NEZHA

‘’For Spirit’s sake,’’ I shouted, watching Mara getting out from the emergency stares of the building slowly. Spirits, everyone could see her figure getting out from a stranger’s house.

‘’Why did Mammon take her in again?’’Minerva asked, nibbling melka with her long fingers. ‘’She is far huge-’’

‘’Put your helm back’’I half barked at her, crossing my arms. ‘’Also that is your fifth melka. Keep up you will gain her weight.’’

Minerva pouted and offered me her cinnamon sweet as she fixed her helm.

But she was not wrong.

‘’Found anything?’’ Minerva asked Mara who was a few steps away from us behind the building.

Mara shook a no.

She rarely spoke.

‘’Then what took you so long?’’ I asked her, confused.

No answer. And she walked away.

Not a team person. Well, mostly. When it benefitted her she was cooperating. Such as moments when she didn't want to die or be beaten. But she wouldn't help any of us if it didn't have to do with her.

Minerva grunted and let her hand rest on Mara’s shoulder.

‘’We are not over yet, we have five houses more.’’

‘’Boring’’’ She whined, turning her head at me.

She was getting bored easily. Seriously, she is more like a burden.

‘’We searched twenty houses.'' Mara backed away from Minerva and looked at both of us.

‘’And three pleasure houses. They are gone.''There was a sudden pain in her voice.'' What difference will it make if we search the rest?’’

We did not answer her question. Because it was not. It was a pointless job Mammon offered us. A list with names and addresses. That was all. And everyone was missing.

‘’Let’s try, ‘’I suggested with a smile.

Both of the girls looked at me like I was an idiot. They never got along, even if many times they were sharing the same ideas.

‘’Who died and made you the leader again?’’ Minerva’s brow twitched.

‘’None died, just Ao Bing went missing.’’

Ao Bing, right hand man of Mammon, vanishing in thin air. Mammon made every one of his giant men to find him and us to seek information for days only to return with nothing. That made him furious as he never thought that someone like Ao Bing would betray him. And now, he doesn’t seem to want to trust any of us. Not even me as he stopped asking me about everything that was happening on Diyu and information about the members.

But he had Mara all the time in his office. None knew why but everyone had a story. Hurting her, torturing her, forcing her… I tried to ask her every time she was walking out of the room but she did not reply. Ao Bing would know.

Minerva pouted.‘’Exactly so Ao Bing is still,’’

‘’Well I am the oldest’’ I finally said with a childish tone.

‘’You are fifteen, Ao Bing is twenty,’’ Mara whispered.

Well, Ao Bing is gone so…

My brow twitch listens to these two always underestimating me.

‘’Come on, what do we have to lose?’’

‘’Time’’ Minerva answered.

‘’Dignity.’’ Mara continued, snatching Minerva’s melka from my hand and began eating it in secret.

‘’Well.’’ I placed my hands on my waist. ‘’We don’t have anything else to do and,’’

I traced my fingers at my neck, finding the collar that Mammon gave to me.

‘’Our dignity is already gone.’’

Minerva gulped as she looked down at her throat, at her leash. Mara moved her helm back and let the remaining melka down.

‘’I guess'' Minerva rolled her silver eyes. ‘’Five houses are not much.’’

Mara nodded.

''I told you''A woman around forty parked her red lips to us as she was sitting on her copper chair of the establishment. The smoke of her cigarette was far heavier than the one Mammon was smoking.

''My girls were well fed, well dressed. they shouldn't run away. I paid them what they deserved.''

I arched my brow and turned to Mara who was sleeping on the woman's leather couch. Minerva was sitting right next to me who was fidgeting the woman's remaining fallen drug and slowly moving it to one of her glass containers. The woman frowned.''What is she doing?''

''I don't know, collecting stuff.''

''Stuff? It's wasting drugs.''

Minerva shrugged.

''You are from Mammon's place, correct?''

I nodded with a hidden disgust. She did not need to ask. She was aware of who we were from our masks and collars. Probably knew more too. Minerva was not shy about showing her poison and Mara’s own work was almost on every wall.As for me…

The woman did not hide her hatred.''Why you brats are asking questions again?''

''Classified''Minerba interrupted loudly to cover Mara's snoring.

That made the woman's rage rise like a mountain.

''I know nothing, they just disappeared. And If I knew, I wouldn't share any secret with any of Mammon's errand brats.''

