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Spewing what Tenah could only decipher as inappropriate words in the Denesè language, Vesara took charge, marching straight up to the leader. Though she stood a few heads shorter, her confidence wilted him on the spot.
“You can go tell that worthless pile of cow dung who demands entry,” Vesara raged.
The leader’s head tilted down to the gold emblem on her leather armor. His brows shot up. When he dipped into a low bow, the three other soldiers followed suit.
“Kala Sut’hik, your presence has been sorely missed throughout Denoden. Please accept our sincere apologies. You’ve been away so long, I had forgotten your beauty,” the leader remarked.
“Feel free to forget everything but my ferocity,” she said.
Who the hell have I fallen in with?Two Bogland hunters—one of which had spent time on Dreaddix—a Chaos mind-melting Ashen, and a highly esteemed Embassy assassin? If King Izral was anything but a notorious partier, he would deny them access to his city.
However, if Vesara held some sort of sway here…Surely she could be persuaded to help, right?
The soldiers waved them through the gates. Gireth patted a hand on Vesara’s petite shoulder. “Who knew you had connections, Sut’hik? What’d you do to win over the king, threaten to kiss him?”
A swift kick between his legs dropped Gireth to his knees with a grunt.
Vesara crowded his space, a hand balled in his shirt. “Speak of me doing anything with that mongrel again, and I’ll sink ten of my dullest knives in you. The rest I’ll save for when you’re just about healed.”
“More than ten, huh?” Gireth huffed, a smile appearing.
Vesara shoved him and stomped through the gates.
“Called it,” Aeyis said, giving Gireth’s cheek a little slap as he passed him.
Gireth waved a hand at Vesara’s back. “Where would she even hide all of them in that suit?”
A laugh bubbled up in Tenah’s throat. She didn’t fight it. Not when Renton grimaced as though he was caught between arguing siblings.
* * *
Unlike Firesteep, where wrought iron gates segregated class, Denoden had no barriers.
The soldiers escorted them through rickety wooden buildings stacked precariously high along dirt roads. Beggars haggled with merchants over ripe fruits displayed in makeshift stalls. Dirt-smudged, barefoot children ran amok, weaving in and out of motorized carts that kicked up dust.
A cough rattled Tenah’s lungs as they walked through a cloud of exhaust. Thank the elementals those carts never caught on in Firesteep. Her father had said Sardoth preferred not to put more krotens in enemy pockets for the resources needed to fuel them.
The crew turned a corner at a bustling intersection, entering the wealthy heart of the city. Picturesque marble and stucco monstrosities towered on either side of the stone streets. Architects had carved their legacies into every archway and balcony. Flowering vines draped from open terraces, filling the air with a pleasant scent.
Their escorts disbanded as Vesara pushed open the polished oak doors to a white, six-story villa. Tenah followed the assassin inside, passing two central fountains in an open courtyard. Colorful lizards scuttled along the mosaic floor and up the legs of plush, velvet furnishings where shadows lazed.
Gireth stopped beside a palm bush, reaching out a finger toward an alert little blue salamander. “Whose a little cutie? You are. You are,” he cooed. “Hop right up here, little buddy.”
Surprisingly, the salamander obeyed, crawling up his arm to perch on his shoulder like a watchdog. Tenah snorted at the shit-eating grin Gireth threw Vesara as he showed off his new friend. Vesara shook her head and quickened her pace through the arched walkways.
When Tenah caught up to her, she asked, “What is this place?”
“My residence,” Vesara said coolly.
Tenah cocked a brow, peeking at two young shadows splayed out on the floor, gushing over a book. “Your guests… Are they also…”
“Embassy employed? No. I rent rooms out to anyone in need, no questions asked. Some are here for temple studies. Some seek refuge. Some prefer to sleep by day and enjoy Denoden’s festivities by night.”
Vesara led the way up a curving, white marble staircase to the second floor. She opened a series of bedroom doors along the way that faced a terrace overlooking the affluent square. There were eclectic tables and chairs on one side and a full bar running beneath a pergola on the other.
“Stay as long as you like.” Vesara fluffed the ends of her sleek hair. “You can dine anywhere. Zia will even serve you in your room if you enjoy crumbs in your bed. Security won’t be a problem.”
Gireth raised his hand, his other snapping over his crotch in protection. His tiny salamander perked up. “Why would anyone in their right mind leave a place like this for the Boglands?”
