She wasn’t imagining things. There really was a second swirl of bats, albeit a much smaller one. They seemed to be clustering over a chimney stack at the back of the grand old house that faced Jos Le Rêveur on the other side of the alley, which opened between these two venerable buildings.
The gate that separated the alley from the street was anchored to the sides of these properties, inset by about the length of a car. Not for the first time, Jade regretted that she didn’t have a key. She could tell that things happened inside that impasse, and she would have loved a chance to take a closer look.
Zina, who had sauntered ahead, turned around to see what was keeping her friend. Jade took the hint and picked up the pace.
***
She didn’t really like entering the park at night any more. Which was weird – this public space, and others much like it, had been her home for many a month. Not that she had ever felt safe there, but she had managed to get by, and she still knew most of the regulars by name.
But she was no longer carrying her backpack these days, and anyway she had recently accumulated far more possessions than it could reasonably hold. She now owned far more than a single set of spare clothes, for one thing; she had acquired books and a few magazines, and she had even splashed out on a nice pair of trainers. The rudimentary camping gear on which she had once relied was now packed away in a neatly taped-up box, ready for use but kept out of sight.
She didn’t feel any different, but apparently the park knew better. You are a visitor now, it seemed to say. A welcome one, but you are no longer part of me. Should you really be hanging out here after dark?
***
Probably not, Jade thought. She felt watched, weirdly uncomfortable; in fact she had felt watched ever since she had left the tavern. Some strange, tingly feeling between her shoulder blades, like the aura of some predator touching hers in that very spot.
As she turned around to head for the exit, the tingly patch shifted from her back to her front, right over her heart. Something was very wrong, she realised, but she hadn’t had time to give it much thought when a man stepped right into her way.
Jade hadn’t noticed anyone as she had walked into the park. Nor had Zina, apparently. The dog’s hackles rose instantly, her whole posture tensed in a half-crouch.
Never show fear, Jade reminded herself. It would probably have to be fight rather than flight; she wouldn’t get away fast enough if the guy turned out to be hostile.
Which was likely inevitable. No random passer-by would contrive to stand this close, in a forsaken, murky corner of the city at night, well beyond the reach of any light from the streets.
***
On closer inspection, the man seemed too strong for her to fight off. He was tall and clearly in great shape, even if he did look ancient… Older even than Jos, possibly.
Then again, men over forty all looked equally grizzled to her. Unlike her landlord, this one dressed formally – a charcoal suit over a cream-coloured shirt, with a powder-blue silk tie that brought out his cold eyes, and what might well have been handmade leather shoes. His pale face seemed practically fluorescent in the light of the moon, and his teeth shone even brighter.
“Bonsoir, Mademoiselle. What is a pretty girl like you doing out so late?”
The accompanying smile only made the situation worse.
“Get out of my way, creep!”
“Oh, a feisty one,” the creep grinned, inching even closer.
She’d never make it to the gates. Maybe the shrubbery? Surely she was faster than a man of his age?
Jade bolted towards an even darker corner, there to hide in the dense foliage of an overgrown clump of privet. Behind her, Zina was still growling at the threat. Then, a thud, a whimper, silence.
She had nearly reached the thicket when the man appeared plumb in her way. She darted off to the right and managed a dozen metres or so when her pursuer popped up in her path again.
And again, and again. A short sprint in a random direction, and then after a few paces a screeching halt to avoid bumping into the leering lowlife that kept resurfacing where no leering lowlife had stood before. The distances got shorter, and she was running out of breath.
He was clearly enjoying himself. Eventually, when she’d worn herself out, he simply reached out to grab her by the throat. She wasn’t even surprised to see the improbable fangs that he surely hadn’t had mere minutes ago.
***
Her jacket fell open as he attempted to bare her throat, exposing the delicate necklace she had been given for protection. His brief revulsion at the sight gave her just enough time to pull out Adelphine’s mystery spray and take aim. Right in the eyes, you b!st!ard, and here’s a second helping for good measure, for whatever you’ve done to my dog.
He’d already let go, reeling from the pain, when out of nowhere Mirko dropped from the sky. Later at the tavern, Jade would struggle to provide a blow-by-blow account of the fracas that ensued, other than that the two fighters seemed evenly matched. There was a lot of apparating away and resurfacing a few paces along; there was much flying off, zipping around and circling back; there were plenty of mighty wallops, winded grunts and unexpectedly high-pitched squeals.
If Zina hadn’t recovered so quickly from their foe’s earlier assault, they’d probably still be at it. She lurched at the brute’s ankle, immobilising him long enough for Jade to land a few more squirts while Mirko finally managed to knock him out.
Mirko was sitting on his opponent’s back, cuffing his opponent’s hands when she had regained her composure sufficiently to confront him. The man’s fancy suit would never be the same again, and the gashes on his cheek would likely take a while to heal.
Then again, what did she know about their kind. Jade walked up to Mirko, who paused and eyed her wearily.
“So,” she said, fixing him with a hard stare. “Is there something you’d like to tell me?”