Chapter 48 – Selene

Even when I exited the Adventurers Guild, the rain hadn't let up. It kept coming down in heavy sheets that blurred the road and, most importantly, me as I moved towards my new goal. The only thing I was a bit annoyed by was that my cloak was soaked through, clinging to my shoulders like a second skin, and every step toward Silverhaven was like walking on ice, with how slippery the cobbled stone could become.

Reaching the place, it was just a building at the corner of the northern part of town. Honestly speaking, I wouldn't have even batted an eye as it was part of a block of houses coming from two streets. As I said, it was on the corner, so its entrance faced two streets at once. But, from its appearance, the painted stone, the three stories, the simple windows... it was just part of the residential buildings. Or... at least it looked like. Huh...

There were no signs nor advertisements, no some kind of magical sigil that would be pulsing under the rain—glowing just beneath the surface of the stone. It was just a house.

"Here goes nothing," I muttered as I entered through the unlocked front door. I was never really religious, nor did I really care about this world's powers, either. But...

I felt something. I can't put it into words, but the moment I was out of the rain and the door closed behind me, I felt how prey would feel in the forest in the dead of night. It was like... I was being watched. Damn it all, I didn't want to be here. That was my honest thought. But Mira was dying. And I have a score to settle because of it.

I gripped the token Garron had given me, doing it subconsciously, pulling it out, wanting to raise it high so whoever's consciousness was locked onto me could also see it and not do something... hasty.

By the time the guards inside the building stepped forward, I had already calmed down a lot. The feeling persisted, but now I could rationalize it that I was indeed watched by someone, causing my mind to pick up on the fact. Looking at the figures, they were tall, armored head-to-toe, their faces hidden behind smooth, impassive helms that only let their eyes show. Their halberds crossed in front of me without a word, blocking my entrance through the second set of doors within. I didn't complain; I simply stopped short, my heart pounding, glancing at them for a silent moment.

"State your business," one of them said. His voice was like gravel, dead and flat.

I swallowed hard after realizing my throat was dry when I wanted to answer. I could feel the eyes... Not just theirs—the ones that were pressuring me from somewhere. From the windows above? But there were no windows there to see when I looked up... Then... From behind the stone? Shaking my head, I reached forward with the token in my hand.

I didn't need to say anything while one of the guards took it without a fuss. I watched as he held it up to the light coming from above and then pulled out a crystal from his belt. When he brushed the token against it, the thing pulsed. It had a deep echo, glowing and pulsing blue, once, then twice, once again... Like some kind of code. So... it wasn't just a wooden token, then?

Watching it pulsing, another moment passed. Then, the tension shifted when they straightened and pulled back their halberds.

"It is authentic," the guard said, but he was probably not talking to me. "Follow." Or maybe.

The doors behind the two opened with a groan so deep it rattled in my ears for an extra few seconds, but I followed him without falling behind. It was then that I stepped into Silverhaven.

The courtyard inside stunned me. I don't know what I expected—cold stone, maybe, a stone building—but not this. The path we were on matched my expectations, paved in black stone laced with gold, gleaming even through the downpour. But the marble statues lining the walls, the colorful, decorative sculptures, and flowerbeds in the inner, open-air courtyard were a sight to behold.

While we walked towards the left side of the building, I also noticed that nobody else was present, only more guards standing at intersections and stairways leading up to the upper floors and to different sections of this place. The rest of the guards didn't even look at me as we walked; they just stood there as if they were also part of the decoration.

Eventually, my guiding warden led me down a quieter hallway and up a stone staircase polished to a mirror sheen until we stopped at a dark oak door on the third floor. We waited there for about a minute, and I was about to ask what was happening when I heard the lock click once. He opened it immediately, without saying anything, ushering me in with a simple glance.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped through, feeling the door slam shut behind me.

The warmth hit me first, somewhat drying me up. It was then I realized I had probably left a long stretch of water trail behind me... Was it why I was being made to stay still outside the door a little? Maybe. Looking around, there was a fire burning low in a white-stone hearth, and the air smelled of something rich and spiced—tea, maybe, but not like anything I'd ever drunk, that is for sure. The room itself was beautiful. Ornate carpets all around, with tall windows framed by gold-thread curtains. Opposite where I stood, two high-backed chairs were facing a small table.

And a girl... no? A... woman? I couldn't tell her age, mostly because... she was not a human.

She was a beast-folk. Not like the ones I fought before, probably a more mixed-race one, as she had more human characteristics than animal-like. But there they were... Cat ears twitched atop her ash-blonde hair, and her green eyes sparkled with curiosity. She smiled gently, seeing me check her out, cradling a tray with a teapot and delicate little cakes.

"Welcome, our honored guest," she said, bowing slightly. "Please, come closer and warm yourself."

I stood there like a soaked idiot for a full three seconds before nodding my head. To my surprise, she took my cloak with a practiced ease and set it on a drying rack by the fire. I tried to say something. But I failed. Was she someone in power...? Or was she a maid sent to help me wait for the actual powerhouse of this place? Damn it. Before I could think or ask, I was already sitting. She took the lead so easily that I lost my chance to have it at all.

I could only watch as she poured me tea.