Of course, she wouldn't. She seemed to not be pleased with our boss and based on the documents on her table, right next to Mana, there were papers to sell the establishment to Stolas.

The woman noticed my gaze and she leaned back on her squeaky chair, making Mara open her eyes from annoyance. But just for a second before turning back to sleep.

‘’Your boss trades with drugs. I trade with pleasure’’She explained to us as if we were idiots.’’Stolas trades with power. Safety. It is better to have the owl to protect us rather being helpless sheep to a land of wolves.’’

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Minerva lowered her head down and clenched her arm tight with her nails.

‘’Mammon gives hope’’I tried to defend him. I wanted to say that I agreed though, with the woman, telling me that Mammon was a low piss of a priest who was pretending he was a Made One. A savior for kids of some sort.

‘’Why would you need hope to a land that doesn’t know what it means?’’ The woman’s brow arched.

Mara snorted even louder and woke up, standing on her two feet.

''I am bored.'' She grunted with a tired gaze. I rolled my eyes and turned to the woman who let out a heavy breath, giving up.

''When I was your age the only worry I had was what to wear at school the day after''A laugh came out of her mouth.’’After the fire you can’t have even that.’’

I remembered the last time the school existed in the area.Few children went there to just learn how to read, write and calculate. The teachers were kind, the cooks could give us fresh hot bread with strawberry paste and the janitor told us fairy tales about monsters trying to steal children in the night if we weren’t good students.

Minerva went there for three years, I did for two and Mara for six months.For a few years that was the happiest moment in our lives. Now the school is more like a memory.

The woman finally stood up from her chair.

''Friendly advice, walk out of here as soon as you can.''Her hand opened the drawer, giving us a sack of Ekee'ls and three slices of flatbread and paste.

We got out from the house of women offering drinks and men to their customers as we were munching the paste, trying to fulfill our hunger. Minerva put her containers inside her bag and I tried to count the Eke'els.

''Fifty...'' I narrowed and faced Minerva and Mara, offering both of them the sack.

''You kidding.'' Minerva's brow arched.''This is way too much.''

''And it will be little if we split it by three. Take it.''

Mara ignored the offer as she took the last bite of paste and licked her thumb.

''She was lying''She finally said.''About what she knew.''

''That doesn't mean anything''Minerva put the money in her bag.''She won't talk to us.''

''What about the communication center?''I suggested.

''Stolas' territory.''Minerva reminded me and I felt like an idiot.

''We need someone who won't be noticed and...''I narrowed it down to all of us. Minerva had a great height, taller than mine, and a presence that meant trouble, probably because of her round curious eyes behind her spectacles. I was not short either and my steps were surprisingly loud.. And Mara...she would make sure that even Aztlan could listen, messing up the plan.

''We will find another way.''I finally said.

In the end, Mara was right. None was inside. Four houses were locked from the outside and empty.

So we had to return empty-handed.

And Mammon’s business was far from the rest of the houses.

We passed the road, walls filled with caricatures of falling crown’s, words Scribbling DOWN TO THE ROYALS with next to puppet soldiers. It was a waist of painting, regarding that no royal or soldier was in the area. I turned on Mara who stared at it like I did. Then, down on her fingernails who were smudged by orange and blue paint.At least she spends her free time in creativity. That benefits of being far from Mammon and yet on Mammon’s good side.

‘’What does it matter?’’The little girl asked.’’People are going missing all

I could see the building though. It was a small one with a simple sign, writing THE FOURTH CIRCL. The last letter fell a month ago and Mammon hadn’t restored it yet. Well, most of the people’s interests were at the other corner of the dark evil to the ARS GOETIA with Stolas in charge. I did not blame the people. Unlike THE FOURTH CIRCLE, Stolas’s business was blooming. It was ten times our building and the gambles and pleasure too. Ours was mostly a pub and a hotel but there was also cooperation.

‘’Nezha’’ Minerva groaned as she stretched her long arms.’’ Let’s leave the kid alone and grab some drinks.’’She jerked her head to Mara.

‘’I am twelve.'' Mara complained.

‘’Same thing'' Minerva laughed.

There was the Garden of Eden, with countless customers waiting outside to open. Well, at least Lilith was out with her dark leathered guards, waving her elegant body at the stairs and the white fabric falling loose,exposing slowly her skin.

She was ready to let her long eyelashes down and tell the sad news that the Garden wouldn’t be open.

But then, her green snake eyes found us. Most importantly, found Minerva and Mara.

