The Underground City (17 page)

“How
long’s it been, honey?” she asked him in a heavy Southern accent, not bothering to notice me or anyone else around her, for that matter.

“A
loong time,” Tallis answered before motioning to the bartender. Katie leaned over the bar to get the man’s attention.

“You
better be treatin’ mah Bladesmith real nice, Patrick, ya hear?” she yelled. Then she giggled as she leaned back against Tallis. Patrick appeared moments later with another Quaich full of whisky for Tallis. When Tallis tried to pay him, he shook his head and smiled at Katie, tacitly indicating that a friend of Katie’s was a friend of his. Katie, meanwhile, kept herself busy by drawing loopy designs all over Tallis’s pecs with her index finger. I felt like I could vomit. “Tallis Black, I think it’s been at least a few hundred years since you’ve shown your face round here,” she pouted. “Did I scare ya off so easily?”

Concluding
that I’d seen enough, I cleared my throat and stood up, leaving my now empty Quaich on the counter. Feeling slightly light-headed, I turned around and was about to make a quick exit when I felt Tallis’s iron grip on my forearm. I rolled my eyes and inhaled deeply, disappointed that my escape attempt had just been foiled. He pulled me up next to him and smiled at Katie. “This is Lily,” he announced. “Though Ah call her Besom.”

“And
he’s the only one who can,” I added with a smile that hopefully conveyed, in no uncertain terms, that there was no way this Southern twit was allowed to call me “troublesome.”

Katie
eyed me up and down before plastering on the phoniest smile I’d ever seen. “An’ how do the two of you know each other?” she inquired before she fluttered her eyelashes at Tallis so many times, it looked like she had a nervous tic.

“We
jist returned from the Oonderground,” Tallis answered with his eyes on me. “Ah am Lily’s guardian.”

Katie
kept her eyes riveted on me. “What a lucky girl ta have such a guardian.” Not knowing what to say or do, I just nodded and probably looked as uncomfortable as I felt. Katie then dripped off Tallis’s lap and stood up, leaning into his ear as she whispered loudly, “I’ve gotta table that just opened up for you, Bladesmith.”

“Verra
good,” Tallis responded as he finished his whisky and stood up to his full, impressive height. Katie grasped his hand and pulled him toward the center of the room. At the same time, Tallis gripped me around my waist and yanked me forward, indicating that I was to join them.

“You
both probably have lots to catch up on,” I said as I tried to extricate myself from his vise-like grasp.

“Nae,
lass, ye are mah charge. Ah want ye where Ah can see ye.”

Katie
frowned at me when she led the way to our table, which was all alone in the back corner of the room. It was so remote that I hadn’t even noticed it upon entering the tavern. Tallis slid into the booth seat, which was up against the wall on one side of the table. Of course, Katie took the open spot next to him while I sat down on the hard, wooden chair across the table from both of them. I wondered how much longer Bill would be in the bath. My second thought was that I couldn’t just play third wheel forever. “So how do you both know each other?” I asked, trying to make polite conversation.

“We
met right here,” Katie piped up as she patted the table. I wasn’t sure if she meant they met in the tavern, or at this very table. But I also didn’t care enough to inquire about the details. “The Bladesmith used ta come visit me very often, and usually on his way back from the Underground.” She practically purred as she rubbed herself against him. I couldn’t tell if Tallis was interested in her or not. Actually, he seemed primarily interested in keeping his Quaich full.

“That’s
great,” I said with a crocodile smile as I inwardly harangued myself for trying to be polite with them to begin with. I should have pretended that I was so thoroughly inebriated, I could no longer understand English. Or maybe if I developed Tourette syndrome, Tallis would be less insistent about me remaining with them. Hmm … that wasn’t a half bad idea.

“Lily
Harper?” I heard a man’s voice and turned around to find Saxon standing in front of me, wearing a large smile. He might as well have been backlit by a bright, white light and a choir, singing “Hallelujah” because he was such a godsend. He held his arms out like he wanted to hug me so I promptly stood up and wrapped my arms around him. I thanked my lucky stars that he’d just randomly happened to show up. “You on your way to a mission; or back from one?” he asked.

“We’re
on our way back from a mission in the Underground,” I answered. “Directly from Cerberus and the sewers.”

“Ew,
I don’t envy you that one,” Saxon said with another broad grin. I noticed that he didn’t release me right away; and when he did, he kept his hand on the small of my back. I couldn’t say it bothered me, however.

“Who’s
yer friend?” Tallis suddenly demanded, eyeing me narrowly before he glared at Saxon and gave him the once-over, looking none too friendly.

“Apologies,”
Saxon responded with a smile. He offered his hand to Tallis, who didn’t bother taking it. “I’m Saxon,” he said with a shrug as he dropped his hand. Looking back at me again, he smiled, as if to say he wasn’t bothered by Tallis’s obvious deficiency in proper courtesy or manners.

