The Dream Crafter(57)
He looked contemplative. Not quite ashamed, not quite comfortable, some mix of the two, plus an indefinable third emotion mixed in. “I can’t imagine you in a gang.”
“It wasn’t a good fit. It was only Shisen and I growing up, and he left me alone so much, I became used to keeping my own company. And outside Shisen, no one ever told me what to do.”
“So why didn’t you run the gang?” Amana could see it so easily, others jumping to do Merc’s bidding. He had such an aura of strength about him, it would be impossible for her to doubt anyone would follow wherever he led.
“Because I didn’t want the responsibility of leading either. It seemed best to be on my own. And after I decided that, Shisen sent someone who needed help to me. It wasn’t a conscious decision to become a mercenary, but I needed money and they needed my help, and it went from there.”
“Why did you take the job with the Spellbook? It doesn’t seem like your usual job.”
“No, it’s not.” He paused, shook his head. “I got impatient with a few things, plus the Guild ticked me off.”
“They do that a lot.”
“You can’t even imagine. I was thinking, maybe,” and here he became uncomfortable, squirming slightly. “Maybe Shisen can help you with your powers, if you wanted to try the whole mysterious master routine.”
As if she were back in the dream, the waves of power that radiated from the man poured over her, bathing her in an unfamiliar feeling of both wanting to get away from the man, and wanting to go nearer to him, to let him help her. “Maybe that wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
“Yeah?” Merc’s eyes lit up for a split second, before he tamped down the excitement, taking a sip of water. “Well, if you do decide to meet him, I’ll make it happen. I can’t guarantee anything, but I do believe he would be very interested in meeting you.”
Joy bubbled in Amana at his desire to connect them even further. Their story hadn’t been an easy one so far and wouldn’t be for a while longer, but maybe this meant they would have a story, that they could weather together the upcoming trials and stand together through them all.
Until time proved otherwise, she’d hold that hope to her.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
‡
Merc was right, the whole mysterious master routine got old fast.
Sadly, in that one area, the Seven Houses surpassed even the Guild. They made keeping their underlings guessing and waiting into an art form. Right now, Nemesis waited in a long hallway of pure white walls and a thirty-foot ceiling. In front of her, guarded by two giants, were black floor-to-ceiling double doors, which at that moment were beginning to open.
The guards moved to the side, and Fallon walked out, clothed in her usual black, with Tenro’s hilt a beacon from atop her right shoulder. As their eyes met, Fallon broke out into a smile. “Didn’t know you were going to be here.”
“I’m popular.” Fallon seemed too happy for someone summoned in front of the council, which meant Nemesis’ upcoming meeting would be anything but.
“They know they have a good thing with you.” Fallon walked until she stood only a few inches away, driving out all the oxygen before her and making it hard to breathe. “The Guild could be good to you to, should you ever want a change of scenery.”
The offer was made as it always was, with a half-smile that said Fallon didn’t believe she would accept, but a sharp look that said Fallon would grab her up and transport her away in a moment if she did.
Nemesis pushed her hands into her pants pocket, feigning easy confidence. “I think you keep asking because you want me to be your lackey.”
“We’re all Kyo’s lackeys in the end. No other chain-of-command order really matters.” Fallon stood war-ready, a fierce and terrible foe even here in the halls of an ally, and it seemed impossible Merc had gotten over her enough that he’d been able to get away with the girl.
Let the day never come that the Seven Houses break with the Guild…
Shunting the thought to the side, Nemesis brought out her best smile, the one used to calm skittish prisoners and the unsure and involuntary guests she sometimes collected in her duties. “I think I’ll stick with what I know for now. If the mind changes, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Offers always open. To you and Merc.”
And now, the denouement. The underlying reason Fallon approached her at all. “Merc isn’t a fan of the Guild. Betrayal tends to have that effect on people.”
Fallon shrugged, Tenro’s hilt lifting with the movement. “He’s entitled to his feelings, but I never took much stock in people who complain about the rules of the game, after they’ve been playing and winning for so long.”