The Night's Eye

“Welcome back, Lady Mania,” an attendant said, bowing, as Mania returned to the Hierophant’s kitchens. “Lord Mímir wanted me to tell you that there have been no issues.”

“I see. Good work,” Mania answered indifferently, casting her illusion spell over herself, turning back into Olivia. “Are we busy today?”

“No more than usual, my lady.”

“I see.”

I know it’s for the Dark Lord’s sake, but this job is really boring. Though, I guess there isn’t anyone else but us Master could trust this mission to. Mania snickered when she pictured Abaddon as a server.

She opened the kitchen doors with a big smile and immediately went to serve tables.

Despite the incident with the Sons of Tartarus, the Hierophant was as busy as always. People from all walks of life had come through their doors, including travelling merchants and adventurers, prime sources of valuable intelligence.

As Mania passed by a table of adventurers, she caught bits and pieces of their conversations.

“-surprised that the guard don’t know who did it.”

“Well, what can you expect? The bodies were-”

“-happened not too far from my parent’s-”

“-a rival gang?”

Mania stopped and pretended to listen to the customers in front of her when, in reality, she was listening to the ones behind her.

“Are there any real rivals to the Sons of Tartarus?”

“Maybe they tried to mug someone and got themselves killed.”

“Even Tartarus wouldn’t send twenty men to mug one person.”

“Maybe it was a group of adventurers.”

“Maybe.”

“You think it’s a smaller rival trying to take over Tartarus’s territory?”

“Perhaps.”

“What’s wrong, Ronald?”

“It’s just…” Mania heard him lean forward and lower his voice. “I’ve heard some powerful members of the Night’s Eye have been spotted in Stonefall.”

Night’s Eye?

“Think it was them then?”

“Could be, or maybe someone in Tartarus wanted to kill off that lot and frame it as someone else’s.”

Who are the Night’s Eye?

Mania hadn’t heard even a whisper of the Night’s Eye since they bought the Hierophant; now, they were being spoken off in hushed voices as a threat to the largest underworld organisation in Stonefall.

I need to look into this.

Mania thanked the customers she’d been pretending to listen to, then went to the bar to find Mímir, but found him swamped by a group of guards. He didn’t notice her calling or waving at him.

She clicked her tongue.

She couldn’t ask a Raven or a servant to talk with the adventurers either.

I can’t let this opportunity disappear! I just need to slowly and subtly lead the conversation down that path to get the information. This could work.

After a quick check of the unfulfilled orders pilling at the bar, Mania filled two pitchers, one with ale and one with water, and then went to the table of adventurers.

“Here you go.” She smiled and placed both pitchers on the table. “Sorry about the wait. We’re always busy I’m afraid and we don’t have enough staff, so-”

“It’s okay,” a cloaked woman with a staff replied. “If anything, I feel a little bad about giving you even more to worry about.”

Mania laughed and quickly examined the five adventurers.

There was the cloaked woman, most likely a mage or priest, two men in full suits of steel armour, one with brown hair and the other with blonde, a man in leather armour with a bow and arrow by his side, and finally a woman with two short swords by her side in chainmail.

They don’t look strong.

“Don’t worry about it. More money never hurt anyone,” Mania said boisterously.

The brown-haired man in steel armour laughed. “I suppose not. I was worried when I heard that the Hiero had new owners, but I’m happy it’s just as great as always.”

“Thank you for your kind words. Did you know the old owners?”

“I did. We’ve always swung by the Hierophant whenever we’re in Stonefall for some food and drink, and we ended up getting quite close to Louis and Steve. I’m surprised they let the place go.”

“Steve wanted to marry his fiancé and she wanted to move up north, so he needed money fast,” the short sword woman said.

“Still, either your husband offered a lot or he’s a bloody good negotiator,” the bowman mused. “How’d you snag it in the end?”

“Well, my husband was very persuasive. He marched in, bags filled with Rhams, threw them down on the table and said, ‘There’s ten more like that for each of you.’.” Mania laughed. “I’ve never seen jaws drop so low.”

The table shared in her merriment and seemed rather happy with her friendly attitude.

Keep it up, Mania!

“What brought your husband and you here?” The cloaked woman asked.

“Well, he was an adventurer like yourselves for most of his life but, after I snagged him, he said he’d give it up and we’d settle down wherever I wanted. I’d always wanted to live in the Empire and he wanted to open up a shop of some sort to support us now that he’s retired. So, we came to Stonefall, checked out the market and saw the Hierophant up for sale and just fell in love with the place.”

“It sounds like you two are really happy here,” the blonde steel-clad man said.

Mania’s smile turned slightly bitter. “Yes, well, we were, until the other day.”

There were a few nods of understanding around the table.

Of course, rumours have spread.

She reminded herself once more of the advice Mímir gave her after they’d been scolded by the Dark Lord.

“If we try to deny or avoid talking about the rumours, then that’d be worse for us. It’s best to acknowledge them and then steer them in the direction we want them to go.

“Acknowledge, confirm and then give them a lie to absorb rather than the truth.”

“I’m surprised that you decided to stay after such an encounter,” the bowman confessed. “I think most people would’ve either paid them the Rhams or run for it.”

“We considered it and,” Mania said. She leant in and spoke softer. “We’re still considering it now, especially when we heard about the bodies.”

The short sword woman frowned and nodded. “Indeed. That was a horrible affair.”

“They got what was coming to them,” the blonde steel-clad man said. “They were scum and even threatened a beautiful woman like you. Serves them right.”

A few of his teammates glared at him as Mania’s smile became much more forced.

“I can’t think of it that way. It’s scary to think that someone killed them so soon after they threatened us. Maybe we have the Great Goddess watching over us or something?”

“The Great Goddess does punish the wicked,” the cloaked woman replied with a reassuring smile. “I’m sure that it was only a matter of time until those sinners paid for their crimes.”

“Yeah.” Mania quickly checked over her shoulders, then whispered, “I didn’t mean to, but I couldn’t help but overhear what you were talking about earlier. You said something about a group called the ‘Night’s Eye’. Are they people we should keep an eye out for?”

The brown-haired steel-clad man’s eyes widened, but he regained his composure and nodded. “I did mention them, yes.” He smiled. “But you do not need to worry about them. They’re a small group of assassins and spies, not thugs and slavers like Tartarus. They shouldn’t harm you or your husband.”

“If they tried, we’d handle them for you, oh fair one,” the blonde man added with a wink.

Mania felt a vein pop in her head.

I might not be married to Mímir for real, but what the hell’s wrong with this guy, hitting on a married woman? My heart belongs to Master!

Mania didn’t let any of her irritation show on her face.

“If something like that comes up, I’d be grateful for your help.”

“And we’d be more than happy to provide it,” the brown-haired man said. “The Hierophant is a wonderful place and I would hate to see anything happen to it.”

“Olivia!” Mímir called to her from the counter. “I could do with some help over here! Stop gossiping and give us a hand.”

Mania sighed, put her hands on her hips and shook her head. “Honestly, it’s hard for me to have a social life when you do things like that, dear. One second!” She turned back to the adventurers and smiled. “I’m sorry, but it seems like my husband can’t get anything done without me. Please come and visit the Hierophant again whenever you are in the city.”

“We will,” the cloaked woman said before Mania took her leave.

***

Once Olivia had turned around, Ronald’s eyes followed her all the way back to the counter.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Don’t you think it’s strange that she overheard me mention the Night’s Eye after I whispered it in a busy tavern?”

In the shadows above them, watching and listening to their every word, the Raven narrowed its eyes.

We might have a problem.