Lovely Dark Things

THREE (ISELEN POV)

"Wait..."

Ruby whispers and takes her knife before checking the living room, the bedroom and bathroom, taking a look under the bed and behind the curtains, checking the window locks and punching the walls trying to find secret doors and tunnels behind them. In my old human life, I would've laughed calling her paranoid but I'm smarter now and more experienced. This is Baalberith where thousands of eyes are watching nonstop, slaves spy for their owners hiding in the corners, assassins can appear out of nowhere suddenly and kill you while you're sleeping and a powerful High Priestess who hates me can't wait to drag me to the sacrificial altar. And the chaos demons will try to kill me no matter if the Queen and the Black Guard are protecting me.

"Fuck!" I whisper flopping down on a chair and closing my eyes.

"You're tired... Meetings with the Queen can be exhausting." I nod and remain with my eyes shut while she gets closer to me and touches my nape with her tattooed hand, I lean my forehead on her velvet doublet feeling the hard knife hidden under the fabric on my cheek and I can't help smiling.

"I love you so much," I whisper in my native language.

"What?" Ruby frowns and stares at me confused while I look up and smile again.

"I've said I love and I can't live without you, my beautiful assassin from the temple."

"Oh, that... It's truer than ever, I'm afraid, my love... You couldn't survive in Baalberith without me. We need to draw up a plan against the chaos demons, against Helien and her acolytes, I don't think Sryne has forgiven me for my impertinence these past days and she'll seek revenge, most likely... And then, there's my father."

"Are you worried about the Capitan of the Guard?" I ask frowning while following her towards the bedroom, Ruby lights the witch fire and sniffs the food someone left on the table to check if it's poisoned. Our luggage is here too... the slaves living in the Queen's tower work fast...

"I'm worried about his wife Lehha, the Queen of Vipers..." she whispers getting closer to me. "I've seen Eonir among the nobles and court officials when we were going to the My Lady's rooms, I don't know what he's doing here or how he managed to survive... That rat must've persuaded someone that he's somehow useful. Anyway, can you guess what will happen if he tells my father that I was the last person who saw Argyle alive before he vanished? His wife will skin me alive to make new boots embellished with my tattoos..."

"But he can't know that for sure," I whisper quietly. We've spent a few hours in this kingdom and I'm already paranoid thinking that someone could listen to our conversation despite we're alone. "Eonir told him about you and your brother went looking for you... But he never found us, we didn't see him and don't know what happened to him... Someone could've attacked him on his way because he was traveling alone, roads are dangerous and full of bandits." I shrug pretending to be confused and Ruby pulls away rolling her eyes hard.

"I don't know if they'll believe it, I hope so..." The assassin pours a glass of wine for me and I sit at the table to pick at some food although I'm not hungry. "Wow, have you notice that?" My girl waves her hand and I blink, bewildered, till I understand what she's talking about.

"These rooms are fit for an elven queen," I answer nodding. Linen sheets and blankets made of wool and fur on the bed are top quality, the fine wood furniture is encrusted with ivory, coral and precious stones, there're velvet curtains, silk carpets, the tableware is made of crystal and silver and the floor is made of colourful bricks with a herringbone pattern. I lean forward to graze it with my fingers and smile satisfied: it's hot, my heating system keeps working.

"The bathroom walls are covered with antique blue tiles like the ones we saw in the King's room and there's marble everywhere, our luggage is here but we wouldn't need it because those wardrobes are full of fancy clothes and coats lined with fine fur for you... And this is for me, I bet..." Ruby opens the trunk and smiles happily when she starts taking knives and short swords, chain mails and ninja stars. "This is amazing, not even my father enjoys this level of luxury... It's pretty obvious that My Lady wants us to feel comfortable."