Read Online Kingdom of Lies (Imp Series Book 7) by Debra Dunbar - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Debra Dunbar
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gate and huffed smoke into my face. I smelled the stench of sulfur and tar that Zalanes always exuded and felt a wave of nostalgia at the memories it brought. He’d been a classmate, another imp who occasionally joined Dar and me in our exploits.
“Nope. Let me in or I’ll keep throwing rocks.”
We had a bit of a staring match; then Zalanes finally opened the gate, waving a hand for me to enter. I did, and he punched me in the face.
Zalanes doesn’t have much in the way of claws, but he has fists like giant hammers. His blow lifted me from the ground, launching me sideways where I sprawled to the floor. I guess he didn’t have the same fond memories of our childhood as I did.
“You’ve got some nerve, Az.” The demon put his hands on his hips, jutting his chin forward. “You left me in that sandpit, covered with flesh-eating worms. What happened to coming back with a rope, huh?”
Oh yeah. That. “I forgot. There was a party back at the house, and Poh had shoved a rocket in his ass to see if it would shoot him across the room.”
There was a war of conflicting expressions on Zalanes’ face. Curiosity won. “Did it work?”
“No. Idiot blew his legs off instead. The left one hit Daga in the face.”
“Huh.” Zalanes contemplated that then shook his head. “Still, you left me there. And you just cracked the front of my house.”
“Looks kinda cool if you ask me.” I crossed my arms and tilted my head, staring at the building as if it were a work of art. “And you obviously got out of the sandpit. You’re okay.”
“Yeah.” He scowled. “I still hate you.”
“I hate you too.” I grinned and cuffed his shoulder. “So, where do I sleep?”
Zalanes’ household peered at me from doorways as the demon led me down a long series of stairs to a hallway far below ground. The air was dry and stale, smelling like dust and things long dead. Even the demon’s familiar sulfur and tar scent faded away.
“Here.”
It was a large room with a bed big enough to accommodate the largest of demon forms. A pool of water took up almost half the floor space. It was still and black. My skin crawled as I looked down into the bottomless depths.
“What comes out of the water?”
It was a valid question, given the weirdness that existed in Eresh.
Zalanes shrugged, giving me an enigmatic smile. “Nothing, if you’re lucky.”
Asshole. Still, this was a better choice than sleeping outside. Before he left, I recited my wanted poster information on Swifty. It was a long shot.
The demon raised an eyebrow, releasing a smoke ring from his one nostril. “An elf? In Eresh? They hate it here. If there’s an elf hiding out, he’d probably be in the upper city. Maybe check with the Noodles. They’re the only ones likely to put an elf up and not brag about it.”
I closed the door and sat on the giant bed, facing the dark pool. Noodle was the derogatory name given to information demons. They were reclusive, strong in magic but lacking in physical skills. Their greatest asset was knowledge. They knew the detailed history of every race, every blade of grass, every star in the sky. And they were boring. Unless you got them really drunk, then they were actually quite fun. Zalanes was right; if there was an elf hiding in the city, the Noodles would either know about it or be hiding him away to betray for the right price.
I only hoped I had enough to pay that price.
Chapter 8
S omething woke me.
My eyes flew open, and I stared straight at the black pool. The surface was still, not the slightest hint of a ripple. It was full dark, but the moon and stars shone into the glass building, light reflecting and filtering down a long shaft to produce a small circle of light at the foot of the bed. My ears strained, but I heard nothing.
Absolutely, positively nothing. The silence was unnaturally complete. I sat up, and the rustle of sheets against my skin was deafening. Surely Zalanes would have had at least a few
“Nope. Let me in or I’ll keep throwing rocks.”
We had a bit of a staring match; then Zalanes finally opened the gate, waving a hand for me to enter. I did, and he punched me in the face.
Zalanes doesn’t have much in the way of claws, but he has fists like giant hammers. His blow lifted me from the ground, launching me sideways where I sprawled to the floor. I guess he didn’t have the same fond memories of our childhood as I did.
“You’ve got some nerve, Az.” The demon put his hands on his hips, jutting his chin forward. “You left me in that sandpit, covered with flesh-eating worms. What happened to coming back with a rope, huh?”
Oh yeah. That. “I forgot. There was a party back at the house, and Poh had shoved a rocket in his ass to see if it would shoot him across the room.”
There was a war of conflicting expressions on Zalanes’ face. Curiosity won. “Did it work?”
“No. Idiot blew his legs off instead. The left one hit Daga in the face.”
“Huh.” Zalanes contemplated that then shook his head. “Still, you left me there. And you just cracked the front of my house.”
“Looks kinda cool if you ask me.” I crossed my arms and tilted my head, staring at the building as if it were a work of art. “And you obviously got out of the sandpit. You’re okay.”
“Yeah.” He scowled. “I still hate you.”
“I hate you too.” I grinned and cuffed his shoulder. “So, where do I sleep?”
Zalanes’ household peered at me from doorways as the demon led me down a long series of stairs to a hallway far below ground. The air was dry and stale, smelling like dust and things long dead. Even the demon’s familiar sulfur and tar scent faded away.
“Here.”
It was a large room with a bed big enough to accommodate the largest of demon forms. A pool of water took up almost half the floor space. It was still and black. My skin crawled as I looked down into the bottomless depths.
“What comes out of the water?”
It was a valid question, given the weirdness that existed in Eresh.
Zalanes shrugged, giving me an enigmatic smile. “Nothing, if you’re lucky.”
Asshole. Still, this was a better choice than sleeping outside. Before he left, I recited my wanted poster information on Swifty. It was a long shot.
The demon raised an eyebrow, releasing a smoke ring from his one nostril. “An elf? In Eresh? They hate it here. If there’s an elf hiding out, he’d probably be in the upper city. Maybe check with the Noodles. They’re the only ones likely to put an elf up and not brag about it.”
I closed the door and sat on the giant bed, facing the dark pool. Noodle was the derogatory name given to information demons. They were reclusive, strong in magic but lacking in physical skills. Their greatest asset was knowledge. They knew the detailed history of every race, every blade of grass, every star in the sky. And they were boring. Unless you got them really drunk, then they were actually quite fun. Zalanes was right; if there was an elf hiding in the city, the Noodles would either know about it or be hiding him away to betray for the right price.
I only hoped I had enough to pay that price.
Chapter 8
S omething woke me.
My eyes flew open, and I stared straight at the black pool. The surface was still, not the slightest hint of a ripple. It was full dark, but the moon and stars shone into the glass building, light reflecting and filtering down a long shaft to produce a small circle of light at the foot of the bed. My ears strained, but I heard nothing.
Absolutely, positively nothing. The silence was unnaturally complete. I sat up, and the rustle of sheets against my skin was deafening. Surely Zalanes would have had at least a few
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