Chapter Thirty-Five
“No bodyguards allowed.” The two Hulfrin at the warehouse door crossed their arms and glared at the two Brandva we'd brought with us.
“No problem.” Vasren waved the men back. “Wait with the carriage.”
Tesal and Behez nodded and went to stand beside our rented carriage. It didn't matter; we still had three Raltven watching our backs, and they were already inside.
“Welcome, Lord Varra.” The guard waved us through the narrow doorway.
Vasren took my hand and led me into a dark antechamber.
I felt watched, and I was fairly certain it wasn't by Raltven.
But it was just a pass-through. We stepped through another passage, and the warehouse transformed into a lavish open space lined with rugs, lit with hovering light spheres, and spotted with groups of delicate chairs and couches.
People of many races mingled as they lounged on those seats with glass flutes in their hands, some standing against the fabric-covered walls.
There were Hulfrin, Brandva, Deldin, Lelurra, Ricarri, and even a few Neraky.
Other than Vas and me, there were no Dragons or humans.
Nor were there any Eljaffna or Raltven, but that wasn't surprising.
Eljaffna weren't native to Tabaa, and Raltven generally weren't invited to auctions.
On my wrist was that evil ribbon—dormant. A gold bracelet hid most of it, but I'd left a bit showing at the edges. Bara had to see it, but we didn't want to make it look as if we wanted him to see it. Most importantly, I had to act like Eliel.
As we made a circle of the room, stopping only to accept drinks from a waiter, I realized that I could have worn the ribbon without a bracelet to hide it.
Nearly the entire gathering wore ribbons, and it was obvious that the Lelurra were on the unwilling end of those bonds.
It seemed they were the concubine of choice in Tabaa.
As a whole, they were a beautiful race, and they were also elusive.
To win a Lelurra lover as a non-Lelurra would be difficult.
Among a certain type of crowd, claiming a Lelurra would be seen as an achievement.
A type of status symbol. Or maybe a mark of virility.
And these assholes had found a way to buy the unattainable.
My hand clenched around Vasren's.
“I see them,” Vas whispered. “We will free them all, Kat.”
“This is fucking—”
“Shhh.” He turned to face me and leaned down close enough that it would appear to others that we were kissing. “You have to look enchanted, remember? Hide your emotions.”
I took a deep breath and let it out before nodding.
“Sir Vasren!” Bara's voice came from my left. “I'm so glad you could attend my little party.”
Vas kissed my forehead and then turned toward Bara with a grin. “I wouldn't have missed it. Not after you've proven to have such . . . invaluable merchandise.”
Bara chuckled, his arm around Eliel's waist, and looked me over. “So, you're satisfied?”
“Beyond,” Vasren drawled and stroked my hair, displaying the ribbon on his wrist. “Aren't we happy, Kai?”
I kept my expression blank as I looked up at him. “So happy, Vas.”
Bara's stare flicked to my wrist. “You look content, Kailan. A shame, though. I suppose you don't have any interest in visiting the tumuli anymore?”
I looked up at Vas. “Do I?”
“No, you'd rather explore the city.”
“I'd rather explore the city,” I repeated to answer Bara and then lowered my eyes.
My stare went to the side and landed on Eliel's free hand. It was trembling. I wanted to reassure him, but that would wreck the mission. Fuck! That motherfucker! I was going to slice his balls off! No, fuck that. I'd give Eliel the knife. He deserved to kill Bara himself.
“So, you hinted at other items.” Vasren put his arm around me and pulled me closer.
I knew it was a warning. My expression must have been slipping. I took a breath and calmed myself.
“Yes, they're on display at the end of the room. You may bid, of course. But first, I'd like to show you the special items I've held back for my elite customers.”
“Lead on.” Vas waved his hand.
Bara took us across the warehouse and into a room guarded by several Hulfrin.
There were tables displaying sets of ribbons in lacquered boxes and mannequins wearing glowing cloaks, each item numbered with little cards.
A single Hulfrin guarded the door in the right wall. He opened it as we approached.
On the other side was an office. As richly appointed as Bara's home, the office hid its metal frame with wood paneling and thick rugs. There was a large desk against one wall, but Bara veered to the right, going to a long, narrow table instead.
“You've experienced the power of the master ribbons.” Bara waved at me as if I were living proof of his talent. “I also manufacture cloaks that make the wearer nearly invisible.”
He opened a box, glowing blue light seeping from it until a folded length of silk was revealed.
He removed the silk and shook it out. Holding it up before him, he moved it side to side so Vas could see that it was a cloak with an attached hood.
The hem puddled on the floor, hinting that it was long enough to cover Vasren.
“It's beautiful.” Vasren stroked the silk. “Why does it glow like that?”
“It's magic.” Bara grinned. “I'm offering a version of these in the auction, but this one is the elite model. The others you saw in passing have a single layer of fabric and will make you almost invisible. You'll still have a faint outline.”
“Like a Raltven?”
“Yes, precisely. But this cloak is lined. With two layers of my magical silk enveloping you, even the brightest light will not expose you.”
I fought to keep my expression blank as I processed this.
Bara had taken Raltven magic and made it twice as powerful simply by doubling up.
