Page 15 of The Dragon King's Assassin

Chapter Eight

I started where I'd last seen my broker—the Shrieking Ghost. The Ghost was a Raltven bar in the Broken. It was not a place where nice people went to have a cocktail. But if you were a criminal of any sort, it was a great place to find work, especially with the Raltven. Raltven were some of the shadiest people on the planet of Serai, and I mean that in all definitions of the word.

Despite the early hour, the bar was open and full. Once inside, it was hard to tell what time it was, what with the lack of windows and the light globes set to low. Raltven liked the dark, all the better to blend in. Literally. I passed a table of them, most in solid form since they recognized me. The two who were unknown to me went transparent, the misty outlines of their bodies vanishing in the dim light while their dark clothing merged with the gauzy fabric that draped the walls and hung from the ceiling to form partitions between tables. Their friends leaned over and whispered something, and the Raltven went solid to nod at me.

They didn't know exactly what I did for a living, but I'd run with their kind long enough for them to know that my work was outside the Dragon King's laws. In the Shrieking Ghost, that made you welcome and worthy of a certain type of trust. I may be a killer, but I wasn't an undercover Talon looking to make a quick arrest. And in that room, everyone was a killer. The only difference between them and me was that they didn't get paid for it.

Which meant I had to tread carefully.

I could have gone straight to the bar at the end of the room and spoken to the barkeep; a barman was a font of information. But that information flowed in the direction of money. If he talked to me for a price, he'd share our conversation with someone else for the same amount of coin. So, instead of going to the bar, I veered right, sweeping aside a length of black gauze. The fabric was the clearest indicator that this was a Raltven hangout. Not only did it give every table a sense of privacy, but it also put the Raltven at ease. Sort of like a security blanket for really dangerous children.

“Hello, Tengven,” I said to the only Neraky in the place.

“Lock.” Teng grinned, flashing his pointed canines.

Tengven had been watching me cross the room through the gauzy fabric, just like everyone else, so he wasn't surprised by my greeting. He only jerked his head toward the empty chair beside him, then huddled over his steaming bowl of soup. He stirred the broth, the opalescent fish scales on his hand glistening in the light of the lantern above. A tentacle floated to the surface, and Teng scooped it up with his broad spoon, then slurped it into his mouth. Iridescent green eyes closed in bliss as he chewed, their nictating membranes shutting a second before the outer lids.

“I need some information,” I whispered.

In addition to being the only Neraky in the Ghost, Tengven was also the only man there who knew what I did for a living. Because Teng wasn't just one of my few friends, he was also the only man I trusted in the whole damn city now that Gren was gone.

Tengven slid a look my way, then quickly around the room. “About?”

“The Hood.”

Tengven shifted toward me. “I thought you didn't want to know about the Hood?”

“Circumstances have changed. It's become imperative that I find him.”

“The only man who knew the Hood's identity was Gren.”

“I know.”

“And he's dead.”

“Yes, I know my mentor's dead. Thank you.”

“I can make some inquiries but it will take time and coin.”

I pulled out a small pouch of coins and passed it to him under the table. “Teng, my life is on the line.”

He blinked slowly—the inner membrane, then the outer lid. “Who?”

“Him.”

Tengven cursed, straightened, did some facial acrobatics, then leaned back toward me. “You got caught?”

“He woke up just before I finished him.”

Teng gaped at me.

“He let me live.” I lifted my motioned at myself. “Obviously. But to keep living, I have to find the man who hired me.”

“Fuck me,” Tengven whispered. Then, in a stronger voice, “I told you not to take that job!”

“I know.”

“But you were so certain you could do it.”

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