“This
is Tallis Black,” I interrupted when I realized Tallis had no intention of introducing himself. “And this is Katie,” I added while inclining my head in the twit’s direction.

“I’m
already familiar with Katie,” Saxon said with a small smile toward the woman. I had a feeling every man in the tavern was familiar with Katie.

“How
you doin’, sugar?” Katie responded. She was sitting so close to Tallis, she could have been his conjoined twin.

“Good,
good,” Saxon replied.

“Pull
up a chair,” I said with a sigh of relief that I wouldn’t have to be subjected to Katie and Tallis by myself anymore. Nope, now that Saxon was here, he could deal with them as well. Saxon reached for a wobbly looking wooden chair from the table beside us, not bothering to ask the table’s occupants if they needed it or not. Straddling the chair, he sat down and set his huge cup of ale on the table in front of him. Meanwhile, Katie began a secret conversation with Tallis, filled with whispers and giggles behind her plump little hands.

“How
did ye meet Lily?” Tallis rudely asked Saxon as he lifted his Quaich and finished the remainder of his Lagavulin in a gulp. After losing count of how many times the bartender refilled it, I had the uncanny feeling that it would take quite a bit to get Tallis tipsy. If such was even possible.

“We
met at Ael’s,” I replied for Saxon before giving Tallis an expression that tacitly warned him not to scare Saxon off by being his usual, abrasive self. Without waiting for Tallis’s response, I turned to Saxon and asked, “So, are you on your way to or from the Underground?”

“Back
from the Underground,” he answered as he took a swig of his ale and plopped it back onto the table. “I was in Circle Four.”

“Which
one is that?” I asked.

“The
toy shop,” Saxon answered with a sigh as shook his head. “It’s my least favorite of all the levels.”

I
nodded. “I can’t say that I’ll ever look forward to visiting the Underground again, in general, no matter the level.”

“Well,
since you’re so new and you probably don’t know all the ins and outs and shortcuts and all that good stuff, why don’t I give you my number?” Saxon asked. “Feel free to call me whenever you want.”

“Ah
am the lass’s guardian,” Tallis suddenly piped up, his voice slightly sounding a bit drunk. “Ah know all the shortcoots.”

Saxon
glanced at Tallis with a hesitant smile before his gaze settled on me. I frowned at Tallis and looked at Saxon. “Yes, thank you, Saxon. I would really appreciate that. It would definitely be nice to have a friend to call on whenever I have questions.”

I
could feel Tallis’s gaze burning right into me, but I refused to look at him. Saxon reached inside his pocket and produced a folded-up piece of paper, which he ripped in half. Not having a pen or pencil, though, Saxon stood up and approached Patrick. I watched him, refusing to even glance in Tallis’s direction because of the weight in his unblinking stare. Although Katie continued whispering to him and giggling, it didn’t seem to take his attention away from me.

When
Saxon returned, he handed me the piece of paper. I thanked him and slipped it inside the waistline of my yoga pants, underneath the elastic band. Then I addressed Tallis and smiled broadly. “Maybe I will have another of those Dalwhinnies, after all.” Tallis continued to scowl at me, but I wouldn’t let his foul temper ruin my mood. “I believe I have become a true whisky drinker, as it turns out!”

ELEVEN

“Ah dinnae like him,” Tallis said of Saxon, his jaw set stubbornly.

“Well,
who asked you?” I replied as I couldn’t help smiling at the grumpy Bladesmith. Saxon had left the table about an hour or so ago. He said he planned to return to his home, which was located in Boston. Katie only lasted another twenty minutes, at most, before finally abandoning any further attempts to seduce Tallis. So now it was just the two of us, Tallis and me, holding down the fort. Bill, meanwhile, was making his rounds and flirting outrageously with any and all women in the tavern.

“No
one, Ah sooppose,” Tallis answered as he leaned back against the booth seat and regarded me with keen interest.

“Just
how many whiskies have you had to drink so far?” I asked, amazed at his ability to hold alcohol. He was definitely inebriated; I could tell by the slow movement of his eyes, as well as his brogue, which became progressively thicker the more he drank. Since he wasn’t throwing up, it seemed pretty obvious that his stomach had to be made of steel. After two whiskies, I was done and could feel the effects of both of them. I didn’t feel nauseous, necessarily, but just mindless and carefree.

“Ah
dinnae know,” Tallis answered. He continued to study me with his usual poker face. “Ah have a question fer ye, lass.”

After
watching Bill strike out, yet again, I turned to face Tallis, and found it more than interesting that he was attempting to make conversation for once. “What?”