That meant light wouldn't protect people from being spied on.
Or assassinated. I recalled the sensation of someone brushing against me in Bara's dining room.
This explained why they remained completely invisible in that bright room. Shit, Bara's guards could be anywhere.
“May I?” Vasren held out his hands.
“Of course!” Bara offered the cloak.
As Vas swung it on, I stood still, taking my cues from Eliel, who only stared blankly ahead.
Even when Vas disappeared, I merely cocked my head.
No further reaction. Not that it mattered.
Bara had dismissed me as a person. I was just a slave to him now.
He stared at Vas the entire time. Or rather, where Vas had been.
“I feel strange,” Vasren's voice came out of thin air.
“Look in the mirror.” Bara waved his hand toward the wall, where a gilded mirror hung.
“Dear Gods!” Vasren exclaimed, proving to be a better actor than I'd expected. “How did you accomplish this?” He pulled off the cloak and appeared in front of the mirror. Then he put it back on, playing the role perfectly. “It's wondrous!”
Bara laughed. “Oh, I can't give away my secret.”
No, he couldn't. Because then “Lord Varra” might drag him to the King of Tabaa and out him as the evil bastard that he was.
Vas pulled the cloak off again. “How much do you want for it?”
“That depends. What have you decided about our business arrangement?”
Vasren grinned and stepped over to Bara, hand extended. “You have a new partner, Bara.”
Bara shook Vasren's hand, grinning wide enough to display his canines.
Meanwhile, Eliel looked over at me. I winked at him.
Eliel's blank face flared with hope, but it was gone a second later as Bara and Vas returned to us.
They were talking about business ventures that would never happen, and Vas had the cloak folded over his arm.
“I'll give you the cloak for ten gold,” Bara said.
“Ten?” Vasren's eyes went wide. “How much are you intending to sell these for?”
“A hundred gold.” Bara grinned.
Vasren laughed, but it wasn't mocking. It was sinister, and the sound sent chills down my spine. “Dear Gods, I'm very glad to have met you.” He pulled a pouch from his jacket and took out ten gold coins. “Thank you for the discount.” He set the coins in Bara's hand.
“Thank you for helping me expand my business. Oh, but one thing—stay out of Weisha. You can sell the items anywhere else, but not there.”
“Why not?”
“I already have a partner in Weisha, and I assured her a monopoly in the city.”
She! The Spider was a woman!
“A monopoly? I've just come from Weisha, and there was nothing like this for sale there.”
“You must be discreet when you sell items like this. You can't just put them in a shop window.”
“No, of course not. The Dragon Kings would never approve the sale of items such as these. But still, I didn't hear a whisper of them.”
“You're a Dragon knight. No one would attempt to sell you illegal goods.”
“I see.” Vas paused. “Very well. I won't sell in Weisha.”
“Good, good.” Bara patted Vasren's shoulder. “Then we'll do great together.” He went back to the table. “I've recently invented one more item, but this is the only one I have, so it's not for sale yet.”
Bara lifted what I thought was a silk hood. But then he held it up and I saw that it wasn't a hood but a full mask. If you could call it that. This mask would entirely cover a person's head, without holes for seeing or breathing. It did not glow.
“What is that?” Vasren asked.
“It's a swimming mask.” Bara offered it to Vas. “When you put it on, you can breathe underwater.”
“Fascinating.” Vas looked it over. “Dragons have Water Magic now, so we won't need this, but I imagine it will be a big seller with the other races.”
“Oh, yes. Especially the underwater races.”
“Why would they need them?”
“For captives, of course. With a breathing mask, they could take people of the land races without worrying about transporting them to an underwater city.”
Vasren's face twitched, but he controlled his fury. “Ah, yes, the undersea races can be a bit barbaric.”
A breathing mask. Fuck. It had to be Neraky magic.
The other underwater races would be harder to capture or even find, but Neraky sailors visited all the coastal towns on Serai.
Bara even had Neraky customers out in the warehouse.
He'd probably sell those masks to them. And they'd never know it was the bones of their brethren that empowered the silk.
The vigilante in me saw the delicious irony in that, but it didn't stop my horror and disgust from rising.
The man was branching out. Soon, the glass cases in his basement would have bones from all the races of Serai.
Even Dragon bones.
Vas took my hand, clenching it harder than necessary, and I knew his mind had beaten me to that conclusion.
Bara's operation was on the verge of expansion.
No one would be safe. For me, that was life.
Just the way it was. For Vas, it was a horror story.
Something that shouldn't be possible. Dragons would become as vulnerable as humans.
As Bara led us back to the main room, Eliel looked over his shoulder, through his folded wings. At me. My concern over Vas vanished. Vasren was dealing with possibilities. Eliel was living a nightmare.
I pressed my hand to my chest, over my heart, and inclined my head, giving Eliel a silent vow that he would not be forgotten.
His freedom was paramount—even more important than Bara's death.
And it wasn't just about Eliel. My work was first and foremost about helping people.
That's what I had decided when I chose to continue down this path.
Justice would come second. The living before the dead.
Hopefully, that would keep me from becoming one of the monsters I hunted.