IF THE City of Lockes was the brains of Verania, then Meridian City was its diseased heart that beat strong and proud, always on the verge of exploding. It was debauchery and sin, dirt and grime. The underbelly of Verania sought refuge here, the liars and the cheats, the thieves and the murderers. People could disappear here never to be seen again. Or their bodies would be found the next morning facedown in the gutters, the working boys and girls stepping over them on their way home from a night of turning tricks. You didn’t fuck with Meridian City or it would make sure it was the last thing you ever did.
I loved it. Maybe it was because it was everything I wasn’t. Maybe it was because I knew it could chew me up and spit me out. Maybe it was because the people here tended to be more honest about their sins instead of putting on false faces like most in the King’s Court did.
Or maybe I just loved it because it was wrong. I could never live in Meridian City. I could never even spend any length of time in Meridian City. When I left, it always took me a day or two to clear my head, to get back to being the Sam Haversford I knew I was. Mama always said that even with all I’d done, even with all I’d seen, I was still too innocent and pure to last in a place like this. I’d thought for the longest time that she’d been insulting me in that razor-sharp way she did so well. It took me a while to figure out she meant it as a compliment, that I could still be the way I was, regardless of what I’d seen. “You’re not jaded, precious. You’re not corrupted. You’re the sweet sunshine on a stormy day, and I will always want you to be that way. Now get the fuck out of my sight. I have a business to run, so unless you’re a paying customer, I don’t have any more time for you.”
And I’d always done as she’d asked, given that both she and I knew I would never become one of her paying customers (or better yet, one of her working boys, much to her chagrin).
Mama ran the Tilted Cross, the only gay brothel and tavern in Meridian City. Some unfortunate soul had attempted to open another one before my time, but the story goes that Mama accidentally burned the place to the ground after she headhunted all the working boys and girls. No one ever attempted to open another gay brothel in Meridian City again. Mama was terrifying like that.
The fact that the Darks were descending upon Meridian City told me that they—and Myrin—had no idea who they were fucking with.
But I still remembered the vision I’d had when Vadoma had blown her mindfuck powder directly in my face. I’d been at the gates and Meridian City had been on fire, the screams of the working boys and girls rolling over me as they burned. Something had exploded, and a guard tower had fallen, the Darks surrounding the main gates, and there’d been magic, so much magic rolling from them, tearing through everyone and everything.
So I expected the worst as the day wore on, as the Dark Woods below gave way to roads I’d traveled upon many times before. Morgan wasn’t answering the summoning crystal on his end, and I thought we’d arrive to see Meridian City razed just as Myrin had threatened.
So imagine my surprise as the city came into view… and nothing appeared amiss.
There was no plume of smoke.
The city walls and gate stood as they always had.
“What the hell?” I asked as Kevin began to descend toward the ground. “Did I miss something?”
“Maybe we got it wrong,” Ryan said, gripping the hilt of his sword. “Maybe Myrin was just trying to scare you.”
“Mind games,” Tiggy said. “Mess you up in the head.”
“But then why did Morgan—”
“Earth!” Gary shrieked as Kevin set him down first before touching down himself. “Sweet and beautiful earth beneath my feet. Oh, blessed is this day, and I will never do anything like that again, I swear to the gods. Unicorns were not meant to fly! If they were, we’d have sprouted wings. But since there was already too much fabulosity just as we were, we didn’t.” He collapsed to the ground, lying on his side, rolling around in the dirt, legs flailing as he kicked up dust. “I love you, ground. And rocks. And grass. I love all of you so much, you don’t even know.”
“Gary so weird,” Tiggy muttered.
“You got that right, buddy,” I said as Kevin crouched as low as he could. I slid off first, my legs wobbly as I hit the ground. Ryan followed, and then Tiggy threw down our packs, which had been secured against one of Kevin’s spikes. Tiggy landed gracefully before he stretched and yawned.
“Mama okay?” he asked me as he stared at the gates to the city, which stood as they always did, large and forbidding.
“Think so,” I said, bending down and starting to separate the packs. “Hear everyone inside?”
“Yeah,” Tiggy said. “People loud.”
And that set me a little more at ease, because the sounds of the city echoed out over us, like they normally did. Meridian City had always been loud, and I would have thought that had they been under attack, the shouts would have been screams.
“You think Morgan and Randall are here already?” Ryan asked, hoisting his pack up and over his shoulder. It rested against the shield on his back.
“Maybe,” I muttered. “It wouldn’t surprise me if they got here before us. Seeing as how they’re both sneaky bastards who can do magic that they won’t even tell me about.”
“And that surprises you?” Kevin asked. “He’s Morgan. Even I know he’s a badass. And when I say someone’s a badass, you know he’s a badass. Because of all my badassery.”
I rolled my eyes. “Gary, come get your damn bag filled with scarves—”
“Darling ground, how I worship the feeling of you pressing against me!”
“Gary busy,” Tiggy said, grabbing his own pack. “Gary being wrong.”
“So wrong,” I said, picking up my own pack. I frowned, as it was heavier than I remembered it being. I untied the knot that held it closed as I heard the city gates begin to open. “What the hell?”
There, sitting on top of haphazardly folded spare trousers, was a familiar wooden contraption.
“What is it?” Ryan asked, peering over my shoulder. “Is that—”
“It’s Ruv’s sand sailboard,” I said, frowning down at it. “Why would he give it to me?”
“Probably to curry favor,” Kevin said. “It’s well known that if you want to get some dick, you need to give presents.”
“Except if it’s you,” Gary said, finally pushing himself up from the ground. “You give away dick like it’s free.”
“I believe in sharing my love equally,” Kevin said loftily. “You certainly didn’t have any complaints.”
“Ruv give you presents?” Tiggy asked me.
“It’s not going to curry anything,” I told Ryan.
“I’m not even worried,” Ryan said, that adorable scowl adorning his face.
“A little worried,” I said.
“Sam, if you were going to leave me over something as trite as that, then you two deserve each other. Some of us know that you don’t need material things to prove love.”