As Abad reached the bathhouse, he noticed the carriage had just started to roll away down the busy street. Several large armed men lingered outside the alley, clearly stationed to guard it during its stop. The stoutest of the lot, a dwarf who was at least as wide as he was tall, was wearing full plate armor despite the heat while the others were more modestly armed and armored. Judging by their equipment, Abad knew these men would be far more challenging than those he''d defeated the day before. He hoped they''d leave him alone.


    Luckily, while the men eyed him warily as he walked up, none of them spoke or attempted to impede his progress into the alleyway that ended with the bathhouse. Weaving through them, he made his way up the opening and pulled on the large wooden door''s handle. The smell of cheap perfume greeted him once again. A moment later, the same little goblin man as before sauntered out the side room, this time with a large genuine smile on his face.


    "Welcome!" The goblin didn''t recognize him at first, but awareness slowly crept into his eyes. "Ah, honored guest. Welcome back. How might we serve you today?" His grin widened into the same sleazy smile as before, revealing his jagged teeth. "As a reminder, your prices last time were introductory. You''ll be paying full price this time."


    "That''s perfectly fine. I have an important meeting today and would like to clean myself up. I also would like Zethari to assist me once again." Abad pulled out his money pouch to pay for the services. He hated wasting more of his ill-gotten gains, but he had to. He had thought of several ideas for helping her escape, but he''d need to analyze the brand once again to do so. His renewed access to the [Black Magic] school opened doors he hadn''t considered before.


    The goblin''s smile diminished a hair. "My kind sir, she is not available. Might I suggest someone else?"


    "Is she with another customer? I''m willing to wait."


    A gleam in the creature''s eye made Abad''s stomach knot. "No... Unfortunately it wasn''t working out between us, so she''s been returned to her previous patron. He said he can find a better use for her elsewhere."


    Abad swallowed. "I see. Where might I find him then?"


    The man shook his head. "I''m sorry. That information cannot be shared. I''m sure you understand."


    "I see." He had an idea of who her previous patron was. "I just realized I may have less time than I thought. I will return in a day or so. I apologize."


    The goblin said something, but Abad was out the door before the creature got a few words out. The guards still meandered outside as he reached the road. Each of them eyed him. It likely seemed suspicious leaving so soon. He nodded his head and tried to step past, but one of them placed a hand on his chest.


    "Problem inside?"


    Abad shook his head, noting the glares of all four of the guards. He felt them close in around him as the dwarf who put his hand on Abad''s chest smiled. He was missing a front tooth.


    "Is there a problem?" Abad didn''t have the patience. He could just make out the carriage turning in the distance. It was heading toward the inn.


    The dwarf dropped his hand, but as Abad went to move past him, another of the men grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. Abad realized he was the same man as yesterday, the one with the scar on his jaw. He grinned a lopsided grin. "You''re the elf from yesterday, ain''tcha?" The man pulled him close.


    Abad stiffened. He needed to leave but didn''t want to cause a scene. "I''m sorry?"


    "Yeah... Yeah you are. You look different, but you got the same eyes. Fancy meeting you here, elf. You''ll fetch a pretty penny, just like those bitches we''ve been tracking down."


    Bitches? Abad cursed to himself. The girls were still in town. He''d messed up. "Just a traveler who came to town today is all. I don''t know what you''re talking about." The man''s expression told Abad he wasn''t fooling the man. "I''m making my way back to the Green Lady for a meeting with Bolton." He hoped the name would help ward them off. By the confused looks on their faces, it worked.


    "Abad!" A familiar woman''s voice called from behind them. The man''s grip on his shoulder loosened, so he shook himself free and turned to see Keila sauntering up. "Right on time." She glared at the man whose hand had been on the warlock''s shoulder. "Touch him again, and you''ll lose your hand." She reached to the saber on her belt.


    The man stepped backward. He looked flustered, and his mouth tried to shape words, but after a moment he just coughed and mumbled, "My apologies ma''am. He looked like the guy who attacked us yesterday is all." All four guards were sweating now. Keila smiled at them as they obeyed her.


    "Of course, boys. You''re doing your job, but you have the wrong man. Abad here is traveling with me, and he''s about to meet the boss. I''d hate to have to tell our patron that you were the reason he was late."


    All of the men seemed to turn white. "Sorry ma''am. Sorry, sir." they mumbled, stepping aside.


    Abad bowed his head toward the men as Keila hooked her arm in his.


    "Shall we?" she asked after a final look at the men.


    He didn''t say anything as he took her arm.


    ***


    The pair said little as they walked. She seemed far more stiff than usual, her arm tense in his. After a few minutes, Abad could tell he had made a mistake coming to see Zethari. While he had learned much from the interaction, he realized the shrewd woman next to him had likely learned just as much as he had from the interaction. However, despite overplaying his hand, he would have lost Zethari''s trail by not going to the bath house, and he finally learned what Keila''s organization did.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "So... It was you, huh?" Her words were soft, and the question wasn''t really a question. "Good work. You shook them up good."


    "Yeah. And you''re a slaver?"


    "Yeah."


    They didn''t say anything else. Within a half hour, they were back at the inn, but Keila stopped him from entering.


    "No, this is just the shortest way. We''re going to the manor." She pushed him onward, toward the manor with the large tower and the statue that he had noted before.


    "So, we need to go over some ground rules." She wasn''t looking at him. "He''s... erratic. Speak only when spoken to. If he asks you something, be precise with your answers and don''t ramble. The boss doesn''t like people beating around the bush. Be respectful. Don''t ever insult or curse at him. Never threaten him. You''ll be dead before you finish taking in a breath if you do."


    "He''s that powerful?"


