Chapter 141
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
"Welcome to the Special Samhain Auction hosted by the Under Ring, proprietors of the Wailing House." A pixie in fine livery bowed his head to us. "Might I see your invitation?"
Kallista, gorgeous in her tight red velvet dress, passed a card to him.
He spent a brief second looking at the card before turning his gaze on each of us in turns.
"Welcome, Madam Kallista of the famed Rings of Fortune Auctioneers," he said in welcoming tone. Then he addressed us, "And these are?"
"My guests," Kallista said in almost imperious manner like she wasn't about to be questioned by the doorman about who she brought with her.
She pushed the pixie aside and walked in. And while he looked on at her with half of a protest stuck in his mouth, Aura, Luca, Shanks, and I followed her through the threshold of the Wailing House's front entrance.
It was ironic that we were walking in through the front door when we'd infiltrated and caused mayhem inside the estate only the previous night. Of course, this time we were disguised to keep the guards from noticing who we were.
Not that the masquerade-styled mask that covered Shank's face could hide his massive physique. The garish blue coat he wore did nothing to make him look any less conspicuous either.
Luca, on my left, was dressed in a similar style. He wore the same masquerade mask and coat Shank's sported as they were both playing the role of our bodyguards.
But Aura, who was on my right, well, she'd quieted down an entire lobby full of self-important fairies and human viseres just by entering the hall in a golden gown that only served to highlight her beauty. Indeed, it was as if Idunn, the golden moon, had come down from the heavens for a single night to walk amongst the mere mortals.
Weirdly enough, that was exactly what happened in the fairy version of the legend of Samhain.
Aura's chin-length golden hair had been parted to one side and held together by a crystal hairband. Her beautiful face was uncovered, yet painted in the style of the old druids, swirls of leaf patterns forming across her cheeks.
I did my best not to steal a glance at her for fear that my brain would crash. After all, I needed my wits about me tonight and.
Ironically enough, Kallista said the same thing as she led us up the Wailing House's central staircase.
"Keep your wits about you," she whispered. "There are many vipers here tonight."
The party made our way up the red-carpeted steps but were stopped just as we'd reached the second floor by a bald dwarf whose own cheeks had been painted with the word 'Leprechaun' written across his rather large nose.
"Gorgeous Kallista," he called to her, raising his hands forward in greeting. "I didn't think I'd expect you at my auction. Didn't you always hate trading in slaves?"
Kallista was a master at the fake laughter.
"Indeed, I am, Qarta," she admitted. Then she nodded toward me. "But my good friend, Count Oculus, was interested in some of your wares tonight."
The dwarf named Qarta stroked his rather impressively long beard. "Count Oculus, you say? Don't think I've heard of you before?"
This was my cue to step forward. And I did exactly this while ensuring to whip my black cape back with a flourish.
I inclined my masked face to the dwarf while thinking in my head that my costume looked too much like that of The Phantom of the Opera.
Qarta's initial skepticism of me vanished almost immediately after he'd noticed the finery of my clothes and the jewelry that adorned my neck and fingers. All pieces Aura had lent me to complete the look of a wealthy slave owner looking for something new to play with.
"I hope you find what you're looking for in our auction," he whispered conspiratorially to me. "We of the Under Ring pride ourselves in providing our clients with every kind of pleasure or sin they could ask for."
I felt my skin crawl as we walked away from him. I was certainly going to need a shower after this whole night was over.
On the second floor landing, an usher guided our party to a private room that opened into its own balcony that overlooked the right side of the auditorium.
The three of us took our seats in the balcony while Luca and Shanks stood behind us like the guards they pretended to be.
"I feel naked without my broadsword, Dean," Luca complained.
"You fight just as well with your fists, little brother," I countered. "Take this as an opportunity to polish your skills."
I ignored Luca's sigh of protest and gazed out at the packed seats below us.
"Big crowd," I said.
Just like your typical movie theatre showing the next big summer blockbuster, the seats were full to bursting with eager faces—the sleazeballs. After all, this was a slave auction.
"Promise me you won't go crazy and try to free every human you see down there?" Aura pleaded.
