I narrowed my eyes. It seemed like this guy had no problem lying straight to my face. What was his angle?
Wyn burst out laughing.
"Oh, please," she scoffed. "If you're offering money, then you must be desperate. You don't have any other way of finding what you're looking for."
Her voice dripped with sarcasm.
Both agents turned to glare at her, but the small one spoke first.
"What does it take to prove you wrong?"
"Just how much do you think we make?" I asked, cutting in on their conversation.
They looked surprised by my question.
"Well... um..."
"Let's see," I continued. "For starters, let's assume you both make an annual salary of five hundred million gold a year. That's a decent number to start with. Please do correct me if I'm wrong."
Their jaws dropped open. The big guy had trouble breathing.
"H–How did you know that?!"
I smiled.
"It doesn't matter. But on average, I'd say I make twice that amount in a week on a bad day."
They stared at each other in shock. Then they turned to look at me.
"How did you manage to pull that kind of income?" the small one asked.
He sounded genuinely curious. Not angry or frustrated.
I shrugged. There was no way I was going to let anyone know how I got all of my money. Even if they were asking nicely.
"I work hard at what I do."
I glanced at my watch. It was almost nine o'clock. Time to go.
"But enough talking. I need to leave."
"No, you don't!" The large agent interrupted again. "Please wait."
"Look, I don't want any trouble. I've been through a lot today already, okay?"
I knew this wasn't over yet. They wouldn't let me walk away so easily.
"We just need a few moments to explain why we came here. To show you proof of what we mean."
"Proof?"
The two agents exchanged glances.
"I suppose you deserve to know after spending so much time traveling all the way down here. All right. We have something to show you."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a mobile phone.
"We found the map to the fountain of youth somewhere in these ruins."
My heart stopped. I didn't believe my ears.
"Show me the picture," I said without thinking.
He quickly typed in a message. A moment later, he showed me the screen.
A lagoon filled with crystal blue water surrounded an ancient-looking city on a desert island in a grainy image.
I couldn't believe it. This was real!
"Is this really from the lost city?" Ravus asked. He sat up straighter and leaned forward to get a better view of the photo.
"Yes," the little guy answered. "It's where our ancestors built the fountains that gave them eternal life."
"And your ancestors are still alive there?" Wyn asked.
"Not exactly."
"Then who lives there?"
"Ancient beings."
Ravus and Wyn exchanged a quick glance.
"Ancient beings?" Ravus repeated. "Are you saying there are monsters living inside this place?"
"No, not monsters," the big guy replied. "They're just... different."
"Different?"
"In fact," the smaller agent added, "they're more human than we are."
This was derailing the whole conversation. I needed to get back on track before things went too far off course.
"So how the hell did you lose this thing? And what are you doing in the city?"
They seemed taken aback by my questions.
"Why do you ask?" the big guy finally responded.
"You can tell us. Or is there some reason you're trying to hide something?"
"Nothing like that. Why would we lie about something as important as this?"
"Because I'm willing to bet everything I own, you guys were attempting to steal something else. Something just as valuable. That's probably why you lost the map in the first place."
They looked at each other for several long seconds.
"What makes you think that, Master Dare?" the big one finally asked.
"Well..."
"If we were thieves, we wouldn't be here talking to you now. You could be working for someone. Someone dangerous."
That was true. But it wasn't anything I wanted to admit. Especially when I saw the disappointment in their eyes.
"Fine, fine. We'll prove it."
He tapped a button on his phone and held it up for me to see.
An old man appeared on the screen. His skin was wrinkled, but he had dark brown hair and deep brown eyes. He smiled warmly at the screen.
"Who is that?"
"Our ancestor. The founder of our people."
"Okay..."
I sighed at him. It was hard to make out his unique features, especially since the resolution of the image was so low.
"What's his name?"
"His name is Turok. He's a great leader, very wise. He founded our tribe."
Turok. The name sounded vaguely familiar. Like maybe I'd heard it before. Maybe if I thought about it hard enough—
"You two were entrusted with something like that, and you lost it?" Wyn asked. "How stupid can you get?"
"Show some manners, missy!" the big guy snapped. "We've been through a lot already."
