Downworld

Chapter 41

When I woke, I was sitting up, tied with my hands behind my back and secured to a chair. My mouth felt like cotton wool, and I had a few bumps and scrapes, but nothing to worry about. On the other hand, that I had bumps and scrapes at all was a reminder that it had been a little while since I'd taken any energy from Malik, or gotten energy from getting off. I wasn't too hungry yet, but if they started to hurt me it wouldn't take long until my reserves were used up and I was in trouble.

I figured since I wasn't dead yet, Malik's influence was preserving me and probably would for a while longer. They wouldn't kill me until they knew for sure they could get away with it without a war, because they all knew Malik could take anyone one on one -- maybe even several territories at once, if he recalled everyone he had above -- and they wouldn't want to take that risk.

On the other hand, it was entirely possible they just wanted to torture me a little first.

I waited. There wasn't anything else to do after testing the ropes and finding them disappointingly secure. Even if I could have gotten free, I doubted I would have gotten far anyway.

I seemed to be in an empty warehouse, but it was very dark and I couldn't see far. We were still in above, I was sure of that. They wouldn't have risked dragging me back through the Glen, and the next closest entrance to the down was too far away for convenience.

I was sure that once everyone figured out I was gone -- which they should have done straight away because they're not idiots -- they'd come find me. Malik might have been pissed at me, but he still cared and he'd probably come looking himself. All I'd have to do is be patient. And keep my mouth shut. The second one was somewhat of a problem.

Sometime later, I began collecting an audience. I couldn't see who they were in the low light, but I could hear them moving about, shuffling around and whispering to one another. They stayed too far away for me to get a better sense of them. But I supposed I could have guessed.

I think they were trying to make me nervous. They were mostly just annoying me.

I may have dozed off for a while, there's no other way to justify Afra's sudden appearance in front of me, her gloved hand fisting in my hair and yanking hard enough to bring tears to my eyes. On either side of her was a crony in head-to-toe black, with only their eyes visible.

'Hello, Afra,' I said, because she seemed to want me to say something.

She didn't seem pleased. Her usual you-are-so-beneath-me expression was twisted into something like disgust and her hair was downright frizzy. I took that to mean she was at the end of her rope.

She released me now that she'd gotten my attention and stepped back to a safe distance. 'You made it easy for us on purpose, didn't you?'

I would have shrugged, but the whole tied to a chair business was a hindrance. 'Why would I do a thing like that?'

'Because we were prepared to kill your entourage if they got in the way.'

'You always were a vicious bitch.'

She cocked her head and gave me a sneer. 'Still so smug, even like this.'

'Too be fair, your predictability gives me reason to be.'

She was silent a moment, measuring me with her eyes.

'Not that catching up hasn't been great,' I said, unable to stop my big mouth, 'but I assume there's a reason I'm here.' And wasn't that a great job, keeping my kidnappers on track.

Her hands clenched. I hadn't figured Afra one for physical violence, but she seemed like she wanted to do some. 'You promised me, Jay, you promised my sons the Glen and the Swamp. That was the deal.'

'They can have them. They're welcome to it.'

'Except you have been giving people ideas. If I let you continue, they'll be empty titles.'

'If by that you mean that people have been realizing they don't need to be your bootlickers, then you're correct.'

She sniffed. 'You had to realize I would do something when I found out?'

'Yes, and this is about what I had in mind. The human claiming to have had my kid was a smart move; cheating would have been it for Malik. It's too bad for you that he still trusts me just enough. Tell me, if you'd managed to make him denounce me, would I still be alive?'

She didn't answer, which was answer enough in itself.

'Ah, it's good then that you don't know him well then.'

'You are going to undo this, Jay.'

'I told you once I wouldn't be your tool. That stands.'

'You will.'

'Bloody nobles. Finally realizing that without your servants you're not all that flash, huh? Well, too fucking late. You can't stop it now. None of those kids are going to go back to the old ways, not for a bloody million dollars and all the promises in the world. And humanity isn't just going to forget again, our existence is recorded and available on the internet for everyone to see.'

So yeah, the shutting up plan was not going so well.

'They don't need to forget for everyone to remember why we live in hiding.'

The glint in her eye made me very afraid she was actually, seriously, considering literally starting a war with humanity in order to try keeping a hold of any shred of power she could.

'Not even you are that stupid, Afra. Have you ever seen a gun? Heavy artillery? They have weapons that could turn downworld into a pit. If you make an enemy of the humans, they will wipe us out. You won't risk that.'

She scoffed. 'And yet you still exposed us.'

'Not the same thing. I've half convinced them that we're harmless. Or at least the majority of us are.'

'What's your goal here? If this keeps going, the Red King is going to lose his power base too. You must have a plan to keep power, I want in on it.'

'There is no plan, Afra. I'm not trying to replace you with me.'

'What do you get out of this then?'

'What I get out of this is the end of the prison that is downworld. Having the man I love to myself would be a great plus too, if I can fix the shit going on between us. But you're looking in the wrong place; this isn't about me or him. It's about all of you.'

'You're going to die, you know.'

'Please. Malik would tear you limb from limb if you killed me. And if he does that, then the Swamp would be his, and your sons will have nothing.'

There was an idea, with the Swamp under his power as well, Malik's position would be more secure, and there'd be a whole new bunch of downworlders who might want to immigrate to above. And Malik would probably continue my work if I was dead, or at the very least he would support Isamu, who I was certain would.

'I'll take the risk. He hasn't been every happy with you.'

'Go ahead. My work is done anyway.'

She loomed over me, trying to intimidate. 'There are worse things than death.'

'What? Like torture and rape?' I laughed, well aware of how unhinged I looked. 'Do your worst, little girl, I've been tortured by worse monsters than you.'

She glared. 'What about your precious nieces and nephew? What about that nekomata that follows you around like a dog?'

'Isamu would take issue with being compared to a dog.'

'I don't believe you don't care. You care about them more than you care about yourself.'

'The minute you laid a hand on me, they were all taken to the Glen. Unless you're going to raid the Red King's home, you have nothing. So go ahead, kill me, hurt me, whatever, you have no power anymore.'

She didn't like that idea. I could tell because she gave one of her cronies a nod, and he smacked me across the face. He was wearing gloves with his outfit, so there was no skin on skin contact for me to take advantage of.

Well, at least I had a sensible enemy for once.