It was already nighttime when my best mate in Gard annoyingly wrapped his arms around me to tease me.
"You're kidding, right?"
However, I wasn't in the mood.
"Captain said you slept with someone. Spill it! Who was it?!"
I groaned in annoyance and slapped his arm lightly. This made him release his grip around me.
"I never slept with anyone," I muttered.
He frowned when I said so. "Why? You've done plenty of girls. Why the sudden change? Did the Captain catch you?" he teased.
I rolled my eyes. We were currently having a drink at the tavern, drinking away whatever was left inside our bottles. I had been doing most of the work. While this bastard just enjoyed drinking and talking.
"That's none of your business," I told him bluntly. "We're here to get the job done."
I had seen a man and another young lady enter the tavern a few minutes ago. My best mate must have noticed that because he took a quick read over them.
Ian smirked as he drank more wine. "Sure. But you can't lie about it anymore. Who was it? A noble? An aristocrat?"
"Stop it," I quietly said.
Out of the newspaper, I glanced at the man and the lady. I had taken note of them earlier when they entered. They were dressed in expensive, well-cut clothing with matching gloves, hats and boots, all black with gold trim. Their attire looked quite expensive and they gracefully carried themselves.
"You're no fun," Ian said in annoyance.
He took a glance at the two. Looks like he got on it too.
"I thought it was the Lady only?" Ian commented as he continued to read over them.
I too was sure it was the Lady only. We were given an order to observe her. She was a merchant who happened to be in contact with Hejar. A nobleman from Kinshire. It was told she was smuggling some goods to another country for high profit. Which was illegal in Soreen since she had no papers stamped for approval. The Gard quickly reacted and summoned me from my adventurous exploration around the city.
"She's leaving," Ian observed.
"Yeah," I muttered distractedly, still watching the man and lady. I wondered if she were a Jadvolian like Ian based on the tone of her skin and doll-like face. As well her jade earrings and necklace.
The lady was walking away with her servant in tow.
As Ian and I exchanged glances, he gave me a questioning look.
I shrugged. "Maybe something is going on with the Lady?"
I folded the newspaper and laid it down on the table. I pulled my act together as if nothing were amiss.
Ian and I followed them. From afar, She took a rather shady path for a woman not to be. It was suspicious.
Her servant led her to an area where there were many people gathered. We hid behind a tree nearby to observe the scene.
In contrast to the rest of the town, the area she chose was deserted and quiet. No one was outside or anywhere near them as far as we could see. Not even a dog was present.
The lady seemed to stop at a building where a man dressed in black but his face wasn't shown talked to her for a little bit. The man then pointed toward another building across from them. She nodded slowly and began walking in that direction.
Her servant followed her closely. When the two disappeared behind a building, we quickly slipped behind them from afar and continued forward.
We watched the lady get into a building next to the one she slipped behind. We crept up to them from afar at the corner of a building three blocks away and peered into the alleyway. There was no one there and the lights inside the building were out.
"This is bad. The air stinks too," my best friend muttered worried.
I looked over at him. "How do you figure that?"
"It's obvious. They're planning something. I mean, even the scene tells it," my best friend replied.
He was right. The air stank of something evil. I could feel the unease of the White Shadows lacking around.
Suddenly the light flickered. We both looked at the building in shock. It was then that I realized it was probably someone there. We stared at the window dumbfounded and Ian was the first to speak. "I'm going in," he said.
Before I could answer him, I caught sight of a black shadow moving through a window on the upper floor of the building. "Hold on!" I exclaimed quietly to keep him from advancing.
Once the shadow had vanished from view, I cautiously stepped forward and peeked sideways around in the alleyway.
"What was that all about?" Ian whispered behind me.
"They have a spy. Looks like one that can use magic," I informed him with certainty.
We stood in front of the building. Ian
frowned at me in disbelief. "Are you serious? Are you sure?"
I nodded.
In Soreen, magicians are rarely seen. The country was known for its lower rate of giving birth to those with magic. And those considered magicians in Soreen were protected with laws and regulations similar to those that exist within the land. But rather special.
"We should return, with a magician as a spy. It's no use. This is a piece of useful information to Gard." Ian expectantly looked at me.
I shook my head. "We'll report to the captain later," I declared firmly, ignoring his suggestion. I looked back at the building again.
Someone came out of the building the lady was in. He was draped in a navy red cloak. Even from behind, I could tell that he was very tall. He stood there casually while smoking a cigar. His hood hung low on his face and revealed the sharp angles of his jawline.
But something else caught my attention. A crest was embedded in his cloak. It was gold and intricate in design. It depicted a wolf with wings spread wide. It also displayed a small bird.
I felt my breath catch in my throat. How did he know of this symbol? The insignia is not commonly found anywhere in Soreen other than Kinshire. Where could he have learned the symbol? Was he a Kinshire nobleman?
My gaze went from him to the house. The lady's servant came through the same door as the strange man with the crest. He stood outside the door. He was guarding the building. I looked at my friend again.
"Let's go. We can't linger here," I suggested.
With one last glance back at the cloaked man, I and Ian left the scene.