novel-bin Chapter 7: Do you think they'll treat you kindly?
Chapter 7: Do you think they'll treat you kindly?
Chapter 7: Do you think they'll treat you kindly?
Dantes turned the mirror over in his hands, looking for some kind of activation rune, but found nothing. He could tell the item was magical, there was a feeling to things that had magic. It presented differently for everyone. Some people heard a low hum, others said the air around magic smelled like the air before a storm, others would feel a chill up their spine. For Dantes it was a tingling in the tips of his fingers. He felt that sensation keenly as he held the mirror.
His attention turned to the mirrors exposed edge. The only portion that wasnt obscured by leather. It had been shaved down to a sharp blade and when he looked at it closely he saw small brown stains he recognized as dried blood. He began to press his thumb into the edge, but hesitated. He was eager, it was the first taste of power hed had in some time, the first true heist hed been a part of, he needed to calm himself. He longed to use the mirror, but magic could be dangerous, and he had no idea exactly how the mirror functioned, or exactly what might be waiting for him on the other side. Even if he turned it on, it wasnt as if gold would start to flow from it, it was just a connection to another mirror outside the prison, not a tool for wish fulfillment. He needed to resist the desire to rush things, and gather more information.
There were a number of people he could bring the mirror to, but only one he could think of that owed him a favor. Dantes slid the mirror into one of the many folds of his coat, slotted a few shivs into his boots, and slid out of his cave.Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only
He didnt head straight toward the Collareds territory. They were the gang he got along best with, but that didnt mean he trusted them. Hed trusted his gang, and theyd gotten him thrown into this shithole. He had no desire to be betrayed again. He wove through a few narrow caverns and corridors, skirting around Kobold territory just in case the elves had put any kind of bounty on his head. Kobolds were good neighbors. They rarely bothered him when they encountered one another, he got along with the ones that traded, and they could be relied on to perform any job theyd agreed to, up to their understanding of that agreement. Theyd still slit his throat for the right price though, and they knew enough about the general area in which he lived that they could place some of their trademark traps to catch him off-guard if they truly wanted to.
He stopped in an offshoot cave that stopped in a dead end. He peeled away a piece of stone from the wall. Inside was a small pouch that he knew contained a small portion of food, a shiv, and a bottle of clear hooch. He slid the mirror into the compartment, and then sealed it back up. He had a half dozen such hiding places in the Pit. He was hardly the only prisoner that had the idea, but he was fairly certain he was the only one that had so many scattered in the outermost tunnels of the Pit. Most prisoners preferred company, even bad company, to being alone. Particularly with the many stories about the dark things that lived in the furthest reaches of the underprison. Hed heard stories of everything from undead, to floating skulls wrapped in fire, and even that the original denizens of the underprison, those beings that had their city here before Rendhold was built on top of it, were waiting in the darkest depths to pounce. So far, hed only encountered rats, giant spiders, and the occasional skitterling.
With the mirror stored safely in his hidey hole, he began making his way to the Collareds territory. He took a familiar route there, moving carefully so that his own footsteps wouldnt be so loud that he couldnt hear anyone else approaching him. As he moved, he continued to experiment with his newfound senses. He could feel a patch of black fungus on a far wall, and its craving to spread, he caught snippets of conversation from rats that skittered away as he approached, and he even thought he could sense that Jacopo was still closeby, though exactly where he wasnt certain. He wasnt sure of what ways he could use those abilities to benefit himself, aside from more deals with rats, but any edge was better than none, and he was confident hed find a way to take advantage of it..
He reached the edges of the Collareds territory. It was composed of a large cavern, with dozens of small chambers that served as individual rooms. There were many such chambers in the Pit, which had led many to presume theyd been sleeping chambers for whatever society had initially carved them long before Rendhold was built atop it. The Collared's territory included a small freshwater fountain at its center, the source of which was unknown, but theyd managed to use it to create a crude plumbing of sorts all throughout their space. A few other gangs had been envious of it, but the value of being closer to the maw was higher than a source of freshwater, and it wasnt worth dividing their forces to hold more than a single area at a time.
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Pillion scoffed, and made a rude gesture, but couldnt help bringing his hand up to his collar and rubbing his neck gingerly.
Dantes turned to Wane. Is Tel in his room?
Wane nodded. Yeah, been sleeping since he got back though. Seemed real dehydrated as well, mustve drank an entire pitcher of water. We thought he may have traded away the last of his goods for one too many stiff drinks.
Dantes laughed. It wasnt drinks. I introduced him to Syn.
Wane laughed too. Ah, well, I think I remember my first visit to Which Wench. I managed to hold out for a year and couldnt walk right for a week afterward.
Disgusting, muttered Pillion as he placed his dice into the cup and began shaking them.
Dantes shook his head, not willing to expend any more time on Pillion, and walked to Tels room. If Pillion was trying to extort him, that likely meant that someone else among the Collared had already told the Elfland Kings all that they knew about him and where he was. The longer he took to figure things out, the harder it would be to maneuver, and the more limited his options would become. He needed to speed things up.
He reached Tels room, and slid the small curtain to it aside.