Page 6 of Lich's Mate

Zelos takes the drink from my hand. Rafil is a potent alcohol made of fermented demon berries. I own some of the most expensive bottles on Ikoth.

“Are you referring to the slave trade?” Zelos asks.

“That and so much else. But mainly that, yes.”

My mind immediately drifts to Gorran, a xaphan with a large mansion in the jagged hills of Sarziroch. He has a stream of profit rolling in from New Solas and it’s absolutely clear how he’s earning that money. I take a swig of rafil, dulling my senses.

“We need to kill him.”

“Ha!” Zelos shakes his head and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Kavian, you fool. You’ll get yourself in trouble with the authorities. We’re not allowed to kill xaphans indiscriminately.”

“Okay, then we need to take him down. Ruin his wealth.”

Zelos stares at me with narrowed eyes. “Are you that intimidated by him, Kavian?”

“Say that to me again and I’ll rip out your tongue,” I warn. “I’m not intimidated by a xaphan. But I am… irritated. The xaphans need to know their place on Ikoth. Gorran and his associates have not learned that lesson.”

“So what do you intend to do?”

Indeed, what am I going to do about Gorran?

The fate that awaits that dreaded xaphan will not be pleasant. But I keep my vivid thoughts to myself and continue drinking from my glass.

The streets of Sarziroch never go to sleep. I lean on the edge of a building. Across the way, a tavern owned by Gorran bustles heartily. Demons go in happily, as well as a few xaphans. They mingle and chat amongst one another as if they are dear friends. Pathetic.

My cloak covers most of my face and body. From down here, I glance upwards and see the illustrious estate that belongs to Gorran, overlooking most of the city from its spot in the hills.

It truly disgusts me to know that a xaphan has accomplished this much in so little time. But he has not achieved his wealth using noble means.

No, he has a group of xaphans back on New Solas doing the dirty work for him and pocketing most of the profit himself.

I want to gut his operation. I want to kill the bastards who work for Gorran before slicing the xaphan up myself.

Then, all of Ikoth will be reminded that we bow down to no xaphan, no matter how deep their pockets are.

Clenching my jaw, I decide to enter the tavern, knowing what kind of attention awaits me once I step foot through the threshold.

It doesn’t matter. I’m hoping to learn more about Gorran and his cronies, and this might be the best place to accomplish that.

Surprisingly, no one stares at me for long once I make my way in. Perhaps, they’re used to less than favorable types spending their money here. So long as they’re spending, no one needs to make a big deal.

“Can you believe that?” a xaphan barks out, sipping loudly on his drink while another xaphan server drops two plates of food in front of him.

Gluttonous bastard.

I keep him in my peripheral vision as I take a seat at the bar. Slipping two coins towards the bartender, the xaphan with a sour look nods solemnly and serves me a cheap drink. His wings are charred and jagged near the edges. Ugly as sin, like most of the xaphans in this tavern.

“Gorran says he earned a pretty profit from his latest batch of humans he sold.”

“Did he share some of the profits with you?”

“Eh. I wasn’t expecting much from a bastard like him.”

That catches my attention. Turning slightly, I glance at the trio of xaphan speaking behind me. They eat and drink and make a mess of their surroundings, but they’re too engrossed in conversation to care about a demon like me eavesdropping.

“But we’re planning another operation soon. Remember Zathex?”

“Ha! Stupid fuck. He got himself killed by a human, didn’t he?”

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