus back to the secretary. “It’s today. Here’s my receipt.” She dropped the note the butcher had given her on top of the calendar.
The secretary stared down at the note for a moment before reaching out and picking it up. “I see. My mistake,” she said at last as she read the note. “Did our representative inform you that there would be an additional cost for the rescheduling?”
Big surprise. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “But that’s fine.”
“Very well then,” the secretary said, rising. Blade prepared herself for the inevitable “Please wait here” that was going to follow.
“Follow me please.”
Or not, she thought with a little surprise as the secretary moved over to one of the glass doors that led deeper into the building. Either I just became enough of a bother that I’m being taken out back for a talking to or polite rejection, or I’m finally reaching the end of the chain. Part of her almost hoped that if it was the former option, it’d be a more “aggressive” talking to. After walking around all day, being given an excuse to let her claws out would feel good.
“This way,” her guide said, moving down a long hallway with heavy doors on both sides. She could hear muffled musical notes coming from behind each of the doors, everything from long, off-key trumpet sounds to deep, baritone voices that she could almost feel in her chest.
They reached the back of the hallway and made their way up a set of stairs which doubled back, putting them in an identical hallway that ran along the length of the building directly above the last one. Again, she could hear the sounds of practice coming from behind several of the doors.
Interesting, she thought as the secretary stopped about halfway down the hall and pushed one of the doors open, gesturing for her to enter. Maybe I am finally getting to the end of the chain. I didn’t expect a music school though.
The room the secretary had led her to looked like a simple practice room—at least, that’s what she expected it was, considering where she was. The door shut behind her with a faint click and an admonition to “Wait here,” from her guide, but a quick check showed that it wasn’t locked. She was free to come and go as she pleased. She took a seat on the low bench that was provided and began to examine the room around her. Worst-case scenario, she waited for an hour or so and then left, having wasted a good portion of her day. Best-case, she got some intelligence. Or a large, angry-looking griffon bursting into the room and applying a little “pressure.”
That’d be pretty nice, she thought, examining her talons for a moment. Sends a nice clear message when you take down a message-kit like that. Sure, they’d probably never want to give her a good deal on business again, but information was information. And honestly, if it came down to battering some muscle, it’d look good in her favor.
On the other claw, though … The building was a good place for information exchange. Even through the thick, heavily padded walls around her she could still hear bits and pieces of music—or short spurts of something resembling music—resonating through the building. If a conversation was going to take place, it’d be hard for anyone to overhear it even if they were right outside the door. Smart.
A soft click echoed through the room, and she tensed, her eyes darting first to the door, and then around the rest of the small room as she searched for the source of the noise. It didn’t take long to find. One of baffling panels in the back of the room had moved forward, and as she watched, it swung outward, a lone figure stepping out of the dimly-lit space behind it.
She almost blink in surprise as her eyes took in the diminutive figure. Whatever she’d been expecting, the small, brownish-grey griffon sitting in front of her certainly wasn’t it.
“Surprised?” the griffon asked, her voice as clear and sharp as a piece of glass. “Were you expecting something a little more dramatic maybe? Taller? More voluptuous?”
“Taller,” Blade said, ignoring the rest of her comments. “Though if we’re going to go for classic spy-thriller stuff, you should probably consider a dye job.”
“Oh, believe me, I have,” the griffon said, gently closing the hidden panel behind her and lowering herself on the room's other low bench. There was a fluidity to the way she moved—not a fluidity that suggested a familiarity with combat, but with the arts. Dancing. Singing. Style. “I could go for the old, blind seer approach. Dye myself white, get a spell for my eyes, make them look blood-red.” She shrugged. “Or I could go with the other end of the spectrum. All black and sensual.”
“Wrong crowd in my case,” Blade said.
The griffon scoffed. “Never underestimate the power of jealousy,” she said, her voice dropping to a low purr as she twirled a single claw.
“Unless you can put that talon of your’s through someone’s armor, don’t expect much of that out of me,” Blade said. The griffon’s subtle smirk dropped from her face, her demeanor changing almost immediately.
