I frowned. "What's that mean?" She shrugged, so I glanced at Simon and jerked my head towards the woman. "What's she talking about?"
Simon ignored me and kept his eyes on the woman, though his smile grew strained. "There is some business I would like to discuss with you."
Georgina shook her head and clucked her tongue. "Shame on you, Simon, for ignoring your chosen like-" An uproar from the arena interrupted us.
We all looked to the ring in time to watch the bear lift the werewolf off his feet. The bear threw his foe from the ring. Customers flew from their chairs a split second before the unconscious werewolf crashed into their tables. The wood splintered beneath his great weight and he was left in a pile of debris. The loser reverted back to his human form while the winner pumped his furry fist in the air. Some in the audience clapped and whistled while others booed and swore at him.
A particularly drunk individual staggered up to the ring and flung a bottle at the bear-man. The victor flung up his arm and bottle crashed into him, sopping his fur. He lowered his arm and growled at the drunk. The fool formerly of the bottle jeered at him. The bear-man rushed the edge of the ring and grabbed the man about the neck.
"If you will excuse me," Georgina spoke up. She strode over to the ring and frowned at the bear-man. "Put him down." The bear-man sneered at her. Her eyes narrowed, and I noticed something shifted beneath her hat. She grasped her hand in one hand. "Put. Him. Down."
The bear-man's eyes widened. He dropped the thrashing customer onto the floor and stumbled back. Georgina dropped her hand and helped her client back onto his feet.
The man hiccuped and goofily grinned at her. "Was I part of the show?"
She laughed as she guided him to an empty table. "You were, sir, and for your wonderful performance I will get you another beer."
He stumbled into a chair and raised his fist above his head. "Hooray!"
"One moment, sir." She returned to us and glanced at the man behind her. "See that he gets what he deserves."
The man nodded and walked over to the drunk. The drunk yelped when the silent man grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off his seat. "Hey! You can't-hiccup-do this to me!"
Georgina's hired man carried the drunk up the stairs and out of sight. She turned back to us and smiled. "Bert is not one for conversation, but he does get the job done, and he hunts for his own food."
"Your sister would be very displeased to learn about him," Simon commented.
Georgina's eyes flickered to him and she scowled. "My sister is rotting in prison for her poor judgment, along with her pet vampire. I try to avoid repeating her mistakes as much as possible." She took a deep breath and her smile returned. "But surely you haven't come here to talk about Lilith, or our pets."
Simon glanced around the room. "This is rather a delicate matter."
Georgina raised her palm towards us. "Say no more. Follow me."
CHAPTER 3
Georgina led us to the rear-left corner of the room. A door stood in the wall, and we entered a small, spartan office. There was a desk, a chair, a filing cabinet, and an air of business. A lit desk lamp was pointed at the empty chair. Georgina seated herself in the chair on the opposite side of the desk and leaned back.
"All right, shoot."
Simon led me up to the desk. "A unique item was stolen from an acquaintance, a skin of gold. We were curious to know if it has passed through any of your connections."
A sly smile slipped onto her lips. "You mean any of my Black Auction markets."
Simon bowed his head. "Yes."
She shrugged. "I suppose something did catch my attention within the last few days." She leaned forward and set her arms on the desk. Her careful eyes studied Simon. "What's your interest in the skin?"
"My acquaintance wishes for its return," he told her.
She scoffed. "I know you too well to believe that, Simon Cruor. There must be something very unique about this object to have you play the knight-in-shining armor for anyone." Her eyes fell on me and her lips curled higher into a sly grin. "Well, besides maybe your new pet."
"Then you did not purchase the skin?" Simon persisted.
Georgina leaned back and sighed. "You are most stubborn, Mr. Cruor. As for your question, no, I did not purchase the skin. They asked a ridiculous price for it. I told them to go to the Silver Snake. That idiot cousin of mine might buy something that overpriced." She paused and looked up at Simon. "Or was it overpriced?"
He smiled at her. "I will leave that for you to guess. Thank you for the information." He set his hand on my shoulder and turned us towards the door.
