Page 7 of Queen of Darkness
I giggled.
“But smart,” he added more seriously. “He’ll come to understand eventually.”
“I hope so.” I sighed. “I should get going, though. I’ve already hung around later than expected.”
“Okay. But first, one more hug.”
I obliged and then headed for the door. “Take care of her, Dad. And of yourself.”
“I will, dear,” he said, following me, pausing in the open doorway as I made my way down the porch steps. “You take care of yourself as well. Come back safe.”
I only nodded, not trusting myself to say anything more. That was one thing I couldn’t promise. Not with the task that lay ahead of me.
Walking down the laneway to the road, I looked back over my shoulder and waved. A wave of cold descended over me as I took in the farmhouse and my father standing on the porch. The chill descended down my spine like a foreboding promise.
As if I would never see this place again.
Chapter Five
Istared across the cobblestone road from where I hid in the shadows, watching the front door of the nondescript house very carefully. Nobody had gone in or out of the aging brown bungalow for quite some time. Nor could I pick up any signs of movement from around the house itself.
It seemed as empty and abandoned as it had every other time I’d visited. Of course, I knew better because I knew what was beyond that front door. Magic was at work here, and it kept everything contained within.
Still, caution is warranted. Best not to leave anything to chance.
My prior visit to the Duke of Hamelin, better known simply as “The Broker,” had been a rather abrupt and pointed meeting. I had entered and effectively bullied my way into a meeting with him. Although he hadn’t said anything at the time, I knew that another such entrance would not be forgiven.
For all I know, he’s put out word that I’m no longer welcome.
It was that fear that kept me crouching in the shadows, looking across the road. I wanted to see if anyone was waiting to ambush me. I was on my own now, and I had to be cautious. I couldn’t be seen as weak, but neither could I simply waltz into a place as widely used as the Broker’s without surveying it first.
My legs began to ache from staying immobile for so long. I knew I had to get going. The longer I sat there, the more time I gave those trying to track me down. I needed to get in there and try to finagle a meeting with the Broker. With his help, I could disappear and begin to formulate a way to eliminate Elenia.
Eliminate. Such an uncaring way of talking about killing someone. Cold and sterile, like an assassin.
I shook my head. That wasn’t me. Was it? If the opportunity came for me to pull the trigger and end her threat forever from a distance, would I turn it down just because it wasn’t a fair fight? Did that actually matter to me?
Probably not.
“You’re stalling,” I whispered to myself, getting up from my crouch.
Giving my legs a moment to resume proper blood flow, I took one last look around, making sure nothing had changed. Then, I crossed the road and slipped inside.
The instant I crossed the threshold, my senses were assailed by an abrupt change. The light inside was bright and vibrant, the long, slim hallway lit by numerous fluorescent bulbs in the ceiling. On top of that, music pulsed rhythmically, courtesy of the invisible band farther inside. That was probably the coolest use of magic I’d ever seen, and each time I came, I enjoyed it again.
I approached the end of the hallway. Already, I could see the top of the silver ball that floated high above the bar at the center of the circular room. Lights bounced off its surface as it spun slowly on top of a waterfall cascading down the sides of a display.
A smile creased my face. This place was starting to feel almost homey to me. I’d been here so often, it seemed, and I was now beginning to know what to expect from it. Some of the fear of the unknown was fading.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
I started, coming to a sharp halt as a tall, human-looking male swept around the corner, a silky white cloak billowing out behind him.
“Hello, Decan,” I said warily, greeting the personal steward and bodyguard of the Broker with an abundance of caution.
I’d learned the hard way during my last visit that though he maylookhuman, he certainly wasn’t. Not entirely, at least.
“Joanna.” He doffed his top hat and bowed slightly, giving me a polite greeting. “You should go.”
