Nicole probably would have figured that out in seconds, he thought, just as the last knot was undone and the trousers fell bundled to the floor. Only as Lucy put her hands against his smallclothes, did he realise how strange a thought that was.

He shook his head, trying to vanquish the memory of Nicole’s smile.

Skies above, it was only a smile. A firm hand grabbed hold of his exposed member, quickly bringing him back to reality.

“Is something… wrong?” asked Lucy. She took another step closer to Farris; something he wouldn’t have thought possible. “We can take more time to—”

“It’s fine,” said Farris, taking one of her dainty little hands in his. He gritted his teeth in frustration, and his heartbeat quickened.

Don’t think about it. Just focus on this now.

He stooped his head closer to hers, and planted a quick kiss on her lips, though he couldn’t taste much over the thainol on his breath.

Lucy pressed her mouth against his with a surprising force for Simian of her size. Both of her hands grasped at the nape of his neck, pulling him towards her. He loosened his body and let her spin him round until his back was facing the bed.

“Relax,” she whispered, gently pushing him down onto the mattress. “I’ll take it all from here.”

He landed on the bed softly, and Lucy was on top straight away, both legs straddled over his own. She leaned forward, palms stretched out against his chest, and shifted herself towards his hips.

A slight look of confusion crossed her face, but she quickly resorted back to her calming, seductive expression.

“Don’t worry about that,” she said sitting straight up, giving Farris a full view of her naked torso. “We’ll take all the time you need.”

Farris closed his eyes, but flashes of images from the meeting kept interrupting his attempt at tranquillity. The way Nicole looked up to the Silverback, the way she and Garth seemed to share some secret between them….

Lucy. Focus on Lucy.

But even as he let his eyes roll over every inch of her body, he couldn’t help but wonder what sort of life choices would cause a girl so young to turn to whoring.

What was it she said about her father? he thought, now making no attempt to react to her kissing. She was down at his chest now, groping through his thick fur. He wasn’t around. That’s one thing they all have in common.

She pressed her lips against his again now, her hands moving furiously beneath his small-clothes.

He was a traveller, or a sailor. Someone who told her all about the Seachtú, distilling false tales of the wealth and wonder of the aristocracy.

She moved to his neck, lips and tongue working their way to his chest.

Such a shame, he thought, looking back up at the ceiling. She’d probably be proud to work in the Grey Keep, emptying chamber-pots for the lords and ladies of—

A pang of realisation struck his chest. He breathed in deeply, but Lucy mistook it for a reaction to her, and began working even more enthusiastically with her hands.

“Your father, what was his name?”

She looked up at him, something between horror and confusion in her eyes.

“What?”

His heart pounded as he felt his chest constrict. The images from that night long past came flooding back. The waterfront. The canal. The tavern.

“You said your father worked on an airship. What was his name?”

He barely noticed that he had grabbed her arm now, pulling her towards him, desperate for her to say a name, any name, that wasn’t the one he thought of.

Terror struck her face, and instead of answering, she screamed.

It was only now that Farris realised how tight his grip was. He let go, and the door to the room slammed open. The Simian bouncer came thundering across the room, grabbing Farris beneath both arms and shoving him off the bed.

Farris didn’t give a fight as he let the bouncer pull him down the stairs.

I deserve this, he thought, watching his legs being dragged across the tavern floor. A lump formed in his throat, and he fought back tears. No, I deserve far more than this. Only the lowest of scum ever raised a hand against a whore, for there were few crimes worse than hurting someone so vulnerable.

Such as murdering a drunkard on the streets of Cruachan….

The next thing he felt was the barrage of freezing raindrops cutting against his naked body. He flew through the air for a moment, collapsing in a heap on the soaking market street. Farris looked up to see the bouncer shut the tavern door.

She didn’t need to tell me his name, he realised, lying back on the cobblestones. He looked up to the sky, dark clouds blocking out the moon and the stars. No light illuminated the drenched streets of Penance.

“Chester,” Farris rasped. “His name was Chester, and I killed him. I killed him because I’m….”

His voice broke off, the words unable to leave his lips. His face was soaked now, but from rain or tears, he could no longer tell.

Because I’m a coward, he thought, wiping his eyes with even wetter hands. Because I’ve always been a coward.

Right as he lay there, ready and willing to never get up again, something heavy, dry, and warm, fell over his shoulders.

No. Just let me freeze. Just let me die.

“Come on friend,” said a voice. Slurred and familiar. “You’ll catch the death of a cold out here.”

Farris looked up to see the blurred Human standing against the rain, but all he could make out was a rough shape of a pendant against his chest: three crooked, interlocking circles.

“Come on,” said Ruairí. “I’ll take you home.”

Chapter 14:

The Seeds Thrive

We are the eyes that have seen too much,

The knees that bend, the souls you touch,

Our hands, we raise,

To Seletoth.

***

After the final scratch of chalk, Fionn took a step back to admire his work. Wild markings covered the blackboard, filling every square inch with the material he had memorised over the previous three moons.