"Wait." We paused and looked back at Georgina. The desk lamp shone over her face with its long, snake-like smile. "I haven't properly thanked you for your information."
I heard the distinct sound of hissing a moment before Simon tackled me to the floor in front of the desk. The floor must have been mad at us because two hidden doors opened beneath us and we dropped into a black abyss. The fall was some fifty feet, and the hard stop was full of sharp bits of stone. My bruised body forced a whimper from my lips.
Simon grabbed me and pulled me out of the light of the open doors above us. Georgina's dark shadow appeared in the square light. "You may have survived the fall, Mr. Cruor, but there are more horrors in the sewers of this city than you can imagine. Good luck, and goodbye."
The doors shut with a hard clang. Simon set my shivering body on the rocky ground and knelt in front of me. His red eyes glowed in the dark light as he swept his gaze over my body.
"Are you hurt?" he asked me.
I shifted and winced. "Bruised, but not battered."
My inexperienced vampire eyes made out his white smile. "Good."
Simon turned away from me and looked out over the place we'd fallen. I followed his gaze and frowned. The stacks of rock were higher beneath the shut doors, but they spread out to the far corners of what was a large room.
"Where are we?" I asked him.
Simon stood and looked around us. "The lair of the gorgon."
I frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He half-turned to me. "Can you see your seat?"
I looked down at the floor beneath me. The gray stone was a dark mass. "It's just rock, isn't it?"
Simon knelt in front of me and bit one of his fingers. The scent of blood hit my nostrils. I recoiled as he held his finger out to me. "Drink my blood."
I frowned. "Why?"
"Your eyes are not strong enough to see through the dark without more of my blood, and in the sewers of this city you must see the danger before it sees you."
I grimaced. "That's the only way?"
"Without more time, yes."
I took a deep breath and leaned toward him. My tongue flicked out and licked some of the blood from his finger. The sweet, full flavor of his blood rolled down my throat. Before I swallowed I was latched onto his finger and sucking away at his life force.
Simon pried me off him and pushed me away. I fell back and whimpered. He stood and cradled his finger in his other hand. "We can't afford for you to take more. Is your sight improved?"
I swallowed the last of the blood and tamped down the dissipating blood lust. My body was left with a distinct chill that sank into my bones. "Y-yeah, I can see better."
The stones around us were more clear. The countless blocks of stone were carved into human figures. I could make out long limbs, curly hair, folds of shirts and dresses. There was also the terrified expressions of people in the throws of agony.
I yelped and jumped to my feet. "What the hell is this?"
"The gorgon's victims," Simon told me.
I felt the color drain from my face. I pointed a shaking finger at the stone forms. "Y-you mean these people were-?"
He nodded. "Once alive, or even undead. She intended for us to be among their number and drop into this room." He pulled out his cellphone and frowned. "It seems my reception has at least joined the stone statues in death."
I ran a hand through my h
air and shook my head. "You know, I could handle vampires, werewolves, and even ghosts, but a gorgon? Come on."
He swept his hand over the stone figures. "The proof is before you."
I shrank from the stone statues. My eyes darted from one frozen face to the other. I swallowed hard. "L-let's just say I believe you. Can we get out of here now?"
Simon swept his eyes over the room. His gaze fell on a wall to my left. He strode over and sidled up to the smooth gray surface. His palm slid over the metallic covering before he drew his hand back and slammed the bottom of his fist into the wall.
A thin, short door dropped outward and revealed a dark passage. I hurried over and leaned forward to cast my gaze into the black abyss of a long, curved-ceiling hallway that led left and right. Water trickled from the moldy walls and pooled in small depressions in the floor.
My eyes flickered to Simon. "Can't we ever find a nice, sunny path to walk down?"
A smile teased the corners of his lips. "That would hardly be beneficial to both of us. Now follow me."
He slipped through the door, but I hesitated. It was the way he used the plural that sent a chill down my spine. Simon paused in the middle of a hall and turned to me. "What is it?"
