Page 32 of Petals for Vicious Secrets

Hope and Aurora had weapons strapped to them from head to toe, mainly daggers and blades, sheathed securely around their thighs and waists on top of their black pants. Nina was armed with a red jumpsuit that exposed the pale skin on her back and under her ribs, with interlaced red straps that revealed every single curve of her body. Hope found it absolutely jaw-dropping, and the admiration for the old woman who had made it in less than a couple of hours was none the less.

Walking in circles around her to double check, Hope confirmed the small pocket where Nina kept her red vial was unnoticeable. She hadn’t realized a very skilled tailor was probably more likely to save her friend’s life with her work than Hope or Aurora would be if they didn’t get to Nina in time.

After debating whether to say something or not for longer than Hope wanted to admit, she let the words leave her mouth. “You don’t have to do this, mother.”

“Excuse me?”

“You don’t have to do this,” she repeated. “Trying to come to a place you hated, to a being that hurt you and abandoned you. You shouldn’t risk your life for answers you don’t need.”

“I don’t need the answers, but I need you, Hope.” Aurora swallowed. “If you want to go to Thyria, I will go with you. If you want to sail the seas, I will go with you. If you want to fly the skies, I will go with you. I will not abandon you. Under any circumstances. Ever.”

Hope found herself smiling despite the sudden blurry sight caused by unexpected tears and emotion that knotted her love in her throat. “Thank you. This means everything.”

Aurora smiled back at her and turned to Nina. “Ready?” Aurora whispered in the small side alley that lead to the plaza crowned by the Roix quarters.

Nina nodded, her eyes fixed on the lateral door of the quarters in front of which different young people now gathered, some casually waiting, some chatting and smiling. All of them dressed way too nice to be common Verdania villagers. Some clothes and jewels they bore had most definitely been gifted by the roixers, unless they had gotten them from the Trading Table. Wasn’t it about survival, at the end of the day? These people were very much alive, so whatever they had used to survive had clearly proved useful.

Hope squeezed Nina’s hand and kissed her friend’s cheek, the skin soft against her lips. Nina squeezed it back and looked at Hope. Before Hope could tell her it was not too late to reconsider using her beauty and intelligence for this purpose, or more so, through these means, the double metal door at the right end of the Roix quarters opened.

The artificial light coming from inside brightly illuminated the villagers waiting in front, all apparently eager now as they faced the roixers going out for their well-deserved time off. The laughter, hugs and jokes were loud enough to scare any wandering animals looking for food in Cralia. Nina inhaled sharply, getting ready to walk to the roixers and catch whichever prey she was going to spend the night seducing.

“I wouldn’t go there if I were you,” the male voice coming from the dark end of the alley startled Hope, the daggers ready in her hands before she could fully acknowledge the threat. She took a small step in front of Nina, shielding her from the person standing in their hiding spot. A shiny reflection revealed Aurora’s daggers were already out. From the people standing in their hiding spot, Hope corrected herself, as another shadow appeared next to the man’s one.

The ricochet in the square was distracting and noisy. If Aurora and Hope killed the new arrivals, probably no one would notice. As if her mother had read her mind, she whispered “Vitam,” the first part of their long-term killing cooperation agreement.

Hope clenched her fists on the hilts of her daggers, an unconscious movement as natural as breathing, as she formed the second and last word of the mother-and-daughter pact “Tra—

“Don’t you fucking dare, Aurora,” said a different voice, coming from behind Nina. Hope adjusted her position, leaving her friend against her own back and the wall, while she held her daggers at the ready, each to one side of the alley.

Where were these people coming from? There were no windows here, part of why they had precisely chosen this alley, and the ends leading to the busy and loud square and the very empty street on the other end were too far. Hope did not risk a single glance up as there were three of them here, but could perfectly picture the building around them being tall. If they had jumped from there without letting them notice… Fuck, they were good.

The brief shock at such realization and the unforgettable fact that the man knew her mother’s name. If anything, that could have been a better reason to slice them down to the ground, and no matter how good they were in the shadows or roof-jumping stuff, Hope very much doubted three of them could win against her mother and her. Still, she had not finished the second word of the agreement, the one that would give the get-go in any situation that potentially risked their lives, as they had practiced endless times. The last word of a blood-bound effort to start killing to keep living.

Vitam tradere. A blood-bound effort to start killing to keep living.

Aurora said, “Hold on,” and Hope knew she was talking to her, so she swallowed the word before she could finish it out loud, her daggers still firmly held at the stance as her mother’s sword was. Aurora continued, “Give me a reason not to, Marcus”.

“Only one? Can’t pick, you know. For starters, we could have killed you any time in the last fifteen minutes you’ve been standing here. I can also tell you that Aridian told your pretty lady to not waste her time or life because we already tried what she was about to do. And our very skilled Aida was brutally fucked and killed at the hands of one of the brutes that used to work for you.”

Hope’s chest tightened as she inhaled sharply, taking a small step backwards so her shoulder plates touched Nina’s body, needing to remind herself that she was warm and alive and safe behind her. For now, at least.

“Why would we trust you?” was all her mother muttered, not lowering her blade.

“Because I can take you to Thyria. Well, your daughter can take us to Thyria, technically speaking,” Marcus explained in a matter-of-fact way. Nina’s touch on Hope’s waist was appreciated, as she definitely needed any reassurance on this unexpected succession of events. Marcus continued, “We need her help.”

“Why would I help you? I don’t even know who you are and your people don’t look like a very friendly bunch,” Hope’s voice appeared more confident than she had expected it to be.

Marcus chuckled before saying, “Courtrades, weapons down.”

Even through the noise in the plaza, Hope could have sworn she heard movement not only in the alley and the roofs leading to the alley, but also in the buildings surrounding them. Cardinals, how many people were here?

He took a step closer to them, but Hope didn’t relax her fighting stance. His short beard was perfectly cut, his dark eyes matching his dark hair.

“I am Marcus Olannet, courtrade from Orizane, and you are going to help me—help us—because otherwise you will not get to Thyria.”

As if the Cardinals would allow it to be that easy. “What makes you think I would want to go there?” Hope asked.

“Well, you were about to send the young lady you are protecting on a mission to be raped or killed by a roixer, so it doesn’t take a genius to figure out you want something from them. I can’t think of anything more important to risk a life than information. Plus, considering your mother was discarded from Thyria many years ago, she probably wants some revenge. If you have any idea of the reason you two were discarded in the first place and what is on your skin, young lady, you would also want to go there and rip some throats off.”

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