Vera sat at her desk, the mess of papers before her only deepening the headache that had formed at the back of her head. The bills had amassed to the point they had their own domain atop her desk, her job at the archive simply not able to keep up with rent and the hundred other costs of living in Graezhold. The bottle sitting on one of the few cleared areas of the desk, was already a third emptied, but it didn’t seem to calm Vera as much as she’d have preferred. She ran a hand through her hair, her fingers catching comfortably on the short horns that peeked out above the strands. Those echoes of her demonic heritage held little comfort as long black hairs with the barest hit of blue, came away in her hand.
She rose from her desk, grabbing the mug of cold half-finished coffee and crossed her studio apartment that her aunt had described as “cozy” when visiting. Vera chucked the stale beverage in the sink before turning and leaning against the counter. The harsh lights of the streets signage shone through her one window, and she was reminded of the dreams that had led her to the city, the ideas of urban independence and a chance to forge her own fate. It had been a great dream as a kid in the countryside.
Unfortunately, living the high life with the high rollers came with high rents, and frankly criminal pay. Vera moved back over to her desk, but sat on her bed instead of her chair, reaching for the bottom-most drawer. Inside she took out the sketches she’d done back when she’d first moved. She was so proud of her apartment despite its size, and had immortalized the new stage in her life, moving boxes and all. Underneath were a small mountain of street sketches, each with a date printed in the top left. The dates gradually got further apart, dwindling from multiple per day until the last date was more than a month ago.
Vera tossed the sketches behind her on the bed, laying back as she closed the drawer with her foot. Perhaps it was time to knock out another quick sketch, and just relax as her world burned around her.
“Maybe Vladik will take a sketch as payment. I mean, he didn’t last time, or the last seven times he came to collect, but it never hurts to ask, right?” Vera spoke with a youthful cynicism as she mocked her mother’s naivety.
She let out a low groan, rolling off the bed to stand and grab a pencil off the desk. She leapt onto the bed heedless of the papers crumpling beneath her. The eraser end of the pencil found its familiar groove in the crease of her dimple as Vera twirled the pencil trying to think of anything to draw. Of course, the eraser was long gone, Vera having erased every third line she’d ever drawn, but she didn’t bother thinking quite that far ahead. Having rested her back against the headboard of her bed, she rolled slightly to her side and yanked one of her previous drawings out from under her.
The drawing, a crumpled view of the Graezhold skyline, was one of her favorites and among the few with some color. Vera turned it over as she grabbed one of the tomes she’d brought back with her from the archives off her nightstand. The stiff leather-bound volume would likely gain a few new indentations from her pencil strokes, but Gren hadn’t noticed her taking the book, and it was unlikely he’d notice her decorations. Besides, it was unlikely she’d still be able to work there much longer given her current finances. At this rate she’d be lucky to make it back to her mother’s house with both her kneecaps.
She removed the pencil from the groove of her dimple, only to swing it between her fingers instead. Light marks appeared on the paper, but her idle swings didn’t form into much of anything. The first drops of a coming downpour caught Vera’s wandering attention, and her furrowed brow relaxed. A bit of rain always could relax her. She hopped out of bed, making her way over to her kettle.
“A bit of tea wouldn’t hurt. A nice warm beverage, the pitter-patter of the rain, I couldn’t ask for a better creative environment.” She ran her finger over the rune etched in the metal to start the warming magics and put the kettle under her sink’s spout. Setting the pot to the side she rinsed out the remaining trickle of coffee from her mug and placed it on the counter as well. She went to collapse back into her drawing position on the bed, entirely unwilling to wait for the heating water, when there was a faint knock at her door.
Vera moved to open the door, only thinking to throw on a loose tunic after she’d made it half-way. It was a slight surprise that her landlady would be coming to collect at this late of an hour, but Vera had been dodging her for the last few days. She opened the door with an all-too-fake smile on her face and an all-too-light envelope in her hand.
“Gilvny, I was looking—” Vera began, but was startled by the burly form in her doorway. The man’s shoulders practically spanned her doorway. Granted, the doorway was slimmer than building code could possibly allow, but it still surprised Vera after the almost dainty knock she’d heard.
“Hey, um, I’m looking for a Vera Foss?” The man fidgeted as he asked, and Vera’s brow furrowed.
“It’s Koss,” said Vera as she moved to shut the door. “Sorry, I really can’t afford any of your—”
Her words were cut off as the large man’s palm slammed against the closing door, stopping it and holding it halfway open. Vera jumped and glanced nervously at the hand before looking back at the man. Her face must’ve shown her alarm, because the small giant removed his hand from the door. Scratching the back of his bald head, he took a timid step past the threshold to prevent her from shutting the door further.
