The City on the Edge

It took a moment for the question to sink in. Whatever Ronnie had been expecting from Sloan’s and Blackburn’s impromptu display of the world order, it wasn’t a question about her father. She hardly thought of the man as her father anymore. The last she saw of him, he was dropping a red bottle to the ground, sending their house up in flames. His actions had cost Ronnie her mother. The man could be dead and rotten in a place where only the worms knew him, for all she cared.

But, why did Blackburn care?

“Well?” Impatience colored Sloan’s voice and he tapped a finger against the tablecloth.

“Give her a moment to think, Tiberius.”

Ronnie glanced from one man to the other and shrugged carelessly. “I don’t know.”

Sloan didn’t cease his tapping, though Blackburn leaned back in his seat with a disappointed sigh. “I see,” he said, picking up his spoon again and dipping it into his stew. “I had hoped you might be more useful. I suppose it was too much to ask of someone like you.” He lifted the spoon to his mouth and swallowed the stew, savoring it and swirling it around in his mouth before eating it. “If you have no information, then it’s clear that we have no further use for holding you or your companions. You may dispose of them as you see fit, Tiberius.” Blackburn spoke casually as if he were complimenting the weather. He didn’t even turn to look at Sloan as he gave permission to end their lives.

Sloan stood and Ronnie tensed, drawing in a quick gasp she couldn’t hide. Blackburn held up a hand and Sloan stopped moving. “Unless,” he began, looking at her curiously, “there is something after all?”

Ronnie felt like a water beast, her lips moving without sound. “I…”

“Answer him,” Sloan demanded cooly.

“I honestly don’t know where he is. I haven’t seen or heard from him since I was a child. Why do you want to know?”

Blackburn sipped his drink and smacked his lips. “As I said before, to retain order, we must cut the weeds at the roots.” He spoke the words as if he weren’t discussing the extermination of the supernatural.

“What happens to everyone else?” Ronnie asked. “Are you just going to kill us all?”

Blackburn laughed at her question with a huff of air. “We aren’t beastly,” he said, staring pointedly at her and she got the feeling that he was taking in the very non-human gold of her eyes. His gaze dropped to her hands and she curled her fingers in, despite not having the power to even use her claws while she wore the cuffs. Still, she pulled her hands from the table and dropped them to her lap.

“The supernaturals who follow the new laws will be permitted to live quietly in their designated areas,” Sloan said.

“And where is that? You’ve already pushed us to the Edge, it isn’t like we can go anywhere else.”

The vampire girl darted around the table, filling glasses with sweet drink and bowls with warm stew and once again, when she came to Ronnie’s side, she brushed against her arm ever so slightly while she replaced her drink. Ronnie wished she could just ask the girl what she was trying to do.

“Like beasts in a pen, no?” Blackburn dug heartily into his fresh stew. Ronnie just watched him as he ate. If she had to pick, she would say that Blackburn was becoming more unsettling than Sloan. The man was difficult for her to read, made even harder by her muffled senses. If she could just listen to his heart or his pulse, she would have a better understanding of his lies and his truths. He spoke of terrible things but with an easy smile. At least with Sloan, Ronnie knew what to expect. She had seen his cruelty firsthand. She’d heard his sharp steel words cut through people. He’d shot at her, chased her, threatened to kill her and that was all in the span of a day, and he did it all with the same cold expression and same steady heartbeat that spoke of genuine intention.

But Blackburn was a new face and a new cruelty that she couldn’t comprehend. For the first time, Ronnie found herself hoping that she would see Sebastian again, if only to ask what he knew of the man. After all, Blackburn is the Supreme Justice of the Marble City, Sebastian’s home.

Well, if she wanted to know something, being silent wouldn’t garner any answers.

“Why are you keeping so many supernaturals here if you hate them?” Ronnie asked Sloan, who continued to stare at her as if he wished she’d burst in to flames.

Sloan glanced at Blackburn, who waved the hand that wasn’t lifting his spoon to his mouth. Taking that as permission, Sloan answered her. “For research purposes. It’s beneficial for us to know what you’re all made of.”

That wasn’t quite the answer she’d been expecting.

She opened her mouth to speak but Sloan cut her off. “This is not an open platform. You are here to answer our questions,” he said in a cool and steady voice. “I’ve had enough of this time wasting. Where is Taven Talos?”

“I told you, I don’t know.”

“A final question for you then, my dear,” Blackburn interrupted. “Do you know anything about hybrids?”

Even Sloan fell silent, his head snapping to the side to pin Blackburn with a hard stare. Blackburn didn’t pay any attention to Sloan though and kept his gaze firmly on Ronnie.

“No,” she answered. “They aren’t around anymore. They were exterminated. Remember?”

He set his spoon down and pushed away from the table. He stood to height, like a marble statue, taller than even Sloan. “Perhaps another night with the vita flowers will help you remember and quell this little rebellion of yours.”

Blackburn strode down the length of the table and paused at the dining room doors. “Something to keep in mind, Miss Talos, is that the longer you refuse to cooperate, the longer we’ll have your companions. If you think your accommodations are distasteful, picture how they are being held.” The doors opened for him and he stepped through. “After all,” he turned to look at her, “they don’t have Sebastian to bring them food.”