Page 107 of Dark Shadow of Guilt

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Just when Ely had fallenasleep, the OC tapped into his head. Short and sweet.Bring in Malacour.

He flew toward the trustee’s bar in Angor. No doubt about it, Scourge misbehavior was on the uptick. More fights than usual spilled onto the streets. Gangs of miscreants wandered the city, smashing whatever was in their paths. Weaker Scourges ran from the stronger rampaging malady-stricken. Shit was stirring.

Ely pushed through the front door, shoving through the crowd to get to Malacour’s office. It was empty.

The patrons were rowdy, high on rumors of a rebellion as Ely cleared a path to the bar. His gaze swept the room while he listened for intel or news of Malacour. Nothing definitive on either.

Ely may have been as excited as the Scourges. A rebellion was something to consume time. The chatter around him was speculative. No one was named, other than Lucian, who popped up often. Guesswork or knowledge?

Some of the patrons were eager for the Singer in the Velvet Cage, as she was billed. Despite the pain they’d feel from her song, her voice and beauty were worth the agony.

Ely agreed. Even with no real intel coming from the Scourges, he planned to stick around for her performance before he searched for Malacour.

The crowd’s anxiety ratcheted up, a sure sign she was expected.

The room quieted. A spotlight beamed onto the stage. Her cage descended from the ceiling. That was new. He guessed her popularity warranted an expensive gadget. As before, she was in a swing, her back to the audience.

Fiery red hair hung to her waist while her hands gripped the chains of the swing. Two Blood Leeches rotated the cage, the bars wrapped in velvet. She faced her fans.

She was stunning in a strapless, black gown, a snug bodice of shimmering sequins, its full skirt showing only the tips of her matching shoes and a slit revealing a shapely leg.

Her flesh was lightly golden and dotted with freckles like her face. Her makeup was artfully applied, red lips, blush, and mascara-ed pale, translucent eyes. They were almost like a Mind Rat’s but more subtle, more beautiful, more hypnotic, and the soft green of the palest sea glass.

Despite his revulsion, Ely’s heart thundered with emotion.

Her song was deep-throated and bluesy. Something about a two-timing lover. The crowd was silent, lips parted, intent on the singer and her song.

When that tune ended to uproarious applause, she sang “I Will Always Love You,” made famous by the human Whitney Houston.

Listening to her, Ely felt more alive than he had for millennia. Maybe ever.

Then the Scourges clutched their heads and cried in pain. She’d dug inside their minds and twisted. Though Ely sensed an intent to enter his brain, it was only a twitch, easily blocked.

Her gaze locked on him. She unfolded from the swing and gripped the velvet-covered bars of the cage. With her sea-glass green eyes wide, she pleaded with Ely. “Do something. Help,” they begged.

He turned away from the attractive Mind Rat. The bartender, a trustee who was shifting from Scourge to Immortal, was obviously feeling the singer’s effects.

“Got any Demon Brew?” asked Ely, breaking through the pain.

“On tap.”

“A pint.”

The guy winced, slapping a hand to his temple. “You paying?”

Ely tossed a few creats onto the bar. “Who’s the singer?”

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