Chương 46: Lucius Merinus

Ummi lurks in the shadows, in the unseen, in the unsaid. She deals in dirty secrets, terrible truths, and dissimulation. Those who claim membership in the Brotherhood dedicated to her are but the most mediocres of her adepts. Those who got caught. Where there is shadow, she is. Excerpt from Demonology, by Alfred Dumries, Keeper of the Iron Ink. Louis whistled a melody only he knew as he walked along the harbor, taking notes of the departure of the Katori ship.

He spotted two Wardens patrolling along the docks, and took an alley into the city. It was narrow, covered in shadows blocking sun and heat. His steps were relaxed, unhurried. He took the first turn right, then left. That street was larger. A cat was sleeping on a window sill, warming its fur under the sun. He petted it for a moment. The cat purred. He moved on, entering the next dark alley. It was empty. He breathed, and looked up. There was a belvedere on the rooftop of the nearest building.

He activated his skill, and climbed up the wall. From there, the harbor revealed itself below him, while most of Esmera was on the slope above. He closed his eyes, and let his senses extend outward. There were too many shadows in this town. Finding the one he needed would take a while. The alley, the streets, merchants and workers walking together, a shop, a Hand healing a child. He focused. Alexandra. She was leaving the city through his hideout. Louis paused on her shadow, and pressed his lips together.

- His attention shifted to the city gate. One, two, three Wardens. Not the right place. He went down the main street, then to the side. Three streets deep into the west-side, there was a tavern bearing the eye insignia. One man sat alone at the counter. Louis smiled, and jumped down the belvedere. He landed in the empty alley without a sound, and started whistling again. It was a specific sprightly tune. Soon, he stood before the tavern. A lonely street. An eye carved on the building facade, right above the door.

He passed a hand in his hair, and pushed it open. There were two people in the common room. Three, counting the innkeeper standing behind the bar in front of his target. The others were a man, half-asleep, lounging on his table with three empty mugs around him. Nobody reacted to his entrance. Louis walked to the bar, and stood on the opposite end from his target. It was Will. Merinus' lieutenant. Silver, like him. Not the most competent one.

"Anyway, the boss called us in for a meeting at sunset," Will grumbled.

"I know it's not good news. That alchemist fucker hasn't delivered yet." The innkeeper eyed the drunkard as he dried a cup with a clean towel. Will waved his hand.

"Bah. He's knocked out. Won't remember it."

"If you say so. Usual place?"

"No. This time, it's at—" The door swung open with a bang, and a woman stepped inside. She looked at the door, then at the innkeeper.

"Sorry about that." The innkeeper nodded, and invited her inside. Her gaze swept the room, ignoring the drunkard and stopping on Louis. He looked away. A little too fast. Then he came back to her. Their eyes met once more. She smiled, shook her head, and sat at an empty table.

"A glass of Talman," she called. Floral wine, not the cheap kind.

"I told you we had interesting company in town." Will laughed.

"What's a Katori doing here? Your ship has already left, you know."

"Sampling your alcohol, if you'd let me."

"You want me to believe they don't sell Talman in Kator?" She shook her head.

"Of course they do. It's Kator. But local products always have an edge that gets lost in transport." Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. The innkeeper served her, and returned to his discussion with Will. Louis tapped his foot on the floorboard. Their lips would be sealed with her here. He looked at her. The woman was watching him with interest, legs crossed and glass in hand. The fact that she had spotted him was grating on his nerves.

His dissimulation skills' levels were high enough that a Silver shouldn't be able to see him if he didn't want them to. Perhaps her perception was unnaturally high. Or she'd reach the Gold rank. Either way, it was a variable he hadn't accounted for. At least, she hadn't said anything. Still looking at him, she brought the glass to her lips.

"Not bad. You should try." The innkeeper nodded.

"Thank you, miss. I've naturally tasted the things I sell." She turned away from Louis.

"What about your friend?"

"Definitely one of the best floral wines of Esmera," Will said.

"My pay's not enough to enjoy it on the regular, though." She smiled.

"Indeed, it's pricey. More than worth it, however."

"Soon." Will laughed.

"Soon, I'll be able to afford it."

"Oh? Going up the ranks, I presume?" He smiled.

"Something like that, yes." She returned it, and raised her glass.

"Well, congratulations are in order. To those who will soon rank up to Gold. She looked at Will, then at Louis. The latter winced. Not breaking eye contact with him, she continued.

