Chapter 144
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That moment of silence didn't last long, however, as the crowd began to murmur to each other.
The man—for indeed he was a man with tanned skin, slanted Asian eyes, and dark, curly hair—rose from his seat and repeated his bid of, "Two-hundred thousand Leprechauns!"
He wore a simple white robe, the kind you'd find non-combat viseres wore in the Fayne. So at first glance, you'd think he didn't actually have the money to match his bid, but then people noticed the red cross painted on the front of his robe, and immediately the mood of the crowd turned.
A single word spread across the seats, "Pilgrimage…"
That word was enough to create a tense atmosphere in the auditorium. People fidgeted in their seats and craned their necks back to get a glimpse of this unwanted guest in their midst.
In my head, I wondered why the Pilgrimage would want Ty badly enough to put that much money on the table, and if they were a human organization that supported humans and took care of them while they were in the Fayne, would it be so bad to let them take Ty?
"Dean, the Pilgrimage isn't an altruistic organization… they would likely use Ty to further their ends…" Aura whispered like she'd sensed where my thoughts were going. "He would become their weapon against the fairies."
"Aura's right, you know. They're terrorists, and your friend is the biggest bomb around," Shanks agreed.
"But why did they help us?" I asked.
"What?" Aura's eyebrow arched.
"Remember what Qwipps said?" I reminded her. "They knew he was with the Foolhardies so they gave him all the maps he would need… why would they give us the means to rescue Ty if they were planning to buy him tonight?"
"I… I don't know," Aura admitted. "Perhaps they were planning to take Ty from us or maybe they thought he was better off with you."
"Exactly… they wouldn't mind if I saved Ty, right?" I explained, and then I swiveled my head toward Kallista and said, "Make one more bid, two hundred thousand and one."
This earned me furrowed brows from my team. But I ignored them.
"Luca," I turned to my brother. "Run down to the stalls as quickly as you can. Inform the Pilgrim that Kallista is bidding on our behalf. Go!"
Luca may find fault with my orders but he never hesitated to follow any of them, and this latest one was no exception. He dashed out of our balcony and disappeared behind the door leading back into the second-floor landing.
"Dean, are you sure about this?" Kallista asked.
While we were in discussion, Roselle had already begun his countdown. "Going once!"
"Kallista, I promise, you'll benefit from this as well, so please," I pleaded.
Kallista let out a long sigh. "Very well… I do have something in mind that can balance out this debt."
"Going twice!" Roselle called, almost pleadingly in fact. And I guessed it was because no one wanted the nuke that was Ty to go to an organization that was hostile to fairies.
Kallista raised her hand. "Two hundred thousand and one Leprechauns!"
A burst of delightful laughter came out of Roselle's lips. So much for professionalism.
"Two hundred thousand and one Leps from Madam Kallista!" Roselle repeated. "Any other offers?"
I rose from my seat and looked down from the balcony to where the pilgrim was standing. Luca hadn't arrived yet.
"Going once, going twice," Roselle repeated in a much faster beat than earlier. "Going—"
"—Two-hundred thousand and two Leprechauns," the pilgrim countered.
A light bulb lit up inside my head. The pilgrim had noticed my signal after all.
It would have been strange for anyone who noticed it, the bid I asked Kallista to make which was an obvious attempt to buy time. And if he was willing to play with us, then that meant he was curious as to why we were buying time. No doubt, he would be expecting a message from me soon, leaving me to think that I was dealing with someone who was quite sly.
Kallista made another bid of, "Two-hundred thousand and three Leprechauns!"
The pilgrim responded much slower this time when he raised his voice to say, Two-hundred thousand and four Leprechauns."
My ears picked up the sound of doors creaking open, and I looked down. I saw Luca rushing into the stalls of the auditorium and quickly making his way to the Pilgrim's side.
They exchanged words. Luca pointed upward. The pilgrim followed his gaze to me, and I knew it was time for that big gesture.
I pulled off the mask I wore and revealed my face, not just to the pilgrim, but all present there.
There was an audible chatter from the balcony on our right as well as tinkling laughter on our left. I ignored them both and forced all my will to bear down on the pilgrim gazing up at me.
A moment of recognition later, he bowed his head in greeting. I copied his gesture. Then the pilgrim sat and I let out a sigh of relief.
"Two-hundred thousand and five Leprechauns," Kallista finished.
Roselle, who had seen me pull off my mask, showed mixed feelings on his face, and I could guess what was going on through his mind.
He loved the idea of me paying that much for Ty but he hated that I would get what I want. Still, it wasn't up to him to decline such a big offer and he knew it too.