“Vladik sent me to collect your payment.” He took a scrap of paper from a pouch at his waist, carefully unfolding it and holding it up to the light from the hallway. “He really needs to work on his penmanship.”
“It wasn’t due until after the Kurn… which was yesterday.”
“Yes ma’am.”
Vera eyed the envelope in her hand. “I don’t exactly have it all together just yet. If you could give me—”
“Sorry, but the boss said to bring you or the money,” he interrupted. He laced his fingers and gave a small shrug.
Vera glanced back at her window, the raindrops now striking the glass with too great a frequency to be remotely pleasant to walk in. “I’ll grab my shoes.”
“I’ve got an umbrella,” said the large man, helpfully pointing at the weathered leather contraption in his hand.
“Lovely,” Vera said dryly as she slipped on a pair of boots. She slipped by the yet unnamed man, forced uncomfortably close in the diminutive doorway.
“Guess I’ll just close this then.” The bulky man shut the door as he turned to follow her.
It was promptly reopened as Vera ran back in, and touched the rune on the kettle, stopping the heating, before awkwardly walking back to the man in the doorway.
Vera and the man, aptly named Titon, stepped out from the building’s stoop and into the falling rain. The towering figure next to her held the small umbrella between the two of them and immediately set off at a brisk pace. For Vera, of a more average height, this meant awkwardly switching between jogging and speed-walking. The cobbles were already slick, and her boots sent up small splashes from shallow puddles. It wasn’t until the pair had left the alleyway that housed her building’s entrance and was turning onto a larger thoroughfare, that Titon noticed his charge’s plight.
“Sorry,” he said, slowing. “I forget how fast I’m walking sometimes. I’d always have to rush to keep up with Mum and my brothers.” He gestured at Vera’s legs. “I haven’t gotten used to how much shorter you folks’ legs are.”
Vera was somewhat more focused on trying to fit herself under the umbrella next to the lumbering man. “Apologies for my tiny legs, I guess.”
“Oh, no, no, no,” Titon said hurriedly. “I’m sure your legs are fine. I’m sorry. I just get lost in my thoughts sometimes, and my legs get a mind of their own.” He mimed himself speed-walking to emphasize his point, but it ended up jerking the umbrella around causing a small shower to fall on Vera.
“Hmm?” she asked as she pulled up the collar of her tunic to wipe down her face. “Oh, no, you’re fine. It was just a joke.”
“Oh, right.” He continued forward in silence, but he did move the hand holding the umbrella to have Vera be more easily covered.
There hadn’t been too many people out in the rain on the street they’d turned on, but as they approached the main avenue the sounds of hawkers rose up over the drone of the weather. The busy street quickly captured much of Vera’s attention, having to navigate through the street vendors and their customers. Her thoughts had been on the furniture she’d have to sell to pay off what remained of her debt to Vladik. Despite the sorrow that had begun to creep in at the thought of facing her mother as a failure, the lively atmosphere persisting in what was quickly becoming a downpour touched at her nostalgic side. It had been only just over a year since she’d moved from her home world to the city, but its spirit had infected her.
“Excuse me. Pardon. If we could just squeeze through,” Titon was saying, struggling to cut through the throng of people as he deliberately avoided shoving aside the lighter passersby.
“We probably should’ve traveled further down one of the smaller streets,” Vera said standing on her tiptoes and speaking loud enough to be heard over the din. She was quite comfortable in the free space left by her chaperon’s wake, but he certainly was out of his element.
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“I haven’t quite got a handle on directions here,” he said looking over his shoulder to speak back to her.
“Is it the building I originally met with him in? Dark grey stone with purple accents?”
“I think so,” he answered. “I didn’t pay much attention to the exterior.”
“Here, let’s duck through here.” Vera included herself in having to duck, but the wrought iron gate left plenty of clearance for her and Titon only slightly dipped his head. As they stepped onto a neatly laid brick pathway, the soaring towers of the Mages’ Academy loomed ahead of them. The connecting aerial pathways joining the five towers created an interesting silhouette that Vera had attempted to properly replicate in a drawing. Perhaps it was a trick of the mind, but the towers never were quite the same each time a passerby looked up at them. She made sure to grab her enraptured escort’s arm as he was ready to abandon his objective. “This way big guy.”
The pair turned away from the extravagant architecture to make their way around the edge of the academy parallel to the main avenue. “Why haven’t I seen those towers before?” Titon asked, the hand holding the umbrella waving erratically as he continued to glance over his shoulder at the sight. Vera was soaked beyond the point of caring that the umbrella mirror the movements. “I should be able to see them from blocks away.”
“I think the mages set up some kind of illusion for outside the campus.” She pointed to the wrought iron fencing that they were walking along. “The iron ring they put around the campus probably has something to do with it too.”
