Into the Dragon's Den (2)

"Wow, is this what the loot of a kleptomaniac looks like?" Aurora remarked playfully. "We've hit the jackpot!"

Without anything to hold her back, my mentor wandered through the aisles, brushing her gloved fingers across the shelves. She was as excited as a child unwrapping birthday gifts. To be honest, it was overwhelming.

Far from being as thrilled, I felt obliged to follow her. With hesitant steps, I stared the artifacts with a wary eye: everything was meticulously organized and numbered. The catalog was far more diverse than in the shops Aurora had shown me. We passed by unusual weapons, fashion accessories, potions, and magical tools.

Most were made from materials of animal origin, and any excuse was good to add magical crystals to the mix. Depending on their category, the objects had their own storage areas. They followed one another without real boundaries, yet each transition was noteworthy. After a few minutes of walking, my concern had transformed into conviction: this warehouse had nothing good to offer us...

"You say these are all stolen items?"

"For what other reason would he hide his private collection? Use some common sense, Edwoyn. He’s seized entire stocks from every shop in the city. Our clients wanted to recover their belongings."

I was careful not to knock anything over, fearing I'd alert the owner to my presence. I shifted my focus to rows of books with intricately designed covers. The grimoires weren’t arranged on their spines but displayed on wrought iron stands that showcased their contents. I was, of course, intimidated by their number and wished to leave before inadvertently triggering any dangerous mechanisms. Amid all this chaos, I spotted an empty space. I recognized a platform shaped like those used for magical teleportation circles.

What’s that doing here?! Could there be an entire fraudulent network of teleportation circles?

This was probably where they brought artifacts in and out. I saw two magical cameras pointing at the teleporter on the ceiling. The marquis was very cautious. Upon reflection, I realized this wasn't just a private collection.

Why possess multiple copies of the same models? No, the items displayed here were for resale. And if we believed the accusations against De Ritella, they mainly came from the plundered shops of Cerem. What a disgraceful practice!

"In fact, I take back what I said earlier. If there's something that interests you, help yourself! Once this scum is dead, we'll return all of this to the citizens. Let’s say it’ll be your pay!" My teammate's voice reached me in echoes.

It had taken her just a second to lose me in this mountain of treasures.

"Good mercenaries only do what their clients ask in the contract. If we're here to kill, we won't steal," she had said a little earlier.

This girl has no word of honor!

In a discouraged voice, I shared my feelings with her, "I don't think this is a good idea, Aurora... Most of these objects are meant for be..."

I couldn't finish my sentence, too disturbed by the curious machines facing me. As I aimlessly wandered between the aisles, I ended up in the section housing the largest goods I had ever seen. I found myself inexplicably drawn to these mechanisms, as imposing as they were complex...

I couldn’t tell why or how, but these large artifacts felt familiar. I had seen one of these machines in one of my lucid dreams. To be precise, it was in the most terrifying of all—the one where I had been chained and infused in an underground lab. I had to face the truth: my lucid dreams weren't just dreams. More than déjà vu, I was petrified at the thought of approaching one of these contraptions. To realize that identical copies formed a row was terrifying.

Elevated on a conical pillar, they possessed numerous overlapping hoops like astrolabes. There were two displays meant for holding magical crystals: one in the center of the rings and one outside the structure, equipped with a telescopic lens. I could read runes engraved along the hoops of golden metal.

What could such mechanisms be for?

In my dream, the machine was connected to huge generators and magical terminals. There were piles of pipes, screens dotted with glowing buttons, and a gurney equipped with straps… My body lost all consistency as memories of that sinister lab flooded back. My eyes wandered, and I suddenly collapsed to the ground.

I tried to distance myself from the machines, but the fear was so overwhelming that I lost all control. Inexplicably, I had given up right there, as if playing dead was my only escape.

What is happening to me? I want to get out of here. These machines... they... they hurt so much...

My shivers gave way to powerful tremors. The only thing I could manage was a breathless gasp, shortening until it suffocated me slowly.

These are neither your memories nor your fears. Just recall your oldest memory to prove you were born human.

It was difficult to search my memory because I couldn't concentrate. Panting, I closed my eyes and curled up. Thinking of something else would help calm me down. So I thought of my childhood. It had been sweet and full of joy. Father and Mother were not yet separated and trapped in their royal obligations. Eliott's family had not been exiled to the far end of the kingdom yet.

