10. Maldenis #2
“Indeed.” Melora’s nostrils flared. “But even without your presence, the minotaurs are already tough to infiltrate.”
Hektor nodded. “Minotaurs are close knit, and keep to themselves and their own clans.”
“Clans, right,” Maldenis’s lips curled. “More like gangs.”
Medusa tapped at Perseus’s shoulder. “Minotaurs remind me of that Upperworld movie we watched a few weeks ago…what was it again, the one that starts with the man asking for a favor from that guy? During the day of the daughter’s wedding?”
The shifter’s head swiveled around to face the gorgon. “You mean The Godfather?”
“I love that movie,” Elian piped in.
“Of course you would,” Liora teased. “All guys do.”
“Ah, they’re like the mafia,” Zara said with a snap of her fingers. “So…criminals?”
“Exactly,” Hektor scoffed. “Degenerates with no honor, who steal and lie—”
Medusa cleared her throat. “In any case, with two possible offspring of Zeus in the area, it’s a good idea to investigate, plus we don’t have any other strong leads at the moment.”
Elian raised a hand. “But how can we find them and go around if Hektor can’t guide us?”
“You do have someone,” Melora said. “Maldenis will be your guide.”
“Me?” Maldenis blinked, then paused, waiting for the punch line. Three beats of silence passed before he spoke. “Wait, you’re serious?”
“Of course I am.”
“You wouldn’t trust me to babysit your desertflower shrubs,” he countered. “And you want me to guide them?”
“Yes, and why not?”
“I wouldn’t know what to do.”
Melora’s golden gaze zeroed in on him, sharp and assessing.
“You have a way with others, my son. You know how to talk to them. How to persuade them. And most of all, you also know when to stay quiet and listen, in order to draw them to your side. Why do you think your business is successful? Why do customers want to come to your bar and stay and talk? Because they know it is a safe place.”
Maldenis couldn’t have been more shocked if his mother suddenly began dancing the tango. He was about to open his mouth when Liora spoke up.
“That’s true, you know.” There was no hint of sarcasm or dry humor in her words. “And you’re like a dog with a bone when you want something.”
A small, mysterious smile tugged at Melora’s lips. “Your wife agrees.”
His wife.
“It makes sense,” Perseus said. “Much like Hektor, Maldenis is from Vale Crossing. Locals will trust him more and he’s not a Drakkon. However, you will still need a minotaur guide. Thankfully, we found you one. A friend of a friend.” He paused, then continued. “Of our friend.”
“That’s quite a distant connection,” Hektor commented.
“Our friend that Perseus is referring to is his sister’s mate, Lord Eros,” Medusa clarified.
“But we don’t know who he is, exactly. We only know his name.
Brontaios of the Dreifhorn Clan. He runs an underground gambling ring in his town.
Your first task is to find him and convince him to help you.
Once you do, it’ll all be smooth sailing from there. ”
“Why don’t you ask Lord Eros to ask his friend to call him up?” Liora said. “Make this all easier.”
“It doesn’t quite work that way,” Maldenis said. “Minotaurs really don’t like outsiders getting into their clan business.”
“This isn’t business, it’s family,” Zara pointed out. “We are trying to help them.”
“Family is business,” Medusa piped in. “Just like in that movie.”
The gorgon’s movie comparison from earlier was close enough that the triplets looked at each other, seemingly understanding what they were trying to convey.
Liora rubbed her palms on her thighs, then pushed herself up. “Alright then, we’ll find this Brontaios first. When do we leave?”
“Today, as soon as you check out,” Melora said. “I’ve secured a vehicle for you to use, one that can accommodate you all, including Maldenis. You should reach the Ridge by late afternoon if you leave after lunch.”
“So soon?” Maldenis groaned.
“The party is over, son,” she said. “The real work begins.”
They spoke for a few more minutes, with Medusa and Perseus updating them on other possible leads, as well as office business that needed their attention. Once they were done, they said their goodbyes and finished the meeting.
Melora gathered the laptop, then shuttled over toward them, her gaze landing on Liora. “Good luck, you will need it.”
Liora glanced at Maldenis. “I sure will.”
“Hey,” he protested. “I’m not that bad.”
A ghost of a smile passed over his mother’s lips, and for a moment, he saw her expression soften.
“No, my son. You are not.” Then, that usual no-nonsense mask slipped on.
