Chapter Two

  The night’s breeze brought the salty air of the sea to my nose as I inhaled deeply. It knocked my hood from my head and ruffled my hair, almost playfully. It brought a smile to my face. Tonight’s beauty was truly a gift from the Goddess. The full moon helped provide plenty of light to the street, casting a blue glow over most of the open area of the square. The hanging lamps dangling from their posts overhead swung in the wind, rattling quietly. It was a peaceful night in Sailor’s Rest, and at this point in the night most everyone should be tucked safely into their homes. If my prediction was right, which was always the case, the Eel wouldn’t be home for a while yet. I planned to use this to my advantage, as I wanted to make this easier on myself. That meant the fewer eyes on me, the better.

  I looked towards the South, where the docks were. He was probably there, bartering with the incoming sailors the second they set foot on the pier. Harassing them for a quick gold coin was a more accurate way to put it. I had half a mind to go down there and throw him off the wooden docks, and I snorted to myself at the thought of the rat-man blubbering in the water.

  Tempting as it was, that wouldn’t accomplish what I needed to do. Instead, I turned the other direction and started walking North towards the far end of town. Thanks to Shane, I knew that the slimy bugger lived near the market district, decently far away from the Tavern. I reminded myself of the simple plan I had come up with as I walked. Get in, get the payment, get out before the sun rises. Judging by the moon, there were still a few hours left in the night. Plenty of time. Picking up the pace, I briskly moved through the ghostly quiet city. My shoes barely made a sound as they hit the stone road.

  In about an hour I had made it across the city, to the homes and buildings packed tightly together in the heart of the shopping district. Market stalls lined the street on both sides, all packed up and abandoned for the night. I stopped in front of the building I knew his flat was on, and ducked into the alley. I leaned against the wall beside me and collected my thoughts. Closing my eyes, I focused on the sound of dripping water in the back of the alley. I took a deep inhale through my mouth and held my breath for a minute.

  My senses heightened as magic rippled through me when I exhaled. This was the thrill of my heritage, the Blessing of the Goddess in its raw state. As I channeled the energy through my body, I shifted out of my Persona. My face contorted and stretched, becoming long and narrow. The hair on my head went from long and well-kept to a shaggy and greasy cut. My senses dulled down to normal, and the high was gone just as fast as it came.

  I bent down and rubbed some dirt into my hands and under my nails. I had to make it seem like I was coming back from working the docks, and I knew for a fact that the man I was impersonating was always dirty under his nails. When I straightened, I shook off the tightness of my muscles and cleared my throat, acclimating to my new voice. I stepped out onto the street once again, now fully disguised as the Eel himself. I strolled around the corner to the open entryway in the front of the building, and ducked through it.

  The main floor of the residential building was built to impress. Marble columns, large paintings, and an onyx fireplace let everyone know that the owner of the place meant business. In the center of the common space was a large, half-moon receptionist’s desk. The maiden watching over the desk in the center of the lobby peered at me with a bored, slightly grossed expression behind her green eyes. I recognized her as Maria, the middle child of the leatherman’s three daughters. I was slightly surprised to see her there, as her father was fairly strict with all of his daughters. I would have to ask him about it next time he was at Shane’s.

  “Hello sir, welcome back.” She spoke curtly as she set down the book she had been reading. “Will you be going to your flat now?”

  I shot her a smirk as I strode towards the desk. Leaning over the edge, I took in the scent of wildflowers in her blonde hair as I took a lock of it and rolled it between my thumb and finger. “I will be, unless a certain pretty little wildflower would like to accompany me.” The words dripped like oil off of my tongue. I cringed internally, but it had to be done. There was more than one reason I called him a rat, after all. I had a reputation to uphold.

  The half-elf teen reacted about how I’d expected her to, leaning back against her chair as far from me as possible. “Not this time, but thank you for the offer, sir. Here’s your key.” She opened a drawer to her right and pulled out a brass key. She reached up, the key dangling from her outstretched hand at arm’s length. I took the key, holding her gaze as I licked my bottom lip.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “That’s a shame, doll. You know where to find me, though, right?”

  She looked away, something on her desk becoming the most riveting display of her life. “Yes, of course, sir. Third floor. I remember.” My smile widened, flashing crooked yellow teeth at her.

  “Wonderful. I do hope to see you soon, doll. It’s impolite to keep a man waiting.” I purred with a wink. Gag. With any luck, her father will come and strangle the nasty bugger when he hears about this. I pushed away from the desk and pocketed the key, whistling a slow tune as I strolled around the corner to the stairs.