“Thunderheads,” she said, an annoyed tone in her voice. “This is why I don’t like dealing with wandering claws. You’re all about the results. Action. No respect for the arts.”
“Usually it’s because we’re short on time,” Blade said. “We’re griffons of action. Now, speaking of the action—”
“Yes, yes, yes, I know,” the griffon said. “You want information. Information on an immortal. Let me tell you, Blade Sunchaser—” The name drop wasn’t subtle, but nor was it surprising. If she hadn’t told them who she was, they would have found out. “—your actions today have upset quite a few sapients I know.”
“I don’t have time to be patient,” Blade said. “Besides, most employers I know don’t mind a good shake-up every once in a while.”
“They’re not employees. Most of them aren’t even aware of most of what they do,” came the reply. “We’re a very loose organization.”
“Noted,” Blade said. “I still need information.”
“Alarming information. Your request had a few odd looks come with it, I think, Miss Sunchaser.”
“You keep using my name a lot. Got one I can refer to you by?” Blade asked. “You wouldn’t happen to be the infamous Madam Clearpole, would you?”
“No,” the griffon said, shaking her head. “But you can call me Grey.”
“Miss Grey? Missus Grey?”
“Just ‘Grey,’” she said, shaking her head. “Now, about what you wanted.”
“Information on the whereabouts of an immortal somewhere inside the city,” Blade said. “Or at least nearby enough that he can strike out at targets within the city.”
“Mm-hmm,” Grey said, her expression neutral, though if The Violet Heart’s information was as good as it was rumored to be, Grey already knew. “What kind of information?”
“Anything you can tell me would be good,” Blade said. “Where he is, what he’s doing … But most of all, more than anything else, what he’s after.”
“And why would The Violet Heart know that?” Grey asked, lifting one eyebrow.
Blade narrowed her eyes, cutting her claws across the air with a broad slash. “Don’t play the innocent, Grey,” she said. “I’m familiar enough with the stories about The Violet Heart. Information is how they operate. Information for information, or money. An immortal is exactly the kind of information your network—”
“The Violet Heart’s,” Grey interrupted.
“Yeah, theirs’, whoever they are,” Blade said. “Regardless, it’s exactly the kind of high-profile information that they would want.”
For a moment the room was quiet, and then Grey nodded. Blade could have sighed in relief. “Very well, Blade,” Grey said. “You want information on Anubis. We will give you what you can.”
“You have information on him? Up-to-date information?” she asked.
“Some,” Grey said. “Admittedly, of little use to us, and our source of information … dried up.”
“How so?” Blade asked.
“They vanished two days ago,” Grey replied. “There have been several attempts to pressure his contacts, which forced us to disengage an entire network to keep the intrusion from tracking us back. Since then, we’ve held off. But we will give you what we have. Well, part of it.”
“Part of—!” Blade began.
“Which part is up to you,” Grey said, ignoring her outburst. She was so calm, she could have been discussing lunch. “You don’t have the funds to purchase both. You can learn where he is, or what he wants.”
Easy. “What he wants,” Blade said. “What he’s looking for.” Because that’s where he’ll be, and that’s where we’ll trap him.
“I assumed as much,” Grey said. “Now. Payment.”
“I have three thousand reeds right here,” Blade said, tugging her bags off her back. “Plus whatever extra you wanted to charge for the quick meeting.” She was close now. Her heart was pumping in her chest, wings almost quivering with anticipation.
“No.”
Her thoughts came to a screeching halt. “What do you mean, ‘no?’” she asked. “That was the agreement earlier.”
“There’s an additional addendum with your name.”
“Wait, my name? You have a file on—?”
“It isn’t a file,” Grey said. “And it isn’t mine. But when I accessed our network, your name raised a flag. The Violet Heart has an interest in you, apparently, after a job you took in Equestria a few months ago.”
Uh oh. She felt her stomach start to drop a little. That’s not good.
