Chapter 39

Chapter

Thirty-Nine

T hwack thwack thwack.

The sounds of Myrria's shoes slapping the paving stones echoed in the deserted passageway as she ran from her house. Zala had snuck out the hatch in the roof, but she couldn't have gotten far. At least, that's what Myrria told herself as she raced after her.

She'd known that Zala had been upset. Not only had she been introduced to a father she didn't remember and had learned what a despicable person he was, she'd lost the only male in her life who'd ever been decent. It would have been a lot for any child to digest, and Zala had always had a flair for the dramatic.

This wasn't the first time she'd run off, but every other time had been a bit of mischievous fun. She'd sneak out the hatch and sit on the roof at sunset or in the early morning so she could watch the city rouse or settle in. But this time, Zala was not perched on the roof. She was gone.

Myrria didn't slow down when she reached the red door, thumping her fist on it insistently as she sucked in a breath. When the door opened, she pushed her way in, ignoring the startled expression by Velen.

"Serena didn't tell me she had an appointment with—" the female started to say.

Myrria interrupted her. "I don't have an appointment. I'm looking for Zala. I know she's come here before."

Velen shook her head, but Myrria didn't get the chance to learn if she was denying Zala being there or denying that she'd been known to sneak into the house and visit with the ladies.

"She is not here."

Myrria spun around to see Serena gliding down the stairs as if she was levitating. The madam wore an ivory gown that appeared to have diamonds embedded in the diaphanous layers of fabric that fluttered behind her.

"You are correct that she has visited me before, but today is not one of those days for me to spoil her with sweets."

All the fight drained from Myrria. If she was not with Serena, then she knew where she had gone, but she did not know how to find her. The thought of her young daughter alone on the streets of Kurril, even in the morning when not many slavers or recruiters for the fighting rings were on the prowl, made her double over.

"Then she is chasing after Rixx," she said between gasps. "She could be on any street. She could have already been snatched."

Serena's expression darkened. "He is heading to the shipyard to leave this place, no?"

Myrria nodded.

"He is being escorted by Rose from the underground resistance, yes?" Serena did not wait for Myrria to affirm this. Instead she pivoted on her heel and snapped her fingers at Velen. "We will come with you to find her. I think I can guess the way Rose will have gone, and if Zala is chasing them, she won't be far behind."

Myrria's jaw fell open. "You are coming with me?" She didn't think she'd ever seen Serena step one slippered foot outside her extravagant house. Then she let her gaze drop to the madam's outfit. "In that?"

Serena's lips quirked as she walked past Myrria and Velen and retrieved a black velvet cloak from an inset closet by the door that Myrria had never noticed. She draped it over her shoulders, covering the sheer dress. "Better?"

As grateful as Myrria was for her friends support, she was not sure the elegant madam would be much help on the grimy streets of the city. "Are you sure—"

Serena curled her fingers to beckon Velen, who ran forward and opened the door. After glancing both ways, the creature stepped out and held the door for her boss and Myrria.

When they were on the other side of the red door, Serena inhaled deeply and then rested a hand on Myrria's arm. "Before I had my own house, I survived on the streets of Kurril. I know every dark corner and every disreputable business." Then she shifted her gaze to Velen. "And our Nibbian friend will take care of any trouble we might encounter."

Velen bared her vicious rows of teeth that could well be called fangs. "If anyone has harmed a hair on Zala's head, they will answer to me."

Myrria's throat tightened. She had not come to the pleasure house to gather a formidable search party, but she had gotten one. She could not manage to speak her thanks as her vision blurred.

"No time for that." Serena squeezed her arm. "We have a girl and a Dothvek to catch."

Then the madam took off at a startling run for a woman in an ornate dress and heavy cloak. Myrria cursed under her breath as she hurried to catch up. It seemed that her friend had even more secrets than she'd imagined.

For the first time since she'd discovered Zala missing, Myrria felt a pulse of hope. The tapping of their quick feet on the ground as they ran down one alley and then another was a drumbeat bringing her closer and closer to Zala. They were going to find her.

Then Serena rounded a corner and stopped short.