Perhaps that was why his face turned sour when he finally yelled, "Sold! To Madam Kallista and her… companions."
"You realize this is just the beginning, right?" Aura asked as the auction ended and we began to leave our balcony.
"Are you referring how interested parties will come after Ty once we've got him, you mean?" I guessed.
"Indeed," Kallista laughed. "It'll be quite the battlefield the moment you step out of Undercroft…"
"Why wait?" I asked.
"The laws of Undercroft forbid stealing from a legitimate sale while in the city," Shanks explained as he opened the door for us. "Failure to comply comes with very strict sanctions against the transgressors."
He glanced outside toward the hall.
"Huh, perhaps some people wouldn't mind the sanctions," he said in surprise.
Waiting for us in the hallway were two groups of people, Chancellor Kairon and his lackeys as well as Ardeen Spellweaver and the general of the Scarlet Moon.
"Well played, Dean Dapper," Ardeen called in greeting. "Getting the Lover's Embrace and Rings of Fortune to back you tonight… well played."
"I didn't expect to see you so soon, Ardeen," I answered in greeting.
"Well, I found something interesting enough to require a trip back to the central region," he smiled. Then he nodded toward his companion. "I don't believe you've met General Morrigan Ravencroft of the Scarlet Moon."
The general stepped forward.
"So… you're the child that gave my lieutenant a good thrashing the other night," she said, eyeing me from head to foot.
General Morrigan let loose her killing aura, no doubt intending to scare me, but I stood my ground despite the biting chill rising up my spine.
Warning bells sounded off in my head, a clear message that this drow was very dangerous.
Then she smiled in that teasing way Darah often gave me.
"I like this one, Ardeen," she said with a glance behind her. "Perhaps you're right and we should try to recruit him to our side."
"I did tell you he was interesting," Ardeen Spellweaver replied.
"Wait… what?" I asked confused.
Morrigan focused her icy gaze back on me.
"What about it, visere? Wouldn't you rather be on the winning side of this great war?" she asked.
I was dumbfounded. I expected threats to hand Ty over but not a recruitment offer. I was so dumbfounded by her question that I failed to give a proper reply, and it took Kairon stepping in to save me.
"Enough with your jokes, General Morrigan," he said in a cold tone. "Commander Dapper serves the Trickster Pavilion."
The two parties glared at each other, and the tension rose a few notches up. Thankfully, Ardeen continued to be levelheaded.
He whispered into his fellow general's ear, and what he said must have convinced her as she turned away from Kairon.
But as she stepped away, she turned one final glance on me and said, "When you've grown tired of losing, child, I will listen to your request."
Then she walked away.
Before following her, Ardeen sent me an amused grin and said, "I imagine we'll be matching wits again very soon. I can't exactly have you acquiring such a gift so easily, can I?"
As he turned away to follow his companion, I wanted to scream to him that none of the things that led up to tonight was easy at all.
Sadly, someone else demanded my attention, and I turned to face the Chancellor of the Moon who gazed back at me with narrowed eyes.
"You will hand over the chosen one to me now," he commanded.
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That moment of silence didn't last long, however, as the crowd began to murmur to each other.
The man—for indeed he was a man with tanned skin, slanted Asian eyes, and dark, curly hair—rose from his seat and repeated his bid of, "Two-hundred thousand Leprechauns!"
He wore a simple white robe, the kind you'd find non-combat viseres wore in the Fayne. So at first glance, you'd think he didn't actually have the money to match his bid, but then people noticed the red cross painted on the front of his robe, and immediately the mood of the crowd turned.
A single word spread across the seats, "Pilgrimage…"
That word was enough to create a tense atmosphere in the auditorium. People fidgeted in their seats and craned their necks back to get a glimpse of this unwanted guest in their midst.
In my head, I wondered why the Pilgrimage would want Ty badly enough to put that much money on the table, and if they were a human organization that supported humans and took care of them while they were in the Fayne, would it be so bad to let them take Ty?
"Dean, the Pilgrimage isn't an altruistic organization… they would likely use Ty to further their ends…" Aura whispered like she'd sensed where my thoughts were going. "He would become their weapon against the fairies."
"Aura's right, you know. They're terrorists, and your friend is the biggest bomb around," Shanks agreed.
"But why did they help us?" I asked.
"What?" Aura's eyebrow arched.
"Remember what Qwipps said?" I reminded her. "They knew he was with the Foolhardies so they gave him all the maps he would need… why would they give us the means to rescue Ty if they were planning to buy him tonight?"
