The Sandman by Erin Kellison

Author:Erin Kellison
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Fire Flower Publishing, LLC
Published: 2015-05-08T03:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIVE

Viv approached Maisie with yet another black market “entrepreneur.” Super thick, ebony hair, eyes close together. He had a mean sneer on his mouth, but he was short, so Maisie relaxed. Finally, someone she could stare down without having to look up.

“I was hoping your appearance was an illusion,” he began with an upward nod of his chin in her direction. “You look like one of those cheap little girlie dolls with heads too big and skirts too short, all of you covered in glitter.”

Maisie gave him a razor-edged smile. Bastard. She didn’t do glitter.

Behind her, Vince laughed out loud. Mirren flanked her on the other side, just returned from yet another trek across the Scrape to deliver a group of these people to their various dreamscapes so they could wake. The ones with whom Maisie made deals would get tandem dreaming tech from Vince so they could descend directly into Maze City to dream. And wake from there, too.

Viv had talked Maisie into including that Corey skank in an effort to break the network that had sent her and appropriate their talent. Maisie was cool with it only because it was going to be fun to watch Jordan tear her apart later.

“Maisie, this is Ivan,” Viv said. “He fought in the Rêve War and then went straight into business for himself. Mostly mercenary enterprises. He has a reputation for getting jobs done.”

“I hate mercenaries,” Maisie said. “Friend of mine killed a mercenary here just the other day.” Since Sera had gone to help Steve, she was Maisie’s new best friend.

Ivan’s unibrow went up. “Yet you want to hire me to protect this place?”

“I don’t want to hire you.” Anyone who took appearances at face value, especially Darkside of all places, was not for her. Definitely not for Maze City.

“Vivienne said you did.”

Maisie cocked her big girlie head. “Viv was wrong.”

Frankly, she wished Steve were here to talk the whole thing over with her. Because, well, bad guys. She’d been a courier for people like these, and she’d almost unknowingly killed a nice old man who’d been bundled up like a ham to be delivered to his untimely and gruesome demise. So, yeah, she was feeling a little conflicted. Was she just like them, after all? She’d kinda wanted to be good—good like Steve, good like Jordan—not the mayor of Bad Town.

These were not the people she’d imagined inhabiting her city.

“Actually,” Viv said, “I mentioned coming to an agreement regarding his services.”

“Ah, okay,” Maisie said. “We agree not to use his services. He can mercenary himself on the Scrape with the nightmares.” To him, she said, “Thanks for playing.”

She was so done with strange people in her city. Bullies, all of them. This was taking forever, and she’d never had much patience to begin with. Plus, she couldn’t wake and find out how Steve was doing until all the black market revelers were gone or else they’d just be dumped in the sand.

“She’s a child,” he said to Viv. “She can’t run this place.

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