Children of Night and Snow

39. A Corpse

I waited until we passed a good six blocks before I dropped my act and finally let out the breath I was holding for hours now. Suddenly all the alcohol and stress finally hit me and I felt incredibly exhausted. But underneath my cloak, that blasted necklace was still firmly clasped around my neck and that was all that mattered as we disappeared into the darkness of Duskfall's forgotten alleyways, taking an elaborate, but safe way home. I let Connor lead us there as I just kept my head down and my breathing steady, all too aware of every sound, every moment, every conversation in our proximity. And I prayed to all the Gods that my disguise was enough, that James Anderson won't remember me tomorrow.

"We're almost home," was the only thing Connor said the whole journey and I couldn't tell if he was angry with me or not. There was nothing in his voice to give me any hints as to what I should expect once we walked through the door of our house. I gave him a silent nod and simply counted my steps towards the front door.

"It's Connor and Freya!" I heard Demi just before I heard the front door open and we were rushed inside.

"So, did you get it? Do you have the Dragon's eye?" she asked once the door behind us closed. As a response, I just opened my coat causing her to squeal in delight, something I had no idea she was capable of.

"What's that smell?" Az said, his face full of disgust.

"That would be merchant James Anderson, the guy our bloody brilliant Freya seduced, got drunk and then somehow convinced to put that necklace on her before she accused him of assaulting her and got us escorted out of the building through the front door, with the necklace practically on display!" Connor exclaimed, his voice shocking me for a moment. He thought I did good?

"Holy shit, no way!" Aaron laughed and I could swear I heard Devan chuckle in the corner as well. Their reaction caused me to blush and look down. I expected them to be mad at me for my recklessness, not to praise me.

"Freya, you are full of surprises. Let me get this off you so you can shower," Demi offered.

"Gladly," I replied, letting her take that blasted thing off before I took my shoes off and headed straight for the shower. Connor, Aaron, Demi and Devan seemed happy with the results, I could still hear them as I was showering, Connor telling them the story of my great heist as he put it, while Demi was asking questions and Aaron was laughing. Yet I couldn't shake the odd feeling Az gave me with his words. I felt almost guilty and I had no idea why. There was no reason to.

"Nolan! Luc! Thank the Gods you're all home now. All good?" I hear Demi welcoming the last two members of our group.

"Yeah, they bought it, completely. I don't think anyone will remember the necklace until at least the morning. Should be plenty of time for Az and Aaron to be long gone." Lucia replied cheerfully.

"Where is Freya?" I heard Nolan ask just as I was about to leave the bathroom, now clean, the scent of James Anderson thoroughly scrubbed away, my nose now registering the familiar calming, yet still mysterious scent I've grown used to occasionally smelling when I was home. Damp stones and summer rain. It didn't belong here yet for some reason, it was. Sometimes I wondered if it was my own smell. Because of where I came from. If I could smell myself because I developed my abilities so recently.

"I'm here," I said and watched him approach and kiss me. There was a hint of possessiveness in the kiss. Jealousy even. But when our lips parted, there was nothing in his expression to suggest so. And neither he said anything. Yet I was well aware that he likely didn't appreciate my flirting strategy all that much. No matter how effective it was.

Just as I was about to say something, we heard a scream somewhere from the outside. All of us instinctively turned in the direction of the noise, despite it being at least a few blocks away and in no way we could know what happened merely by looking out of the window. Next thing we did was to look at each other. People of the North, especially people of Duskfall didn't scream like this unless something really unsettled them. Whatever happened, it wasn't good news.

It was a silent agreement that we had to go and find out what was going on for ourselves. Without a word, we all got changed into our leather outfits, all similar to the one I saw Devan wear in the tunnels all those months ago. I only got mine recently, made and sewn by Lucia, who turned out to be very talented in this stuff. There was a layer of metal plates covering my torso at most vital places as well as secret pocket-like places to hide a set of daggers just above my wrists, on my thighs and around my ankles, where boots would offer extra cover. There were even two light metal pieces sewn into the leather which protected my neck. The whole outfit came with a pair of gloves, boots and an ankle long cloak which had a spacious hood, a layer of fur around my shoulders and zipped up tight around my waist. When Lucia presented me with this about two weeks ago, I felt absolutely badass. Now, I had no time to think about that though as I hastily put it all on and followed everyone out of the door.

We walked fast and in utter silence, taking the side streets, avoiding as many other curious citizens as we possibly could. It was like a second nature to me now. It was an unspoken thing, something they never explained and never had to. Our very livelihood was built on illegal activity. Being seen as little as we possibly could. Even when we reached the spot, where all the commotion was taking place, we remained in the shadows, waiting quietly for an opportunity to approach.

"This isn't good," Nolan spoke behind me while we watched the scene unfold. A group of girls, probably a few years younger than I was, sat on a nearby bench, some crying, some staring into an empty space clearly in shock. There was a crowd surrounding them, mostly women, clearly concerned for their wellbeing. There was another group standing a few feet away, discussing what they were watching on the defense wall in front of them.

"It's just like the last time," someone in the crowd said.

"Last time?" I asked, not really caring who'd answer.

"This town has a history with rogue attacks," replied Devan. "Especially in times like these," he added.

"What does that mean?" I asked another question, slightly annoyed. I hated when they just assumed I knew things.

"At home," Az said, making me jump a little. I didn't expect him to be so close to me. He must've been standing right next to Nolan who was towering over me from behind. Realising that we could be overheard here, I nodded. We didn't want people to even know we were there, let alone that one of us was a foreigner in a town which didn't accept them. And where now people clearly feared an attack from the outside. It was different during big festivals when everyone was drunk and not paying attention. But here people were too on the edge. It was a risk we couldn't afford. Especially not after what we pulled just about an hour or so ago.