"I don't want to bother you more than necessary." She downed her cup and stood up to leave.

"Take care." The Katori woman handed three gold coins to the innkeeper and left.

"Three fucking gold for a glass."

"Barely a few silvers for my margins." Will licked his lips.

"Do you reckon—""Don't even think about it. The boss will have your head if you mess with someone like that."

"I know." He snickered.

"I'm not a fool. We don't need anymore eyes on our operations. Not until the pact is sealed." The innkeeper shook his head.

"Even when it's done." Will nodded.

"Yeah. Good luck avoiding attention when a Platinum Yshant flattens Esmera." He chuckled.

"I won't stick around when that happens." Louis left soon after Will, location of the meeting secured. He jumped to the roofs and sat in the shadow of a chimney, a frown on his face. The afternoon sun was slowly traveling across the spotless blue sky. Perhaps trying to convince Alexandra to give up her quest was a mistake. They needed to kill the Yshant while it was still Gold, otherwise nothing in the region would be able to stop it.

This was bigger than he thought, not just a matter of Merinus and his lackeys avoiding responsibility. The idea of tipping off the Hands briefly crossed his mind, before he discarded it. Even if they believed him, they would at best evacuate their members from the plains. He doubted the Saint would allow the deployment of Platinums in the Hunter's territory. As for them warning the Wardens about the ploy…

Knowing how real Wardens operated, they would wait for the Yshant to become stronger before starting their hunt. And it would be dangerous for her. He bit his lips. Between his revenge and saving this city, he knew what he would choose. Louis closed his eyes, and offered a prayer to his patron in order to call upon Shadow Communion, his class art. The shadow of the chimney twisted under his eyes, and brought forth his status. Five experience points, a level to his tracking skill, none to his stealth.

He'd been hoping the Katori woman's presence could give him a boost, but it seemed she'd seen through him too easily. The meeting was taking place at a warehouse on the docks. It was unmarked, but Louis knew that it belonged to the Merinus family. Lucius Merinus, their current leader, and the foremost Warden in town, was the one hosting this reunion. He stepped past the guards undetected, the shadow's blessing diverting their attention from him. The warehouse was filled with crates.

It smelled of dried herbs and dust, like most warehouses in Esmera. He was early, but a crowd had already assembled. Twenty or so people, all Silver. Louis hid behind a crate, in a place where the light of the lamps didn't reach him. He waited, and listened. Wardens were present, and so were members of the Merinus family who hadn't tried to join the organisation. Louis suspected that the family leader had only bothered for the sake of having formal recognition of their control of the city.

They were, after all, in Aaron Loew's lands. None of the discussion caught his attention. Everyone kept to mundane topics. Food they'd tasted, small trade deals. A Merinus woman expressed curiosity about the Katori ship, but no mention of the woman he'd met at the tavern. Even Will was keeping his tongue. It took at least half an hour for the man to arrive. Lucius Merinus was tall, he stood straight as he walked, his long black hair flowing on his shoulders.

The chatter died out as soon as he stepped through the door. Louis suppressed his breath, and pressed his body deeper into the shadows. All he could hear were the man's metallic boots hitting the floor. Step after step. Then he stopped.

"Good evening, everyone." His voice was deep, slow, controlled.

"The time has come for me to deliver on what I promised all of you. For the Merinus, we shall rise beyond the gift of our ancestors. For the rest, you will take the first step and awaken your bloodline." Murmurs rose through the crowd, only to be silenced by his voice.

"Without our bloodline, the Merinus family wouldn't be what it is today. I hope that you will appreciate our patron's generosity. But this generosity has a price. A price you all know." He paused.

"Since the Pale Bloom is refusing to work with us, we shall prepare the tribute's conduit the old fashioned way." Louis frowned. He didn't know what Lucius was referring to. But it couldn't be good.

"Neutralize every warrior and priest of Fanon in the village of the plains. Make sure none escapes the beasts' stomachs." A woman spoke up.

"Father, this won't be enough to raise the Yshant to Platinum. We need the deniability, lest the real Wardens see through us."

"I will take care of the final stretch personally. Fertilizer is abundant nowadays." Louis felt a weight settle on his heart.

"Some even think they can evade my detection." He laughed.

"Come out, little shadow. I might be lenient if you pledge your skills to our cause."