The Bringer of Death (City Underdark #2)

The Ward

"Her child?" asked Ranphoros. "There is no such thing as the child here. I don't know why he told you that."

"That is what he said," Shame answered. "I am only the messenger. He did not say much more."

"As he does..."

"That is not to me to judge."

"She wouldn't, she does the same," one of the succubus from behind the columns said to another next to her, whispering.

Barmond looked at Hugo above him and saw that he had not understood it, not yet, or maybe he was extremely focused on what Shame was saying. And when he looked back to Shame, he saw that she was looking around. She stopped on Barmond for a second, but there was no telling what she was thinking. It was impressive to see how her expression did not change as she spoke - only her lips.

Quite unsettling, too. Ghouls had a reputation of being creepy, even among the undead.

She turned back to Ranphoros when she was done looking around.

"Should I keep the ashes?" she asked. "I can find an urn where I can put them."

"Yes... Yes, that can be useful. Rosa can take a look at it... In the worst-case scenario, Garganda will probably be interested in vampire ashes. And I am going to have to send a word to some elder vampires. They need to reel in their hound."

Ranphoros came down from his platform. He seemed fairly ticked off, his tail swaying behind him with force.

There was no way that Ranphoros did not know, Barmond thought. Surely he had linked the message left by Mord and Barmond himself, knowing what he knew. Surely he had to realise.

As if he had heard that Barmond was thinking of him, Ranphoros stopped in his tracks and turned around, towards the dark corner where Barmond and Hugo were still hiding. He took a few steps in their direction, even, his gaze piercing through the darkness to fix itself upon them.

"Hugo, Barmond," he said. "You come with me."

Barmond felt himself blush. Because he was still laying on the ground when he said that, shirt open on bare skin, his legs spread wide over Hugo's thighs, and the entire room was looking at them. He closed the front of his clothes quickly and tried to wiggle away from under Hugo, but it was a lot faster when Hugo started to move as well.

They were soon both standing in front of Ranphoros, and Ranphoros was leaving so they had to follow him. Shame fell in line behind them as they left the room, quietly, almost like a ghost.

Barmond finished buttoning up his shirt as they ventured further under the earth.

Under a certain limit, the smell of stale air became more persistent, more present too. It was a lot harder to ignore the fact that there were walls all around them that were tighter and tighter, and Barmond was of average height (almost). He did not want to imagine what it might be for someone like Hugo to be dragged down here.

In the cells.

That was what it was. They opened a door, and a wave of air from old... living hit them in the face. It smelled like an abandoned house. Shame passed in front at this point, to open the door for her lord, because it was her domain. Silence and death lived here with her.

Barmond was glad that he did not get locked up down here last time he was their prisoner, especially when he passed the cells and saw that there was barely enough space for him to stand in any of them. Their way was lit by Ranphoros' palm as they moved through the hallway, towards another door, because otherwise, it would have been nothing but darkness.