Page 47 of The Sorcerer's Thief
Meanwhile, questions loom large in my mind. Perhaps Hiluron, the older incubus who runs this brothel, might be able to shed some light on a few of them for me.
I catch his gaze and nod toward the open archway from the parlor to a wide hall.
He tips his head, and we both rise.
Cricket glares, curious, but Hiluron puts him at ease. “Could I borrow your sorcerer for a moment? I promise to return him unharmed and fully clothed,” he says with a wicked grin.
“He’s notmysorcerer.” Cricket watches us leave.
Ah, if only I could be.
Ifollow the giant gray incubus, his hips swaying like a mountain cat’s, through a hallway and down a set of stairs, his tail swinging behind him. He’s dressed like the rest of them, in loose-fitting sheer pants that only cover enough to bedecent, body bedecked in jewelry, long lavender hair tied with a piece of black leather at his nape.
Hiluron takes me to what I assume is his personal study. Shelves line the far wall, full of books, scrolls, and trinkets. His desk—suitably large for a man of his size—is made of gleaming dark wood, and papers and quill are stacked neatly in the corner.
He opens his hands. “What can I do for you? I already know it’s not sex, not with the way you look at Cricket.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“To a sex demon? Yes. To Cricket? Apparently not.”
I chuckle sadly. “You’re right. It’s not sex.”
“Have a seat.” He gestures to a pair of armchairs in front of the desk. I sit in one, and he takes the other. “What’s on your mind?”
Heavy question.My fingers. My wings. Revenge.“Are you aware of the Guild of Dark Waters operating in your city?”
A shadow crosses his face. He frowns and blows out a breath. “I am. I’d hoped they’d been decommissioned, as it were. But no such luck. What is your business with those scoundrels?”
“Not business. Never that. More like morbid curiosity. I owe them a debt or two.” I hold up my hands and wiggle my remaining fingers.
“Guildsmen did that to you?”
“One in particular. I intend to pay him back tenfold.”
“Dangerous. Why risk it now that the new rules of Luminia have forced them even farther into hiding?”
“My reasons are simple. I swore revenge when I escaped, and I will have it.”
“What makes you think I can help?”
“You have eyes and ears in this town. I do not.”
“You’ll have to go to Irondale.”
“Yes, I figured.”
Crossing one long leg over the other, he leans back in his chair. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything.”
My mind races as I leave Hiluron’s study. I’m so close now I taste revenge on my tongue. Not sweet like they say. But savory and full of flavor. A fine five-course dinner complete with paired wines.
In the parlor, Farsius tells me Cricket has retired and offers to show me to our room.
Room. Singular.
We had every chance to ask for a second, and neither of us did.
