Page 15 of A Skirl of Sorcery
I inclined my head to acknowledge her faint praise. I wasn’t offended that Louise had tried to kill me; if she’d shown up unannounced at my door, I’d probably have reacted in a similar fashion. For the most part ex-assassins were left in peace but, given our past careers, it paid to be cautious.
‘You can watch me brew the pot if you wish,’ she offered.
‘I’ll trust you,’ I said.
She laughed slightly. ‘You shouldn’t.’ Then she sobered. ‘You used to work for EEL, Kit. You were one of their best. You shouldn’t trust anyone.’
I stayedfor another hour chatting about more pleasant matters, and yes, I drank a cup of tea, but I was pre-occupied by Louise’s revelations. Maybe it wasn’t coincidence that had brought Keres to me via Mallory; maybe she was after me because of my time as a contract killer. If she possessed the same level of skill as her grandmother, she’d know what I used to do for a living. Was this a strange, convoluted revenge for my life choices or for Louise’s threats to her grandmother? It seemed unlikely that Mallory would set her onto me if that were true, but I couldn’t ignore the possibility.
For that reason I headed back to Mallory’s after I left Louise’s house. My suspicions that had been triggered by the cats’reaction to Keres were growing and I wouldn’t be able to relax until I had some answers,
I passed the door to the pub beneath Mallory’s flat and headed up the creaking staircase. The marker on the framed map that indicated my house had been removed, suggesting that Mallory believed I had fulfilled the terms of our agreement. Would she still believe that if I kicked Keres out less than a day after taking her in?
There wasn’t an immediate answer when I knocked on Mallory’s front door so I knocked harder. I heard footsteps and exhaled, relieved that she was in and I could talk to her – but it wasn’t Mallory who opened the door.
Boris was wearing a silk robe that perfectly matched the colour of his skin. He glowered at me, his eyes flashing with irritation. ‘What do you want?’
I smiled pleasantly; I wouldn’t get anywhere with the spriggan unless I was polite. ‘I need to speak to Mallory.’
‘She’s not here.’ He started to close the door but I blocked it with my foot.
‘When will she be back?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Can I wait inside?’
He snorted derisively. ‘No.’
‘I’ll wait on the stairs, then.’ I could be patient; it was one of my more useful skills.
‘You’ll be waiting a long time. She won’t be back today or tomorrow. In fact, I’m not sure if she’ll ever return here.’
Something tightened inside my belly. ‘I saw her here only hours ago. Is she okay?’
‘Depends on your point of view.’ I stared at him hard and he sighed and appeared to relent. ‘She’s fine.’
Strictly speaking spriggans weren’t Fae, but they worked for the Fae and it was documented that the Fae didn’t lie. In fact,they couldn’tlie. Although it wasn’t guaranteed that Boris was telling the truth, I had no reason to suspect otherwise.
‘I really,reallyneed to speak to her.’
‘Well you can’t.’ He glanced down. ‘Now please remove your foot.’
Not a chance. ‘The ban sith – Keres. Did she ask Mallory to contact me? Did she ask to stay with me in particular?’
‘I don’t have to answer your questions,’ Boris said.
‘No, you don’t,’ I replied softly. ‘But I’d like to know if I’ve let someone into my home who is planning to kill me.’
Boris sucked in air through the large gap in his front teeth. ‘No. The ban sith had never heard of you until Mallory suggested your name.’
‘Are you sure?’ I pressed.
‘Can anyone ever be sure?’ he returned.
True. I sighed. ‘Alright. Thank you.’ I pulled back my foot and Boris immediately slammed the door in my face. ‘Tell Mallory I’d still like to talk to her!’ I called, but if he heard me he didn’t respond.
I hadone final port of call before I returned home. The riverside market in Danksville would be closing up for the day and I couldn’t visit Trilby’s home without a prior invitation, so I had to catch them before they finished for the day. At least the late timing meant that I wouldn’t be interrupted by any other customers; it was always helpful to talk to Trilby without anyone eavesdropping.