“I must leave now, as I have another mission coming up. I will see you all soon.” And with that, she sauntered off, disappearing out the doors of the suite.
A strange pang filled Maldenis’s chest as he watched his mother leave. Those words she had said earlier…and the ones at the meeting with the elders…It sounded like she really meant them.
“I guess this is going to be our honeymoon,” Liora said, bumping into his side playfully.
“Is it now?” Crossing his arms over his chest, he leaned his face down close to hers. “Does that mean I’m going to get lucky on this trip? Are you gonna—OW!”
Pain shot up his body as her foot landed on the tip of his tail.
“Oops! Sorry,” Liora raised her hands in mock apology, then side-stepped him. “Didn’t see your tail there. You really should be careful about where you put that thing.”
“I know where you like that thing,” he countered.
She turned bright red as her brother and sister snickered behind her. He was half expecting an insult, but to his surprise, she said, “I guess I walked into that one.”
He supposed that was the closest he would get to an apology from her for stepping on his tail. “You make it too easy.”
“Don’t think I’ll make the same mistake next time.”
As she turned to leave, she flashed him a smile. And for reasons unknown to him, his heart thrummed an unnatural tempo from inside his chest.
The drive to the Ridge of Nine Horns took the better part of the afternoon.
Maldenis was glad his mother had managed to borrow one of the modified sand-cruisers that could travel over long distances on various terrains, as there was no way he would have fit in the back seat of a normal car with two other passengers.
Of course, he had to be the one to operate the sand-cruiser, which he didn’t mind. With his mind on the driving, he at least didn’t have to think about what lay ahead.
Or about his wife.
Something had definitely shifted between them, and it happened sometime after last night.
The kiss he couldn’t forget.
He wondered what would have happened if his cousins hadn’t interrupted them.
“Wow,” Liora said as she looked out the window. “This is certainly different.”
Different was an understatement. Unlike the vast, wide deserts of Solkaris, the highlands towered over them, pillars of dark stone and falling water practically swallowing their vehicle as they drove up the steep mountain highway.
They reached a treacherous incline, and Maldenis had to shift the sand-cruiser into a lower gear to prevent the engine from overheating.
“It reminds me of home,” Elian said in a quiet tone.
“This is nothing like Santa Fe,” Hektor remarked.
“He means Valle Trigenico,” Liora clarified. “And yeah, I can see it. The vegetation is different and it’s drier in Bolivia, but the high altitude and the mountains are all very similar.”
Maldenis shivered. “Yeah, we’re definitely not in the desert anywhere.”
A soft hand landed on his shoulder. “Are you okay? Basilisks don’t do great in cold weather, do they?”
“Nope,” he said, popping the p. “But it’s not cold enough that it’s gonna kill me. I can put on a sweater.”
When he checked the vehicle earlier after it had been delivered, there had been a duffel bag in the trunk with a tag with his name on it.
Inside were various cold-weather clothing in his size.
Though there was no note or anything else to identify where or from whom it had come here, he could only guess it was Melora’s doing.
He continued driving, reaching a sharp bend covered in mist. Slowing down, he turned on the fog lights, though it cleared the moment they passed through, revealing a large valley below.
There was a lake in the middle, its dark surface making it appear like solid obsidian.
A road wound around it and led up to a group of stone structures hewn into the mountainside.
“That must be Glenmorgrund,” Hektor said. “It’s the first town in the Ridge that visitors pass through.”
“And the most tourist-friendly,” Maldenis added. “And incidentally, the home of the Dreifhorn clan.”
“People come here on vacation?” Zara asked. “I thought they were close-knit and tough to infiltrate?”
“The clans are, but minotaurs aren’t isolationists,” Maldenis said. “Some parts of the Ridge actually do get a lot of visitors and those towns rely on them to survive.”
“They need tourists to steal from, after all,” Hektor huffed.
They continued the journey, making their way down the road, winding around the small lake, toward the town carved into the base of the rock face.
“I think that’s where we’ll be staying. Felsenloft Lodge.” Maldenis pointed to the large stone structure covered in ivy near the entrance of the town. Melora had also taken care of their accommodations and had sent him the information via email.
He pulled into the small parking lot on the side of the building, then turned the engine off. “Alright, how should we go about this? Thoughts?”
“We should probably stay here in the sand-cruiser.” Zara sent Hektor a reassuring glance. “And once you get us checked in, we’ll go in separately and try to lay low until Hektor gets to the room.”