“Why
were ye spyin’ oan meh earlier?” he asked, eyeing me narrowly. I wasn’t sure if his expression simmered with anger or curiosity. “At the waterin’ hole,” he added, as if I could forget!

I
felt my cheeks heating up as soon as I recalled the image of him naked, and couldn’t bring myself to look at him. Instead, I chose to outline the etchings on my Quaich, which sat in front of me, empty. “Um, I already told you why. I was worried about you.”

Tallis
cleared his throat. “Ah dinnae care ta have a conversation with ye starin’ at yer Quaich, Besom,” he told me. I looked up at him and forced myself to hold his gaze, but his eyes appeared very strange. The midnight blue was still visible, but the color seemed as if it were much darker somehow. “The way ye looked at meh, lass,” he continued, scrutinizing me intently, “’twas as if ye desired meh.”

Even
though I knew how difficult this would be to admit, I also knew I couldn’t lie to him. “I did,” I said in a small voice. That wasn’t the half of it! If Tallis had any idea how much the sight of him naked turned me on, he wouldn’t have asked the question in the first place. Feeling suddenly like I was being interrogated, I began to fidget before adding, “Again, Tallis, I’m sorry for invading your privacy.”

Tallis
waved away my apology as if it were insignificant. “Ah knew ye were behind the rock as soon as ye hid there.”

“Then
why did you pretend not to know?” I demanded.

He
shrugged, but his eyes kept mine captive. There was something about them that suggested a trace of anger. “Ah wanted ye ta see meh.”

“You
wanted me to see you naked?” I asked dubiously, becoming very ill at ease now that we were even having this conversation. Usually Tallis was so indifferent. Maybe it was just the whisky speaking. “Why?”

Cocking
his head to the side, he studied me unapologetically. “Ah desire ye, lass, as Ah’ve told ye before.” The way he said it was very matter of fact; and there was nothing in his delivery that even hinted of flirtatious playfulness. It just was.

“Right,”
I replied, unsure of how I felt about the whole conversation since it was completely bizarre. “But you also told me you would never act out those feelings.”

Tallis
nodded and eyed his Quaich. “Aye, boot that was then.” He took the last swig of Lagavulin and licked his upper lip salaciously as his eyes began to burn into mine again. “An’ this is now.”

I
swallowed hard, unable to comprehend what he was trying to tell me. “What’s changed?”

He
held my gaze, and even though I wanted to do nothing but break his hold, I couldn’t. It was almost as if his mind brainwashed my eyes to remain fastened on his. “Everythin’,” he answered.

“Why?”
I quickly fired back. “And what provoked this sudden change?”

He
was quiet for a few seconds as he studied me and his eyes grew narrow while his jaw remained tight. “Alaire.”

“Are
you going to tell me what happened in Alaire’s office?” I asked, staring at him even more intently. “Because if you aren’t comfortable discussing it, then we need to change the subject.”

Tallis
glared at me momentarily as if he didn’t approve of my ultimatum, but then nodded. “Ah will tell ye,” he announced. He momentarily hesitated and his attention was suddenly centered on the table again as he gazed at his Quaich for another few seconds. Looking back at me, his eyes were very angry. “There exists a fine balance atween Afterlife Enterprises an’ the Oonderground City,” he started. “Never can a decision be made that doesnae involve them booth.”

“Okay,”
I said.

“Ah
am doin’ penance, as ye know,” Tallis continued.

“Right.”

He didn’t look up at me for a few seconds, but continued to stare at his Quaich as though the words he sought were etched upon it. Tightening his jaw and closing his eyes, I could tell he was clearly upset about something. When he opened his eyes again, the midnight blue had deepened substantially. “Ah have retrieved ova one thousand souls, lass.”

“One
thousand?!” I repeated, my mouth dropping open in obvious awe. “But, my agreement with Afterlife Enterprises said I only had to retrieve ten souls before I could go on to the kingdom,” I replied. I wondered if I’d gotten the number wrong, or maybe Jason just changed it on me. Of course, he would do it without letting me know.

“Ye
are different ta meh, lass,” Tallis responded. “Ye dinnae carry the baggage Ah do.”

“Okay,”
I said, unwilling to argue that point. “So you retrieved one thousand souls from the Underground City. How long did it take you?”

“Hoondreds
o’ years,” he answered. His posture grew more rigid as he seemed to become more defensive the longer we discussed the topic.

“But
Y2K just happened at the turn of the twenty-first century,” I argued. “Jason told me that most of the souls that were lost or misplaced were due to an error in the computer system since Afterlife Enterprises wasn’t prepared for the century change.”

Tallis
shook his head and said, “The century change oonly made the situation worse,” then he looked down dejectedly. “Nae, there have been problems with Afterlife Enterprises from the getgoo an’, consequently, souls have been misplaced fer centuries.”

