11
Wounds sting my legs with every step I take. I grit my teeth, determined not to show the pain as I enter the tavern. Music drums into my ears and makes the ground vibrate underfoot. The deep beat drilling through my bones makes my already sore legs even more unsteady, and I teeter slightly to the side before steadying myself. I make my way through the tavern, eyes searching for Boro.
My eyes latch onto another person. Dark brown eyes pierce through the crowd, Rivya looking directly at me, watching me as she sips her drink. I had forgotten about her deal. By tomorrow, I need to hand over the gold coins in the tavern's vault. Yet one more thing to add to my agenda.
I turn, scanning the bar when I spot a much friendlier face. Cue's back. I push through the crowd and slide onto one of the stools.
"Cue," I say. She glances behind her from the glasses she's lining up. Her lips purse, and she turns back to her task. I blink, eyes darting to the sides. "Cue?"
She turns all the way around. Despite the tawny-colored concealer on her face, a red gash slices from her forehead down her slightly-rounded cheeks.
"What happened?" I ask.
"I don't... want to talk." She tries to turn around, but I reach out a hand, placing it inches away from her on the counter.
"Just describe them, and I'll hunt them down."
Tears cloud Cue's eyes. "I don't want you to," she whispers, barely audible over the drumming bass solo.
"Well, if you don't tell me, I'll spend the next few weeks hunting down them myself. It'll take longer, but I'll do it."
"It's not that simple." A single tear slips down her cheeks, and for a moment, I'm struck by how young she seems, like my sister Stellae was. "They were looking for you."
"Really."
"Yes. They kidnapped me and wanted me to give information on you, like where you live, work, habits, etc. I didn't tell them anything at first but..." Her facade cracks with a few sobs. She places her hand over her face, trying to cover her tears before the hardened patrons notice the bartender has broken down.
"It's okay," I say. The visit I received yesterday makes much more sense now. "Do you have any idea of who abducted you?"
Cue shakes her head. Her long, silver hair shifts, falling behind her shoulder.
"Can you describe them? Or the location you were taken?"
Her lips purse. "I can't describe the people. I was kept in a dark room for four days, my wrists strapped to the metal arms of a chair. I... I think they put an IV in my arm to give me fluids." She lifts her sleeve to show me a dark, purple bruise on her elbow. She pulls it down and seems to crumple in on herself. "They spoke to me over an intercom that made a crackling sound, distorting their speech."
"Did you hear anything?"
Cue chews her lip. "Not really. Though a few times, I thought I heard a grinding or mechanical sound outside the door. It was super faint, though."
"Hmm." My eyes drift to the counter. Her story reminds me of another missing person. Could the same people who took Cue have taken Raena?"
But there's a piece missing. It makes sense why Raena would be taken, to get information on Argon. It doesn't make sense why someone would want information on me. There's nothing special about me compared to the other Elyminai in the city. Unless it's because of my dealings with Talc.
Then there's the other piece missing about Chromeface working for Gang One. Why abduct one of the top official's wives from Gang One when he works for them? Was it an internal attempt to gain power over the entire organization?
So many questions. And after yesterday's failed attempt at answers, I'm at a loss at what to do next.
No, actually, I'm not. I know what tasks come next. If Talc isn't dead, I know the next best place to search for him. I just need some extra fuel to get there.
"Look, I'm here for a job," I whisper. "But I promise to figure out who did this to you and make them pay."
Cue swipes a hand over her cheeks. "It's fine, Aura. You don't have to—"
"Yes, I do. They're after both of us, and who knows how many others. I'll figure this out. In the meantime, I need you to do me a favor."
"Sure," Cue sniffles.
"I need some help accessing a certain vault tonight."
Cue's face goes from confused to alarmed. "You don't mean—"
"Here at the tavern? Yes. You put the gold away every night, right?"
"Among others."
"What time?"
"Three in the morning"
"Okay, fine. So the job will go like this: I'll come in around that time and offer drinks for all the staff. You drug the drinks with knock-out pills. Once everyone's out, you unlock the safe, I grab the gold, and you pretend to be knocked-out like everyone else. No ties back to you."
"Won't they suspect me for prepping the drinks?"
"You just slip the pellets into the cups. You don't have to pour the drinks. More than likely, they'll suspect me."
Cue seems unsure, but she nods nonetheless.