  Once out of sight, I booked it up the stairs. I took them two at a time until I came to the third floor. Steadying my breathing, I shoved the key into the lock and twisted. When the door clicked and swung open, I hastily stepped in and closed the door behind me. I couldn’t believe that the nastiest man in Sailor’s Rest lived in one of the most established businesses in the city, but I wasn’t about to ask questions. I saw right away why Shane wasn’t hesitant to demand two black pieces.

  I used a small cantrip to light the lantern sitting on a stand by the door, and picked it up to light the room as I paced through it. Ornate furniture and paintings filled the room, bits of gold details reflecting the lantern light. I was half expecting this place to be falling apart and full of rubbish or something. I set the lantern down in the center of the large sitting room and got to work. I'd done this song and dance quite a few times already, so I made quick work of it. This was, of course, what I did for work before I found Shane's. I stalked from room to room, grabbing trinkets and brooches. I wasn’t particular with it. If it looked nice and was laying out, it went into the bag. I rifled through his oak wardrobe, finding a small wooden chest at the back of the tallest shelf. Too easy. Humans are so predictable. I chuckled to myself and pulled the box out from its hiding place. Inside was a folded note and a pouch of gold coins. I tilted my head, considering reading the parchment. It was made out in handwriting that was definitely feminine, and the emblem in the wax seal looked downright regal. There was writing on the front part of the note;

  ‘To my dearest V,’

  You know what, not my business. I don’t need to, nor do I want to know anything at all about rat-man’s personal life. I shook my head, and pocketed the pouch. I tried to close the box, but something deep within me was still drawn to the letter. It pulled at my mind, invading my thoughts. Take it. The voice echoed in my thoughts. You should know the truth. The truth? Truth about what?

  There was nothing in my life that I needed answers for. At least, nothing that I couldn’t find the answer to in a book or three. Even still, I couldn’t ignore that nagging feeling that I needed to keep this paper. I groaned a little as I realized the inner voice would win. I snatched the note in my fist, shoving it in my pocket as well. Convinced I had now wasted more than enough time, I closed the small chest. I hastily pushed it back into the corner of the shelf, and stepped away from the wardrobe. As I walked out of the bedroom, my ears caught the faintest sound of something shattering. It was coming from the lobby, two whole floors below, but I had definitely heard it. I stopped and stooped down to the floor, then narrowed my senses to hear more.

  “I’m sorry if you’ve misplaced your key, sir, but I can’t issue you another one. I don’t have the ability to do that. You’ll have to take it up with Garrett when he comes back in the morning.” Maria’s voice carried through the floorboards. Another slam, most likely a fist on her desk, followed.

  “I don’t know what kinds of games you’re at, you tricky witch, but you can’t keep me out of my own flat! I’ll have your pretty little head for this, I swear on it. You’ll be on your knees, begging me for forgiveness.” A male’s voice hissed back at her, perturbed and probably drunk judging by the slur of his words.

  That’s my cue. I quickly stood up, and wrapped up the few loose ends I had left in the flat. I dropped the key on the center table and snuffed out the lantern. Careful not to make a sound, I placed the lantern back in its place beside the door. Silent and effortless, I moved across the room to the window. I didn’t make so much as a footstep as I went, but I didn’t need to waste any time thinking too much about my technique. I pushed open the shutters, and jumped out the flat’s window. I hit the alley with a less than graceful but at least quiet thud. I grunted as I slowly rose up from my crouch. That was going to come back to bite me later, more than likely. I hadn’t exactly planned for his flat to be on the third floor of a building without a balcony. I shifted my features back to Wren’s as I rubbed my right hand over my face, wasting no time getting out of the rat’s skin. My other hand gripped the paper in my pocket tightly. I was having an internal debate, and my thoughts were running amuck.

  The truth about what? I asked myself again, willing the voice to return with an answer. Why do I need this? I considered reading the note now, getting it out of my head immediately. If not, the wondering would probably drive me to madness. I was already in my head too much to begin with. The sunlight was starting to creep into the alley, though. I was running out of time. A sound behind me caused my breath to freeze in my chest. My skin started to crawl when I realized I was not alone. And this stranger had just seen me change forms. Damn you, stupid arse. How could you be so careless? My internal voice scolded me. Magic surged to life in my veins, pulsing hard and making my blood boil. All of my senses sharpened, and I could see everything as if it were mid-day — even in the shadow of the alley. My fingers clenched into fists, itching to let my Gift loose. I let go of the breath I was holding, and turned slowly to face the intruder standing in the shadow behind me. Things were about to get a lot more messy than I’d intended.