I don’t think so, Jala replied equally mystified. Perhaps he saw my smile. I don’t know, she said with a shrug and moved forward to the stone herself.
Crouching low she examined the rune, trusting Marrow to keep watch for her. It was smaller than the rest of the runes on the archway and looked so faded that most wouldn’t even notice it. It was hidden very well in plain sight. If Marrow hadn’t followed Hemlock here, she wouldn’t have had a clue how to find the Assassin.
With a quick glance at Marrow, she activated the rune and touched the Bendazzi lightly as she stepped through. Vertigo washed over her as it always did and she steadied herself against the Bendazzi until her eyes adjusted.
“It hasn’t been a minute,” Valor said in a voice barely above a whisper.
Jala shrugged at him and quickly scanned their surroundings. It looked like the entry hall to a large house from what she could tell. The floor was a mosaic pattern of tiles done in a rose vine theme. Murals of seascapes covered the walls in between the two doors leading out of the room. Set perfectly center between the two doors was a small table carved in the Fae style with a vase of flowers resting on top of it.
“I see by your expression you are as dumbfounded as I was,” Valor whispered.
“It’s uh, not exactly what I expected,” Jala replied, glancing between the two doors. With another shrug she moved to the one on the right. Valor followed walking as silently as he could in his armor. The effect was less than stealthy. She flicked a glance back to him and he shrugged, pointing down at the tile floor.
“Chances are he knows the rune has been activated and sneaking is pointless, regardless,” Valor said.
“True, so you might as well stop tiptoeing,” Jala replied quietly.
They emerged from the entry hall into a sitting room. Overstuffed chairs in pastel hues formed a small circle around a table that was loaded with books. Shelves lined the walls, loaded with various trinkets as well as more books.
Valor stared down at the pink hued carpet that was traced with red roses along its border and looked directly at her. “OK, I think we might have the wrong address,” he said quietly and lowered his sword from the on guard position to simply resting at his side.
Someone is coming, Marrow informed her crouching low.
“Well unexpected guests,” a female voice called merrily as a door on the side of the room opened. “Let’s see, we have the puppet girl, one of my beautiful creations, and the Stormlord’s brat. How interesting.” The woman was dressed in tight black dress that accented her every curve as well as her exotic looks. Her skin was as pale as cream, with black stripes across the arms and shoulders that didn’t have the look of tattoos about them.
“Where is Hemlock?” Jala demanded, unsure who this woman was or where they were for that matter. Marrow had seen the Assassin use the rune however and she had no doubt this woman knew him.
The woman clicked her tongue and shook her head slowly. “Poor manners, Puppet. First breaking and entering and now demanding. I thought they raised you better.” Her voice was filled with amusement at the last and she seemed about to burst into laughter.
“That is Kali,” Valor said quietly, his sword once again rising to the on guard position.
“Ding Ding, the brat is quite correct. This is Kali,” she dropped into one of the over-stuffed chairs and turned her attention to Marrow. “You know by the guidelines I created you with, you should have eaten the puppet not bonded with her,” she said in a mock scolding voice, shaking a finger lightly at the Bendazzi.
“Where is Hemlock?” Jala demanded again. The woman’s antics were doing nothing to improve her temper.
“And why do you want Hemlock, Puppet? To avenge your dead boy?” Kali asked, some of the amusement gone from her voice. “He is the tool that one kills with, not the one that kills, Puppet. If you want vengeance find the one that hired him.” She eyed them both and then smiled widely. “He sure called you, didn’t he, Puppet. Blood soaked and screaming for more death,” she purred, her smile growing wider as Jala frowned at her words. “Forgot about that in your little rampage tonight, did you? Well sweetling, you have probably killed more people in the past five hours than Hemlock has killed in the past five years. How many widows did you make tonight, Puppet?”
“Do not compare honest battle with an assassin’s work. The two are nothing alike. Those we killed, we faced honorably. We didn’t sneak in the shadows and stab them in the back,” Valor said crisply.
Kali laughed with genuine amusement. “Honest battle, you say?” she asked, fighting her laughter back down as she spoke. “Truly, is that how you saw it? I saw a massacre.” She turned her gaze to Jala and raised an eyebrow. “How honorable is that, Puppet? Those were not Elder Blood you fought. They barely had a trace of Elder blood in their veins. You slaughtered them like sheep.”
“Why do you keep calling me that?” Jala asked, her anger draining away quickly with the woman’s words.
“What? Puppet? Well that is what we call pretty dolls that dance when others pull their strings, sweetling, and you do dance so very well for them,” Kali replied sweetly. “The only thing I can’t quite figure out is who exactly pulls your strings, the Fionaveir or the Aspects. You seem to dance for both of them.” She relaxed back in her chair and crossed her legs, sighing deeply.