Before living in Hiven Palace, I had lived in a manor. This was long before my grandfather became king. Not having reached the age of reason, I had no vivid memories of that time. However, I remembered having a great time exploring that large manor. I ran my curious hand along the walls. Yes, I remembered very well the texture of the velvet printed on the wallpaper. There were also all those wooden elements, the moldings I felt as little bumps that blocked my hand. I dreamed of reaching the hallway windows, but I was far too small for that. It was then that Mother slipped her hands under my arms and suddenly lifted me. She raised me to the window, and I was able to gaze upon the lands of our estate.

I never knew what Mother whispered to me in those moments. All I felt were the little vibrations tickling my ear. Mother had such a beautiful voice, so clear, pure as crystal. She seemed unreal. Even though the caress of her breath felt uncomfortable, I remained calm to keep listening. She often sang me a lullaby:

"My little angel, you who wanted to touch the sky,

You flew so high, so high, that you burned your wings,

My little angel, if your dream is celestial,

Forget it, forget it, for a more modest life."

There were other equally tender words to this song, but they hadn't marked me enough to survive the years. Before I even realized it, my lips began to hum those few lines. My throat tightened, just like my heart and stomach. I could no longer feel my legs, and the pain continued to throb within me.

It hurts... So much... Please, stop!

A book fell on my head. This concrete pain pulled me out of my trance. I opened my eyes. I had knocked over the shelf behind me. I hadn't realized how far I had strayed from those evil machines. I grabbed the object and stood up to return it to its place.

They were engineering manuals with covers embedded with magical crystals. Among all the books, a small leather notebook stood out. It was much smaller than the other volumes and closed with a simple string. Furthermore, it had no display. Without really knowing what I was doing, I picked up the notebook with a trembling hand and leafed through it to satisfy my curiosity.

"10/Ulyon/670 P-E: Delivery Salaga, Mirage Collar -20,000,000 low-fifs.

12/Ulyon/670 P-E: Acquisition Port-Prince, Myrtelles essence -14,050,180 low-fifs."

It was a ledger filled with dates, place names, objects, and sums listed in columns. Glancing at the leather binding and then the title page, I learned nothing about the author. It spoke only of acquisitions or deliveries, and the rest of the information was written in a coded language.

From deadly poison to poached game, I rarely read the same term twice in the traded goods column. As for the delivery locations, nearly all the major cities in the country were listed. The exact addresses were just strings of geometric signs. I sat down on the floor at the foot of the shelf, letting myself be absorbed by my reading. This is how I reached the last written pages. In a more fatigued handwriting, the author had marked the same thing four times in a row.

"24/Cantakion/671 P-E: Delivery Hiven Palace, fusion machine -5,000,000,000 low-fifs."

Why aren't these artifacts delivered directly to the Academy of the Court? It's the only place where magic is practiced in the Capitol, alongside the Army Headquarters.

I was even more shocked to see that the buyer of the fusion machines had not hesitated to squander twenty million fifs. To give you a concrete idea of the amount, that’s what the government collected each year through citizen taxes. Rechecking the date inscribed, I could deduce when the transaction would take place, “Twenty-four, twenty-three, twenty-two… it will happen in three days!” I thought aloud.

“What’s happening in three days?”

Not noticing Aurora standing just above me, I jumped, nearly dropping my notebook. “Ah! Uh… a sale… at Hiven Palace,” I stammered. “I-I came across this account book. Well, actually, it kind of fell on me…”

“De Ritella keeps a account book?”

I stared at the book, realizing that if De Ritella was a trafficker of artifacts, then I might have his account book in my hands.

This place must serve as a transit warehouse for the black market!

“There are no names, but I don’t see who else could use it.”

“Why doesn’t he keep it with him? Do you think he forgot it?”

I shrugged, unable to give her a satisfactory answer.

“Well, who cares? Look, I found a whole box of magical amplifiers; they’re super rare, so it’s a golden opportunity!”

The mercenary pulled a small blue crystal pyramid from her bag-back. Runes were etched on each of its faces.

“I don’t know what it is, but I’m glad it’s useful to you. Tell me, doesn’t it shock you that a transaction is happening at Hiven Palace in three days?”

“Nothing more normal; it’s embezzlement of public funds. Let me see that.”

Without courtesy, she exchanged her amplifier for my account book.

“Hey!” I protested.

Aurora began flipping through the notebook with great seriousness. The notes seemed to absorb her entirely, just as they had me.