"Almost sounds like you think I'll do something crazy and jump down to rescue all the slaves down there," I countered.
"You do strike me as someone who'd do that," Shanks added from behind.
"He's definitely someone who'd do that," Luca agreed.
I turned around in my seat to glare at him.
"I'm not suicidal, you know," I reasoned. Then gave my brother the once over and noticed that his hands were shaking slightly. "You sure you want to be here, Luca?"
Luca's hatred for anything that had to do with slavery was legend in our unit, which is why I didn't get why he insisted on joining us in this excursion tonight.
"I'll be fine," Luca said. "For Ty."
"For Ty," I nodded, before returning my focus to the audience around us. "Anyone in this group we should be wary of?"
"Plenty," Kallista admitted, pointing a finger to the front row of the seats beneath us. "All those fairies are buyers serving some fairy lord or clan who couldn't be bothered to attend this gathering."
Kallista moved her finger to the opposite balconies on the left side of the auditorium.
"That lot, however, they're VIPs that have come to this auction to attain its biggest prizes," she revealed. "Tonight, they are the rivals we must best."
"Which one of them would likely give us a headache?" I asked.
Kallista pointed to the balcony straight and to the west of us.
There, seated alone was a fiery-haired salamander who looked more lordly than any fairy I'd ever encountered, even more than the patriarch or Garm. He wore a golden robe that was the same color as the golden halo that sprouted behind him like a high collar of some kind.
"That is Lord Rah of the Sunspire Dominion," she said. "Prime Minister of the Solar Conclave, second only to the Sun clan's Patriarch."
"Can we beat someone that big in an auction?" I asked worriedly.
"You have the interests of both the Lover's Embrace and the Rings of Fortune backing you," she chided. "Do not worry. Our coffers tonight are quite deep."
From Lord Rah's balcony, I glanced over to the right because that balcony had an interesting group of people in it.
I saw a brown-haired man sitting in the center of a crowd of very beautiful fairy women who all seemed to be in different stages of undress. Or maybe they were all just dressed provocatively. I wasn't sure.
But I would have averted my eyes right away for fear of Aura thinking I was some kind of voyeur if I hadn't just seen the brown-haired man send me a Mudgardian soldier's salute.
"What the…?" I whispered in surprise.
"Of all the people whose attention you could catch. It had to be his," Kallista smiled.
"Who is he?" I asked.
"He's the Lord of Stars," Kallista revealed.
That was a rather big bomb to drop, and I would have followed up on it too if Aura hadn't just tapped on my shoulder and pointed to the balcony directly to the right of us.
"Guess who's here," she said in a tone that was half jest and half worried.
I followed her gaze and immediately did a double-take, and all thought of meeting the Lord of Stars vanished from my mind.
"Hey, Luca," I called. "Your favorite chancellor's here…"
Luca narrowed his eyes after he saw Chancellor Kairon sitting snugly on the balcony right beside ours.
"He's alone… it would take just one leap from here to assassinate him here," Luca joked.
Although, by the dark look plastered on his face, I wasn't entirely sure he was joking.
"He's not alone, Luca," Aura reproached. "He only likes to look vulnerable but you can bet he's got his guards hiding around behind him."
"I thought you said your brother didn't want anything to do with the chosen one?" I complained.
Aura's brow was knotted worse than I'd ever seen it. "My brother and Orryn aren't but Kairon tends to go off-script if it benefits him. And they can hardly manage to suppress his actions… not when he has a great general backing him from the shadows."
Yup, the Trickster Pavilion had a very Game of Thrones vibe whenever it came to the council and its generals.
I patted Aura reassuringly on the shoulder. "We're going to spoil whatever plans he has for coming here so don't—".
I'd been glancing sideways at Aura this whole time and so I accidentally noticed the group of people on the balcony directly to our left. So, when I say my eyes went wide with shock then there was a pretty good reason for it.
"Mother f***er," I hissed.
"What?" Aura asked.
I pointed a finger toward the balcony on the left and watched as Aura's own face change to one of recognition and surprise.
"Oh," she said.
