Embrace the Dark

24

“My connections saved you once already,” Varek snapped. “While you’ve been off having s*x in fancy temples, I’ve been investigating these cultists. You wouldn’t know anything about them if not for me.”

“Or maybe this is some kind of trap,” Zain said.

“Believe what you want.” Varek spread his hands. “I’ll be at the meeting. You can join me if you wish, or I can handle things on my own. Your choice.”

“We’ll be there,” I said, the words slipping out of my mouth immediately. My mates didn’t trust the man, and in many ways I didn’t either, but I believed he was helping us. I felt it in my gut.

Of course, I'd seen him do some seriously heinous things in my dreams. He couldn't explain away cold-blooded murder. I wouldn’t forget that either.

Parin cleared his throat. "We appreciate any accurate information you can give us."

"Come inside," I told my five mates. "We can speak more privately in our chambers."

"As you wish, princess,” Varek said, but his inflection had changed. The offensive pet name didn't have the same level of vinegar in it this time.

We headed inside the palace and got many looks from the guards as Varek walked with us to the other wing. Then we entered our communal dining room and sat down to a huge meal. I wanted to kiss the cooks for having food ready even though they didn’t know when we’d return. My parents were still gone, and the responsibility of dealing with the Unseen was firmly on our shoulders. I’d be able to form a plan for infiltrating the meeting a lot better with a full stomach, and hopefully my mates would be less grumpy about Varek’s presence too.

At least he was here in the palace. That was a start.

Varek didn’t stay long. During our meal we sketched out a rough strategy, and then he headed back into the city with plans to meet us at the warehouse after dark. He said he would procure us some masks too.

We were relying on him a lot for this mission. I hoped it wasn’t a mistake.

I borrowed a dress from a servant and donned my black cloak, before heading out. I was far too recognizable in Soulspire, but hopefully with a mask and my hair under a hood, I could avoid notice. My other mates were similarly dressed in plain clothes, including Carth, who had to borrow something from Erroh.

We split up into two groups to travel in different paths to the location. A woman with four men might be a little too obvious. Of course, my mates tried to talk me out of going, until we were standing outside the building that had once housed a large warehouse before a fire destroyed it years ago. A fire that was caused by elementals. The irony was not lost upon me.

As we moved down an alley toward the back entrance, a large man suddenly stepped out of the shadows directly in front of us. I jumped, along with Erroh and Parin at my back, all of us reaching for our weapons, but then I recognized Varek.

“Are you trying to get yourself stabbed?” Erroh asked.

“Put these on.” Varek held out three gray masks toward us. "The password to enter is ‘nameless.’ We’ll go in two at a time, or our number will draw suspicion."

“The others?” I asked. Zain and Carth had taken the shorter route to the warehouse.

“Already inside. The meeting is starting soon.”

I donned the mask with a nod, then pulled the hood up to cover my hair. Parin stayed back with Varek, while Erroh and I approached the metal door and knocked.

A slat opened at the top of it. Eyes peered out. Waiting. Watching.

“Nameless,” Erroh said.

The slat shut, and then the door opened. We stepped into a dark hallway with stale air, the walls blackened and charred in places. A large man grunted and gestured for us to move forward.

The hallway opened up to a big room filled with people, most of them wearing gray masks, though some didn’t bother. A large wooden stage had been set up on one end, and more masked people waited there, along with something big and boxy that was covered by a black cloth. A large crate maybe?

I gazed around the room, sizing up the audience. So many people, a lot more than I expected, all crowded together and eager for this meeting to start. My mates were among them somewhere, but I couldn’t pick them out with the masks on. At least I had Erroh at my side.

The masked people on stage suddenly clapped their hands three times, making the room go quiet as everyone realized the meeting was starting. One of them stepped forward, wearing a black mask.

“We are the Unseen, but we will not be ignored any longer,” the person said in a booming voice, repeating a phrase I’d heard at the rally. The voice sounded vaguely feminine, but I recognized she was trying hard to deepen and alter her tone. Probably for anonymity. “We applaud your bravery for meeting us here tonight, for recognizing the inequality humans face every single day, and for being willing to put an end to it through whatever means necessary. It’s time to put humans first again.”

My stomach twisted as people in the crowd raised their fists and chanted, “Humans first, humans first, humans first!”

The leader raised her hands and flames burst forth from them, causing the audience to settle down again. “For years, we’ve been powerless against the elementals and the Dragons, but no longer. We’ve discovered a way to gain magic ourselves, and tonight we will demonstrate for you. Soon, we will be equal to the elementals…and then the Dragons themselves!”