I glance around. Finally, my gaze lands on Boro. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow morning. Three a.m."
"Three a.m."
I slip into the crowd, pushing my way to the Link. Boro glances up from his drink, a grin stretching across his cheeks.
"Aurablade. You've had a knack for disappearing these days."
"I need a job," I say, sitting across from him.
"Figures. You only show up when you need one." He snaps his fingers, motioning to someone across the room. "I already have a job in mind for you."
***
Sweltering heat scorches the air. My wounds feel inflamed by the underworld's temperature. Each step through the many twisting passages is agony, yet I keep trekking through the realm of the subconscious. My eyes frequently turn to my watch. It's almost midnight, nearly an hour and a half has passed since I first started searching for Talc.
I have to find him. If not for my appointment at the tavern in three hours, I would never leave these decrepit, musty halls until I find him. But that isn't possible. If I have to leave before I find him, then that means I'll have to kill yet another person to get back. Two, actually. One breath here, one breath back.
Frustration wells inside. Talc might not even be here. He might be dead. So far, no one I've spoken to has seen anyone resembling his description.
He can't be dead. There has to be a way to save Stellae, and his aunt.
The winding, sandstone-colored walls continue down a never-ending corridor. Rock formations rise from the floor, towering over me as I pass by. In the distance, a black-and-white figure appears, curled up to one side. Hope sparks in my stomach, though I try to douse it before it flares too strong.
It might not be Talc.
Yet the size and frame is similar, so is the hair. I hurry my pace, my boots quietly treading on the sandy ground. The boy's head, which was hanging down, lifts the slightest bit at my approach.
Suddenly, his head whips around.
"Talc!" I exclaim in a hoarse whisper.
"Aurablade?" He rubs his eyes, blinking rapidly at me. "How... how did you find me? How'd you get down here?"
"That's not important." He can imagine all the ways one can hitch a ride down here. "But what is important is that you're still alive."
"What happened?" he asks. "The last thing I remember, you were in Argon's office." Though hued in black-and-white, Talc's eyes seem to light up. "Did you download the information?"
I shake my head. "We were ambushed."
"Dardroids." He flops back against the stone wall. A wince twists his lips as the scalding stone hits his neck.
"We have to find a way to free you, bring you back to the conscious world." I crouch down beside him, placing my hands on one knee and resting my chin on them.
"That isn't possible," Talc chuckles mirthlessly.
"Oh, no?" I raise my chin.
"No?" Talc's brow furrows. "Unless there's something I don't know. As far as I knew, if I even got close to a portal, a force-field would keep me trapped."
"Right..." I think for a moment. My foot scrapes over the ground a few loose circles. "But if we can find the portal where you entered, we might be able to find where you're being kept."
"How do the portals even work?" Talc asks.
"They tend to open around locations where many people are being knocked unconscious. So hospitals, high-crime areas, near construction sites, those kinds of places."
Talc doesn't respond for a few beats. "So, if I'm hearing you right, since I was knocked unconscious in The CryoFuture's headquarters, the nearest portal to—" He motions aimlessly. "—here will be close to the CryoFuture, not whatever location my body is being held at right now."
My plan dissolves before me. "You're right."
"But I could be wrong!"
"No, you're right."
"Unless I woke up and was knocked unconscious again. Then I'd enter through a different portal, correct?"
"Unless your location was still within the vicinity of the first portal."
"It's worth a try." My eyes drift to the ground. Talc groans. "Hey! It's worth a try."
I consider him for a moment. "I guess it beats breaking into the CryoFuture again."
"Exactly. Now how exactly does one find a portal?" Talc stands, hands on his hips while he surveys the looming rocks.
"They're usually a little cooler in temperature than the rest of the underworld. You know, since they're by the outside. They also usually have a blueish glow around the rim. And of, course, when you try to walk through them, a force field will keep you inside." I glance at my watch. It's almost twelve-thirty in the morning, and I have to leave enough time to get back to the tavern. "I don't think I can search for the portal today, but perhaps you can see if you can find one."
"Got it. Blue glow, cooler in temperature." He swipes the back of his hand over his forehead.
"Marginally cooler."
"Anything is better than the current one. I feel like I have heatstroke. My throat is so parched."
"If it's any solace, at least you can't die here." That only happens if Argon's men decide that he is no longer useful.
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