Wyn stared daggers at him.
"Let's try again. How did you lose it?" I asked.
The two agents shared another look. Then they turned their attention back to me.
The smaller one said, "We will tell you all we know if you promise to be our mediator to the great protector."
Ravus narrowed his eyes suspiciously, signaling to me to consider their request carefully.
"All right," I told them. "But you have to tell me everything. No secrets. All of it."
The two men exchanged another glance.
"Deal."
–––––––––––
It has been about two hours since the meeting. We left the agents after promising to keep the mission secret; we had two days before the start of the next show.
They insisted that it would never happen again and promised to aid my show. In return, I agreed to help them mediate with Obsidian.
"I don't care if they're lying or telling the truth," Ravus whispered as we walked down the street. "Whatever it is, it sounds crazy. I still say we should call this off."
I didn't want to hear any more about it. I was tired. Exhausted really. My head throbbed from thinking about all the information they gave us. There was no way to verify it. Everything was so vague and mysterious.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" I told him. "I know I promised to take you with me, but—"
"No, no...it's not that," Ravus said quickly. "You have to understand, I'm not like you. I can't just go around trusting I'm invincible and expect nothing bad to ever happen. I'm used to being cautious, getting the facts first. That's just how I am."
"Yeah, well..."
"You're just weak," Wyn added. She stopped walking and faced him. "And you're an idiot, but a friendly idiot most of the time."
She grinned. Ravus frowned and shook his head.
"Oh, come on," she continued. "Just because you've got your face buried in those gadgets doesn't mean you're not a real person. And I think it's safe to assume that everyone else in this city is a real person too."
Ravus scowled.
"Are you done?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Great," I replied. "Then let's continue where we left off. Let's finish the leftovers back at home. A good meal will do us both a world of good."
Wyn nodded. "Agreed, beloved."
Ravus sighed. "Whatever."
He looked miserable. I felt sorry for him. I knew what it was like to feel insecure when dealing with new situations. To feel uncertain about what the future held. But then again, I wasn't the only one who was struggling.
"If you don't want it, I can take yours," Wyn said.
Ravus glared at her.
"Don't be such a baby," she went on. "You could use a nice meal for yourself."
Ravus snorted.
"Come on," she urged. "There are plenty of other people who need the food more than you do."
Ravus sighed loudly and dropped his shoulders.
"Fine," he grumbled. "Lead the way."
A few blocks later, we reached our destination.
The building was large enough to accommodate several families. It was also located in the middle of nowhere. The location might seem odd, but that was exactly why we chose it.
"We'll meet here tomorrow morning," I said.
"Okay," Ravus replied. He hesitated a moment, then added: "Do you think this is a trap?"
I smiled. "Only one way to find out."
–––––––––––
Ravus woke up early the next day. I could tell that after spending most of the night trying to convince himself that we were making a huge mistake, he decided to get some rest while he still had the opportunity.
By the time I arrived at the meeting spot, he was already sitting under a tree, waiting patiently for me. I found myself grinning, despite the fact that I'd barely slept at all.
"You finally came!" he exclaimed. "Good! This is going to work!"
He jumped up and hugged me. I returned the gesture awkwardly, wondering what was happening to me.
"Where's Wyn?" I asked.
"Over there," he said, pointing across the field.
I spotted her by the fence, eating something from a brown paper bag.
"Hey, Wyn," I called.
She glanced over, her eyes immediately beaming with joy. Her cheeks turned pink as she smiled brightly at me. Then she froze, staring at Ravus' arms wrapped tightly around my neck.
"I'm the one who should have her arms around my beloved." Wyn laughed softly.
"You two sure know how to make a guy feel welcome," I chuckled.
"It's been so long since I last saw you," Wyn added, looking into my eyes.
Her gaze made me uncomfortable. I tried to look away, but couldn't help feeling drawn to her. My heart pounded hard against my chest, and my breathing became labored. I swallowed nervously before speaking.
"So...you're really okay with this?" I asked. "About us working together? You're not regretting anything now, are you?"
She didn't reply.
"Only the three of us know who Obsidian really is," Ravus whispered. "And I think I speak for both of us when I say, Are you sure about this, Dare?"