Page 14 of City of the Lost
“It’s unlikely. But she’s scared, so there must be something—maybe a bird or bats. If we can help, then we should." Plus, it gave me something to focus on aside from being soul sucked by Valance in the shower.
Azren studied me for a long beat. “I doubt she has any money to pay you.”
“Do I look like I go around extorting grannies?”
His eyes narrowed. “I thought you were running a business.”
Ooo. He was throwing the words back at me that I’d hit him with when we’d first met. “Yeah, I am.Mybusiness. So I get to do whatever the fuckIwant. I can think of worse things to do than helping put an old lady’s mind to rest.”
“There are no old ladies on my side of the border.” He said the words softly, almost as if he was speaking to himself.
“What?”
He averted his gaze for a second as if suddenly uncomfortable. “The elderly and feeble serve no purpose and so they are culled.”
Wait, had he just said ... “Culled? You mean you kill them?” Okay, so my voice had risen several octaves, but this was ridiculous. “How could you do that?”
He shrugged. “They have a duty to remove themselves from society, and when the time comes, they enter the Sleeping.”
“Where youkillthem.”
“They are put to rest, yes.”
“Killed. They arekilled. Come on, say it. You kill old people.” I threw up my hands. “Not using the word doesn’t change the facts.”
His jaw clenched. “We do not have the resources and connections to the rest of this world that Arcana City has. Our resources are limited, and those unable to contribute to the functioning of society are a burden. It’s simply a fact.”
“Nope, uh-uh. There is no justifying murdering old people.”
The lines of his face tightened and sharpened as his glamour weakened in the face of his anger. Yeah, he was pissed, but so was I.
“I don’t make the rules, I follow them,” he snapped.
“Yeah? Then maybe it’s time you stopped being a fucking puppet and thought for yourself.”
His eyes flared bright green, and his face rippled as the glamour fell away, giving me a glimpse of the monster beneath. It lasted less than a second, but the flash was a cruel reminder of who I was dealing with. He was a demon. Elora’s right-hand man, and no matter how close we grew, he’d always be loyal to his liege and her inhumane methods.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Forget it. Forget I said anything.”
His glare softened. “It’s not as easy as a click of your fingers.”
I reached for the string attached to the concertina folded ladder pressed to the hatch. “It could be.” Why was I still trying to influence him? He was what he was, but my mouth refused to quit, because, heck, he couldn’t be the bad guy. He wasn’t. “Things could change if enough people stood up to Elora.”
His ire was back in an instant. “How can you be so naive? Challenging the order would bring nothing but war. Why do you think Elora bound you to the contract? Why do you think we’ve been charged to find the rebels?” He stepped closer, and I held my ground. “The rebels challenge the order. If left unchecked, they could bring us to war once more.”
I lifted my chin to meet his fiery green gaze. “So, it’s better to live in oppression than fight for freedom, is that it?”
His eyes flashed and then he snorted in disgust and stepped back. “It’s easy for those who have not seen war to judge those who have trudged through it. Elora ended the carnage, and things may not be perfect, but there is peace. We must stop the rebels.” He sighed and the fire bled out of his stance. “Besides, aren’t your people as much slaves to the Arcana as we are to the Draconi? Why don’t you fight back?”
He had a point, and it was an uncomfortable thought. Our society was a faux democracy. On the surface, we had a say, but in reality, the final decision would always be made by those in power.
Something thudded above us.
“Excuse me? Have you caught it yet?” the old lady called up from the hallway.
“It’s all right, Ms. Finch, just go back outside. We’re on it.” I gave Azren a look of finality; this conversation was over.
For now.