“Damn demonic weapons! There are indeed new series! By a month, they were still here. Goodness, will this never end?!”

“‘Demonic’?” Wasn’t she referring to the infamous forbidden weapons?

“You heard me right; that’s their true name. People are just too afraid to refer to them that way.”

“But why that name? Demons don’t exist.”

“Of course. They’re compared to those legendary creatures because their power embodies the very definition of ‘evil.’ Those same demons are said to have caused the downfall of the great Asrin Empire. Have you heard that story?”

“Yes. In old historical texts, our ancestors associated demons with the calamities that befell humanity: famines, wars, epidemics…”

“These weapons will cause exactly what you describe if we don’t destroy them.”

“They’re that powerful?”

“You can’t even imagine!”

Aurora placed the book back on the shelf and quickly adjusted my hood that had fallen. Without giving me a chance to get up, she turned on her heel and headed toward the exit.

“Given the size of this warehouse, De Ritella must not be running the shop alone. We should get out of here before we compromise our mission further. We’ll come back to finish him off another day…”

“Wait!”

I grabbed her arm, and she immediately pulled away with a repulsive movement. Her sharp irises fixed their attention on me, but her patience seemed very limited.

“Shouldn’t we take this account book with us? It could help us trace the suppliers…”

“Why dismantle the black market? We’re the first to benefit from it! Don’t forget our objectives, Edwoyn: kill the noble, destroy the forbidden weapons, and understand what’s happening to you. Besides, this account book is far too coded to be useful to us, and stealing it would raise the traffickers' vigilance.”

Left behind in the warehouse, I approached the machines that had made me panic to read the label hanging from one of the hoops.

“#225 - Fusion machine.”

Just what I feared.

My blood ran cold, and this shock was followed by a terrible urge to unleash my fury. If that viper had given me the chance, I would have sabotaged each row of machines. Something told me these creations were just as dangerous as the demonic weapons. I had to ensure that no one ever used them again. My hand instinctively grasped one of the large hoops at my level. My grip tightened, driven by immense resentment.

If only I could destroy them…

Before I could do anything, the mercenary had returned and grabbed me by the collar.

“What are you still doing here? I said: let’s get out of here!”

She pulled me out of my reverie so abruptly that the hoop slipped from my hands. Aurora dragged me toward the exit without caring what I was doing. Thus, I was the only one to notice that, in the distance, the metal ring was twisted.

Did I do that?

“A-ah…”

I was about to draw my partner's attention to my discovery, but I hesitated at the last moment. Her harshness clearly indicated that she was not in the mood to see me cause a scene. She just wanted to go home, frustrated that she hadn’t been able to complete her mission. A nervous laugh replaced my call, and of course, she paid no attention to it.

How foolish I had been to think for even a second of telling her all this about my visions! I had chosen not to say anything the first time because I refused to let her control my life any more than she already did. It was my secret, my investigation, my life.

Danéma and these machines might be linked to my magical malfunction, but that was none of her business. Even though I was sure that one day she would pry the truth from me, I could delay that moment.

You’re not telling me everything either, so why shouldn’t I have the right to do the same?

As a result, I didn’t take anything from this priceless treasure. All I gained was even more questions and pain. Was Danéma sending me a message through her visions? Were they dreams or memories? Fatigue or the beginnings of madness? Despite everything, I was not doing so badly: the murder of the marquis and all the trauma it involved would be a matter for another day.

I was terribly frustrated that I couldn’t help the people of Cerem, but on the other hand, I felt a selfish relief. I followed the assassin down the stairs with a heavy heart. I was eager to get home and forget this disastrous mission. Aurora was the first to pass through the illusion of the secret passage.

Suddenly, she froze without giving me an explanation, then pushed me back as if there were urgency.

“Rigana Corporales,” she whispered.

As I tried to question her, I discovered she had touched me to cast a paralysis spell. My body had become rigid as a stone statue. I could barely blink and breathe.

Oh no, he’s here.

I was positioned too low to see what was happening in the house, but there was no doubt about the reason Aurora had separated from me. Our conclusions had been too hasty. De Ritella must have been detained for some reason, which had simply delayed his visit.

It was all my fault.

Was this immense treasure beneath our feet worth jeopardizing our mission? Would Aurora get through this like the original plan?

The answers to these questions didn’t matter; it was too late to regret. I would have to face the consequences, whatever they might be.