Page 1 of Quiver of Cobras
Prologue
Friday, 21st September 2018. Pre-amnesia.
If you play a role long enough, sometimes you become that role. I reflected on that unfortunate titbit as I watched the bar from the building opposite. It was a reasonably busy night with all sorts of patrons milling around inside. I wasn’t particularly interested in any of them, however; it was the bar’s owner who fascinated me.
From time to time, I’d catch a glimpse of Morgan’s face through one of the windows, my heart tightening every time. He looked relaxed and happy, which was more than I could say for myself. It wasn’t as if I had much choice in the matter, though. I’d been with Rubus for too long to appear that way. Method acting the Madhatter way – act like an evil bitch until you actually become one. The lines between my true self and what I was pretending to be were now so blurred that I was virtually a Robin Thicke song. Most of the time I convinced myself that it was worth it.
I took another drag of my cigarette and blew out smoke, watching it cloud into the air over my head.
‘I thought you’d be here,’ said a quiet voice at my shoulder.
I half-turned, spotting the familiar features of Charrie, the bogle who ostensibly worked for Rubus too. My mouth twisted in brief acknowledgement before I asked, ‘Does Rubus know I come here?’
He snorted. ‘What do you think?’
I grimaced ruefully and stubbed out the cigarette. Yeah, fair enough. If Rubus had any inkling that I popped over here from time to time and quietly stalked his brother, there would be serious consequences.
I shook off the unpleasant thought. ‘Were you looking for me?’
Charrie’s expression tightened and he raked a hand through his hair, revealing his scalp. He had to be careful not to do that around humans; his skin was always tinged faintly with green but where his hair covered his head the colour was dark jade. ‘I am. There is a problem, Madrona. A big one.’
I was used to big problems but something about the look in the bogle’s eyes gave me pause. ‘Go on.’
‘Chen is dead.’
Ice dripped down my spine. ‘The dragon?’
He nodded, the gesture taut with the same tension I was suddenly experiencing. ‘Rubus sent me to negotiate for the sphere. I had it all planned out – not that we need have worried. There was no way Chen was going to give it up. But when I got to his lair…’ His voice drifted off in a cloud of unhappiness.
‘Did someone…’ I swallowed. ‘Did someone kill him?’
Charrie shook his head. ‘No. I’m no doctor but it looked like he died of natural causes. He was old. It’s not unexpected.’
Gasbudlikins. Unexpected or not, this was the last thing we needed. ‘You need to hide his body. Make it seem as if Chen just left the country. We can’t let Rubus get his hands on that damned sphere.’
‘Rubus already knows that the dragon is dead.’
I hissed, my hands curling into fists. ‘How?’
‘Amellus was with me.’
For a moment all I could hear was the beating of my heart. It thudded in my ears. Blue lights flickered. Perhaps this was it, this was the moment my life flashed before my eyes— Then I realised it was a police car zooming off to attend whatever petty crime it had been assigned to.
I exhaled. ‘Does Rubus have the sphere?’ My voice sounded as if it were coming from a long distance away.
Charrie’s fingers twitched, dancing in the air nervously. ‘I spotted it and grabbed it before Amellus noticed. But there are Fey swarming all over the old dragon bastard’s lair. It won’t be long before they realise the sphere is missing. And it won’t take a genius to work out I’m the one who’s got it.’ He raised baleful eyes to mine. ‘This is it, Madrona. This is why we’ve been with Rubus all this time. This is what we’re trying to stop. If he gets his hands on the dragon sphere, this demesne is lost. There are seven billion human souls. We can’t…’ He choked, unable to finish.
I thought quickly. ‘Okay. Do you have the sphere now?’
‘No. I put it somewhere safe.’
I growled under my breath. ‘All Rubus has to do is find you and use one of his damned Truth Spiders. You can’t guard against the sort of pain they create. You’ll tell him whatever he wants to know.’
‘I know that,’ Charrie snapped. ‘That’s why time is of the essence here.’
‘Get the sphere and bring it to me. I’ll think of a way to hide it. If I keep moving, I might manage to fool the magic. I might be able to keep it safe from Rubus.’
‘Mightbeing the operative word. There are no guarantees.’