Oh was an understatement. After all, it wasn't every day we ran into our rival. Yup, Ardeen Spellweaver was in the house, and he wasn't alone.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
"Welcome to the Special Samhain Auction hosted by the Under Ring, proprietors of the Wailing House." A pixie in fine livery bowed his head to us. "Might I see your invitation?"
Kallista, gorgeous in her tight red velvet dress, passed a card to him.
He spent a brief second looking at the card before turning his gaze on each of us in turns.
"Welcome, Madam Kallista of the famed Rings of Fortune Auctioneers," he said in welcoming tone. Then he addressed us, "And these are?"
"My guests," Kallista said in almost imperious manner like she wasn't about to be questioned by the doorman about who she brought with her.
She pushed the pixie aside and walked in. And while he looked on at her with half of a protest stuck in his mouth, Aura, Luca, Shanks, and I followed her through the threshold of the Wailing House's front entrance.
It was ironic that we were walking in through the front door when we'd infiltrated and caused mayhem inside the estate only the previous night. Of course, this time we were disguised to keep the guards from noticing who we were.
Not that the masquerade-styled mask that covered Shank's face could hide his massive physique. The garish blue coat he wore did nothing to make him look any less conspicuous either.
Luca, on my left, was dressed in a similar style. He wore the same masquerade mask and coat Shank's sported as they were both playing the role of our bodyguards.
But Aura, who was on my right, well, she'd quieted down an entire lobby full of self-important fairies and human viseres just by entering the hall in a golden gown that only served to highlight her beauty. Indeed, it was as if Idunn, the golden moon, had come down from the heavens for a single night to walk amongst the mere mortals.
Weirdly enough, that was exactly what happened in the fairy version of the legend of Samhain.
Aura's chin-length golden hair had been parted to one side and held together by a crystal hairband. Her beautiful face was uncovered, yet painted in the style of the old druids, swirls of leaf patterns forming across her cheeks.
I did my best not to steal a glance at her for fear that my brain would crash. After all, I needed my wits about me tonight and.
Ironically enough, Kallista said the same thing as she led us up the Wailing House's central staircase.
"Keep your wits about you," she whispered. "There are many vipers here tonight."
The party made our way up the red-carpeted steps but were stopped just as we'd reached the second floor by a bald dwarf whose own cheeks had been painted with the word 'Leprechaun' written across his rather large nose.
"Gorgeous Kallista," he called to her, raising his hands forward in greeting. "I didn't think I'd expect you at my auction. Didn't you always hate trading in slaves?"
Kallista was a master at the fake laughter.
"Indeed, I am, Qarta," she admitted. Then she nodded toward me. "But my good friend, Count Oculus, was interested in some of your wares tonight."
The dwarf named Qarta stroked his rather impressively long beard. "Count Oculus, you say? Don't think I've heard of you before?"
This was my cue to step forward. And I did exactly this while ensuring to whip my black cape back with a flourish.
I inclined my masked face to the dwarf while thinking in my head that my costume looked too much like that of The Phantom of the Opera.
Qarta's initial skepticism of me vanished almost immediately after he'd noticed the finery of my clothes and the jewelry that adorned my neck and fingers. All pieces Aura had lent me to complete the look of a wealthy slave owner looking for something new to play with.
"I hope you find what you're looking for in our auction," he whispered conspiratorially to me. "We of the Under Ring pride ourselves in providing our clients with every kind of pleasure or sin they could ask for."
I felt my skin crawl as we walked away from him. I was certainly going to need a shower after this whole night was over.
On the second floor landing, an usher guided our party to a private room that opened into its own balcony that overlooked the right side of the auditorium.
The three of us took our seats in the balcony while Luca and Shanks stood behind us like the guards they pretended to be.
"I feel naked without my broadsword, Dean," Luca complained.
"You fight just as well with your fists, little brother," I countered. "Take this as an opportunity to polish your skills."
I ignored Luca's sigh of protest and gazed out at the packed seats below us.
"Big crowd," I said.
Just like your typical movie theatre showing the next big summer blockbuster, the seats were full to bursting with eager faces—the sleazeballs. After all, this was a slave auction.
