132 Cloak and Dagger Part 1 (2/2)
Another thirty minutes and three elven moon teas later, the tavern's doors swung open and two lanky teenagers walked in.
This time, they wore matching gray hoods that helped them blend in with the tavern's shady crowd.
I raised a hand in greeting, and the McCords made their way to us, both of them stopping only once to raise eyebrows at Varda who was chugging down a tankard of rock beer. The fact that there were ten empty tankards on the table in front of her made this feat more impressive.
Collin sat down on the chair opposite me half a minute later, glancing back at Varda as he did.
\”She going to be able to get up after that?\” he asked.
His brother sat down beside him while answering Collin's question, \”Got to love that dwarven constitution. Stomach made of iron, that one.\”
Connor laughed and clapped along with the others as Varda finished another mug.
\”Can we focus, please,\” I sighed.
Neither of the McCords pulled down their hoods, but they'd each asked for a glass of salamander whiskey.
\”You guys are underage,\” I reminded them.
\”Nothing worse than a 'goody two shoes', Collin,\” Connor said, raising his glass for a toast.
His brother toasted him. \”Ah, too be young and innocent.\”
They chuckled.
\”Didn't you two walk in here looking like a pair of frightened sprites?\” Aura reminded them, causing both McCords to sputter over their drinks.
\”Let's get down to business,\” I insisted. \”Why are you in the Undercroft?\”
The McCord exchanged looks. Their nerves had returned. But as always, Collin found his courage first. \”A large squad of Black Wand soldiers arrived here the night before last. We were with them—\”
\”—Which is why we didn't inform your sprite about it,\” Connor added in a whisper. \”We didn't know where we were headed until we arrived.\”
\”It's all hush-hush,\” Collin agreed.
\”How many of you are there?\” I asked.
\”About two hundred, give or take,\” Collin answered.
\”Another hundred Scarlet Moon troops arrived earlier tonight,\” Connor continued. \”Not ours. Soldiers of the Dark Wing, a unit that also serves the Black Hand…\”
\”Your two squads didn't arrive together?\” Aura asked, her eyebrows bunched.
Collin shook his head. \”No, we marched here from the northern regions, but these guys had come from some city in the east…\”
Both Aura and I glanced at each other. It seemed both of us had the same idea. Excluding the Dominion's Adamant Fortress, which was more to the north than directly east, there was only one other prominent city east of the Undercroft.
But neither Aura nor I spoke out loud the name of this city. It was premature. We needed more proof before we even dared point a finger at a great general.
\”Why are you gathering here?\” I asked.
Collin took a swig of his glass. Then he leaned over the table to me and said, \”There's a slave auction happening on the Night of Samhain…\”
\”That would be normal in a city like this,\” Aura interrupted.
\”Nothing normal about it, princess,\” Connor said, leaning in as his brother had done. \”Rumor has it that a bunch of big wigs from several clans are arriving just for this auction…\”
\”Big wigs from several clans,\” I repeated.
Collin and Connor both nodded.
\”Yeah, and they're all looking to possess something they can only get at this auction,\” Collin said, pausing for dramatic effect, and then, \”A human who can use magic…\”
\”Ty,\” I breathed.
Finally, proof that Ty really was in this hellhole of a city. It meant my own visions weren't some figment of my imagination which was a possibility I was considering too.
\”Where's this auction going to be held? Where's Ty—\”
Another interruption, one loud enough to drown even Varda and the other dwarves' half-drunk chanting.
Four figures in scarlet cloaks had just walked into the tavern, and from the way their hoods turned left and then right, they were definitely looking for something I was very intimate with—trouble.