Our minds separate, and we snap back into ourselves as we both wordlessly take off toward the noise.
We tear down the alley, and as we round the corner, both of us already have blades drawn.
The source of the scream is obvious.
A blonde woman lies prostrate across a set of stone steps in front of a home. Two Siphons are above her, both with fangs out—one pale-skinned and reedy, the other thicker with a malevolent smile. The door to the home hangs open, and I catch a glimpse of scared eyes as a little boy peeks out and then backs away.
The pale one is inches from ripping into the woman’s flesh when Meryn’s voice rings loud and imperious. “Stop! What are you doing?!”
He looks up at us, and Meryn blanches at the look of cold indifference on his face.
“We’re collecting rent from our tenant.” He shakes his head as if annoyed by the interruption. “She’s late on her payment, so we’re taking our arrears.”
His thick friend looks on lazily as the reedy Siphon leans back in for a bite. The woman is sobbing, quaking in fear. Everything about this iswrong.
“Like fuck you are!” My daggers move before my mouth finishes the words.
And I liberate the pale Siphon’s head from his shoulders. It hits the paving stones and bounces once before rolling into the gutter.
The woman screams again as she is drenched in blood—a long, high wail.
The thick Siphon looks at me and Meryn in offended shock. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”
At lightning speed, he grabs Meryn, hands wrapping around her skull in clear warning. Poised to snap her neck if I make the slightest move.
I freeze, assessing what to do next that won’t trigger his violence.
Just then, Elias and Davide race down the alley toward us from the other direction. “Unhand her at once,” Davide snaps.
The Siphons stand off, all three with fangs bared.
“Consider this an order from your king,” Elias says coldly. He reaches into his tunic pocket and pulls out a golden brooch, a sun with wavy rays.
Nobody moves for a tense moment. Then the Siphon man reluctantly steps backward, relinquishing his grip on Meryn and pushing her away. Clearly, the brooch must mean something—the symbol of Lucien Brightbane, perhaps.
“Our friends are new in town,” Davide interjects, conciliatory. He hands over two of the bags in his arm to the disgruntled Siphon. “They don’t know any better. Please take this with our apologies for your inconvenience.”
Elias grabs Meryn’s arm and drags her away from the scene as I follow. “Unbelievable,” he mutters under his breath. “Killing a civilian the minute I let you two out of my sight.”
He finally lets her go once we’re several streets away.
“What the fuck, Elias,” Meryn grates out.
Elias and Davide exchange a look.
“Here in Astreona, if humans can’t make payment owed by coin, Siphons are well within their rights to take blood payment instead. That landlord wasn’t breaking any law.” Elias’s face is impassive as he explains this barbarism.
I clench my fists. So much for this country being better than Nocturna.
Meryn is shaking in anger. “So you’re saying we just left that woman with a Siphon who’s going to feed on her without her consent! And it’sallowed.”
Elias crosses his arms. “It’s apayment. What’s not allowed is enacting your own sense of justice without any regard to the laws of the country you’re visiting. Moreover, someone is dead, and that human woman you thought you were helping will be held responsible for it.”
Meryn’s face reddens. “What does that mean?”
When no response comes, she stalks away in anger.
We all remount our horses in silence. Meryn sits as far forward in the saddle as she possibly can and manages to avoid touching me the entire way back.