"I… I don't know," Aura admitted. "Perhaps they were planning to take Ty from us or maybe they thought he was better off with you."
"Exactly… they wouldn't mind if I saved Ty, right?" I explained, and then I swiveled my head toward Kallista and said, "Make one more bid, two hundred thousand and one."
This earned me furrowed brows from my team. But I ignored them.
"Luca," I turned to my brother. "Run down to the stalls as quickly as you can. Inform the Pilgrim that Kallista is bidding on our behalf. Go!"
Luca may find fault with my orders but he never hesitated to follow any of them, and this latest one was no exception. He dashed out of our balcony and disappeared behind the door leading back into the second-floor landing.
"Dean, are you sure about this?" Kallista asked.
While we were in discussion, Roselle had already begun his countdown. "Going once!"
"Kallista, I promise, you'll benefit from this as well, so please," I pleaded.
Kallista let out a long sigh. "Very well… I do have something in mind that can balance out this debt."
"Going twice!" Roselle called, almost pleadingly in fact. And I guessed it was because no one wanted the nuke that was Ty to go to an organization that was hostile to fairies.
Kallista raised her hand. "Two hundred thousand and one Leprechauns!"
A burst of delightful laughter came out of Roselle's lips. So much for professionalism.
"Two hundred thousand and one Leps from Madam Kallista!" Roselle repeated. "Any other offers?"
I rose from my seat and looked down from the balcony to where the pilgrim was standing. Luca hadn't arrived yet.
"Going once, going twice," Roselle repeated in a much faster beat than earlier. "Going—"
"—Two-hundred thousand and two Leprechauns," the pilgrim countered.
A light bulb lit up inside my head. The pilgrim had noticed my signal after all.
It would have been strange for anyone who noticed it, the bid I asked Kallista to make which was an obvious attempt to buy time. And if he was willing to play with us, then that meant he was curious as to why we were buying time. No doubt, he would be expecting a message from me soon, leaving me to think that I was dealing with someone who was quite sly.
Kallista made another bid of, "Two-hundred thousand and three Leprechauns!"
The pilgrim responded much slower this time when he raised his voice to say, Two-hundred thousand and four Leprechauns."
My ears picked up the sound of doors creaking open, and I looked down. I saw Luca rushing into the stalls of the auditorium and quickly making his way to the Pilgrim's side.
They exchanged words. Luca pointed upward. The pilgrim followed his gaze to me, and I knew it was time for that big gesture.
I pulled off the mask I wore and revealed my face, not just to the pilgrim, but all present there.
There was an audible chatter from the balcony on our right as well as tinkling laughter on our left. I ignored them both and forced all my will to bear down on the pilgrim gazing up at me.
A moment of recognition later, he bowed his head in greeting. I copied his gesture. Then the pilgrim sat and I let out a sigh of relief.
"Two-hundred thousand and five Leprechauns," Kallista finished.
Roselle, who had seen me pull off my mask, showed mixed feelings on his face, and I could guess what was going on through his mind.
He loved the idea of me paying that much for Ty but he hated that I would get what I want. Still, it wasn't up to him to decline such a big offer and he knew it too.
Perhaps that was why his face turned sour when he finally yelled, "Sold! To Madam Kallista and her… companions."
"You realize this is just the beginning, right?" Aura asked as the auction ended and we began to leave our balcony.
"Are you referring how interested parties will come after Ty once we've got him, you mean?" I guessed.
"Indeed," Kallista laughed. "It'll be quite the battlefield the moment you step out of Undercroft…"
"Why wait?" I asked.
"The laws of Undercroft forbid stealing from a legitimate sale while in the city," Shanks explained as he opened the door for us. "Failure to comply comes with very strict sanctions against the transgressors."
He glanced outside toward the hall.
"Huh, perhaps some people wouldn't mind the sanctions," he said in surprise.
Waiting for us in the hallway were two groups of people, Chancellor Kairon and his lackeys as well as Ardeen Spellweaver and the general of the Scarlet Moon.
"Well played, Dean Dapper," Ardeen called in greeting. "Getting the Lover's Embrace and Rings of Fortune to back you tonight… well played."
"I didn't expect to see you so soon, Ardeen," I answered in greeting.
"Well, I found something interesting enough to require a trip back to the central region," he smiled. Then he nodded toward his companion. "I don't believe you've met General Morrigan Ravencroft of the Scarlet Moon."
The general stepped forward.
"So… you're the child that gave my lieutenant a good thrashing the other night," she said, eyeing me from head to foot.
