Page 21 of Fated Angel

8

Colt

Colt’s mind is racing. Kenna’s here, with a stranger they’ve been searching for. It all seems surreal, too easy, that they would find themselves in a magically resurrected city and their friend would be here as well. Something is at work here, something powerful, and it unsettles his soul.

Something is interfering with their search, but are they helping them find the shards, or setting them up so they can steal them all at once?

All this uncertainty over the past few days has Colt jumping at shadows. Gabby’s quiet, her eyes unfocused. She’s acting as if there’s some internal battle inside her and Colt is getting more and more worried that her angelic powers might not be enough to protect her this time.

“How is it you knew to come here?” Colt asks Kenna, keeping his voice light so it sounds less like an interrogation and more like friendly conversation. “Did you know the city still stood?”

“Not here, follow me. I have someplace we can go to talk more, but with the guards patrolling this area…” Kenna lets her voice trail off, waving for them to follow her.

Together, the three of them stick to the shadows of the hidden city. Colt is amazed at the architecture, the history that has survived so long and remains pristine.

“How is this possible? This city is in better condition than most modern cities in this area,” Gabby whispers, awe filtering through her voice as she looks up at the towering domes and their glittering roofs far above their heads. “How could you see it, Kenna? It only appeared when we did, because of the stones, but you seem to have been here before us.”

Kenna stops, pulling us into a dark corner and they all plaster ourselves against the walls. The wind shifts, blowing sand through the tight passage, and carrying the echoing voices of soldiers as they storm past us. They know there are intruders, they won’t be giving up on finding them easily. Colt reaches over to grasp Gabby’s hand and squeeze. She faces so much danger as it is, he won’t let these people get her.

Kenna exhales a relieved sigh as the guards pass and they remain unnoticed. Gabby turns to Colt and smiles slightly, rubbing her thumb on his hand absently.

“Marlowe is the one who directed me here. His power revealed the ancient city. Perhaps he knows more, but we didn’t have time to discuss it,” Kenna says, narrowing her eyes as she looks down the street before them. “Hurry, we can’t be seen!”

They follow her through many more twists and turns, down stairways and under bridges, until finally they find themselves near a drainage system below the city and Kenna opens a gate to allow them all in. For a few moments, there’s only brickwork and dark water to be seen, but the farther they walk inside, the more they can hear the sound of rising voices.

“What is this place?” Gabby breathes, eyes wide in shock as the tunnel opens up to a massive room filled with people of every race peddling their wares like the black market.

“Supernatural traveling bazaar,” Kenna whispers. “This is where the supernatural community meets in secret to trade wares most might find…repugnant…”

Colt grimaces as they pass a man peddling animals in cages. A minotaur roars at Colt in defiance as they pass by.

“This is wrong,” Colt scowls.

Kenna gives him a pitying look. “Yes, it is, but if not for this gathering at this time in this place, we would never have been able to pinpoint who we’re looking for.”

“Speaking of things we’re looking for…” Gabby interjects, and Kenna waves at her to signal that she should be quiet. They approach a ramshackle building that looks as if it was hastily put together and hardly ever tended. Kenna walks through the front door while Colt and Gabby wait outside.

“We should just go off on our own. If Kenna needed our help, she would have found a way to contact us. We’re slowing each other down,” Gabby whispers fiercely to Colt, who pulls her under his arm protectively. People in robes and headscarves are walking by, staring at the pair suspiciously, some even staring at Gabby and licking their lips.

“She’s our friend. We need to see what this is all about. Maybe somehow our two quests are interconnected,” Colt says, rubbing her arms up and down to calm her.

“Alright, we’re all set, come with me,” Kenna announces, stepping out of the ramshackle building with a smile on her face.

“Come where?” Gabby asks, distrust in her eyes.

Colt watches as Kenna sees her expression and her own eyes soften with understanding. “I’ve got you lodging next to mine. This place is full of refuse from all around the world, but there’s one thing I can say for a den of vipers like this; no one steals anything or invades anyone’s space because you never know who you’re messing with,” Kenna explains. “Even so, we need to watch out for the more powerful denizens, the ones who don’t normally travel with the bazaar.”

“Like who?” Colt asks.

Kenna raises a brow at him. “Vlad is said to be in Mercy city, but as you know his cult has been all over the middle east. Like Marlowe said, we have reason to believe they’re the ones holding the prisoner I’m searching for, and I also believe they’re using what you’re looking for to hide his presence. The cult is here, Gabby. They’re here and they are listening to everyone and everything. So come, let us get to our lodgings and make a plan.”

Colt and Gabby exchange a terse, nervous look, but they follow Kenna quietly through the shops and tents until they get to a back wall that’s been knocked out. In several places there are holes in the bricks, covered by heavy tarps. Inside is a small nook big enough for the three of them to sit crossed legged and speak in privacy.

“This is where you two can sleep, and I recommend you do, but first we have some things to discuss.”

Kenna explains that there will be a flesh auction starting after midnight, with Asher as one of the prisoners for sales. She tells Colt and Gabby she needs someone to go to the auction for her. Someone who can bid on Asher when he comes available.

“I’ll finance this, of course, but it’s vitally important that we win him in the auction and not anyone else. As for the shard, he will be near it as it is all that stands between him and escape. Bid on this man for me, and the shard is yours.”

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