“There’s so much of this city to explore, but Vladik has me busy all the time. I’ve barely seen any of it.”
“That’s too bad. There’s still a lot I’d like to have seen.” Vera was walking confidently, eyes more often pointed at the foliage of the campus’s oak than the walk before her. Her sense of direction was not the best, but whoever was the city planner for Graezhold had tried their hardest to fit everything to a grid pattern. It wasn’t difficult to pick up.
“Are you leaving?” Titon paused his wonderment for the towers to fix Vera with a curious glance.
“That’s the plan, I guess.”
“Did you run out of money?”
“That would be the situation, yes.”
“Couldn’t you get a job?”
“I happen to already have one.”
“Would it be rude to suggest getting another?”
Vera’s burgeoning exasperation was replaced with slight amusement as she turned and gave him a slight grin. “Yes, yes it would.”
“Hmm.”
“But I have tried to. I’m lucky to have the one job.” She expected that to be the end of the discussion as the two stepped through another gate exiting the campus and reentering the din of the main avenue. Titon had a contemplative look and his pace had increased again resulting in him jostling their fellow pedestrians. He turned around to face Vera, presumably to speak further, but he continued walking. Not remotely watching his path, Titon reached new peaks as a route hazard.
“What about that art I saw?” he said, failing to provide nearly enough context. At Vera’s confused look, he elaborated. “What if you gave Vladik some of your drawings? Maybe he’d give you an extension.”
“How long did you say you’ve been in the city?”
“About a week.”
“And how long have you worked for Vladik?”
“About the same.”
“I’ll give that a try, thanks.” Vera’s sight line cleared as Titon turned back around to face forward allowing a partially obscured view of the dark grey building that was their destination. “By the way, what was it that you were thinking about when we left my building?”
“Hmm?”
“When you were practically jogging.”
“Oh, do you know about purring mantises?” He had a wide grin as he turn around once again.
“I don’t think so. But I assume they’re related to praying mantises?”
“Actually, no. A bit of convergent evolution, apparently. What I read described them as a cross between a praying mantis and some sort of big cat.”
“Sounds terrifying.”
“But so adorable! Anyway, the book I was reading didn’t really go into its social dynamics, so I was just wondering if there is a hive that reveres some sort of queen, or if it’s more of a pack dynamic.”
“Titon, buddy,” Vera said hesitantly.
“Mmhmm?”
“Are you sure you want to be working for Vladik?”
Titon stayed outside as Vera entered through the rich violet doors. Inside was a small lobby with a young receptionist at a desk to the side. The floors were a marble of varying greys with thin purple veins running throughout, while the walls were the same grey stone as the exterior. On the walls were evenly spaced torches burning with a violet flame.
“I forgot how melodramatic this place was,” Vera muttered.
“Sorry, what was that?” the receptionist asked.
“Oh, nothing. I’m here to see Vladik, I think. Maybe just one of his accountants.”
“Vera Koss?” he questioned, which Vera affirmed.
“Perfect. He has been awaiting your arrival. He handles all final payments himself on the fifth floor. The staircase is just down the hall across from me. Oh, and if you could hurry, that would be most appreciated.”
Vera was left feeling a bit handled, but she hurried up the staircase regardless. Despite not generally being considered unfit, the magical draining effects of mundane stairs left her gasping as she reached the fifth floor. In fact, she was so focused on recovering as she shuffled toward the only room on the floor that she nearly crashed into the redheaded demon leaning motionless out of the recessed alcove just inside of the doorway. Vera stepped around the man, scanning his various oddities. Most notable was the red hair, which was not impossible with a mixed genealogy, but was decidedly odd for someone with horns as developed as his. The horns combined with his greyed skin implied almost entirely demonic heritage. All of that was eclipsed by the thick collar around his neck and the heavy chain attaching him to the back of the alcove.
“Don’t mind him.”
Vera’s eyes left the chained demon and turned back to the interior of the room that she’d just entered. Behind a tall marble desk sat Vladik, the demon’s dark violet hair slicked back around his horns. He did not look up at her entrance despite speaking, but instead continued reviewing the stack of papers in front of him.
“He just needed a little nap.” Vladik grinned. “I believe you’re here to pay the remainder of what you owe, correct?”
Vera stole one last glance back at the chained demon. His eyes were indeed closed. He’d somehow fallen asleep standing, possibly even leaning out pushing against the collar at his throat.
“Well, I don’t actually have the full amount right now, but I was thinking—”
“That’s no issue,” he interrupted. He still hadn’t looked up from the papers on his desk. His brow was furrowed at whatever it was he read.
“Well… I’m glad you’re so understanding,” Vera said. The disinterest was beginning to confuse her. Why deal with her personally if he was just going to ignore her.
