Worlds Apart

Chapter 24

B L O O D M O O N

Daisha kept to the buildings as she made her way into town. The sky was clear, a sliver of moon her only witness as she stalked the emptying streets. Moonlight flitted through the gaps between the cloth draped from the rooftops. A young boy sprinted past and Daisha pressed herself to the sandstone to avoid being run over.

"Oylan! Get back here, boy," an older woman called, following him with a weary pace. His mother—most likely—considering the greying strands of dark hair that escaped her scarf. She gave Daisha an exasperated smile as she passed her, which she did not return.

Utto was a small town not far from the capital, the residents had told her.

"Medical facilities?" the man had tsked. "It's terrible, even in Lohs. No one looks at the state of the city, forget us." He twisted the end of his walrus moustache and side-eyed Daisha as if scrutinising her trustworthiness. "Sometimes I think those rapscallions in the city have the right idea. But don't tell anyone I said that." He winked at her then, a youthful spark in his aged eyes. "I won't tell if you won't, eh?"

Daisha had avoided talking to them after that. They seemed to see right through her, even though she did all she could to hide Elin's presence. She had started skipping meals, too, just in case buying two people's food was giving them away. Elin needed it more than she did.

But she kept up her visits to the grocer. It was a goldmine of information. Most of it was trivial gossip: who was pregnant, who had just bought clothes from the newest line from Izol, who had a new odd neighbour who never took off his gloves. That one had been of interest to her.

Daisha paused before the house with 203 carved into the earthen wall beside the door that was open a crack, the embroidered curtains shifting in the breeze. She pulled her scarf tighter over her ears and lowered it until it worked like a hood.

The door gave way easily, the hinges well-oiled. The curtains were freshly put up. The whole house was new but it had been given up for rent. It was nothing but strange to the residents. Daisha knew now what strange usually meant for her.

"I was expecting a visit."

There he was, by the stone kitchen counter, leaning on it as if they were old friends reuniting after years. All the lights were off, except the one flickering bulb in the corner of the kitchen. It cast deep shadows into the drawing room.

"Ulberg." Daisha glared at him. "If I should even be calling you that."

He waved her off. "Names are inconsequential. I doubt you came here for that."

"What did you do to the people living here?"

Ulberg raised his eyebrows. "They left, of course."

Daisha's hand wrapped around a tall lamp. "Don't lie to me. We are way past that." She stalked into the kitchen.

"Alright, alright." He held out a hand and Daisha paused at the doorway, chest heaving. She shouldn't even be listening to him. But she needed answers.

She needed to know how much to hurt him.

"Oh, there's no need to be violent. See," he said, holding out his empty hands, "I'm unarmed. What can I even do to you?"

"What, you didn't bring any cronies along this time?" Daisha spat.

Ulberg chuckled. "They're busy at the moment. You picked a very good day to visit," he said, nodding appreciatively.

"You shouldn't be in such a good mood while on the doorstep of death."