Page 149 of The Eye of the Fifth
Kyra idly wondered if Lilion’s brothel had even managed to stay in business. Had Oslan been given a reprieve from his servitude? She doubted it. People would always crave pleasure, even in the midst of chaos.
Lilion was likely in the chambers below. But Kyra knew this terrain as well as she knew her own body. If their engagement was to turn sour, she wanted the upper hand.
Standing in the centre of the pits, as she had done so many times before, Kyra called to her former employer, ‘Come out, come out, Lilion. I’m back to settle our bargain.’ Her voice echoed eerily around the arena. She had never heard such quiet in this place. A minute ticked by, and Kyra’s patience began to wean. ‘I know you know I’m here. Let’s get this over with.’
She tapped her foot on the sandy ground. Another minute passed.
‘I trust that your being here means you have something for me, little wolf?’
That voice crept under her skin like an itch she couldn’t reach.
The last time she’d seen Lilion sitting on her plush throne-like chair overlooking the pits, she’d thrown a dagger at her head. The urge to do it again was overwhelmingly strong.
The Lady of Shadows looked exactly the same. Dressed in elegant black, her gloved hands softly draped over the throne’s arms. Her inky hair was pulled back tight against her scalp, as it always was. ‘Show it to me, then. I thought you wanted this over with quickly?’
With a strange feeling of foreboding, Kyra reached into her satchel and revealed the Eye of the Fifth. It sat cold in the centre of her palm.
It didn’t render her deaf or blind this time, but she could have sworn there was an echo of chiming laughter somewhere.
Somewhere in the Void of all things.
Lady Lilion stood, her fingers grasping the railed edge in front of her. Her dark eyes glittered. ‘I must admit… I’m impressed. I expected you to fail.’ Her voice was soft and curious as she asked, ‘How did you acquire it?’
‘That information was not part of our deal.’ Kyra closed her fingers around the stone. ‘You can have it once Oslan is freed.’
She half expected Lilion to disagree, to demand the Eye first. But Lilion gave an unblinking smile and said, ‘Very well.’
A flick of her magic shot past Kyra to the gate behind her, the pulley chains firing to life.
And just like he had done before, Oslan, sullen and sallow, stepped out into the pits.
Her brother. Finally about to be freed.
Kyra moved to him instantly, stopping just before him. She couldn’t allow herself to ponder on how thin he had become. Or how dull his eyes were, or the lifeless colour of his skin. Instead, she forced herself to smile. ‘Hi, Os.’
In a cracked, fear-drenched voice, he said, ‘What are you doing here?’
‘I came back for you.’
Her brother’s mouth wobbled. He stepped away from her. ‘What… what did you promise her?’
‘Nothing that wasn’t worth it,’ Kyra said earnestly, pulling out the Eye once more and forcing it into her brother’s large, scarred hands. ‘Give it to her.’ Oslan stared at the Eye, as if hardly daring to believe the stone could truly mean his liberation. Kyra showed him the pink scar on her palm. ‘I made a blood bargain with her, Oslan. She has no choice but to uphold her side. Give it to her, and you’re free. Then let’s get the fuck out of here.’
Oslan just shook his head, still staring at the Eye.
Kyra’s heart plummeted. ‘Oslan,listen to me.If I do not give her that Eye, you will be in her servitudeforever.You will die a slave!’
‘Once the Eye is in my possession, the bargain will be fulfilled,’ Lilion said in a bored voice. Kyra was terrified to take her eyes off Oslan, lest he be dragged away again. ‘Oslan, my dearest Bull, bring it to me.’
Oslan’s eyes slid out of focus then, as if the Eye had mesmerised him completely. His hand was shaking, the fingers curling and uncurling around the stone.
Impatience stole over her as Kyra swiped it from his palm. She lobbed it across the arena to Lilion.
Lilion caught it effortlessly, then went quite still, staring into the inky depths of the stone. Kyra wondered if Dohra spoke to her too. Wondered if the Void Mother spoke to anyone the way she had spoken to her.
Her palm tingled, and she watched as the pink scar turned to white.
Debt paid. Bargain fulfilled.