“As you may be unfamiliar with how our network operates, we’re all about information,” Grey said. “We barter and sell information, sometimes for currency, more often for other information. However, in your case, you’ve been offered something I’ve never heard before. A favor.”
“What?”
“A favor,” Grey repeated. “In other words, we give you the information now, as a retainer. Then, in the future, you’ve offered your services to The Violet Heart for one job.”
“I don’t like the sound of that,” Blade said, her ruff rising as she glared at the small griffon. “That sounds like a scenario I don’t want to get into.”
“Even for the information you want?” Grey asked.
“Even for that,” she said, shaking her head. “A favor? A nameless favor? Down the road? No dice. There are way too many ways for that to be abused. For someone to ask me to throw a job, to betray a client—”
“I misspoke,” Grey said, interrupting her growing rant.
“I’ll say you did,” Blade replied. “Forget it—”
“No, I meant about the type of job,” Grey said. “It would not be asking you to betray a client or change the job you’re working on. It would be a separate job, with full pay, to be redeemed when you aren’t working. The only request, the only condition of the favor is that if you’re offered multiple jobs at the same time, The Violet Heart’s is the one that you take.”
“Nothing dirty? Dishonorable?”
“No. If it is, you can consider the debt paid in full,” Grey said. “What do you think?”
“Why?” Blade asked. Grey was right, that actually was a good deal, in a sort of I-scratch-your-back-you-scratch-mine way. But it was weird. Odd. Her ruff lowered as her sense of alarm faded. “Why me?”
“I don’t know, to be honest, Miss Sunchaser,” Grey said, shrugging. “I’m merely a relay. I’ve never once met with The Violet Heart, only their agents, who I would not at all be surprised to find they answered to other agents. But for whatever reason, whoever they are, they’ve taken an interest in your services, and wish to guarantee a future hiring.”
“And I would know about this how?” she asked. “How will I know when it happens? Or will it just hang over my head for forever?”
“The Violet Heart will contact you and let you know,” Grey said. “That’s all I know.”
“And if someone claims to be The Violet Heart?”
“We deal with those spreading false information … quickly,” Grey said, her voice slowing somewhat. “Liars tend not to function well in the information business.”
“Huh,” Blade said, tapping her chin with one claw. “I’ll admit, part of me is curious. All I have to do is consider the job?”
“Yes. Just consider it.”
“And if I take another job and refuse?”
“Then your debt will be regarded as unfulfilled, and we will forever cut ties with you.”
Interesting. One job? “A good job. No dirty stuff? I don’t do criminal. Well, not without good reason,” she admitted. “And only along certain lines. None of this dirty, dishonorable stuff.”
“I understand that it would be in line with your current brand of work,” Grey said, spreading her talons. “Past that I have no information.”
“And you won’t take the reeds instead?” Blade asked. Grey shook her head.
“Not for this. The information I was given was quite clear. A future job. Nothing out of the ordinary. You won’t have to break contract, or your honor. Just take the job, even above more attractive offers.”
“I …” It was a pretty loose deal, but for The Violet Heart, not her. Unless The Violet Heart used it to block her taking another job, but even then, she’d still have a job. And The Violet Heart had been very clear about being in the game only for information, at least as far as she’d heard. No criminal aspirations. Nothing dirty. The Violet Heart was honest and trustworthy, that was part of the point. That was why you went to them rather than someone else.
“Fine,” she said, shaking her head as she sat back. “I’m on a job at the moment, but you can tell The Violet Heart they’ve got a deal.
“Very well,” Grey said, rising from her bench. “I will fetch the information you need.”
“Send a message with it, though,” Blade said, and the griffon stopped. “Make sure The Violet Heart hears it.”
“I’m listening.”
“If I find they’ve used this to hurt someone, or dishonor my reputation … Pull anything shady, anything at all, you understand?” She rose from her seat, her wings flaring out as she glared down at the small griffon. “Remind them that I’m hunting down a bonafide demigod right now. If The Violet Heart crosses me, I’ll come for them. I don’t care how hidden they think they are,” she said, her voice almost a hiss as she pointed one long, sharp claw at Grey. “I will track them down and end them. Clear?”
