CHAPTER 17

  Screams. They bellowed within and without Reduke and struck at his sanity. There was no part of him not filled with Nightmaster. His cells quivered with Nightmaster’s rage.

  SO CLOSE!

  "Angry, so, so, so angry,” Reduke rolled like a newborn on a roof close enough to the twerp’s house he could see through the window into his dumb little bedroom. For an hour Nightmaster ransacked and punished his mind. Two hours. Shadows and fuzzy figures mixed on the twerp’s walls, against the curtains, making gestures until all lights in the house finally blinked out.

  "Let Reduke kill. Reduke does best in dark.”

  Purple sliced up his insides, diced lines in his flesh, healing quick as cut. Fat fool! That blue-eyed bitch is in there! How many times will you be bested by women?

  Had it been the Sebess? Reduke, or maybe Nightmaster, for with each passing day it was getting harder to tell who thought what, thought. Reduke had seen nothing, and all he’d heard had been the absurd ring of metal as something deflected his knife.

  How? How’ had she done it!? Shinasshu? Has to be! This thought had to be Nightmaster’s, as Reduke did not know what 'shinasshu’ was. So much shine into one attack, and the kid escaped! ROKKDAMNSHAKINGDAMNPILLARSHAKER! So, clooooooooooossssse!

  The perfect opportunity, for no one out of Fair knew Nightmaster, not truly. Nightmaster had been right next to the runt. Never get another chance like that, not with him ensconced at home. All that way having to listen to the little whining fool! Weak and gentle, that’s what all thought when they met Nightmaster out of Fair. So careful. Deceit within deceit. Yet, Nightmaster had failed.

  Reduke’s body twisted so far around that his back up and down its length. "Reduke failed,” Reduke moaned, "not Nightmaster!” He was allowed to straighten, and moaned again.

  Everything was fine until the old woman showed up. Nightmaster had the kid alone. At first Nightmaster had thought she would ruin everything, but the boy’s obvious fear became a perfect distraction. Then she cried out, and Reduke flew, face first, into the brick chimney hundreds of feet away. Someone wielding shine AND skeel! Who? HOW!? It had to be the Sebess!

  So close. . .So close. . .So close!

  Reduke shuddered, and for the first time regretted having met Nightmaster.

  Reduke was off his feet, thrown against the wall. Muscles and tendons in his arm released, and it began to slide apart where the Sebess had cut.

  "No,” he groaned. "Reduke is a tool. Perfect tool.”

  Want to leave, trash? You want me to leave you where I found you? You think I don’t have fifty, hundreds, thousands I could use?! You’re as expendable as your halitosis!

  "Hal--?” Reduke choked from tears, from Nightmaster actually choking the life from him. "Forgive. . .”

  His body slid down the wall until he was on his backside, his arm snapped back into place. He stroked it, stared up at the very few stars. Still too many, for he hated the cold, judgmental lights. Not as much as he hated leaving Fair. "Much better this way. Much bette. Trade. All Reduke for all Nightmaster.

  Nightmaster scoffed. That arrogant shaker Valens will never hear about this. Ever. If it is the last thing I ever do, I will keep it from. . .

  "I see then,” Reduke heard that annoying kid Valens say wherever Nightmaster was, "that you are unprepared for our rendezvous, Geta."

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  The screams within Reduke redoubled.

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  Valens was unaffected as the tall hood threw its tantrum back and forth before him. A chore nevertheless, as it took several minutes of pulling, gesturing, cursing until, finally, when Geta was left with nothing but a pant and a snarl, Valens said, "This does not inspire confidence. I don’t like being left out, Geta. You want to play this rokk-acolyte nonsense with that monster, I am sure that's who you are talking to, that's your mess. To me, you are as much an underling as he to you, though more poor and untalented and stupid besides."

  Valens adjusted his skeel glasses,"Never try to hide information from me again, underling. I know your stomping grounds, underling. I can always find you, underling and I’m beginning to lose my patience with you, underling.”

  The flickering purple light from Valens' own shine cascaded off Geta’s hood in uneven shadows. How Valens wished his enemy-ally would rise to his slights that he could have done with it now. Alas.