“Okay,
so you’ve been retrieving souls for hundreds of years?” I asked, returning to his story since it was miraculously rare for him to open up. I didn’t want him to suddenly change his mind and withdraw into the sullen Tallis again.

“Aye,”
he answered with a nod. “An’ Ah also worked as a Bladesmith, creatin’ swords fer other Retrievers, as ye know.”

“Right.”

“’Twas mah oonderstandin’ that once Ah retrieved one thousand souls, Ah would be absolved o’ mah sins an’ the spirit o’ Donnchadh would release meh.”

“And
if you were forgiven, what does that mean?” I asked, although I sort of knew the answer. The spirit of Donnchadh made Tallis immortal, so maybe it meant Tallis would be free to die?

“That
mah time as a Retriever an’ Bladesmith would be over,” he answered almost immediately, like it was a promise he’d made to himself. “Twould mean Ah could move oan ta the valley o’ the Kingdom an’ be forgiven o’ mah sins.”

“And
that’s not what happened? You weren’t forgiven?” I asked, feeling sorry for him, but at the same time, I had to admit, selfishly, I was happy he hadn’t moved on to the Kingdom. The idea of Tallis no longer in my life saddened me, to say the least. Even though there were occasions when we had a hard time getting along, I never considered him as anything but a friend.

“Nae,
’tis not what happened,” he repeated. “Ah wasnae forgiven even though Ah should’ve been.”

“That’s
the question you asked Alaire when we were in his office, wasn’t it?” I asked as the realization suddenly dawned on me. “Whether you could go on to the Kingdom now, since you’d retrieved your thousand souls?” Tallis nodded as I continued. “And Alaire said something about pleading your cause, but Afterlife Enterprises had the final word?”

“Aye,”
Tallis said as his lips grew tight. “Boot Ah dinnae believe fer a second that Alaire pled me case. An’ as Afterlife Enterprises an’ Alaire didnae keep their word ta meh, Ah amnae gonna continue keepin’ mah word ta them.”

“What
do you mean?” I asked, staring at him pointedly. I worried that his response meant he was about to go AWOL or something worse.

“Ah
was in repentance fer mah history, lass, these last few hoondred years,” he started. “Ah havenae allowed mahself the benefit o’ human company. Ah have lived alone in the Dark Wood with naethin’ boot demons fer company. Ah have forgone the necessities o’ a man in denyin’ mahself a woman.” His hands began fisting as his eyes narrowed. “Ah have paid mah penance an’ still Alaire an’ Jason Streethorn havenae kept their side o’ the bargain.”

“Um,
so what does that mean?” I asked, my stomach now churning.

“It
means Ah am done playin’ by their rules,” he announced with more conviction. His eyes bore into mine. “Now Ah play by mah own rules.”

“Okay,”
I said as I nodded, feeling very nervous under his intense scrutiny. “I can see that you’re pissed off and I agree with you: none of this is fair.”

“Nae,
it isnae fair!” he spat back, undeniably still outraged over the situation.

“Right,
but do you think you should just throw away all the hard work you’ve done up until this point?” I asked. I shook my head to make it clear that I thought the answer to my question was a resounding no. “Maybe it’s just a matter of retrieving a few more souls? Maybe you’re almost there?” Actually, I had to admit I was a little bit leery about what Tallis meant when he said he was going to “play by his own rules.” Did that mean he intended to go back to his old ways? Was he planning to take what he wanted, and damn the consequences?

But
Tallis shook his head. “Ah know now that Ah was jist a pawn. Jason knew there was no one that could traverse the Oonderground as well as Ah, so he manipulated meh by offerin’ meh absolution.”

“How
do you know the Underground City so well?” I asked, eyeing him warily. It was a question I always wondered about, but never asked because I didn’t think he’d answer it.

“That
is a soobject Ah dinnae wish ta discoos,” he answered firmly.

“Okay,
that’s fair enough,” I said with a nod and an encouraging smile. “So you think Jason just hired you because he knew that you were the best? And no one could retrieve more souls than you? And he never meant to grant you a pardon?”

Tallis
nodded. “Aye, that is what Ah believe, lass.”

“And
you believe Alaire was in on it as well?”

“Aye,
Alaire had ta sign off oan meh freedom, boot Jason had ta approve it first. An’ neither happened,” he finished, his voice dropping dejectedly as his jaw grew tight again.

“So
where does that leave you now?”

He
chuckled without humor. “Aye, where does that leave meh?” he repeated while his eyes zoned in on the Quaich before him again. When he glanced up at me, his eyes seemed hollow and empty somehow. “It leaves meh ta live mah life the way Ah see fit,” he responded.

“Is
that why we’re here in this tavern?” I asked while closely examining him. “As part of your penance, you abstained from alcohol, didn’t you?”