Ash fell and clung to Kai’s repulsive green hood. The silent streets made his sigh audible from metres away. Curfew in effect. That made finding Noll easier.

  But finding out what old Haggar meant wasn’t as simple.

  Kai’s eyebrows furrowed.

  Haggar’s note was mostly straightforward. It laid out the usual info. Number of guards on duty. Best time to strike. Amount of loot to expect.

  But the end of the note troubled him.

  Why was old Haggar so vague? Which black book? How would he even know if he found the right one?

  He shook his head. Was the old man ashing with him?

  Either way, there wasn’t much he could do about it. With no leads and a vague colour as the lone description, the last part of the note was useless. Better to find Noll and get down to business.

  Pocketing the note, Kai moved through another twisting alley. The slums were a maze of dark alleyways. People often got lost and never found their way out. Kai didn’t have that issue. He knew exactly where he was going and how to get there.

  This was his maze.

  As he reached the front door of the dilapidated building Noll lived in, Kai felt a strange tug. Stronger than the pull of the Darkshards. But it didn’t pull at his skin. It pulled at his soul like an icy wind assaulting his chest.

  Kai stumbled back. Gods. Those Carver goons must have hit him harder than he thought. He took a minute to compose himself. The strange feeling faded, but didn’t disappear.

  He couldn’t wait forever.

  His knuckles rapped on the door. It swung open a moment later.

  A short bald man eyed him up, then surveyed the alley behind him. Noll.

  A smile spread across Noll’s lips. “I knew you’d come see me soon enough.”

  Kai pointed to his bruised face. “Look at me, Noll. Your info was trash.”

  Noll squinted in the darkness. “What am I supposed to be seeing?”

  Kai pushed past the small man and entered his humble home, escaping the grey ash and biting cold of the slums. Crude wax candles lit the cramped room. A miserable mattress lay on the floor. A hard wooden chair sat near the window.

  Kai pointed at his face again. “This.”

  Noll grimaced. “Information’s out of date the moment you get it. You can’t blame me for that.”

  “I can and I will. An information broker’s gotta have higher standards.”

  Noll opened his mouth, then closed it again. He sighed as he shook his head. “You’re a hard man to please, but I take care of my clients.” He entered the adjoining room and returned with cotton balls, thread and a needle.

  Noll gestured to the wooden chair. “Go on, make yourself comfortable.”

  Kai wouldn’t be comfortable until Renzo was dead. But he followed Noll’s instructions.

  A cool breeze tickled his neck. Noll dabbed at his forehead with a moist cotton ball. The strange feeling from earlier surged, and Kai flinched.

  Noll frowned. “Sit still. Thought you was made of sterner stuff than this.”

  Kai shifted in the uncomfortable chair before adopting a stern expression. Noll continued his work with focused eyes. The tugging sensation faded again. Kai scanned the room, but found nothing suspicious. Well, nothing more suspicious than usual.

  Noll soon had a pile of bloody cotton balls beside him. He retrieved the needle, and Kai raised his hand. “No need.”

  “What do you mean, no need?”

  “I mean what I said - no need.”

  “I know I was giving you ash before, but you’ve got an open cut as big as my middle finger.” Noll pushed his middle finger in Kai’s face to illustrate his point. “If you’re scared of needles—”

  “If I was scared of little needles, I’d have died long ago.” Kai touched his head where a sharp pain burned. His fingers returned slick with blood. “All I need is sleep. The cut will heal itself.”

  “Didn’t you learn about a little thing called infection in any of those books?”

  Kai nodded. “That won’t be an issue. As I said, no need.”

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  Noll set his mouth in a straight line and shrugged his shoulders. “If you say so.”

  He gathered the bloody cotton balls and used a lit candle to burn them in a metal bowl. It wouldn’t bode well to leave blood lying around. Especially not Kai’s.

  Noll looked toward Kai through the smoke. “So, does that make us even?”

  Kai smiled. “Not even close.”

  Noll sighed. “What more do you want from me?”

  “I’ll tell you tomorrow. Tonight, I’m crashing at your place.”

  “Ashes, Kai, what have you gotten yourself into? Why aren’t you at the compound?”

  “Renzo banished me until I complete a task.”

  Noll narrowed his eyes. “Let me guess, you need my help for this task, right?”

  “Where was this information broker when I needed him?”

  Noll scoffed. “So what’s the task then?”

  Kai kicked the mattress on the floor. An eager cloud of dust or ashes - he couldn’t tell which - rose to greet him. “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

  Kai glanced around the room. “Anywhere else I can sleep?”

  Noll clenched his jaw and pointed at the floor. “There looks good.”

  Kai stared at the ash-covered floor and slowly shook his head. “It’ll have to do.”

  Kai moved to the designated space and sat on the ashen floor. He glanced at the information broker and mercenary.

  “Heard anything about a black book lately?” he asked.

  Noll revealed an eager smile. “I have.”

  “And?”

  “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

  Kai scoffed.

  Kai woke the next morning to the sight of Noll staring at him.

  “So, what happened?”

  Kai sat up and touched the wound on his head. The skin was dry and smooth. Not even a scab.

  Then he explained his impossible task, the pitiful amount of Darkshards he had collected, and the dire consequences for failing. Noll bit his lip and sighed. “Good luck with that.”