"Promise me you won't go crazy and try to free every human you see down there?" Aura pleaded.
"Almost sounds like you think I'll do something crazy and jump down to rescue all the slaves down there," I countered.
"You do strike me as someone who'd do that," Shanks added from behind.
"He's definitely someone who'd do that," Luca agreed.
I turned around in my seat to glare at him.
"I'm not suicidal, you know," I reasoned. Then gave my brother the once over and noticed that his hands were shaking slightly. "You sure you want to be here, Luca?"
Luca's hatred for anything that had to do with slavery was legend in our unit, which is why I didn't get why he insisted on joining us in this excursion tonight.
"I'll be fine," Luca said. "For Ty."
"For Ty," I nodded, before returning my focus to the audience around us. "Anyone in this group we should be wary of?"
"Plenty," Kallista admitted, pointing a finger to the front row of the seats beneath us. "All those fairies are buyers serving some fairy lord or clan who couldn't be bothered to attend this gathering."
Kallista moved her finger to the opposite balconies on the left side of the auditorium.
"That lot, however, they're VIPs that have come to this auction to attain its biggest prizes," she revealed. "Tonight, they are the rivals we must best."
"Which one of them would likely give us a headache?" I asked.
Kallista pointed to the balcony straight and to the west of us.
There, seated alone was a fiery-haired salamander who looked more lordly than any fairy I'd ever encountered, even more than the patriarch or Garm. He wore a golden robe that was the same color as the golden halo that sprouted behind him like a high collar of some kind.
"That is Lord Rah of the Sunspire Dominion," she said. "Prime Minister of the Solar Conclave, second only to the Sun clan's Patriarch."
"Can we beat someone that big in an auction?" I asked worriedly.
"You have the interests of both the Lover's Embrace and the Rings of Fortune backing you," she chided. "Do not worry. Our coffers tonight are quite deep."
From Lord Rah's balcony, I glanced over to the right because that balcony had an interesting group of people in it.
I saw a brown-haired man sitting in the center of a crowd of very beautiful fairy women who all seemed to be in different stages of undress. Or maybe they were all just dressed provocatively. I wasn't sure.
But I would have averted my eyes right away for fear of Aura thinking I was some kind of voyeur if I hadn't just seen the brown-haired man send me a Mudgardian soldier's salute.
"What the…?" I whispered in surprise.
"Of all the people whose attention you could catch. It had to be his," Kallista smiled.
"Who is he?" I asked.
"He's the Lord of Stars," Kallista revealed.
That was a rather big bomb to drop, and I would have followed up on it too if Aura hadn't just tapped on my shoulder and pointed to the balcony directly to the right of us.
"Guess who's here," she said in a tone that was half jest and half worried.
I followed her gaze and immediately did a double-take, and all thought of meeting the Lord of Stars vanished from my mind.
"Hey, Luca," I called. "Your favorite chancellor's here…"
Luca narrowed his eyes after he saw Chancellor Kairon sitting snugly on the balcony right beside ours.
"He's alone… it would take just one leap from here to assassinate him here," Luca joked.
Although, by the dark look plastered on his face, I wasn't entirely sure he was joking.
"He's not alone, Luca," Aura reproached. "He only likes to look vulnerable but you can bet he's got his guards hiding around behind him."
"I thought you said your brother didn't want anything to do with the chosen one?" I complained.
Aura's brow was knotted worse than I'd ever seen it. "My brother and Orryn aren't but Kairon tends to go off-script if it benefits him. And they can hardly manage to suppress his actions… not when he has a great general backing him from the shadows."
Yup, the Trickster Pavilion had a very Game of Thrones vibe whenever it came to the council and its generals.
I patted Aura reassuringly on the shoulder. "We're going to spoil whatever plans he has for coming here so don't—".
I'd been glancing sideways at Aura this whole time and so I accidentally noticed the group of people on the balcony directly to our left. So, when I say my eyes went wide with shock then there was a pretty good reason for it.
"Mother f***er," I hissed.
"What?" Aura asked.
I pointed a finger toward the balcony on the left and watched as Aura's own face change to one of recognition and surprise.
