Chapter Twenty

  We stopped just outside of Terrin right around sundown for me to shift back into Barrett, then pulled the cart to a stop at the address written for me on the letter. “This is it.” I said, looking up from the paper. The shop was a quaint brick townhouse situated right in the center of town, in between a bakery and a gallery. I handed Sahara the reins and hopped off the cart to look around. “He said there’s a key around here somewhere…”

  I started poking at bricks near the bottom of the wall adjacent to the front steps. One of them shifted slightly when I poked it, revealing a small cavity underneath the stairs. “Gotcha.” I muttered as I pulled out a small pouch crafted from black fabric. I turned it over and the key to the front door dropped into my hand with a slight clink.

  I motioned for Sahara to stay put while I unlocked the shop and stepped inside. Though the evening sun was low and casting long shadows through the large windows, I could see that the shop had been fully furnished inside. I found a few lanterns and lit them, then set them in various spots around the room to fill the room with light. I wandered through the rooms, investigating our new setup.

  The first floor was a typical storefront, with large bay windows for displays, a staircase in the back room that led to a housing unit on the floor above, and a storage room with a back door that led to the outside. The secrets I was looking for were hidden below the storage room. Underneath, there was a whole extra floor that had rooms and doors for tunnels leading to places I wasn’t even sure of.

  I made my way back to the entrance where Sahara still waited and took the reins back from her. “There’s a second entrance around the back,” I explained as I walked the horses down the alley. “We can unload everything there.” I found a spot in the back to tie up the horses and helped Sahara down from the cart. We’d just started unloading the first few boxes from the cart when the bell on the front door chimed.

  “Sorry, we’re not accepting anyone right now,” Sahara called, “We just got into town.” I carried my crate of goods into the storefront, expecting to shoo off nosey neighbors, but as soon as I came around the corner and saw who was standing in the doorway, I grinned.

  “Finnegan,” I set my crate down on the floor to approach him. He was dressed much more casual than the last few times I’d seen him, ditching the Royal Crest for a plain cotton long sleeved shirt and a dark green vest. “Glad you could join us.”

  “I told you I’d be right behind you.” Finn said with a grin, then lowered his voice, “Did you work things out with her?” I raised my eyebrow a small bit.

  “If I didn’t know any better, Finn, I’d say you set me up for that ride.” I accused in a hushed voice, crossing my arms. Finn’s grin turned sheepish.

  “Not at all, Runie. A matter of convenience, is all. I’m just doing my duties as captain of this operation.” I rolled my eyes, both at the stupid name and the egotistical answer.

  I shoved him playfully towards the back door and laughed when he stumbled. “Bugger off, Finnegan. We all know you’re just the muscle of the operation. So go move a hefty barrel or some shit.” Finn laughed too as he made his way toward the back door with his hands raised in surrender.

  It felt good for us all to be together again after the weeks of being separated. It felt normal. Just a few more weeks left of this, and then the job is over. Sahara will most likely go back to Ravenwood, and Finn and I will go back to the Outpost. I scrunched my face thinking about going back to that place, and how much it reminded me of the caves I spent so long trying to run from.

  I shook my head to clear my negative thoughts. I needed to focus, keep everyone alive, then ultimately find and then eliminate the second kingpin of the Underneath. That was the goal here, not playing house with these two. I huffed my annoyance and got back to work.

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  Finn, Sahara and I worked effectively, Sahara seemingly out of her funk. She was back to bantering with Finn while they unloaded goods from crates onto the shelves side by side. After the last of the contents from the cart were unpacked, I stepped out onto the back patio and stared up into the night sky.

  I offered a silent prayer to Selune as I stared at the crescent moon, asking for guidance and wisdom. The hairs on my neck stood before Finn indicated his presence beside me. He stood next to me and stared up at the moon as well. “About two weeks left, yeah?”

  I nodded and turned my head to face him. “It’s been a pretty easy assignment so far, I’d say. Just a lot of moving in the shadows. Not a lot of upfront danger.” Finn shrugged.

  “As V would say, it’s all about the long game. The world is his chessboard.”

  I couldn’t argue with him there, as I felt like a pawn in whatever weird game this was. “Is this normal?”

  “I would say so,” Finn agreed, “I haven’t seen a true battlefield since retiring from the guard. Valen operates on a different level. It’s dangerous in its own regard, though. The enemies we make in Venom are the kind who’ll go after everything you love to get to you.”

  “Right,” I thought back to his wife and daughter, and how he watched over them from a distance. I pitied him and envied him all in the same. “I’m sure you’re looking forward to that day, when your service here is over.” I pulled a cigarette from my inner pocket and wedged it between my lips. I pinched the exposed tip and it sizzled to life instantly, and I took a slow draw.

  “I’m counting down the days.” Finn confirmed as he watched me with curiosity. “I thought you didn’t smoke?” He inquired as he produced his own cigar and held it out. I lit it for him and chuckled.

  “We’ve been apart for a while, Finn,” I glanced over my shoulder, trying to see where Sahara disappeared to. “A few months I’ve spent with Arlo both Topside and Underneath. I’ve learned some things, and adapted to some things I guess.”

  He gave a one-shouldered shrug, as if to say ‘fair enough’, and followed my gaze. “She said she’s going to bed. She’ll open the shop for us tomorrow so we can start making rounds Underneath.”

  “Ah,” I responded lamely, then turned my attention back to the alley in front of us. “Do you know anything about her family, Finn?” I blurted out, but quickly added before he could respond, “She said her father made a deal with V.”

  “Hmm…” Finn scrunched his face, his eyebrows furrowing into a solid line as he blew smoke into the air, “Can’t say that I know too much. I know her father is a nobleman in Euloth. She’s an only child. Her mother, the Duchess…”

  He flicked the ash off the end of his cigar before continuing, “She used to be known as a wonderful soul. Kind, beautiful, understanding, .” His mouth curved down and he looked puzzled for a moment. “I don't know what, but something happened. It's all very under-the-rug. All I know is she's different now. The Duke has allegedly distanced from her, but he’s distraught. She still lives, but not many people catch sight of her nowadays.”

  “I see.” I replied plainly, staring at the gravel on the ground. Mysterious indeed, August inputted. I took one final deep breath from my cigarette before I dropped it and snuffed it under my boot. “Guess we've all got something hidden under the rug.” I muttered and tossed the store keys to Finn. He caught them in his free hand with ease, and pocketed them. “Lock up for me, I'm headed to bed.”

  When he nodded, I pushed off the railing and treaded back inside. My footsteps echoed just slightly in the darkened shop, and I tried to ease up on my gait so as to not make extra noise as I made my way up the narrow staircase leading to the living area. I hesitated outside Sahara's door for a minute before entering my own room next door. I sighed heavily as I tugged my boots off my feet and dropped them off to the side. My persona faded from my body with a woosh of power with a slight breeze behind it.

  I didn't pay attention to the room the first time I'd checked for any intruders, but now I had the chance to really look at it. It wasn't anything like my room at the inn, or at the outpost. It was small, and barren. There was no attached bathroom, and no closet. There were no fancy drapes in the window, not even a rug on the hardwood floor. There were truly no extra bells and whistles; just a bed, a large dresser, and a lounge chair in the corner. I dropped into the upholstered chair and stretched out my legs with a slight groan, then dug up the book from my pouch.

  Figure now's as good a time as any to start this, I thought to myself as I opened it. It didn't take long for my eyes to grow weary, though, and I nodded off shortly after, my hand with the book lightly falling onto my chest.