She jerked her hazel-locked head to the right, ordering her men to go after us.

I took a deep breath, letting my hand behind me.

‘’Run’’ I whispered to them.

And then, we all began running.

The FOURTH CIRCLE was twenty minutes away from the garden. Twenty minutes to pass from the marketplace. That meant ten minutes of running. That also meant we had to jump from each cart that was near and push every other thing we could find to the men so they couldn't catch us.

Mara was the last one on the line letting the boxes fall to the ground. A few of them lost balance and fell. Others jumped and kept moving.

Minerva grabbed a piece of fabric and threw it at me. I took it fast and gave one of the parts to Mara. She stopped running for a second as she moved left. I stopped running too, turning right, holding the fabric down tight with her.

Minerva grabbed a piece of fabric and threw it at me. I took it fast and gave one of the parts to Mara. She stopped running for a second as she moved left. I stopped running too, turning right, holding the fabric down tight with her.

Two more soldiers stepped on the rope, making them fall. I looked up at Mara’s face and smiled at her. She remained silent and returned to running. We were on the opposite side, but I could see her struggling. She was slow. I mean she was younger than me and Minerva but it had been years. How long until she catches up?

‘’Minerva’’ I shouted at her, watching her silk blonde hair wave around. ‘’Keep forward’’ I looked at Mara and jerked my head to one of the shops that were selling gunpowder.

The seller was smiling gently at customers, telling them that it was the most perfect way of setting up fireworks and using them for their weapons.

One thing that Mara was good at was stealing. Two small brown sacks of gunpowder. One for me, one for her.

I could see four men. Two of them now stood back again, and two others kept running fast.

I opened the sack. Mara did too. We turned back and threw the powder into the middle of the air.

‘’GUNKT’’ I shouted. Everyone began running as my fingers slipped into my pocket, taking out a lighter. And with one move, the sun appeared in the area of forsaken.

Everyone began screaming as the fire caught on the men’s clothes from the explosion.

‘’Mammon is going to be pissed’’ Mara thought out loud.

‘’Would you rather go visit Lilith?’’ I asked her with a shout.

I found her looking down with a frown as the colors of fire brushed around her skin. There was a pain in her coal eyes. Even fear.

No, of course, she wouldn’t want to spend time there. Neither would Minerva. Or I.

Lilith and Mammon have been working together for years. She was giving men and women for his establishment in exchange for some of the profits. They were not a lot but she never said anything. Or so I knew. But now, these women have begun missing slowly. From each pleasure house. So, Lilith decided to take Minerva for a few nights. But now that most of them have begun, she would probably want two.

A twisted knot in my stomach started forming.

‘’Let’s move '' I ordered her.

Two minutes to the building. We found Minerva now running slowly and looking back at us with a tired frown. She slowly took out her helm, exposing her soft lips and hooked nose.

‘’What took you so long?’’ She grunted.

‘’Oh, my love’’ I tip-toed her and leaned my arms around her. ‘’You have waited for me’’I kept my drama for her.

‘’Yeah, no’’ She pushed me far.

Thirty seconds.

The missing letter was right down at my feet. The dark door was slightly open. The electric lights were bright like stars. Or I think so. I was born in Diyu. My mother was too. But I hope that this is what stars look like.

Me and Minerva grabbed the doorknob and looked at Mara who was trying to catch a breath. And the men behind her.

‘’Dammit,’’ I hissed.

Mara was ten seconds away with her hand reaching mine and then.

‘’I finally found you’’ A squeaky voice shouted from the left as a snowflake jumped to Mara’s body, letting her fall.

‘’You’’ It was the first time I heard Mara panicking. She didn’t even try to fight the boy.

‘’You know where my mother is?’’ The boy asked with tears. ‘’Tell me where she is...''

The scent of Nektar attacked me from behind.

My eyes faced Minerva. She had the same darting gaze as me.

Mara too. The boy looked up and noticed the figure that was right behind us. He let out one more squeak and stood up as the men were now right in front of our building.

‘’We were told by Lilith.’’

‘’I know. I received a call. ‘’Mammon sighed. A priest who departed because of reasons unknown to everyone but himself. A priest driven by greed to drive everyone on his side. A priest who would try to teach people like me and the girls to be faithful and grateful to him. Even when he wanted to break us. And his hand rested on my shoulder, his two last fingers at my collar. There was no air for me now. Not again.‘’I will give you Nezha for the night.’’