Page 8 of Veil of Web and Ruin
She shakes her head. ‘I did say I’d go to Evelina’s this afternoon.’
I nod, but we both know our neighbours Corem and Evelina never knock on us.
My body stiffens. When we first arrived, we suffered countless break-ins.
Some were people seeing what the Queenkiller’s family had that was worth stealing.
But not all. The person who previously considered this patch of squalor their own had racked up a string of enemies, with debts and broken promises littered all through the slums. People wanted payment, and they didn’t think twice about breaking down our door to try to get it.
It was after one particularly scary invasion that I went to Rula, cap in hand, to ask for protection. Luckily, Kay had been with Evelina at the time.
Since we paid for protection, we haven’t had a single issue.
Cynically, I wonder how many of the people who came banging were Rula’s people in the first place. It was certainly one way to drum up business.
Reaching for the pan I was about to clean, I edge towards the entrance.
‘Who is it?’ I call out. ‘You should know I’m armed.’
‘That sounds like it could be fun,’ a familiar voice calls back.
Relief floods through me as I open the door.
A gleaming smile grins down at me. ‘You know it’s not great manners to threaten to attack everyone who knocks on your door, Rosey. I could take offence.’
With a shake of my head, I step back and give my closest friend room to enter.
‘Ruben, what are you doing here?’ Normally, when we see each other, it’s under the cover of darkness and far from Kay’s innocent eyes.
‘Just came to offer my neighbourly services.’ His brown eyes twinkle. ‘See if anyone could do with a warming hug?’
There’s a hint of mischief glittering in his expression, but before I can reply, Kay leaps forward.
‘Yes please! I’ve been freezing all day. It’s a miracle my hands haven’t turned blue.’
With a quick smile for me, Ruben turns to Kay and opens his arms.
‘Come on in,’ he says. ‘How toasty do you want me? Comfortably warm or hot enough to feel the sweat on your spine?’
‘Hot!’ Kay answers immediately, but I cut in.
‘Just comfortably warm is fine,’ I tell him firmly. ‘You know how much worse it is if you start sweating,’ I add to Kay. ‘You’ll be shivering the minute he leaves.’
Her lips pout, but she doesn’t object, mainly because she knows I’m right. Instead, she lets Ruben wrap her up in his arms and I watch her colour rise.
While fire wielders are two a penny in the High Hold, the same can’t be said out here in the slums. Anyone with magic strong enough to be of use tends to move into the inner rings, while those with limited powers – or in our case, none at all – seem to end up stuck here.
Ruben’s mother, Noleen, however, is one of the few who can actually make a flame. It’s not massive, more like a match’s light, but it’s handy.
Ruben’s powers don’t produce a flame, but he can heat his body up to well above normal temperature.
I’m pretty sure people would pay a fair price for that, even in some of the inner rings where they have jobs and actual brick walls. But that’s not Ruben’s style. He offers his warmth to others because he wants to help, not to make money.
As I watch my sister’s body relax into Ruben’s large frame, I shift away, only for him to catch my eye.
‘And you, Rosey?’ he asks, and we both know he’s asking about more than a hug.
I bite my lip. Stress is riding me, and thoughts of getting caught in the Goddess’s Garden are buffeted by images of what will happen to Kay if I don’t go. Anxiety is a lead weight in my gut, so maybe a tumble – purely for stress relief purposes – wouldn’t be a bad idea.