General Morrigan let loose her killing aura, no doubt intending to scare me, but I stood my ground despite the biting chill rising up my spine.
Warning bells sounded off in my head, a clear message that this drow was very dangerous.
Then she smiled in that teasing way Darah often gave me.
"I like this one, Ardeen," she said with a glance behind her. "Perhaps you're right and we should try to recruit him to our side."
"I did tell you he was interesting," Ardeen Spellweaver replied.
"Wait… what?" I asked confused.
Morrigan focused her icy gaze back on me.
"What about it, visere? Wouldn't you rather be on the winning side of this great war?" she asked.
I was dumbfounded. I expected threats to hand Ty over but not a recruitment offer. I was so dumbfounded by her question that I failed to give a proper reply, and it took Kairon stepping in to save me.
"Enough with your jokes, General Morrigan," he said in a cold tone. "Commander Dapper serves the Trickster Pavilion."
The two parties glared at each other, and the tension rose a few notches up. Thankfully, Ardeen continued to be levelheaded.
He whispered into his fellow general's ear, and what he said must have convinced her as she turned away from Kairon.
But as she stepped away, she turned one final glance on me and said, "When you've grown tired of losing, child, I will listen to your request."
Then she walked away.
Before following her, Ardeen sent me an amused grin and said, "I imagine we'll be matching wits again very soon. I can't exactly have you acquiring such a gift so easily, can I?"
As he turned away to follow his companion, I wanted to scream to him that none of the things that led up to tonight was easy at all.
Sadly, someone else demanded my attention, and I turned to face the Chancellor of the Moon who gazed back at me with narrowed eyes.
"You will hand over the chosen one to me now," he commanded.
That moment of silence didn't last long, however, as the crowd began to murmur to each other.The manfor indeed he was a man with tanned skin, slanted Asian eyes, and dark, curly hairrose from his seat and repeated his bid of, "Two-hundred thousand Leprechauns!"He wore a simple white robe, the kind you'd find non-combat viseres wore in the Fayne. So at first glance, you'd think he didn't actually have the money to match his bid, but then people noticed the red cross painted on the front of his robe, and immediately the mood of the crowd turned.A single word spread across the seats, "Pilgrimage"That word was enough to create a tense atmosphere in the auditorium. People fidgeted in their seats and craned their necks back to get a glimpse of this unwanted guest in their midst.In my head, I wondered why the Pilgrimage would want Ty badly enough to put that much money on the table, and if they were a human organization that supported humans and took care of them while they were in the Fayne, would it be so bad to let them take Ty?"Dean, the Pilgrimage isn't an altruistic organization they would likely use Ty to further their ends" Aura whispered like she'd sensed where my thoughts were going. "He would become their weapon against the fairies.""Aura's right, you know. They're terrorists, and your friend is the biggest bomb around," Shanks agreed."But why did they help us?" I asked."What?" Aura's eyebrow arched."Remember what Qwipps said?" I reminded her. "They knew he was with the Foolhardies so they gave him all the maps he would need why would they give us the means to rescue Ty if they were planning to buy him tonight?""I I don't know," Aura admitted. "Perhaps they were planning to take Ty from us or maybe they thought he was better off with you.""Exactly they wouldn't mind if I saved Ty, right?" I explained, and then I swiveled my head toward Kallista and said, "Make one more bid, two hundred thousand and one."This earned me furrowed brows from my team. But I ignored them."Luca," I turned to my brother. "Run down to the stalls as quickly as you can. Inform the Pilgrim that Kallista is bidding on our behalf. Go!"Luca may find fault with my orders but he never hesitated to follow any of them, and this latest one was no exception. He dashed out of our balcony and disappeared behind the door leading back into the second-floor landing."Dean, are you sure about this?" Kallista asked.While we were in discussion, Roselle had already begun his countdown. "Going once!""Kallista, I promise, you'll benefit from this as well, so please," I pleaded.Kallista let out a long sigh. "Very well I do have something in mind that can balance out this debt.""Going twice!" Roselle called, almost pleadingly in fact. And I guessed it was because no one wanted the nuke that was Ty to go to an organization that was hostile to fairies.Kallista raised her hand. "Two hundred thousand and one Leprechauns!"A burst of delightful laughter came out of Roselle's lips. So much for professionalism."Two hundred thousand and one Leps from Madam Kallista!" Roselle repeated. "Any other offers?"I rose from my seat and looked down from the balcony to where the pilgrim was standing. Luca hadn't arrived yet."Going once, going twice," Roselle repeated in a much faster