“Yes, so if you would step over to Clenum, he’ll get you fitted for a collar and then the binding ritual shouldn’t take long.”
It wasn’t that the words failed to register with Vera, but her sense of bewilderment at what was so clearly a miscommunication caused her to barely react as a figure stepped forward. The lanky man had previously been indistinguishable from the shadows cast by violet flames, and his sudden appearance left a part of Vera’s mind wondering how many more shadowy figures were in the room. Her mind drifted back to the collar that was around the neck of the demon in the alcove.
“No, sorry,” she began. “I’m not here for that.” She didn’t have an inkling what “that” was, but she knew she had no interest in finding out right this moment.
The lanky Clenum had continued toward her at a slow pace, but he paused as Vladik raised a hand. He ostensibly shouldn’t have even been able to see the raised limb from his position closer to Vera. Vladik took a moment as his eyes continued to scan the paper before him, raising his head for the first time as he looked at Vera with confusion.
“All of this, should’ve been explained on the way over here.” He turned his gaze to the lanky man still fixed in place mid-stride. “Clenum, who failed to explain to Miss Vera our procedure? I don’t have time for all of this.” Clenum, as if reanimated by the direct question, spun to face the sitting Vladik.
“Titon, sir. He’s new, and a bit distractable,” Clenum answered, hesitating only on the last part.
“See that he is gone by the end of the day.”
“Yes, sir.”
Vladik thumbed through the papers on his desk, before picking up the entire stack and placing them to the side. He interlaced his fingers as he leaned back in the plush chair he sat in. “Are you aware what you signed over as collateral on the loan for which you asked?”
“We never talked about any collateral,” Vera answered shaking her head.
“Clause 387e,” he said as he held a hand out to his side. Another figure stepped out of nearby shadows holding a stack of papers nearly as thick as Vera’s thigh. “It is a very standard clause for all of the loans I give.” He flipped to what had to be a random page and tossed it onto the desk in front of him. “You can reread it if you would like. I would like to keep this moving though.” He gestured toward Clenum who resumed his approach.
“No. What? No!” Vera swiped at the lanky figure’s arm as he lifted the collar towards her neck. “I’m not walking out of here with that thing on my neck.” Her heart and body were calm, completely at odds with her mind.
“Well, of course not,” Vladik said as his gaze returned to the papers he’d only just set aside. “The collar is only necessary for the binding. Afterwards it can be removed. Although, I am not entirely sure you will leave at all. Do we have plans for this one?” The question was directed to the second figure who’d stepped from the shadows. “Yes, sir. After her soul is bound, she is slated for Miss Viktra’s assembly plant.”
Soul? thought Vera. She hadn’t read through the entire contract, but Vladik’s lackey who’d gone over it with her certainly hadn’t mentioned her putting her soul up as collateral.
“Listen, I understand your resistance, but this is the deal you signed. If I made sure to point out this particular clause, so many fewer gullible peasants would sign my contracts.” He smiled predatorily. “We can’t have that. I’ve got bills to pay too, you know.”
“No, I can get you your money. I just need a few days—” Vera tried to reason with the demon sat across the desk while raising her arm to prevent the gentle attempts from Clenum to fit the collar to her neck, but Vladik cut her short.
“The contract clearly states ‘In the event of a missed payment, the full loan amount may be collected.’ And then, let’s see,” he said flipping through a large portion of the thick contract. “Ah, yes. ‘If the full loan amount cannot be paid, the designated collateral listed above may be retained in its entirety.’” He closed the stack of papers and raised his hands in a shrug.
“Your agent didn’t tell me any of that.” Vera swiped one her hands at the open collar in an attempt to snatch the collar from the placid-faced Clenum. She kept her other hand tight against neck as a last line of defense.
“Are you really telling me you, a demon, didn’t read the contract?” Vladik smacked his desk as he stood, a silly grin on his face that looked eerie in the purple torchlight. “Well, I guess that disproves the stereotypes. Maybe demons from your world are just a bit defective.” He reached for the letter opener on his desk. “Clenum, stop being so gentle with her. I do have a schedule to keep.”
Clenum, previously somewhat languid, suddenly lunged forward. Vera’s fingers had latched around the collar, but a jerk from Clenum roughly freed it from her grasp. Another quick movement and he’d struck the wrist of the hand protecting Vera’s neck with enough force for pain to lance down to her elbow. Vera jerked the arm away, the habitual attempt to shake off the sudden pain leaving her neck completely exposed. She saw the hand with the collar approaching her. The speed and force of the movement would seal her fate. It was unavoidable and Vera was left with a moment of clarity as her perception of time slowed. Is avoiding this really worth all the trouble? she thought, but before she could answer that question for herself, her vision went blue.