CHAPTER 6

  Nightmaster had been gone for days, so Reduke sat and sulked, power sustaining him fading with every breath, leaving a most sickening. . . incompleteness. What did that mean? Reduke did not like thinking this much.

  As he moped, he listened. In the wonderful ink-dark of Fair some of his friends were whooping and hooting and spinning around a bonfire. From where Reduke sat he could smell bitter smoke, watched their shadows slash and slice the walls near the fire.

  A distant scream.

  Fair was relaxing. Fair was real. Not useless and meaningless like "past” or "future.”

  So transfixed, was he, by the Fair that he did not notice Nightmaster, cloaked as always, had down the wall he leaned against.

  "Having fun?” Nightmaster was inverted, mere inches from his face.

  Reduke sniffed. "Never fun when Nightmaster leaves.”

  "I'm touched.” Nightmaster slowly rotated until the long cloak was right-side up. "But it can’t be helped, my Reduke. My power extends only so far, at least for now, and there are places I have to be.”

  "Reduke helped look,” he finally said. "Reduke has been Nightmaster’s eyes and ears and hands and. . .. and. . .” What else? If he didn't think of a third thing he'd look so stupid. In front of Nightmaster! Panicked, Reduke finally screamed, "TONGUE!”

  Someone in Fair screamed back. A common occurrence. "Rokk, you’re stupid. But can you believe it’s almost our anniversary? Hasn’t it been a fun year?”

  Reduke had thoroughly enjoyed time with Nightmaster. Before, like an idiot, he’d believed himself his own master. The First broad reminded him that bullshit. Nightmaster confirmed it. He was more free now than he ever was alone.

  "Now--” Nightmaster was interrupted by a scream at the mouth of the alley. Reduke turned, and the remaining power within him cut the black so he could see a thin figure, one of the friends from the fire, hunched over with his arms slick to the elbow. Reduke smelled copper.

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  Sweet.

  Behind the friend, with slow deliberation, walked another, apparently unknown to the first. This moved from one side of the alley to the other, not stopping or speaking, but coolly watching. A black derby and the tail flaps of a coat, then gone as quickly as a bad thought.

  "Hey, baby,” Nightmaster said to the friend, and paid no mind to bad thought. "Got something to say?”

  "Coat. Mine.” Friend's face twitched as he pointed at Nightmaster's robe. "Mine! Now!” Some had been so long in Fair they had lost much man-speech. Reduke was envious.

  "Wrong,” said Nightmaster as Reduke felt a purple tide roll through him. "Mine.” Reduke’s body was strengthened, and he was on his feet just in time to see friend’s head roll from his shoulders. "I enjoy this place.”

  Reduke waved to the dead friend. Then he laughed and laughed and laughed and. . .

  "Dude,” Nightmaster pulled back an arm, and Reduke ran headfirst into the wall. "Enough.”

  Nightmaster only hurt him when he failed to pay attention, and so Reduke decided to sit and wait. Nightmaster’s foot rapped.

  "Good boy. I’m running out of time, Reduke. Since we’ve met good, uh. . . fortune has altered my own intentions significantly. New opportunities, new potential futures branch from me now, pulsing like cascading waterfalls of rainbow."

  Reduke nodded. "Ditto.”

  "'Ditto’?”

  "Yes.”

  "The maw you say that for?”

  Reduke shrugged.

  Nightmaster sighed. "I need to kill someone, okay?"

  "Ok.”

  "We’re going to get more involved. Just a little pushier.”

  "Reduke to First?” Reduke was hopeful. He wanted that First broad.

  "Vengeance can wait.”

  "Vengeance?” Reduke snapped, loader than intended, but when pain didn’t come, he continued, "gift! Reduke wants to give the meat. The redhead meat understands. Reduke was angry that day, but Reduke knows it! The meat is confused. Reduke will free it!”

  He wanted that First broad badly.

  Nightmaster’s hood folded to the side. "Such an interesting monster. I should kill you but, Rokk help me I won’t””

  Nightmaster understood. Nightmaster didn’t need teaching.

  "Oh?” Nightmaster shook, and Reduke felt the pulse. It went through Nightmaster. It wasn't part of Nightmaster's power. It scared him. "That’s interesting," continued Nightmaster. " Oh, very cool. Finally, some attention. How to proceed?”

  "What is it?” cried Reduke.

  Nightmaster’s lips smacked. "My goodness. Never thought. . .This place is heating up! If I wasn’t so close. . .I’d never have. . .Powerful.” Nightmaster’s foot was tapping furiously now. "Can’t take any chances.”

  "Chances?” Reduke asked.

  "An interesting night for you, fatty. Plan's changed again. Need someone different dead.” Nightmaster looked at Reduke. "You ready? Blood?”

  "Your Reduke is always ready for blood.”