The Verse of Sibilant Shadows: A set of tales from the Irrational Worlds by Guillen JM

Author:Guillen, JM [Guillen, JM]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Irrational Worlds
Published: 2015-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

“Judicar?” Bryana came up behind me where I was leaning against the wall of the stairwell. “Are you well?”

As the door opened, a woman’s cold eyes glinted down upon me. For a moment, I stood stunned, struck dumb.

Oh. Oh no.

“Judicar,” the woman nodded slowly. She was oddly certain, confident. It was as if she had waited for me at that exact spot, knowing I was walking up the stairway.

“Miss,” I nodded a wary greeting at the woman. I stepped into the room, Scoundrel hopping after.

Never had a word felt more inappropriate. More inadequate.

She was young, a few years younger than me if I guessed well. The woman was Q’sarri, or at least of their blood, given the long, dark hair and the spice-tea colored skin. Her dark, almond-shaped eyes glittered like hard pieces of flint in a pool of kohl. Yet, those eyes had just the touch of a cant to their edges, the slightest bend upward, a trait that spoke to a trace of Nimjiminese in her blood.

Just her face was enough to stop a man in his tracks, but that was far from the whole story. She wore leathers that had been dyed a deep, midnight black. A small bag hung at her side, and several small throwing knives glistened at her hips, thighs, and chest.

When she stepped forward, she was grace given form.

“I’m looking for Killian Gould.” Her soft voice was crisp, businesslike.

For a long moment, my head swam from the serum. It wasn’t a specific vision or even the insistent whispering behind my mind. It was as if, the nonce I met her eyes, the serum asserted itself in my veins, and I felt a glimpse of gold burning in my blood.

Then I heard Bryana gasp.

I saw the bull-necked doorman on the floor behind the dark-haired woman. There was blood at the corner of his mouth, and I could not tell if he was breathing. Across the room, I saw Martin slumped over the counter, unconscious.

“I saw you with him.” Bryana’s voice was tight, spring loaded with panicky terror. “I saw you with my father. You are the Warren’s Spider.”

“I am who I am.” The woman regarded Bryana curiously. “I was with your father. Now, I’m looking for him again.” The woman’s voice was smooth with a razor’s edge. “I’m afraid he has become distant as of late. I was hoping to discuss my business with him.”

“As it so happens, I’m looking for the same man.” I took a single step forward. “The city has a special interest in him and his concerns. Perhaps you could share with me what business you have with him?”

The tiniest smile appeared around the edge of her mouth. “Perhaps I could, but I will not at this time. My business is my own, Judicar. Perhaps another day.”

Scoundrel shuffled nervously on my shoulder. She said nothing, but my girl was definitely off her ease.

Tainted night, I was off mine.

The Warren’s Spider wasn’t real. Wasn’t.

“I think there has been a miscommunication.” I gave her a small tight smile of my own.

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