  "Not in the mood, four eyes.” The hiss in Geta’s voice seemed more pronounced. "You told me to look in Wordheal and surprise, surprise I found the prize. Nearly had it.”

  Valens walked to the edge of the roof, picked a bit of dust from his jacket. "’Nearly?' I underestimate your idiocy at every turn. Which was it? The green? Blue? I know it had to have been a shiner that stopped you, though perhaps you once again abuse the small confidence I have in you.” Sharp, dismissive, exceptionally cruel words. Valens wanted Geta focused on him, not the target.

  Someone at the base of the building began to scream with a voice so hoarse it sounded more like the barks of a wounded animal, "You! Up there! Looking down on me? Bow! Come down, and bow!”

  Geta’s shine flared, and, fully expecting attack, Valens gave a slight turn of his head, but the hooded Lesser had not moved. Down in the darkness the high-pitched sound of a slicing blade, a squeal, a meaty thud, and silence.

  "Necessary?” Valens sighed.

  Geta approached the edge of the roof. "I needed something to kill, just now. Bard, as the Given say, gives."

  "We seek to maintain order with our abilities. To crush vermin is tasteless, to say nothing of futile.”

  "I’m sure you actually believe that, honey. Straight from J’s mouth. Tell that shit to Cal. She’d have a laugh. Please, continue berating me.”

  The other Lesser had recovered faster than Valens had hoped, and that sealed it. Valens would have to kill Geta sooner or later.

  But not now.

  "This intransigence is pointless. Despite my every instinct, we need not compete. Had you alerted me we could easily have cornered the boy. We could be on our way back to Ovon even now.”

  There were spurts of hiss-laughs. "Only so much glory on any field. I plan to--wait. What?”

  Valens felt it too. A thin, pink-purple line that bifurcated his awareness.

  "Valens, Geta,” a voice so crackled and broken it seemed to be coming from across time tickled his skeel earpiece. "Plea--et--through. Oh bother this shak--amn--interference!”

  "V?” Valens called, "V, I have you--”

  Geta grunted. "We both have you, barely. Please make short. Please advi--"

  "Geta, Valens,” the voice cleared some, but did not acknowledge. "If you receive--damn miracle! Visual--ssages unconfirmed.--both A and myself to the limits--have to wait until Seat--est estimates are--nly discernible in a week or so after I send. No word from you--much--transpired--I am sorry, children, terribly sorry, but J--on time--advise--al and Dom en route.”

  Geta gasped, brought a long, robed hand to the hood. Valens' own limbs were cold, and he had to flex his fingers. In the background, Dom cackled, "Party--bab--acation!--set we come!”

  "You mind, boy?”

  "Well sorrrrrrrry, old man--”

  "Departing Ovon on the morrow--speed, so they'll take their time. J cleared ultimate force. Repeat, ultimate force for Cal and Dom. But your mission is active until--arrival. Plea--ildren. Dom’s been good lately. Poor boy. --can’t watch him all the--”

  "The Akarat. . .” Valens spoke the hateful Oldword and it felt as if they-follow-alones were clawing up his neck to his mouth.

  "Two of the Three. . .” Geta sounded on the verge of a panic attack. "When?”

  Valens scoffed. "Any day, any minute. if they have been moving using all of their power, but no, he said they will go slow. They will respect J.” Valens had no way of knowing that. He had to hope.

  "--receive this message-- it will loop until confirmed and coded. Reply with all haste. No further con--likely--HeavenEye Standards cleared. Damn--interferen--”

  "Standards come,” said Dom with characteristic cheer.

  "We come,” said Cal with uncharacteristic gloom.

  The message ended, and Valens' awareness narrowed.

  "The HeavenEyes are tired of waiting. These dull cities, their insufferable feud, but they will soon learn suffering. We, however, have time.” He spun. "We have time, Geta! No more of this bickering! Let's do this and get the shake out of here!”

  Someone below screamed. Someone else laughed. The winded pipe of another slice.

  "That was not me,” said Geta.

  Valens blinked behind his glasses. It had been him.