Chapter 3 — The Market That Sells Secrets
856 Words
The market smelled like smoke, metal, and bad decisions.
Grayson looked around slowly as people moved past them beneath hanging lights and patched fabric roofs.
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “This definitely feels like the kind of place where organs disappear.”
Mira adjusted the strap on her bag. “Please try not to insult anyone.”
“I’m not insulting them,” Grayson replied. “I’m respecting the atmosphere.”
Selene kept walking ahead of them without slowing down.
Like she already knew exactly where she was going.
That alone made Logan uneasy.
The deeper they moved into the market, the stranger things became.
Old weapons.
Fragments of statues.
Ancient coins.
Broken masks.
A man arguing loudly over what looked suspiciously like a human skull.
Grayson pointed immediately. “See? That can’t possibly be legal.”
“Nobody here cares,” Selene said calmly.
“That somehow makes it worse.”
Logan noticed the way people looked at Selene.
Not with surprise.
Recognition.
Small nods.
Quick glances.
Like she’d been here enough times to stop being new.
Mira noticed too.
“You really weren’t joking about coming here before.”
Selene glanced back slightly. “I said I bought information here.”
“Yeah,” Grayson muttered. “That sounded less concerning earlier.”
A loud crash echoed somewhere nearby.
Nobody reacted.
Which somehow felt more unsettling.
Grayson leaned toward Logan slightly.
“If we die here, I just want it officially recorded that this was your stupid idea.”
“You came willingly.”
“I came because staying home while you two chased cursed paper sounded boring.”
Selene looked back. “Cursed paper?”
Grayson pointed toward Logan immediately. “Oh yeah, he’s emotionally attached to a blank map now.”
“It’s not emotional attachment.”
“You stared at it for twenty straight minutes yesterday.”
“That’s called studying.”
“That’s called falling in love slowly.”
Mira sighed. “You compare everything to romance.”
“Because romance explains most bad decisions.”
Selene shook her head slightly, though Logan noticed the corner of her mouth move again.
Grayson immediately pointed at both of them.
“There it is.”
Logan frowned. “What?”
“That look again.”
“There’s no look.”
“You two are absolutely going to ruin each other’s lives later.”
Mira almost choked trying not to laugh.
Selene looked genuinely caught off guard for once.
Logan rubbed a hand against his forehead. “Can you stop talking?”
“No,” Grayson replied instantly. “I’m invested now.”
Selene recovered quickly though.
“You say strange things very confidently.”
“That’s because confidence is free.”
“That explains a lot.”
Grayson placed a hand dramatically against his chest. “You wound me, Selene.”
Logan walked ahead slightly.
Mostly because continuing that conversation felt like psychological damage.
The market narrowed as they moved deeper inside.
Less tourists.
Less noise.
More armed people pretending not to be armed.
Even Grayson stopped joking as much.
Which said enough by itself.
Finally Selene stopped near a dark doorway covered by hanging cloth.
Two men stood outside.
Neither looked friendly.
One of them glanced at Selene.
Then nodded once and stepped aside.
Grayson immediately whispered, “Fantastic. She has scary people credentials.”
Selene ignored him.
“You stay close inside,” she said quietly.
Logan’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Inside what?”
Selene pulled the cloth entrance aside slightly.
“A collector’s den.”
“That sounds incredibly illegal.”
“It is.”
“Great.”
Mira stepped closer beside Logan. “What exactly are we looking for here?”
Selene hesitated briefly.
Then answered honestly this time.
“A lead connected to Areshakt.”
Logan looked at her immediately.
“You already knew this place had one?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
Selene exhaled softly. “I heard rumours.”
Grayson blinked. “So our entire plan right now is built on rumours from criminals.”
Nobody answered.
Because unfortunately that was accurate.
Inside, the room was darker than expected.
Warm lights.
Old shelves.
Ancient objects stacked everywhere without organization.
Some looked priceless.
Others looked cursed.
A man sat near the back of the room calmly cleaning sand off an old bronze object.
Older than all of them.
Sharp eyes.
Still posture.
The kind of man who looked dangerous without moving.
He looked up once they entered.
Then his gaze stopped directly on Logan.
Not curious.
Certain.
The room suddenly felt quieter.
Selene spoke first.
“We’re looking for information.”
The man didn’t answer immediately.
His eyes remained fixed on Logan.
Then finally—
he smiled slightly.
Not warmly.
More like recognition.
“I know,” he said.
Grayson muttered under his breath, “Oh that’s f*****g creepy.”
The old man stood slowly.
Then pointed toward the bag hanging at Logan’s side.
“The map,” he said calmly.
A pause.
Then his expression changed slightly.
Like he’d realized something worse.
His voice dropped.
“You brought it here?”
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