Belladonna

people.
    Those footsteps were getting closer, hurrying now as if the thief sensed how close his prey was to safety.
    Emboldened by his surroundings and knowing his shouts would bring a quick response, he spun around to confront his pursuer.
    And saw nothing but shadows.
    A darker shadow among the shadows, It watched the little man scurry into his house, almost glowing with the Light of happiness.
    Time and the repeated feeding of the same fear were required to create something like the bonelovers or the death rollers, and while It could create access points for humans to stumble into, even lethal creatures were at a disadvantage in a city.
    But this delightful fear of a phantom predator. This didn't require one of Its creatures, didn't require an access point that would be noticed and, possibly, reported to whatever Landscaper provided the bedrock for this part of the city. This predator could be nurtured in dozens of hearts through the twilight of waking dreams — something that, when manifested, was nothing more than sounds and a glimpse of something lurking in the shadows, not quite seen. A phantom that did nothing more than nurture fear. Except when It did the hunting. Then there would be blood and pain and terror. But perhaps not death. Not always death. Because the ones who survived would be crippled by fear, would smear the streets with those feelings and help smother the Light.
    A phantom predator.
    Could changing this part of Kendall into a dark hunting ground really be that easy?
    Yesssss

    Doreen looked out the window of her room at the boardinghouse. It was a respectable location for a single lady, the cabbie had assured her. And it was respectable. Gentility on a strict budget. The room was clean, as were the sheets, but the quality of the furniture and linens was little better than what she'd had at home. And she wanted more. So much more. Deserved more. She'd always thought the Magician would be her meal ticket out of Foggy Downs. She'd even been willing to give him sex in exchange for taking her with him on the road. Not that the bastard had appreciated the offer.
    She wouldn't have stayed with Michael. Stay with a man who didn't have two coins to rub together half the time? Oh, no. She wasn't interested in someone who couldn't buy her pretty things.
    In the end, though, the Magician had been her meal ticket. If she'd known accusing him of being what he was would get Shaney mad enough to empty the till to pay for her coach passage out of Foggy Downs, she would have made the accusation long ago.
    It had embarrassed Shaney's wife beyond shaming that everyone in the village, even the most pinch-penny among them, had tossed a coin or two into a hat to help with expenses. Some of the shops had donated toiletries or other bits and pieces for "luck on the journey."
    She wasn't fooled for a tinker's minute. They'd rather be rid of her, who lived and worked among them, than chance having the Magician avoid the village on his wanderings.
    So be it. It had gotten her here, hadn't it? A boardinghouse around the docks would have let her squeeze out her coins a bit longer, but she wouldn't find the kind of man she was looking for around the docks. She wasn't interested in humping behind the shed anymore. That had never gotten her more than winks added to a generous tip, which she'd more than earned with most of those dolts. No, she would rind a gentleman who would appreciate her beauty and set her up in style with a little house of her own and fine clothes.
    Before she had to pinch her pennies, she would find a man who would give her what she deserved.

    *
Michael raised his mug and took a healthy swallow of ale. Crossing over from Sanctuary to the Den of Iniquity was a jolt for mind and heart — more so, he figured, than a person would experience coming from an ordinary place like Aurora or Kendall or even Foggy Downs. The Den and Sanctuary both made him want to take out his whistle and play along with the music he could hear in the land, but the tunes were so different.
    As were the men who lived in those places. He glanced at the table where Yoshani was talking to Nadia and her husband Jeb, then looked at the man sitting at the table with him.
    "So when do we have this strategy session?" Michael asked.
    "When Glorianna gets done primping and decides to join us," Sebastian replied, giving him an edgy look out of those sharp green eyes.
    Time to change the subject, since he really didn't want Sebastian thinking