Page 106 of Until the End of Ever
"Yo, Larna!" the kid called. "How much for the hat?"
The street vendor snorted. "Like you can afford it, Night."
"Shecan. And she'll pay extra if you make it quick."
The woman behind the stand glanced at me, and tossed me the hat without a word. "Free of charge for you."
I blinked, confused.
"Cover your hair. Shielding it like that is sucking my energy," the boy said, rushing towards the gate of Death.
"Aren't we going next door? To the gate of Kings?"
He snorted. "Right. You mean the one they'd expect you to take?"
When we reached the first tram stop past the gate, the kid sat on the bench. "Sit down. Hunch a little. Stop standing like you own the place. Even if you might as well, future Mrs. Regis."
I flushed, but did as I was told.
"You're smart," I told. "And I'm way too tired to think. Thanks again."
"I'm just used to blending in. I'm having trouble sensing your friends, but they're here. Just not too close." He frowned. "I think the woman stayed behind. Who was that?"
A dry chuckle escaped my lips. "My mother, believe it or not."
"Oh, trust me. I believe it."
We waited for the tram is silence, exhaustion hitting me. "What's your name?" I asked him. "They called you Night, right?"
"Adrian. Night's my surname. And you're Valesco."
"Kleos," I replied, offering my hand. "My friends call me Kleos. And you're definitely a friend."
The kid flushed a little, he swatted my hand, and then offered me a fist. I bumped mine to his.
"You don't know how much I owe you. What they'd planned…" My throat clogged up.
The tram thankfully arrived before I could completely lose it.
It was rather full, which I was grateful for. In the middle of a crowd, I'd be harder to spot if anyone thought to check this avenue.
The ride was uneventful until we stopped, towards the end of the avenue.
The boy looked left and right before hopping over the fence of what looked like a private property.
"Really?"
"Come on," he urged, and I did my best to not impale myself on top of the picket fence as I followed. "Little-known fact," he whispered as we scaled the garden, head bent, "but the avenues aren't completely separate everywhere. There are a few tunnels linking them. Unfortunately, the Waytts’ garden blocks this one. But it takes us pretty close to the manor."
Between the avenues, the tunnel was dark and smelled like several things had died in it, but I could see the blue light of Lucian's trees on the other side.
The great news? We'd arrived close to the bridge.
The terrible news? So had the four men.
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KLEOS