Grey swallowed, the first sign of nervousness Blade had seen her exhibit since she’d entered the room. “Crystal,” she said. “You’ll have your information. Wait here.” She pressed at the hidden door and it swung open. She vanished into the space behind, the false baffle shutting behind her with a faint click.
I hope I just didn’t start stalking a big quarry I can’t catch, Blade said, staring at the panel, her quickened breathing sounding slightly loud now that she was alone in the room. But if I did, I sent a serious warning with it. And I’ll probably get one impressive fight out of it.
The false door opened a moment later and Grey walked out, a small, folded slip of paper between her claws. “This is it,” she said. “Information on what Anubis is after. Our business is concluded; please wait until you are some distance from the building before examining it.” She passed the piece of paper to Blade and then vanished back into the false entryway without another word, the panel shutting behind her with a faint click.
Finally. She stared down at the slip of paper and then nodded and stuck it in her bags. No one said anything to her as she left the room and walked down the stairs. The secretary gave her a faint “Come again!” as she passed by the desk, but she hardly acknowledged it. What mattered was the slip of paper.
She waited until she was several blocks away to stop at a small food cart and get something to eat. Then, a steaming stir-fry of meat and vegetables on a thin slip of cardboard in front of her, she pulled the slip of paper out and unfolded it.
First she frowned. Then she flipped the paper over, checking it for any other writing. She held it up to the sun, and then over the steam rising off of her lunch, checking for any additional information. Nothing. The slip of paper bore only a single word.
Necropolis.
Count of Laws Broken: 0
Total Laws Broken: 90
Damage Value (In Bits): 0
Total Damage Value (In Bits): 390,941
Stats
Page generated in 0.029 seconds
Total duration
877 users online
549,462 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Huh, the whole griffish, if you can use the word. Reminds me of the eastern style in approach to how things are. Yes, there are some western influences that cultural trade brings, but more and more. There's this eastern flair that you can't quite describe directly, but in a moseying way of 'it is' and nothing more.
Put two and two together, and you get what and where :D
Oh you cheeky little blighters...
I mean, sure, it's fair if that's all they have (or just the one half at least), but now Violet has Blade by the short feathers (after a fashion). Anyone else wanna bet we start the next chapter with Blade swearing up a storm?
6392457
To be fair, it is exactly where they need to go. And if, as has been speculated, the Violet Heart is a certain pink pony princess, that favor/job might be working as part of a certain guard organization.
6392870
.....That makes a lot of sense.
The general purpose guards
The specialists
And the Spies.
6392870
Ooo, I like your thinking!
Well. It might be the other Alicorn. Twilight is purple which violet is a shade of. And one of her sticks is information.
This reminds me of all those video games and role playing games where you have multiple ways to get the same information and accidentally do all of them.
6393091 It's not Twilight, unless she's running a very deep-cover operation; the Violet Heart warned Celly before the royal wedding, remember? And I don't think Twilight quite has the personal spymaster chops to manage to a) send a very subtle, very low-key message and b) make a big deal about her foalsitter for some rather obviously silly reasons, both. She's not that good an actress.
Cady I doubt too, because c'mon, you're at risk of being replaced by changelings and all you do is send a vague note? Fail.
Talk about your gripping reads! I did not expect the chapter to be so short. Nonetheless, it's well written (only a missing comma and an extra apostrophe) and leaving me waiting for more.
Question is: will Blade and co be able to put the pieces together? And when will the Dusk Guard show up?
Yay, sequel hooks! I think I can see how an upcoming story is going to begin...
I trust that the Violet Heart (my guess is that they're a changeling defector) knows enough about Blade to know that the one-word answer will be just enough.
Every chapter is so exciting! I can't wait for the next!
Well, crap. If she'd waited another couple hours for Alchemy to get back, she'd have had that anyway.