Chapter 32 - 30-Mazrakh (II)

Neria heard a small predatory growl rumble from the Grand Duke’s chest.

She frowned slightly, unsure if she had heard it correctly because she wasn’t even sure he was capable of making a sound like that. It was low and almost animalistic, enough to make her wonder if her theory about him being some kind of monster hiding in human skin was actually correct.

Maybe he was something close to those silkies she had met once a few years ago.

The man shifted slightly, now standing between her and the crowd, blocking most of her view, it wasn’t like she could see properly in the first place.

"Xaras is here," he said, not to her but to Ryver.

"What?" Ryver asked, immediately moving closer.

Neria saw him lean slightly, trying to look over Darian’s shoulder. She tried to do the same, curious about who this Xaras person was and why he mattered.

Darian noticed and stepped in front of her. "No, not you... He’ll recognize you."

Neria stopped.

Oh?

She tilted her head, looking up at him. "We know this person?"

Darian didn’t answer immediately. His eyes remained fixed on the crowd, his expression hardening as he watched whoever had caught his attention.

"Unfortunately, yes." he finally said.

Neria frowned.

That didn’t sound like someone he was happy to see.

"He won’t recognize you" Ryver said.

"He might recognize Neria." Darian’s fingers started working on her cloak, pulling the hood over her head and making sure it covered most of her face. "He’s probably here on the Emperor’s orders."

The Emperor?

Neria didn’t like the sound of that. Anything that involved the Emperor usually ended with her getting hurt or something worse. Her fingers curled slightly around the edge of her cloak as she looked up at Darian, though with her vision still impaired and the dim lantern light around them, she could barely make out his face.

"We need to find Dhull before he does," Ryver said.

He reached into his sleeve and pulled out her spectacles, the lenses catching a faint reflection from one of the nearby lanterns.

Darian took them from him and carefully helped her put them on.

The world slowly came back into focus.

The blurry shapes around her became people again. The merchants, the cages, the strange creatures, and the countless lanterns hanging from the rocky ceiling all came into view.

She could even see Darian properly now. His face was tense, his eyes moving through the crowd as if he expected someone to appear at any moment.

Neria swallowed.

She saw him turn over his shoulder again, and this time she followed his line of sight. Her eyes drifted in the same direction until they landed on a man she immediately recognized.

He was the man who always stood beside the Emperor, the one with the scar on his face and that cold, dead look in his eyes.

So his name was Xanas?

Regardless, she didn’t like him.

"Keep your hood up. Don’t let your eyes wander too far," Darian instructed as he adjusted her cloak one last time. His fingers briefly pulled the fabric closer around her face before he looked down at her. "Lower your head."

Neria did as she was told.She lowered her head, letting the hood hide most of her face.

With Ryver beside her, Darian grabbed their chains again and started pulling them along. Neria kept her eyes fixed on the cave floor as they walked, watching the iron chains around her wrists move with every step.

She was tempted to raise her head.

Very tempted.

There were too many things she wanted to see, too many strange creatures and unfamiliar people moving around the cave, but Darian’s warning kept replaying in her head.

So she didn’t.

She kept her head down and continued walking beside him, trying very hard to behave.

The whole place felt hectic, though she couldn’t see much of it anymore. She could hear the merchants moving around, dragging crates across the stone floor and calling to one another as they got ready to open for business. The cave was filled with voices, the occasional clatter of metal, and the strange noises coming from some of the cages around them.

After walking for a while, they reached a quieter part of the cave with a wall of stacked crates. Darian stopped there, probably still searching for the man they had come here for. Beside her, she could hear Ryver shifting as he looked around.

"Should we ask around?" Ryver suggested, keeping his voice low enough that only Darian could hear.

Before Darian could answer, they heard someone call out.

"Zeke!"

At first, they didn’t turn. The name didn’t mean anything to Neria, and from the slight pause in front her, she guessed Darian had forgotten that was what he was calling himself.

"Zeke!"

This time the voice was closer.

"You must be Zeke."

Neria turned slightly toward the sound.

A large man was approaching them, dressed in expensive-looking clothes that seemed almost too clean for a place like this. Several rings covered his fat fingers, catching the faint light from the lanterns hanging around the cave whenever he moved his hands.

Darian stepped back slightly.

"Yes... I am Zeke."

Neria could hear the caution in his voice even though he tried to keep it casual.

The man’s face brightened with satisfaction. "Amazing. I heard from the guard that you brought in something quite interesting." He looked between them, his eyes lingering on Neria.

"I am a Calypso trader myself."

Neria immediately frowned.

She hated how he said it like her people were merely nothing more than a commodity.

"Yes... I did," Darian answered flatly.

The merchant’s smile grew wider. "I’d very much like to see what you brought."

"No."

Darian answered flatly again, already turning away from the merchant. He pulled at their chains, but before they could take another step, the man moved in front of them again.

"No?" the merchant repeated, his pleasant expression fading. "You understand I can buy her off you for more than whatever it cost you to get her."

Neria didn’t like the way he was looking at her.

There was something cold in his tone now, something that made her fingers curl tighter around the chains. She wasn’t sure he wasn’t asking anymore. He was telling Darian what he wanted, as if he was already certain he would get it.

"I am not interested," Darian said, his voice still flat. "I only sell her to the highest bidder."

The merchant’s jaw tightened. "Just let me see her."

Darian didn’t move.

The merchant stepped closer, close enough that Neria could smell the expensive perfume clinging to his clothes beneath the stronger smells of the market.

"I can show you my collection for the night," he continued, his voice quieter now. "I have rare ones too. From the part of the sea where ice floats."

Neria’s head lifted slightly.

What?

He had Calypsos trapped here?

She felt a strange knot form in her stomach thinking about how some helpless girls were probably trapped in a cramped tank like her.

"I am not interested," Darian repeated, he sounded irritated this time and he was obviously not hiding it anymore.

The merchant stared at him, then slowly smiled.

"You don’t understand who you’re dealing with."

Darian’s expression hardened.

The merchant’s eyes moved past him toward Neria again. "I’m giving you a very generous opportunity, Zeke. And you’re wasting it on greed."

She heard a small scoff from Darian. "It’s still a no."

For a moment, neither man moved.

The noise of the market seemed to carry on around them, merchants shouting and cages rattling, but Neria could feel the tension between them growing heavier with every second.

Then the merchant’s smile returned, though there was nothing friendly about it now.

"Fine," he muttered. "But you’ll regret this..."

The man’s eyes lingered on Neria one last time before he stormed off. Neria breathed through her nose, watching his footsteps disappear into the noise of the market.

"Darian already upset the big leagues... Nice job," Ryver said, sounding far too amused about it. She could almost imagine the elf’s smirk.

"Come on, you two. We have things to do."

Neria shifted, getting ready to move when a voice came from behind them, amused and cold.

"Grand Duke?"

___

Hi there!

Gosh, I am so sleepy as I am writing this! I am really trying to make sure I can update like twice a day, but to be honest, I am so tired! So why don’t we do this instead?

If we reach 100 Golden Tickets, I’ll do 5 bonus Chapters!

A Magic Castle and I’ll do 10 bonus Chapters!

And a Golden Gachapon... gosh, I might finish the book there and then! Not literally, but you get me. 😂

Sigh... I really need your love, guys, and your thoughts! Tell me what you think of Neria and Darian so far. What do you think is happening? What are your theories? I really want to hear everything!

Also, don’t forget that the book is taking part in Win-Win. If you can support this book, I would be SO happy! ❤️

And don’t forget to check out my other book if you’re a fan of werewolves and witches!

Your very sleep-deprived author,

Nera 🖤