Storm of Shadows (Lumineers 1)

CHAPTER 11: COUNCIL NAMES

Theo followed the cab this time, keeping to the roofs at a pace that would've had most suffering a heart attack. Even still, his heart hammered loud enough to blot out many of the city's sounds from his ears. The end of the nearest roof approached. The next was two stories higher. He put on a burst of speed, keeping his breathing absolutely silent as his feet crossed the remaining distance. He jumped, clearing it, but only with the help of the blue prism at his belt.

Sweat coated his brow, even despite the evening chill. This wasn't the Bents. It was Weeping Park. The worst district in Chroma. The gang here was a pittance to most others. He didn't even know what its name was, it changed too often to track. Tabby might know. She ran with a few of the more brutal gangs from Crock's Row and beyond. She made it her business to stay informed with a lot more than he bothered with.

Tabby.

His jaw clenched. He shouldn't have done what he did—shouldn't have allowed her to goad him into fucking her. Again. Light. He was being weak.

But it didn't mean anything. Better that she fucked him and didn't get emotionally tied up with anyone on the streets. He was more readily obtainable for her, especially since they met several times a week. Even still, she found the time to slip into Silver Hill. He was fairly certain it was Clarabel that kept her coming back.

He should have killed Clarabel when he discovered Tabby's inclination for her. He'd warned her that he would—that he'd kill anyone she got close to. Except, he couldn't yet prove that she was genuinely taken by her. Not yet.

Part of him didn't want to know if she was, because he'd have to act if he did. He didn't want to see the hate in her eyes. He never wanted to see what he'd been forced to see the last time he'd made his rules clear.

His foot sank and he cursed, immediately flicking his wrist, pulling more blue to regain stability. Most of the flats had crumbling roofs in Weeping Park. It forced him to be more careful than usual.

He buried his emotions deep until he felt absolutely nothing. A trick he'd learned long, long ago from his own master. A trick he'd been forced to use very early.

Beneath him, the carriage clattered farther from view. He chased it, fairly certain of where it was headed. But he needed to see—to confirm for himself as it reached the city wall and stopped.

He cleared the final roof, breathing hard. The guards exchange a few words with the cab drivers. The men standing on the rails of the cab wore the same caps as last time, pulled low over their faces. Moments later, the cab was trundling through the gate and out of the city.

Well, he had his answer. But he also had more questions than before. A few gang members were one thing. They would hardly be missed. But why were they being rounded up in twos and threes and taken out of the city? As far as he knew, there were no initiatives to clean up Chroma's streets. Besides, everyone knew it was the gangs that really kept things running smoothly, district to district. He sighed. Questions for another time.

***

Tabby finished her cup of coffee before fitting a mechanimal sparrow with its golden socket. This was a commission Elias had assigned. She caressed the bird's metal wings before setting about the tedious task of attaching them. It would be fitted with a prism and paired with an owner once finished. Hopefully this one faired better than the one she'd seen with the cat.

The tall buildings around Crock's Row cast the workshop in shadow, so they worked by the glow of gaslight. Her goggles were propped on her forehead as she squinted down at her work. They'd leave marks when she pulled them off—the mark of a machinist. You could always spot them on the streets.