The cup was fine porcelain, thin as air, and the aroma made my body begin to feel warm and relaxed. Well, if it is drugged... I am already in the middle of it all, so... fuck it. I sipped carefully. Mhm... It burned a little. Spiced. Strongly. It was not alcoholic, but it was close enough.

"Lady Selene will see you shortly," she said, bowing again.

So she was indeed a maid. I see. Maybe it was a good thing I remained silent. Keeping it up, I nodded and just sat there, trying to steady my breathing, fingers curled around the cup, and organizing my mind about what to do when I finally had to talk. Meanwhile, I also noted that Mira's eyes wouldn't leave my head. Maybe she was reading me? In a way, no human could? Most likely. I know that dogs could hear your heartbeat, and maybe beast-folks have something similar. It could easily help them determine more than a regular human could...

Then she smiled. Huh... maybe they can read more than just the speed of one's heartbeat.

Then, amidst my thinking, the door opened again. This time, I knew who it was before she said a word. It had to be Lady Selene.

I was sure because she walked in like she owned the place. Well... she probably owned it. She had that kind of presence. At a glance, she was older than the current me, sure—around her forties maybe—but not diminished by her age. Dark hair, silver at the temples, with eyes like sharpened amethysts.

She smiled when our eyes met. It was calm. Measured... And somehow, it was genuine. Huh.

"You must be Auriel," she said.

"Y-yes." I stood awkwardly to bow. Sort of... Anyway, managed it. I was just surprised she knew me by name.

"I know the hand that carved this," she said softly, pulling up the token that was probably passed to her by the guard. "It told me all that I need to know." She chuckled, and then she met my eyes again. The warmth in them faded just a little... just to be noticeable. Especially in her voice, she became strictly business-like. "You have ten minutes to convince me why Silverhaven should concern itself with your troubles."

So it began... She gestured to the chair across from her, and I sat down, recalling all the negotiations I had done in my old life.

"I have an employee who is dying as we speak." I didn't bother dressing it up. There was no time for speeches or poetry. I was doing something that you should never do... to tell the other party what you desperately need. Because then they can use it against you. But... I had a feeling she already knew, and all of this was only to see what kind of man I was. What could they even ask me, anyway? So, I was rolling the dice on this. "She is one of mine—a runner. Just a kid, really. The Crimson Ledger caught her, and someone from them tortured her. They thought she was done for... She wasn't. And I don't want her to fail if she could survive this long."

While speaking, Selene sipped her tea like I'd just described a broken fence, remaining impassive about it.

"And you came here because...?"

"You have access. Knowledge. Artifacts. Magic. Potions. I don't know what, really, but I know you must have something that can save her." I met her eyes while saying it. "I'll pay."

"You speak like you can afford it." She raised an eyebrow in answer.

"I don't know until I hear it."

"Any price?" she smiled softly.

"No."

She leaned back, her smile widening even further as she continued to study me.

"Why save her?"

That caught me.

"What?"

"Mira. Why her? You run a network, yes? Children come and go. You're not their father. Why spend this visit on them?"

My jaw locked. So she knew it all... huh? I guessed so.

"She's twelve."

"So are others. That's not a good enough answer."

"If it were any of them, I'd be here too. I am their employer; they got tortured in place of me. If they can be saved, I am responsible for it because I put them in harm's way."

"No..." She leaned forward, studying my eyes. "The actual reason is something else. You just don't want to say it yet..."

"..."

"There is a potion," she continued, leaning back. "Rare. Hard to brew. Painful to take. But it would rebuild a broken body. But you're wasting your chance on it."

"What?" I flinched.

"Asking for that is a waste." She tilted her head. "You've brought a token. One boon from Silverhaven. One gift. You could ask for power. Wealth. Revenge. And you ask... this? No... That doesn't add up. Your token is something others would kill for because if you asked for the city, that would also not be out of the question."

"You are lying." It was my time to throw it back into her face, making her raise her brows, and the smile returned to her face. I know this look; I know when someone lies with honeyed words. And I am not falling for it. "You wouldn't go that far, as it wouldn't bring you anything. That token is for a favor; I am not stupid. If the favor I would ask for outweighs the effort and profit you need to sacrifice for it, you would refuse. Straight up."

"Hehehe... True." She giggled, her eyes twinkling a little, "But I do think your request is... a waste."

"Not really," I argued again. "They think she is dead. She isn't. If she can be saved, she may reveal information that would come in handy in the future."

"Ah yes... Information. True, in your chosen field, it is important. But..."

"Then give me the complete recipe along with the potion." I cut in before she could finish it.

"..."

"Too much?" I asked, and this time, I smiled, seeing her reaction.

"You think you could learn how to brew potions?"

"No." I shrugged, "But I have someone in mind who could."

"..."

"I don't have much time." I urged her, remembering how Mira had looked when I left.

"Interesting." Lady Selene muttered, tapping on the table. "What about revenge?"

"I will take it myself," I said with confidence. "The Crimson Ledger will have what is coming to them. But... It will be achieved by me. I can't learn to run before I can walk."

"Mhm." She nodded again, slowly standing up. "I do accept your request, Auriel. Come... let me lead you out and give you what you asked for."