"Oh," she said.
Oh was an understatement. After all, it wasn't every day we ran into our rival. Yup, Ardeen Spellweaver was in the house, and he wasn't alone.
"Welcome to the Special Samhain Auction hosted by the Under Ring, proprietors of the Wailing House." A pixie in fine livery bowed his head to us. "Might I see your invitation?"Kallista, gorgeous in her tight red velvet dress, passed a card to him.He spent a brief second looking at the card before turning his gaze on each of us in turns."Welcome, Madam Kallista of the famed Rings of Fortune Auctioneers," he said in welcoming tone. Then he addressed us, "And these are?""My guests," Kallista said in almost imperious manner like she wasn't about to be questioned by the doorman about who she brought with her.She pushed the pixie aside and walked in. And while he looked on at her with half of a protest stuck in his mouth, Aura, Luca, Shanks, and I followed her through the threshold of the Wailing House's front entrance.It was ironic that we were walking in through the front door when we'd infiltrated and caused mayhem inside the estate only the previous night. Of course, this time we were disguised to keep the guards from noticing who we were.Not that the masquerade-styled mask that covered Shank's face could hide his massive physique. The garish blue coat he wore did nothing to make him look any less conspicuous either.Luca, on my left, was dressed in a similar style. He wore the same masquerade mask and coat Shank's sported as they were both playing the role of our bodyguards.But Aura, who was on my right, well, she'd quieted down an entire lobby full of self-important fairies and human viseres just by entering the hall in a golden gown that only served to highlight her beauty. Indeed, it was as if Idunn, the golden moon, had come down from the heavens for a single night to walk amongst the mere mortals.Weirdly enough, that was exactly what happened in the fairy version of the legend of Samhain.Aura's chin-length golden hair had been parted to one side and held together by a crystal hairband. Her beautiful face was uncovered, yet painted in the style of the old druids, swirls of leaf patterns forming across her cheeks. I did my best not to steal a glance at her for fear that my brain would crash. After all, I needed my wits about me tonight and.Ironically enough, Kallista said the same thing as she led us up the Wailing House's central staircase."Keep your wits about you," she whispered. "There are many vipers here tonight."The party made our way up the red-carpeted steps but were stopped just as we'd reached the second floor by a bald dwarf whose own cheeks had been painted with the word 'Leprechaun' written across his rather large nose."Gorgeous Kallista," he called to her, raising his hands forward in greeting. "I didn't think I'd expect you at my auction. Didn't you always hate trading in slaves?"Kallista was a master at the fake laughter."Indeed, I am, Qarta," she admitted. Then she nodded toward me. "But my good friend, Count Oculus, was interested in some of your wares tonight."The dwarf named Qarta stroked his rather impressively long beard. "Count Oculus, you say? Don't think I've heard of you before?"This was my cue to step forward. And I did exactly this while ensuring to whip my black cape back with a flourish.I inclined my masked face to the dwarf while thinking in my head that my costume looked too much like that of The Phantom of the Opera.Qarta's initial skepticism of me vanished almost immediately after he'd noticed the finery of my clothes and the jewelry that adorned my neck and fingers. All pieces Aura had lent me to complete the look of a wealthy slave owner looking for something new to play with."I hope you find what you're looking for in our auction," he whispered conspiratorially to me. "We of the Under Ring pride ourselves in providing our clients with every kind of pleasure or sin they could ask for."I felt my skin crawl as we walked away from him. I was certainly going to need a shower after this whole night was over.On the second floor landing, an usher guided our party to a private room that opened into its own balcony that overlooked the right side of the auditorium.The three of us took our seats in the balcony while Luca and Shanks stood behind us like the guards they pretended to be."I feel naked without my broadsword, Dean," Luca complained."You fight just as well with your fists, little brother," I countered. "Take this as an opportunity to polish your skills."I ignored Luca's sigh of protest and gazed out at the packed seats below us."Big crowd," I said.Just like your typical movie theatre showing the next big summer blockbuster, the seats were full to bursting with eager