The meeting place was a tavern on the edge of the city. It was old and run down. The windows were dirty. The sign above the door was faded and cracked. It was the kind of place where people went to be forgotten. The kind of place where secrets were traded in the shadows.
Kael pushed open the door. The inside was dark. A few candles flickered on the tables. The smell of stale ale and smoke hung in the air. A handful of patrons sat in the corners, their faces hidden in the gloom. None of them looked at him. None of them seemed to care that he was there.
But Kael knew better. He knew they were watching. He knew they were waiting.
A man at the back of the room raised his hand. He was sitting alone at a table. His face was partially hidden by the shadows. But Kael recognized him immediately.