    She hesitated for just a moment. "Yes. The most powerful man in the city by a huge margin, and likely one of the strongest in the region." Her tone carried weight to it. This person truly scared her. "If you show weakness or appear stupid, you will be treated as such. You''re neither of those things, so don''t come off as them. Don''t lie, but never reveal too much about yourself. There''s something you''re hiding from me, and I can appreciate that. We''ve kept many secrets from one another. But he won''t honor that choice the way I have. Don''t give him leverage. Do all of that, and you''ll prove yourself useful. Don''t, and..." She let the words hang. She knew that he knew what she was now. She didn''t need to say it.


    "Got it. Do you regret not telling me the full story earlier?"


    She scoffed, turning her cold eyes on him. "Not at all."


    "If you had, I would have disappeared."


    "Yeah, which is exactly why I didn''t." She sighed. "It may have been selfish, but Rhys already had a claim on you if I didn''t try to take you on, so I''ve done the best I could. You wouldn''t have made it out of the city had I not been keeping my claws sunk into you as he always says."


    "Not sure whether to thank you or kill you and run," he admitted.


    "Welcome to my world," she said with a bitter laugh.


    ***


    Before long, the pair was at the gates of the opulent manor. They were open, and the large carriage was parked to the side, the two gorgeous white horses unattached and grazing. Keila led him through the entrance, but Abad felt himself pass through an energy field as they did. It felt like it covered the entire grounds of the estate. It was some sort of protection spell. Feeling the powerful magic, he paused to get a closer look at their surroundings. The manor''s walls were three times his height, and there were guards everywhere, both in the yard and on the walls. There was a stone staircase ahead that led to two large doors, and an additional door was set into the stone wall on the far side of the yard, which he assumed led to servant''s quarters.


    Hoping to learn more, he reached out with his senses and nearly gasped. Every guard there, and even the horses, was stronger than anyone else he had met since he had been in Farnfoss, save for Kasimir and possibly Firtz, Shani, and A-Nis. Reaching out toward each of the guards, he realized that each had energy within their spirit that was theirs, but it was dwarfed by another pool that far exceeded their own. The energy was black, like that which lived inside of him. Even Keila felt stronger in this place, though the darkness of the others was limited inside of her, small enough that he hadn''t noticed until now.


    Returning to his senses, he saw a long box set behind the carriage. A cart had been pulled up behind it. The box looked similar to the one that the trio had dropped off in the woods when he first met them. He realized in that moment that Keila and her brothers weren''t dropping off supplies the first day they had met. They were dropping off people. As he looked toward the box, Keila pulled at his arm, urging him to hurry along. He tried to keep up with her measured steps, but the box likely contained Zethari. Reaching out, his assumption was confirmed. He could feel her energy, though the woman felt far weaker than she had mere days before. She felt almost as hollow as the other bath attendants had when he first went to the bath house. He tried to press his essence into her, let her know he was there, but he didn''t know if it worked as Kaila dragged him along.


    They walked under the statue of the woman he had seen before then. Looking up, he felt like the woman was familiar, but there was no inscription or name plate to designate who she was. Her faced nagged at him though.


    "Come on, Abad." She pulled him from his thoughts as she dragged him forward toward the stone staircase that led into the manor. When they walked up to the two large front doors, the massive man he saw at the teleportation seal emerged. He nodded politely towards them and beckoned for them to enter. As they passed him, Abad detected a strong hint of black in his aura.


    "Bors." The woman holding his arm said curtly.


    "Keila." The man''s deep bass rumbled back.


    Bors was infused with the same shadow essence as the rest, but it had completely taken over the large man''s spirit. There was little if anything he could point to that was the man''s own essence. The man, Bors, shut the doors behind them as they stepped into the manor, then escorted them up another large staircase ahead.


    The manor was opulent. Rich mahogany walls were gilded in gold and covered in murals. Each mural held depictions of heroic moments, and each was painted with as much precision and skill as he could imagine. It had to have cost a fortune. He didn''t recognize the scenes depicted in all of them, but as they climbed the stairs, he started to think some were familiar. By the second landing, many of the murals depicted events that occurred during Abad''s life. The beginning of the War of Shadows, when the thirteen sacked Aelora. The Siege of Istaera, when Abad had joined the thirteen in their conquest. The Battle of Ruusicaan, when they had finally broken Saern''s armies and invaded the Kingdom Under the Tower.


    At the very top of the staircase, on the left side of another set of doors, a mural showed his own battle with the Divine Hero on the mountaintop overlooking the Dark Lord''s ancient castle, Draekenspire. He could see his own figure painted on the wall, his grey skin and black horns casting a shadow against the hero''s light. That was when he had nearly defeated her. Only the timely arrival of her companions saved her from him. It was the moment he realized defeating her in single combat wouldn''t work.


    They reached a second double doors at the top of the staircase. These doors opened as they approached, but no person seemed to perform the action. It was a parlor trick to impress the weak, but Abad appreciated the theatrics. Inside the doors was another grander room still. It was filled with treasures.


    His heart stopped.


    They were his treasures. The ones that used to inhabit his vault. Armor, swords, magical items, scrolls, and countless other wondrous things were set atop pedestals throughout the room, sparkling as light from a window set in the ceiling lazily illuminated them from above. Mirrors reflected the light, ensuring that each item was perfectly illuminated. Abad''s head swam as he took it all in. He realized who the statue represented.


    And there, in the center of the room, was a man with short brown hair, bright blue eyes, and a grin that could melt stone. He was fit, tall, muscular, and handsome, and his presence radiated equal parts nobility, confidence, and cruelty.


    Abad had finally come face to face with Keila''s infamous patron... and in his hands was a golden, raven-headed scepter.