their sides, but everything happened so quickly, none of them yet had time to draw. Some looked openly startled, as if unsure what just occurred. All of them watched Trazen warily, but Chloe saw a faint admiration in more than one of those stares, especially in the older Nirreth.
She also saw no real animosity there.
They had no personal stake in this fight.
Even as she thought it, one of them stepped forward.
He kept his long-fingered, midnight blue hand on the holster at his left hip, but held up the other hand in a kind of three-fingered peace gesture.
“Do not fire, friend and Ringmaster,” the older Nirreth said, his voice calming.
Chloe blinked, then glanced around.
She realized only then that other Nirreth stood outside that main circle of bystanders now. Some had belonged among the faces she’d assumed only hung around to see blood. They now held weapons in their hands. Weapons aimed at Agnon’s hired thugs.
“We will go,” the guard in the middle said, his voice still openly respectful.
“And your fee?” Trazen growled.
“We will forgo it,” the other replied, bowing.
“Traitors!” Agnon spat, head back, gasping where Trazen held him. “Cheating spineless traitors! I already paid you!”
Trazen startled Chloe then.
He chuckled.
Giving the lead guard a subtle Nirreth smile, he nodded to him, indicating with his head and chin towards the front door.
“Go,” he said. “And I would keep that bounty, if I were you,” he advised, motioning towards the guard on the ground. “Take him with you. I don’t want to be left in bad standing in this place. And he is yours to take.”
Now holding up both of his three-fingered and long-thumbed hands, the guard nodded, his posture even more submissive.
“We will take him, Ringmaster. Thank you... for your mercy.”
Trazen grunted at that.
Still holding Agnon by the neck, he watched the guards go.
Chloe thought that would be the end of it, that the display was over, but once the last of those black-clad guards disappeared through the door, Trazen raised his voice.
“I do this in front of witnesses, so there is no mistake,” he said, his voice ringing out, cultured-sounding, despite the thread of savagery Chloe still heard under his words. “You all saw him threaten my life. You know the law... that it is right for me to defend myself.”
There was a silence.
Murmurs slowly rose around the room, thumps of feet and tails, signaling agreement.
Looking around him for dissent, the knife still pressed to Agnon’s throat, he added, “It is also my right to ensure it never happens again,” he added darkly.
“Now wait a minute, Ringmaster,” Agnon snarled, jerking against him.
But Trazen didn’t wait.
Without a wasted motion, he slid the curved blade across Agnon’s throat, slicing cleanly through the jugular. Blood sprayed out of the cut, as red as a human’s.
As red as Kiji’s had been.
Chloe stared, frozen in place, as Trazen then stepped back...
... and Agnon fell unceremoniously to the floor.
THE NIGHT
CHLOE FOUND HERSELF lying awake, staring up at a ceiling that shone back at her with glimmering stars. She hadn’t noticed the virtual panel that morning; the sun had been up and the ceiling reflecting back natural light, but now she found herself looking up at it, wondering how close the depiction was to the real sky beyond the Green Zone dome.
She couldn’t sleep.
Trazen hadn’t spoken a word to her on the trolley ride back from the restaurant. As soon as the vehicle slid to a stop in his circular driveway, he’d clicked open the sliding door and disappeared through the opening, leaving it ajar for Chloe to follow.
By the time she had, he’d already vanished.
Presumably into the house, but she had no idea really, where he’d gone.
He didn’t seem angry at her. She also strongly got the impression he didn’t regret Agnon’s death. Something else was bothering him.
She suspected it might have something to do with
She also saw no real animosity there.
They had no personal stake in this fight.
Even as she thought it, one of them stepped forward.
He kept his long-fingered, midnight blue hand on the holster at his left hip, but held up the other hand in a kind of three-fingered peace gesture.
“Do not fire, friend and Ringmaster,” the older Nirreth said, his voice calming.
Chloe blinked, then glanced around.
She realized only then that other Nirreth stood outside that main circle of bystanders now. Some had belonged among the faces she’d assumed only hung around to see blood. They now held weapons in their hands. Weapons aimed at Agnon’s hired thugs.
“We will go,” the guard in the middle said, his voice still openly respectful.
“And your fee?” Trazen growled.
“We will forgo it,” the other replied, bowing.
“Traitors!” Agnon spat, head back, gasping where Trazen held him. “Cheating spineless traitors! I already paid you!”
Trazen startled Chloe then.
He chuckled.
Giving the lead guard a subtle Nirreth smile, he nodded to him, indicating with his head and chin towards the front door.
“Go,” he said. “And I would keep that bounty, if I were you,” he advised, motioning towards the guard on the ground. “Take him with you. I don’t want to be left in bad standing in this place. And he is yours to take.”
Now holding up both of his three-fingered and long-thumbed hands, the guard nodded, his posture even more submissive.
“We will take him, Ringmaster. Thank you... for your mercy.”
Trazen grunted at that.
Still holding Agnon by the neck, he watched the guards go.
Chloe thought that would be the end of it, that the display was over, but once the last of those black-clad guards disappeared through the door, Trazen raised his voice.
“I do this in front of witnesses, so there is no mistake,” he said, his voice ringing out, cultured-sounding, despite the thread of savagery Chloe still heard under his words. “You all saw him threaten my life. You know the law... that it is right for me to defend myself.”
There was a silence.
Murmurs slowly rose around the room, thumps of feet and tails, signaling agreement.
Looking around him for dissent, the knife still pressed to Agnon’s throat, he added, “It is also my right to ensure it never happens again,” he added darkly.
“Now wait a minute, Ringmaster,” Agnon snarled, jerking against him.
But Trazen didn’t wait.
Without a wasted motion, he slid the curved blade across Agnon’s throat, slicing cleanly through the jugular. Blood sprayed out of the cut, as red as a human’s.
As red as Kiji’s had been.
Chloe stared, frozen in place, as Trazen then stepped back...
... and Agnon fell unceremoniously to the floor.
THE NIGHT
CHLOE FOUND HERSELF lying awake, staring up at a ceiling that shone back at her with glimmering stars. She hadn’t noticed the virtual panel that morning; the sun had been up and the ceiling reflecting back natural light, but now she found herself looking up at it, wondering how close the depiction was to the real sky beyond the Green Zone dome.
She couldn’t sleep.
Trazen hadn’t spoken a word to her on the trolley ride back from the restaurant. As soon as the vehicle slid to a stop in his circular driveway, he’d clicked open the sliding door and disappeared through the opening, leaving it ajar for Chloe to follow.
By the time she had, he’d already vanished.
Presumably into the house, but she had no idea really, where he’d gone.
He didn’t seem angry at her. She also strongly got the impression he didn’t regret Agnon’s death. Something else was bothering him.
She suspected it might have something to do with
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