I half-turned back to the large, terrifying room. My eyes followed the wall to the ceiling and the trap door. I pursed my lips. "What did she mean when she said a few more bites and I didn't have to worry about my complexion?"
Simon's voice revealed an unusual level of strain. "This is neither the time nor place to discuss her words."
I spun around and glared at him. "I just drank your blood. I just trusted you. I'd like to know if that was a really stupid mistake."
Simon pursed his lips. His eyes flickered upward for a moment before they returned to me. He held out his hand. "Trust me when I tell you that without me you will die down here."
I narrowed my eyes. "That's not an answer."
"It is the best I can give until we free ourselves from the sewers," he insisted. He took a step towards me with his hand still outstretched. His eyes caught mine in their firm, soft gaze. The corners of his mouth twitched upward. "Have Faith."
My shoulders sagged. "That's a really corny joke."
He chuckled. "It is the best I can do under the circumstances."
My eyes flickered between his face and hand. I sighed. "Fine, but just remember I'm not letting you off. I'm just giving you a break."
He bowed his head. "I will accept that."
I accepted his hand, and he pulled me through the small doorway.
CHAPTER 4
My moment of majesty ended when I tripped on the bottom of the doorway and stumbled against Simon's chest. His chuckle rumbled through my body as I looked up into his sly grin.
"It seems you are quick to forgive me," he teased.
I pushed myself away and glared at him. "Could we just get out of here?"
He bowed his head. "As you wish." He glanced left and right down the opposite ends of the hall.
I arched an eyebrow. "You do know hot to get out of here, don't you?"
He shook his head. "My memory of this particular area of the sewers is rather fragmented. I cannot be sure which is the shortest path."
My shoulders drooped. "So what now?"
Simon grasped my hand and led me down the path to the left of the doorway. "We will travel in the direction of the river. There is sure to be an outlet near the treatment plant."
"Sounds lovely," I quipped.
He glanced over my shoulder and smiled at me. "It is rather picturesque if one doesn't have a nose."
"Or eyes," I added.
Simon guided me through a hundred yards through the rounded sewer passage when he paused. A frown slipped onto his lips. "We are being followed."
I looked up and down the passage. "I don't see-"
"Duck!" he yelled.
He dove on top of me just as a shadow flew over us. I was smashed into the small puddles that littered the ground. The fowl odor of the water invaded my nostrils and soaked into my clothes.
Simon rose onto his hands and glanced over his shoulder. His long fangs glistened in the dark as he snarled at the shadow that floated behind us and close to the ceiling.
The shadow blinked back. It had red eyes similar to Simon, but less merciful. I could make out the outline of a human figure, and when it spoke in a raspy voice a mouth moved on its face. "Sssimon Cruor."
I grasped Simon's arms and hid beneath him. "W-what the hell is that?" I whispered to him.
His eyes narrowed. "A Phantom, a hollow human soul."
The Phantom chuckled. It was an empty, raspy sound. "As hollow as yours."
Simon helped me to my feet and pulled me behind him so we both faced the Phantom. "If your mistress expects you to destroy us then she will be disappointed."
It shook its head. "Not I." The creature stretched out its arms on either side of itself. A dozen pair of red eyes opened behind it. All of them glistened with malevolent glee, and several held up their long, sharpened fingers. "We are to destroy you."
I pressed my body against Simon's back. "I hope you have a plan."
He glanced over his shoulder and flashed me a smile. "Always."
Simon grabbed my hand and swung me towards the wall just as the Phantoms dove at us. My back slammed into the wall at the same moment the Phantoms covered him in their black bodies.
My eyes widened and I stretched out my hand. "Simon!"
A raspy scream emanated from the center of the darkness. One of the Phantoms on the top of the pile was sucked into the center. Then another. And another. The remaining Phantoms flew to the ceiling and revealed a dark, hunched form of Simon. His clothes were torn to shreds and he were covered in claw marks. Blood dripped onto the floor and caused ripples in the puddles.