facesthe sleazeballs. After all, this was a slave auction."Promise me you won't go crazy and try to free every human you see down there?" Aura pleaded."Almost sounds like you think I'll do something crazy and jump down to rescue all the slaves down there," I countered."You do strike me as someone who'd do that," Shanks added from behind."He's definitely someone who'd do that," Luca agreed.I turned around in my seat to glare at him."I'm not suicidal, you know," I reasoned. Then gave my brother the once over and noticed that his hands were shaking slightly. "You sure you want to be here, Luca?"Luca's hatred for anything that had to do with slavery was legend in our unit, which is why I didn't get why he insisted on joining us in this excursion tonight."I'll be fine," Luca said. "For Ty.""For Ty," I nodded, before returning my focus to the audience around us. "Anyone in this group we should be wary of?""Plenty," Kallista admitted, pointing a finger to the front row of the seats beneath us. "All those fairies are buyers serving some fairy lord or clan who couldn't be bothered to attend this gathering."Kallista moved her finger to the opposite balconies on the left side of the auditorium."That lot, however, they're VIPs that have come to this auction to attain its biggest prizes," she revealed. "Tonight, they are the rivals we must best.""Which one of them would likely give us a headache?" I asked.Kallista pointed to the balcony straight and to the west of us.There, seated alone was a fiery-haired salamander who looked more lordly than any fairy I'd ever encountered, even more than the patriarch or Garm. He wore a golden robe that was the same color as the golden halo that sprouted behind him like a high collar of some kind. "That is Lord Rah of the Sunspire Dominion," she said. "Prime Minister of the Solar Conclave, second only to the Sun clan's Patriarch.""Can we beat someone that big in an auction?" I asked worriedly."You have the interests of both the Lover's Embrace and the Rings of Fortune backing you," she chided. "Do not worry. Our coffers tonight are quite deep."From Lord Rah's balcony, I glanced over to the right because that balcony had an interesting group of people in it.I saw a brown-haired man sitting in the center of a crowd of very beautiful fairy women who all seemed to be in different stages of undress. Or maybe they were all just dressed provocatively. I wasn't sure.But I would have averted my eyes right away for fear of Aura thinking I was some kind of voyeur if I hadn't just seen the brown-haired man send me a Mudgardian soldier's salute."What the?" I whispered in surprise."Of all the people whose attention you could catch. It had to be his," Kallista smiled."Who is he?" I asked."He's the Lord of Stars," Kallista revealed.That was a rather big bomb to drop, and I would have followed up on it too if Aura hadn't just tapped on my shoulder and pointed to the balcony directly to the right of us."Guess who's here," she said in a tone that was half jest and half worried.I followed her gaze and immediately did a double-take, and all thought of meeting the Lord of Stars vanished from my mind."Hey, Luca," I called. "Your favorite chancellor's here"Luca narrowed his eyes after he saw Chancellor Kairon sitting snugly on the balcony right beside ours."He's alone it would take just one leap from here to assassinate him here," Luca joked.Although, by the dark look plastered on his face, I wasn't entirely sure he was joking."He's not alone, Luca," Aura reproached. "He only likes to look vulnerable but you can bet he's got his guards hiding around behind him.""I thought you said your brother didn't want anything to do with the chosen one?" I complained.Aura's brow was knotted worse than I'd ever seen it. "My brother and Orryn aren't but Kairon tends to go off-script if it benefits him. And they can hardly manage to suppress his actions not when he has a great general backing him from the shadows."Yup, the Trickster Pavilion had a very Game of Thrones vibe whenever it came to the council and its generals.I patted Aura reassuringly on the shoulder. "We're going to spoil whatever plans he has for coming here so don't".I'd been glancing sideways at Aura this whole time and so I accidentally noticed the group of people on the balcony directly to our left. So, when I say my eyes went wide with shock then there was a pretty good reason for it."Mother f***er," I hissed."What?" Aura asked.I pointed a finger toward the balcony on the left and watched as Aura's own face change to one of recognition and surprise."Oh," she said.Oh was an understatement. After all, it wasn't every day we ran into our rival. Yup, Ardeen Spellweaver was in the house, and he wasn't alone.
