Downworld

Chapter 22

The stabbing pain in my chest took me from unconscious to fully awake in less than a second. I gasped, and pushed Malik off me so I could sit up and wheeze a little more effectively.

The pain subsided, though it left a dull throb and another, indescribable feeling in its place. It had been so long; I'd almost forgotten what my guardian instincts felt like. I had imagined them broken, because why not? I was broken in so many other ways. But, of course, they fucking weren't. My bastard guardian was just waiting for right time to come back and sink its teeth into my flesh and mutter in my ear. Protect, obey, it said, protect the nobles, obey the nobles.

Then it stabbed me in the chest again, not wasting any time, because I was just sitting there, not doing what it wanted.

'What's wrong?' Malik asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

I breathed through the pain for a moment, before I said, 'I think... I think Raven's dead.'

I didn't think, I knew. The Silent Lady was dead, and I was once again without a noble, which is what my guardian's ruckus was all about. Punishing me for letting her die, and pushing me towards bonding with another noble. Already I could feel it crawling around inside me, reacting to Malik's presence with definite approval, which was all kinds of confusing and annoying.

'Oh,' was all Malik said.

I got up and opened the curtains, letting the Glen's creepy, perpetual light in so I could see well enough to find my clothes

'Where are you going?' Malik asked, radiating concern.

'To get Tinder. If Raven's dead, the other nobles will be out to poach her guardians. Tinder's got kids and a husband they can blackmail her with.'

That's how it worked, when a territory lord died -- whether through natural causes or assassination was another question, one I thought to address later -- the nobles who lived in the territory with the biggest ambitions and households would swarm over the each other and the remains of their dead lord until one could declare themselves the winner without opposition. Those servants of the territory lord who had no wish to be involved in the fighting -- or put their families in danger -- fled to neighboring territories.

'What about you?' Malik asked, watching me drag on clothes.

'What about me?'

'They'll be trying to poach you too.'

'I don't have a choice.'

He made to get up. 'I'll come with you.'

'No you won't. If anyone sees you, they'll think you're after the Labyrinth as well, and they'll try kill you. There is no way I'm letting you come, and if you try, I'll tell your guardians what you are going to do, and they'll lock you up until it's over.'

He scowled and was silent a moment. 'Are you sure you can even handle being around nobles while you're unbonded?'

'I don't know.'

'Let me send some of my guardians instead.'

'No.'

'Jay, please.'

I had to stop and close my eyes, because that fucking word had burrowed under my skin. It wasn't just my guardian, with its mantra of protect and obey, it was me. Because Malik was one step away from begging me to do something for my own sake and that made me feel like more of an asshole than usual. Probably because the last time we'd had a conversation like this, I'd been on the other side telling him to listen when people who love you are trying to help.

'I have an idea,' I said at last.

'What?'

The words almost stuck in my throat, but I got them out without sounding like I really thought this was a bad idea. 'Bond with me.'

'What? No.'

'Fine. Either way I'm going. I'll take my retainers, I'll be fine.' That was a lie, I had a few retainers, enough to make a show of being protected, but I wasn't about to put them in this kind of danger.

'Wait. All right. Let's bond.'

'Good.'

I found a knife on top of a dresser -- why was there a knife on top of our dresser? -- and sat down on the bed with him. My guardian was pinching a fit, so fucking happy it was just about giving me a hard on, which would not have helped that the situation.

Bonding as a guardian was not unlike swearing a blood oath, except no oath was needed. No, the requirement of an oath would mean nobles would have to secure a guardian's cooperation, rather than just take the bond, which happened too often.

I cut my hand, and Malik cut his, and we joined them together so our blood could mix. I felt it working, as I had with Raven. My guardian latched on to Malik and decided he was the one. My master.

I promised him silently that I'd do my best not to hate him for it.

I don't know who made the guardians, some puffed up noble or royal who decided they didn't so much want sworn servants as much as they wanted slaves. Probably several puffed up nobles working together. Whoever they were, they were fucking egomaniacs with way too much power and knowledge. Though that described most of the nobles I'd met, minus the knowledge part.

The how of it had been lost, just as the numbers of guardians were fading as some freaks became less focused on mating for power, and more willing to seek out compatible partners; just as those above had become less concerned with marrying for money and prestige and more concerned marrying for love and lust. If the gene pool was diluted enough, I figured there would no longer be any guardians, or royals or nobles. No downworld. There was an idea.

'I love you,' he said, and I didn't even flinch.

'I love you too. But, now I really have to go. Tinder will probably be expecting me.' I got up and snagged a handful of tissues to mop the blood off my hand, and made to leave.

'Wait, Jay. Don't go. Stay.'

My guardian put its hooks in me, but I ignored the fucking thing. It could hurt me all it wanted; I wasn't going to let it keep me from Tinder and her kids.

I did pause though, to look at Malik, and wonder whether I should have offended that he was trying to use the bonding to get what he wanted. I'd think about it later, right then, I really needed to leave. I went over and kissed him. 'Sorry, sweetheart, I'm the same difficult bastard I've always been. I'll be careful.'

I could have sworn he looked equally relieved and worried as I left the room.

Despite what I'd said, I didn't go straight to Labyrinth, instead I went down the hall and woke one of Malik's guardians and told them what was happening. No, I didn't trust Malik to stay out of trouble. Plus, someone needed to tell the Red King, because no doubt Tinder and her family wouldn't be the only refugees fleeing the Labyrinth tonight.

Before I'd gone down the hall, Isamu appeared.

'Stay,' I said, not even bothering to ask how he knew, the kid had a weird radar on things like this. Despite what I'd said, he fell into step behind me. I muttered something about disobedient retainers. Not that the sixteen-year-old kid was sworn to me yet, but he'd been acting like a defacto retainer for the last couple years, and I anticipated that as soon as he was eighteen, he'd ask to swear to me. And because he considered himself my retainer, he wouldn't let me go alone, just like I wouldn't let Malik come. I thought myself lucky had hadn't woken anyone else.