beat than earlier. "Going""Two-hundred thousand and two Leprechauns," the pilgrim countered.A light bulb lit up inside my head. The pilgrim had noticed my signal after all.It would have been strange for anyone who noticed it, the bid I asked Kallista to make which was an obvious attempt to buy time. And if he was willing to play with us, then that meant he was curious as to why we were buying time. No doubt, he would be expecting a message from me soon, leaving me to think that I was dealing with someone who was quite sly.Kallista made another bid of, "Two-hundred thousand and three Leprechauns!"The pilgrim responded much slower this time when he raised his voice to say, Two-hundred thousand and four Leprechauns."My ears picked up the sound of doors creaking open, and I looked down. I saw Luca rushing into the stalls of the auditorium and quickly making his way to the Pilgrim's side.They exchanged words. Luca pointed upward. The pilgrim followed his gaze to me, and I knew it was time for that big gesture.I pulled off the mask I wore and revealed my face, not just to the pilgrim, but all present there.There was an audible chatter from the balcony on our right as well as tinkling laughter on our left. I ignored them both and forced all my will to bear down on the pilgrim gazing up at me.A moment of recognition later, he bowed his head in greeting. I copied his gesture. Then the pilgrim sat and I let out a sigh of relief."Two-hundred thousand and five Leprechauns," Kallista finished.Roselle, who had seen me pull off my mask, showed mixed feelings on his face, and I could guess what was going on through his mind.He loved the idea of me paying that much for Ty but he hated that I would get what I want. Still, it wasn't up to him to decline such a big offer and he knew it too.Perhaps that was why his face turned sour when he finally yelled, "Sold! To Madam Kallista and her companions.""You realize this is just the beginning, right?" Aura asked as the auction ended and we began to leave our balcony."Are you referring how interested parties will come after Ty once we've got him, you mean?" I guessed."Indeed," Kallista laughed. "It'll be quite the battlefield the moment you step out of Undercroft""Why wait?" I asked."The laws of Undercroft forbid stealing from a legitimate sale while in the city," Shanks explained as he opened the door for us. "Failure to comply comes with very strict sanctions against the transgressors."He glanced outside toward the hall."Huh, perhaps some people wouldn't mind the sanctions," he said in surprise.Waiting for us in the hallway were two groups of people, Chancellor Kairon and his lackeys as well as Ardeen Spellweaver and the general of the Scarlet Moon."Well played, Dean Dapper," Ardeen called in greeting. "Getting the Lover's Embrace and Rings of Fortune to back you tonight well played.""I didn't expect to see you so soon, Ardeen," I answered in greeting."Well, I found something interesting enough to require a trip back to the central region," he smiled. Then he nodded toward his companion. "I don't believe you've met General Morrigan Ravencroft of the Scarlet Moon."The general stepped forward."So you're the child that gave my lieutenant a good thrashing the other night," she said, eyeing me from head to foot.General Morrigan let loose her killing aura, no doubt intending to scare me, but I stood my ground despite the biting chill rising up my spine.Warning bells sounded off in my head, a clear message that this drow was very dangerous.Then she smiled in that teasing way Darah often gave me."I like this one, Ardeen," she said with a glance behind her. "Perhaps you're right and we should try to recruit him to our side.""I did tell you he was interesting," Ardeen Spellweaver replied."Wait what?" I asked confused.Morrigan focused her icy gaze back on me."What about it, visere? Wouldn't you rather be on the winning side of this great war?" she asked.I was dumbfounded. I expected threats to hand Ty over but not a recruitment offer. I was so dumbfounded by her question that I failed to give a proper reply, and it took Kairon stepping in to save me."Enough with your jokes, General Morrigan," he said in a cold tone. "Commander Dapper serves the Trickster Pavilion."The two parties glared at each other, and the tension rose a few notches up. Thankfully, Ardeen continued to be levelheaded.He whispered into his fellow general's ear, and what he said must have convinced her as she turned away from Kairon.But as she stepped away, she turned one final glance on me and said, "When you've grown tired of losing, child, I will listen to your request."Then she walked away.Before following her, Ardeen sent me an amused grin and said, "I imagine we'll be matching wits again very soon. I can't exactly have you acquiring such a gift so easily, can I?"As he turned away to follow his companion, I wanted to scream to him that none of the things that led up to tonight was easy at all.Sadly, someone else demanded my attention, and I turned to face the Chancellor of the Moon who gazed back at me with narrowed eyes."You will hand over the chosen one to me now," he commanded.
