Oracle

Part 32

Jaspar's request was a strange one but no one was about to question the request of a proven seer. Not that the regulars at the Rook cared about Jaspar's powers but they all knew they were real and could come in handy for the in the future. People of the Rook helped each other out, it was simply the way of things. 

The number of men who stood up to do what the resident seer had asked, was considerably more than the number of men who were trying to beat up the young man who had been in trouble. Well, technically still child, though he looked like he was on the edge of manhood. Lanky legs which didn't have much muscle, bony shoulders and a hairstyle which would fit a boyband member, the young man was still clearly a youth. Something the men of the Rook took note of when they moved towards the gang of thugs.

The gang of thugs turned towards intending to scare off whoever was getting their nose involved in someone else's business but their faces drained to white as they saw who was approaching and how many there were. The rook men were not exactly unknown faces in the underbelly and Elison could swear he heard a few prayers be muttered under bated breath.

"You're not signed," Elison mused darkly, knowing every gang Calder authorised and their markings. This gang of thugs was not one of them which meant they were operating without permission. Dead men walking in a city where crime was tightly regulated by Lord Calder.

"What's it to you," one of the bravest thugs hissed, still trying to look threatening despite the painfully obvious fact that they were outnumbered by people far more dangerous than themselves.

The Rook men just smiled, the atmosphere going dark. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Elison asked, walking up to them without fear. "You can leave," he added. "We won't stop you, but I'm afraid whatever this boy has done, you are not doing any more to him tonight." Elison stopped in front of the young man and offered his hand calmly.

Suspicious watery blue eyes looked up from underneath his silver sweeping fringe. There was a trail of blood rolling down the boy's chin from where a hit had given him a nose bleed but from the lack of cowering, not actually broken the nose. It was hard to tell much else about the boy from the lighting in the alleyway. Elison suspected however that the boy's hair was silver grey from hair dye fading, rather than his natural hair colour.

"He's none of your concern," the thugs hissed, not brave or possibly stupid enough to attack Elison while he had backup.

"Maybe not, but you don't have the right to beat him up," one of the other Rook men commented. "I'm sure your gang will be hearing about this from Lord Calder."

"Lord Calder doesn't scare our boss," one said with a rough accent.

"He should," Elison murmured, reaching down to grab the young man by the arm and pull him to his feet since he was showing no inclination to actually move. The man flinched against his touch but didn't fight the hold Elison had on him as he pushed the boy towards the Rook's door. He was short, even for a teenager. Jaspar was taller than him and Elison had thought Jaspar to be little but Jaspar was also slender while this young man was bigger, more chubby though not unattractively so, just a little soft. Someone who needed to work out a bit more and used to a comfortable life. Clearly, someone not born in the underbelly.

The other men wandered back inside now it was painfully obvious there was no fight to be had. These were small fry, not worth the time of criminals such as themselves. The door of the Rook shut and the men settled back down in their seats, the boy still in his hands.

Elison looked over at the piano to see both Leo and Justice on either side of Jaspar. The young men looking like some kind of painting together. If Elison didn't suspect that John had plans to renew his court soon, Elison would have assumed John's desire to keep Jaspar in the Rook was more for beauty reasons than anything else. John liked his establishments, regardless of nature, to be full of beautiful people. He shoved the boy over to them, sitting him down in a chair, not unaware the boy was barely responding at that moment in time.

"Jaspar, we have him. He's fine," Elison commented, his voice a little tight. "He's safe for now." He patted the boy's shoulder to reassure him.

In the pub light, his hair was even greyer looking, making Elison doubt his former suspicions that it was from faded hair dye. The boy's clothes were nice, not expensive but certainly ones which people wore to go out to parties or dinners. Dark boot cut jeans which hung low enough to show a glimmer of the top of his underwear. He was wearing a white vest top with a black poufy body warmer and a bright pink scarf around his neck, which was threatening to be covered in blood.

"I'll get some ice and the first aid kit," Justice noted, hopping off the stool and moving over to the bar. Leo moved forward to take the boy's scarf off. Elison just sat on a chair next to him and looked him in his watery blue eyes seriously. The boy still looked frightened but didn't protest as Leo pulled the scarf off.

"I'm Elison," Elison grunted, not really used to doing this but getting a distinct gut feeling that he was going to be doing it often in the future now he was working for a do-gooder seer. "What your name, kid?"

"Nathan Walker," the boy said firmly, despite the look of fear in his eyes.

"Ignore Elison. He's just being grumpy because he likes his evening to be dull and boring," Leo chuckled, taking the supplies from Justice as he brought them, the evening bartender going back to work. "I'm Leo, one of the staff members here. How old are you and what was the cause of those men trying to beat you up?"

"Bit blunt," Elison commented as he watched Leo wash down the injuries on the man's face. Nathan flinched from the pain. Jaspar was silent, apparently just listening to the conversation, but Elison noticed the seer had taken off his gloves.

"Hush," Leo said bluntly, wriggling his arse at Elison.

"I'm seventeen... Eighteen in a few weeks..." the boy said slowly. "As for why... Why should I tell you that?"

"Because we just stopped them doing whatever they had planned for you," Elison said brusquely.

"Because that wasn't blunt?" Leo teased back, making Elison lift an eyebrow.

"I guess that's true," Nathan murmured, clearly shaken up by his experience. "I didn't do anything if that's what you're thinking. My brother disappeared a few weeks back and they thought I might have information on him. I don't. They were a little angry by this." Nathan's hands were clasped together in his lap. "Where am I? They grabbed me from central street and put me in a van. I don't know where I am,"

"Southside, about two miles from the docks," Elison mused. "You'll have to wait until sunrise before leaving here, it's not safe to walk back on these streets. Lots of unmentionables roam this area." The term 'unmentionables' was the term the normal papers used for the supernatural creatures which roamed the city. Elison had no idea what the normal citizens thought the unmentionables were but they knew from an early age that they were dangerous and not to be underestimated.

"Where is here?" Nathan asked, looking around the pub with uncertain eyes.

"A pub. You don't need the name. Hopefully, you won't find your way back here," Jaspar commented softly. "What's your brother's name?"

"Johnny," Nathan commented, looking strangely at the man who hadn't spoken yet and was wearing sunglasses. "Johnny Walker."

"Oct! You got your book on you?" Elison called over to the bar. Oct had disappeared for a few days after being cut off but that managed to turn whatever misfortune had befallen him around and had reappeared able to pay his tab. Reappeared alive and with a new scar on his face, but no longer wailing and drinking himself into such a stupor.

The man silently pulled a little black book out of his pocket and threw it at Elison, who caught it easily. Opening the book and he shifted through to the most recent papers. Oct worked for a mercenary company and kept detail notes about who got bounties and why. He was good like that. Elison quickly found the name Johnny Walker in the book.

"Your brother's bounty is legit," he mused, "Only a couple of thousand, though. Not enough for the bigwigs in the business to care, but the small fry." He closed the book ominously. "No reason was given for the bounty either but at that price there rarely is. Do you have any idea what trouble your brother has gotten himself into?"

Nathan shook his head limply, looking about to either scream or cry. The joys of being a teenager when faced with danger, you could go either way. "None," he whispered, "None at all."