It was dawn when they finally completed the nerve-wracking deal. I glanced at Kirai beside me. Strangely, I am relieved to be able to get her out of there. Still, what happened in that spacious hall disturbs me. There was something Kirai missed to tell me.
I recalled their reactions. The atmosphere turned into dead silent, stunned, and uneased. As if those names hold a significant weight to them. Seconds later, the people in the background start mumbling noisily among themselves and all eyes on me. Did I say something I shouldn't have? I turned to Kirai, only to see her watch me with tears stricken face. She knew why as she shook her head slowly and looked down to her lap.
My heartbeat was beating hard in anticipation. I waited anxiously at the leader.
The leader raised his hand, and the noise ceased. "And, enlighten us how you will pay? Your life?"
######
From a distance, Darak stood watching the duo leaving the premises in limpy and low spirited as the sun began to rise on the horizon, behind the hillside. The cold morning wind blew his long hair back. He gritted his teeth in annoyance.
"Are you regretting your decisions to let them go, Darak?" a soft voice emerged from behind the red curtains. She joined him on the balcony, watching the duo heading back to the palace. Her familiar profile, elegantly walking as the lady of the palace understands his predicament rather well.
"Am I being obvious?" He looks away from the duo and starts to leave, but she holds him still by his shoulder softly. "Shouldn't you return to the palace too, Anna? Remember your job is to get as much information on the High Priest."
"I understand," She obeyed. She let go of him. "I'm sorry. I didn't know she was looking for the High Priest."
"And who is Mr Rabbit?"
"I'm not sure," She shook her head. "She seemed to be searching for something." She recollected her memories of a few incidents at the palace. "There's even one time the priestess called her a Mundane girl."
"Continue observing her. I had the feeling she might not even be the same Lady Coriane. Let's head inside," Darak left the balcony and headed inside. "Bring me the box, Tarai." He instructed his brother to bring the box. He was well aware of this item on hand. He heard it before. The tear of god. He was offended when she offered him a box of her wedding gift, and he laughed it off as a joke. But, the moment he opened it, he knew what he saw only meant he ate up his own laugh.
"Why?" He had a mixed feeling about it that he didn't realise his own question. He was ecstatically excited and nervous, but still, he needed to know. Doesn't she know the value of it?
"No! Your Highness, you can't be seriously thinking of?" The priestess tried to protest. They ignored her.
"What do you mean why?" She asked. He was amazed by her courage to speak, but her stupidity might be her early demise. "I offer you this piece of jewellery for your service. I'm not sure what it's worth, but I trust you will get the job done."
Darak narrowed his eyes, trying to gauge her determination, but his twin kept on mumbling made him almost lose his temper.
"Alright. We accept your request. But, I have to remind you that we can't guarantee.."
"No. No," she shook her head. Protesting. "This is not going to work. I want results. If you are not up to it, well, I think I should take it to another place. I trust they can do it better than this Guild." She looked confident with her bargaining chip as she crossed her arms. But her fingers are still shivering.
"Why you!?" Tarai snapped out to her. "We're all you got to locate anyone or anything in this land. You dare to insult us? We are your best Scavengers in this job." Darak's annoyed expression gave a chill to his twin, but Darak didn't say anything to his action, which was a relief. He stood there proudly with his own conviction. Darak rubbed his temple.
"Are you done?" Darak glared at his twin brother. Tarai nodded and looked away from him, appearing flustered. He knew he was not supposed to say anything. Darak turned back to Rain. "Alright, tell you what. Give me three days to confirm our sources. If we can't find any of them, I will return the jewel to you."
"How will I know if you're done?"
#########
"Darak, you know we can't find him, right?" Tarai approached him upfront.
"I'm surprised you are aware of that fact," Darak's sarcasm hit in. "Who was the idiot who spoke too early?"
"I'm sorry."
"That lady is too cunning," His hand clutches hard with a sound of bone. "Hail for Malakhi. Is he here yet?"
"Don't bother. I'm here the whole time." Someone behind the shadow showed up. Darak stared at him as he strode into the room. He doesn't like this half breed. His size was bigger than normal male size, and he should blame it on his hunchback. His deformity is almost the same height as his head that in the dark, people might see a two-headed human. He always wears a hooded robe to cover his own shame, but Darak never cares. As long as he did his job well, even the blind one also got to work for him. That is not the part that makes him cringe. The other creature beside that half-breed is. Darak's gaze went down to his side. Malakhi's creature, Ulan. The only creature alive in this land. The size of it is enormous. It snared at Darak and the twin dangerously. "You know you need a handler for that artefact."
He did see that priestess gone back with Lady Coraine.
"Find me a priestess," Darak instructed Tarai. He nodded and left. "What's your take on her?" Darak turned toward the big framed man as he was about to exit the room with his creature. Malakhi's silent treatment annoyed him. "Can't she be the one you're searching for?"
Malakhi halt. The creature turned to him in an interesting expression. It was the first time it stopped snaring at him but instead gave out a low pitched moan. "Let's go, Ulan." And they disappeared through the same way they came.
Darak had almost all the priestesses in the city perform the special test for the next three days, blindfolded. But none of them was the handler they sought. They are running out of time. Darak can't let the important artefact be taken back. Without the handler of the tear, the artefact is worthless.
He let out a sigh. That was the last priestess. No. he corrected himself. This is not the last priestess. There's another one left. The newly appointed priestess originated from the Grand Temple, Priestess Kirai. Somehow he needs to get her away from the crown princess without raising any suspicions from her.
Opposite from Tarai's claim, Darak knew they couldn't find High Priest Romou at all. He was like water himself. Like his name. Romou. Means teardrop. They had him captured many times before, but he calmly vanished in his cage, leaving only a poodle of water on site. That makes them believe he was the last companion of Desiree, the Goddess of Stars. The only living being after Desiree abandoned the Human Realm and returned to the Stars Realm.
He walks aimlessly and unconsciously arrives at the front door of Laini. The only sister they had. Nobody ever knew what she had encountered to end like this. A lifeless being that doesn't have any consciousness of who she was can't speak nor eat or drink.
For now, she looks calm and sits in the corner of the room alone. All she did was in a trance, but something made them attack other people and cause harm to them. The way she attacked, the emotion and expression were like a mother protecting their cubs. Fierce and overprotective. Did he see and assumed it wrongly?
Something for sure is going on. A big thing is on its way. Darak is not sure what it was, but Tarai and Malakhi are on their way to do their work. Hopefully, they get their work done before the end of this week, or they get to square one.