Simon straightened and raised a clenched fist. He opened his hand and revealed four small piles of black dust on his palm. Beneath the pile was a small slip of white paper. The Phantoms hissed, but didn't approach him. He dropped his hand to his side. The dust floated to the ground and soaked into the floor. The paper remained pinched between his fingers.
"How?" the lead Phantom hissed. "How did you know?"
Simon smiled. "I am well aware of the gorgon's contract with you. Now-" he raised his hand. The slip of paper stood upright and I glimpsed black writing on both sides. "Who wishes to be the next challenger?"
The Phantoms hissed and lunged at him. Simon sliced the air with the paper as though it was a dagger. Horrible screams and screeches echoed off the brick walls. I clamped my hands against my ears and cringed, but I couldn't take my eyes off the fight. Simon cut into the Phantoms and hacked off limbs and heads. With each slice they either turned into dust immediately or flew back and clutched at their missing body part. Their bodies crumbled at the severing and the sickness ran up through the rest of their forms until they, too, finally crumbled to nothing.
In a half a minute only Simon remained. He tucked the paper into what remained of his coat and rushed off the dust that had settled on his shoulders. He turned away from the scene and walked over to me.
"Are you hurt at all?" he asked me.
I shook my head. "No, I'm good. But you-" I reached out to touch his bloodied arm.
Simon drew back. "I am fine. The wounds will heal in time."
I frowned. "Those cuts don't look fine." My eyes fell on the pocket in which was hidden the paper. "And what was that thing you used on them?"
"A talisman that wards off evil," he explained.
I snorted. "So how come you can handle it?"
Simon chuckled. "Very deftly." He offered me his arm. "Shall we leave before we are interrupted again?"
I took his arm and frowned as he led me down the sewers. "By more Phantoms, or something else?"
We wound our way through the twisting maze of smelly concrete and brick. The heady stench of Simon's blood filled the sewers with a fragrant flower smell. "Both. Georgina is as competent as her sister in h
er dealings, and I have no doubt she has gathered a formidable group of assassins around her."
I looked up at him and narrowed my eyes. "If you knew she was so dangerous why'd you go to her first? Wasn't there a fluffy bunny we could have met with?"
He smiled and shook his head. "Unfortunately, no, but we will pay her cousin the promised visit."
I swept my eyes over the dark area. "If we ever get out of here. . ."
Simon chuckled. "Have Faith."
My shoulders drooped. "Okay, that's just milking things a little too-ah!"
We rounded a corner and the floor beneath me disappeared. I grabbed Simon and pulled him down into another new and exciting abyss.
CHAPTER 5
The drop was a short ten feet onto another hard floor. I sat up and groaned. "I am getting really tired of falling down holes."
Simon was seated beside me. He stood and swept his eyes over the small space. I followed his example and saw we were in a small, square room. The walls were a dull, rough gray that reached the full ten feet to the like ceiling. The floor was the same. The only difference was the square outline of the small trapdoor in the ceiling.
Simon paced the small room. He brushed his hands against the wall and left a smeared hand print on the rough, dusty surface. "We may be in a greater dilemma than I anticipated."
I glared at him. "Don't tell me that."
"Would you rather I lied?"
"At this point, that might be preferable." I stood and brushed off the dust. "And don't forget to sugarcoat it for extra measure."
Simon paused halfway down one wall and drew back his hand. He slammed his fist into the metal plating. A hiss escaped his lips and he withdrew his hand. My eyes widened as I beheld a large amount of steam rush from his knuckles. His skin was covered in thick, hot blisters. Blood dripped onto the ground.
I hurried to his side and took his hand in mine. "What happened?"
He swept his eyes over the room. "I confirmed my suspicions. This is a Revenant Riddle."
I looked up at him and furrowed my brow. "A what?"
He nodded at the hole in the wall. "The exterior layer of the walls is made of a thin layer of steel plating , but beneath that are several thick sheets of silver."
I cringed. "Let me guess, silver hurts us pretty bad."
He lifted his burnt hand. "I am a very old vampire, and yet the silver nearly scalded me to my bones. One as young as you would lose your hand in such an attempt."