Page 74 of Protection of the Pack

A few moments passed and the bloody mess shifted into ash. Ares was the victor. He threw back his head and whinnied his success. The crowd roared back in appreciation, stamping their feet and clapping their hands. I saw money exchange hands as bets were settled.

The main lights flickered on again and the orchestral music changed to an upbeat type tempo. Canapés were being offered to distract the guests whilst the trolls tried to secure Ares again. Three of them entered the cage, this time with cattle prods as well as axes. They weren’t taking any chances with a unicorn in bloodlust. They gave Ares several jolts of electricity whilst they forced him into a halter, then led him away. The unicorn seemed to watch me accusingly.

He was a bold hunter,Esme said approvingly.Canny.Let’s free him.

I love it when we’re on the same wavelength.Yes,I agreed. I knew Ares wasn’t the primary reason we were here, but priorities can change. Right is right and wrong is wrong, and leaving the unicorn there was just plain wrong.

I turned to Bastion. ‘Go and speak to Ghost. See what you can find out about Mark and his attendances here.’ My tone was a shade away from an order.

Bastion’s eyes fixed on me and for a moment I thought he might refuse, but he turned and padded away. He walked over to some steps, above which was a mezzanine floor. There was a select gathering there with prime viewing stations. I tore my attention away.

I looked around once more. I couldn’t spot Elena and clenched my jaw in frustration, then mentally let her go. I’d deal with her later; right now, my priority was freeing Ares and any other poor creatures being forced to fight.

I grabbed Manners’ arm. ‘Let’s find a bathroom,’ I suggested. As I crossed the vast warehouse, I scanned for Elena, but I didn’t see her.

Manners and I stepped out of the main room into a corridor. To the left was a sign for the toilets, to the right a hulking troll standing guard. I flounced towards him, doing my best spoilt-girl impression. Always try the easy way first. ‘Are the beasts back there?’ I demanded imperiously, pointing behind the door.

He barely spared me a glance. ‘No one goes there,’ he rumbled.

I batted my eyelids. ‘But do you know who my daddy is?’ Black humour filled me for a moment; evenIdidn’t know who my daddy was.

‘He can be the bloody sultan, but you’re still not getting in.’

‘I’ll make it worth your while,’ I said in a sing-song voice.

‘No,’ he said flatly.

The hard way, then. I concentrated and gathered my piping powers, reached down into that well of power and drew it up. I kept a flirtatious smile on my face as I touched his gigantic hand and kept smiling as I released the full might of my power.

It slammed into him, not nicely, not to talk but to control. That was the reason pipers are so hated. Under the Connection’s rule, they –we– are allowed to pipe and control non-sentient creatures like unicorns. Piping sentient creatures is strictly forbidden and could land me with a solid stint in the Connection jail. I’d never done it before – and frankly I didn’t know what I was doing – but I had to dosomethingto free Ares. It turns out that I’m an ‘ends justify the means’ girl. Who knew?

I threaded my fingers through the troll’s bulky hand. I wasn’t sure if I needed to maintain physical contact to keep the control hold in place, but now didn’t seem like the best time to experiment. ‘Is the unicorn Ares behind this door?’ I asked.

‘Yes,’ he replied instantly.

‘Unlock the door and take us to him.’

Behind me, Manners made a strangled noise but I ignored him. We could argue about it later.

The troll unlocked the padlock on the door and led us in. The lights flickered on; Ares had been kept in darkness. I tried to swallow my outrage and focus on the mission. The room was filled with cages and tanks but thankfully only a few were occupied. I guessed tonight’s main show was going to have willing contenders. I thought of Noah; maybe not willing, just blackmailed.

A merman and what looked like a very large seal were in one of the water tanks. Since this was the Other, I guessed it was a selkie. Ares was in one cage and a gargoyle was in the one next to him.

‘Get them out,’ I said to Manners, pointing to the tank. Its lid was secured by a number of boulders that presumably trolls could lift on and off easily – troll security isn’t particularly sophisticated.

I turned my attention to the caged gargoyle. ‘Let him out,’ I ordered the troll. We stepped forward together and he unlocked the cage.

‘Thanking you, you beautiful wench,’ the gargoyle said joyfully. ‘I’ll happily roger you in thanks.’

‘Erm, that’s kind of you but I’m okay. Just get home safely.’

‘Right you are. Tally ho, maiden.’ He bobbed me a strange little bow and headed for some roller doors. He flapped his little wings and rose high enough to man the controls. He jammed the button on ‘up’ and the double doors started to rise. ‘Bit of a kerfuffle out here, my fine Jezebel,’ he called back to me. ‘Best exit sharpish.’ With those words of advice, he flew out and left us.

Manners had managed to move the heavy boulders and was helping the merman out. As he set him on the ground, the watery creature’s tail shimmered and separated into legs. And other things.

I averted my eyes. Manners gave the merman his tuxedo jacket; it fell to below the merman’s hips so it covered everything important. The merman reached into the tank and the selkie leapt gratefully into his arms. I blinked. Either mermen were strong, or the seal was lighter than it looked.

‘A little help?’ I called.

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