  “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Kai asked.

  “No, I don’t thi—” Noll’s eyes widened. “This? You want my help with this?”

  Kai nodded.

  “That’s not an equal exchange. Sure, maybe the information I gave you was a little outdated. But this is 10 times worse!”

  Kai nodded once again.

  “Too much. You’re asking for too much!”

  Kai shrugged. “After Renzo kills me, what do you think he’s gonna do to the people I’ve worked with?”

  Noll’s eyebrows rose to meet the ceiling. “Blackmail, Kai. Really?” He slowly shook his head. “After all we’ve been through?” His eyes widened at his own words.

  “Just laying out the facts. Renzo’s not the type to leave a potential enemy standing at his back. Serpent Mob’s small enough that he has to be careful with me. But you?” Kai shrugged again. “A dweller with no mob ties? A mercenary who never meets mining quota? A potential thorn in his side?” Kai revealed a devious smile. “Good luck.”

  “I never should’ve listened to your sweet words. Three years, and what’ve I got to show for it? You devious Demon!”

  Kai’s smile widened. “That’s not a nice way to speak to a friend helping you out of a bad spot, is it?”

  Noll rubbed his forehead. “With friends like you, who needs enemies?”

  “You knew the risk. And you know the risk now. You either help me or take your chances against Renzo.”

  “Those are ashen choices, and you know it.”

  Kai placed a hand on Noll’s shoulder and gave him a serious glance. “At least you have a chance of surviving with me. Renzo’s less forgiving than I am.”

  Noll’s mouth fell open. “You call this forgiving?”

  Kai's smile returned. “My point exactly.”

  Noll grimaced and leaned back, away from Kai’s grip. The back of his head kissed the wall, his eyes focused on the crumbling ceiling. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before getting the words out. “Since I’m putting my life in your hands.” His gaze fell on Kai. “I’ve got the right to ask a question, right?”

  Kai sighed. Noll wouldn’t have been hesitant if this were about the upcoming job. It had to be one of those questions Kai’d rather avoid. “Within reason.” He replied.

  Noll offered a soft nod. “I heard something about the day Renzo found you.”

  It was one of those questions. “And?”

  Noll’s gaze grew intense. “Is it true?”

  “How do I know what you heard? I can’t read minds.”

  Noll’s shoulders dropped.

  Kai sighed. He was asking this man to risk his life, the least he could do was answer a question. As long as he revealed nothing damaging. “Tell me what you heard then. I might confirm or deny it. No promises.”

  Noll glanced away, then returned his gaze to Kai.

  “It’s exaggerated, so tell me which parts are true. All right?”

  Kai gave him a soft nod.

  “Okay, well.” He rubbed his hands together as if he had found a big score.

  “They said you were too big to come out naturally, so they cut you from your mother’s stomach. But before the doctors could do anything, you sliced yourself out of the womb with a black scythe and killed everybody in the room.”

  Kai furrowed his eyebrows.

  Is this the kinda crap people believe? A doctor in the slums? Preposterous.

  Noll took his silence as permission to continue.

  “Thankfully, someone heard the screams, reported it to the Serpent Mob boss, who sent Renzo to beat you into submission and tame your devilish ways.”

  Kai struggled to hold back his laughter. Who came up with this rubbish?

  Kai rubbed his brow. “You believed that?”

  “I said it was exaggerated! I thought you—” He cleared his throat. “Probably only killed one or two people, right? A baby with a scythe might get a few people by surprise, but an entire room is ridiculous.”

  Kai was silent for a moment. Laughter threatened to breach his secure facade.

  He cleared his throat.

  “I see.” He returned with a contemplative tone.

  “Is it true?” Noll asked, his tone pleading.

  Kai scanned the room again. “Remember that black book you mentioned last night?”

  Noll released a heavy sigh. “Don’t do that. You said you’d answer me.”

  “Did I? I’m sure I said, ‘I might confirm or deny it’.” Kai locked eyes with Noll. “No promises.”

  Noll rolled his eyes. “C’mon Kai. I’m not asking for much here, am I? You’re asking me to risk my life for you.”

  Kai shot him a cold glare. “I’m asking you to risk your life for yourself. Unless you trust Renzo to leave you be?”

  Noll looked down and shook his head. “Like I’d trust that snake. Are you really gonna leave me hanging here?”

  “Does it matter if it’s true or not?”

  “It matters!”

  “Either way, your choices are the same, right?”

  Noll grit his teeth.

  Kai’s laughter broke free. “It’s not true Noll, happy?”

  Noll’s lips formed a thin line. “How could I be happy in a situation like this?”

  “The black book?” Kai asked.

  Noll scoffed and rose to his feet. He approached the wall near the door to the bathroom and hit it with the bottom of his fist. Nothing happened. Noll took a small step toward the window and hit the wall again.

  A concealed door flew open. A black book lay inside the hidden crevice.

  “Something like that?” Noll asked, a smug grin on his face.

  Kai had thought knowledge was power. He knew it to be true when his gaze met the Black Book.

  A silver skull protruded from the book and stared back at him, trying to break free of its bonds. A chill flooded the room. The ominous artifact pulled at his soul.

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