20 Almost Famous (1/2)

”You really think I'm a rising star?” I couldn't help feeling flattered from hearing those words from such a beautiful female, even with Aura beside me. Assuming she actually meant it and wasn't just trying to get on my good side.

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”The salamander who had us followed appears in front of us and that's what you're concerned about?” By the tone of his voice, I could tell Luca was either shaking his head in exasperation or rolling his eyes at my back.

”Dean... priorities...” Aura admonished me.

”I am prioritizing, guys. We want to become heroes, right?” I reasoned with them. ”I just want confirmation that we're getting noticed now.”

”Fair point... but are her words reliable? She's not exactly trustworthy,” Varda commented from somewhere on my right. ”Ooh, this is a nice sofa...”

”Allow me to clarify,” Kallista interrupted. ”The real rising star is Azuma as he has accomplished remarkable achievements since becoming a visere of the Magesong clan. And among the current generation of viseres, there are many who recognize his strength as the real deal.”

Kallista raised five of her sharp-nailed fingers one by one.

”I can count the number of his defeats on one hand,” then she raised a finger from her other hand. ”Your victory over him in the Calmlands could be considered the sixth.”

”Six losses doesn't sound so special,” Luca answered. ”Dean hasn't lost a single one.”

But I thought he was wrong. A war that's been going on for five hundred years among more than twenty fairy clans meant the number of battles that have occurred since must be in the tens of thousands. Having only six losses, even if we considered his short human lifespan, meant Azuma must have won dozens by now. He was a one-thousand man commander after all, and we were just lucky he didn't attack us at full strength.

”Your brother has had only one victory,” Kallista corrected Luca. ”But, this is a victory worth noticing because of who you were up against as Azuma has become quite famous here in the eastern lands.”

Beside me, Aura's face turned contemplative. ”Since we defeated him... it stands to reason that our name... no, our leader's name will spread to those who fear and admire Azuma.”

Kallista nodded. ”And it won't stop there... chances are, your name will spread to the entire Fayne.”

My eyes grew wide at just the thought of what Kallista was suggesting. ”To all the Fayne...”

”Do not let this inflate your ego too much,” Kallista laughed. ”I speak of something temporary. An instant is all the time you will have to be remembered...”

”Like a drop of water making a ripple in a vast ocean,” Edo translated.

They were right. An instant was all I had. However, as long as we kept winning, those little victories would keep trickling into the thoughts of the people, and that's how we'll become the heroes of this age.

The thought of this future possibility blew my mind, and I noticed that the others were equally quiet and contemplative. It wasn't until Varda said, ”So... you're not actually famous. Just almost famous because it's so short term,” that everyone laughed. Myself included.

”But like Varda said,” I raised an eyebrow at Kallista. ”How can we trust your information?”

”I am an auctioneer. I deal in all things... including information,” Kallista's smile revealed a pair of sharp fangs on her pearly white teeth. ”Consider this a freebie. Now, shall we get to business?”

”I'm sorry but aren't you with the Lover's Embrace?” Aura sought confirmation from Kallista. ”Why are you here in this auction house owned by the Rings of Fortune?”

”The Rings are a merchant clan so it is not unreasonable for them to hire someone with influence in the city who can make business transactions run smoother for them,” Kallista answered with a sway of her curvy lips. ”Your problems with the city guard aside, I guarantee that you are safe inside this auction house for as long as you behave.”

There was nothing we could do. Asking for a different auctioneer might create more bad blood between us. So, if we wanted to use the auction house's resources then we would have to deal with Kallista. Preferably, with no bloodshed.

I glanced over to Luca who shrugged back at me.

”I'll go with whatever you think, Dean,” his answer was a contrast to the stiffness of his posture. He wasn't letting his guard down in front of Kallista.

My eyes looked over to Varda who was sitting on one of the plush red couches.

”It's fine by me,” Varda answered.

I couldn't help noticing the piece of unicorn-hair she held tight in her fist.

Edo slid his finger across his neck before saying, ”She crosses us, she dies.”

I shook my head exasperated. He could have been less hostile as it wasn't like Kallista hadn't seen his threat.

Aura squeezed my arm.

”We need this auction house, Dean,” Aura whispered in my ear. ”It's the one place we can sell the goods aunt Darah gave us.”