Lost Ones - A False King

Chapter 8 - The Dragon's Cup

Shortly after their conversation, Emmod and Novel, cloaked in their hooded capes, sneak out of the house.
Novel pauses for a moment, taking a deep breath to suppress his nerves, while Emmod casts a careful glance back at the house to make sure their mother isn't watching. Whether she's still awake at that moment doesn't concern him much. If they wait too long, it might be too late, and their uncle could be long gone before they figure out why he's leaving the country so suddenly. Additionally, they don't know how long he'll be gone or if they'll ever see him again.
Now the sun has already set, but that doesn't make the city any darker.

In addition to the streetlights, the Sacred Green Tree of Rilgohin shines brightly. Tonight is the first night of the 'Nights of a Thousand Lights,' and the streets are unusually lively for this hour. Most people are out celebrating, wandering through the streets and eventually gathering at the Sacred Green Tree to join in the festivities. Emmod and Novel will be part of it in a few days when they head out with their mother.
But tonight, the bustling activity poses a problem for them, as it's not typical for children their age to be out without supervision at this hour. This could be dangerous, especially because with more citizens in the streets, there are also more soldiers patrolling, particularly after the explosions that rocked the city two days ago.
The last thing they want is to cause more trouble for their mother if they get caught by the soldiers.
On their way, they remain tense, moving cautiously through the shadows cast by people and various objects, street to street, swift but careful, and nearly invisible. One always has the other's back. Despite their caution, they are noticed by a few pedestrians, who, given the special night, turn a blind eye—a silent gesture of acceptance among the citizens.

Emmod and Novel reach the end of a narrow alley and look out at a stately, freestanding building across the way.
"That's it," Emmod whispers to his brother.

The tavern—The Dragon's Cup—is located in the Whitepool District, not far from Ko's house. The façade faces the street, complemented by a right-side wing.
Atop the roof, a large sign in the shape of a massive dragon sits proudly, with bestial eyes and small spikes running down its back to its tail. Three jagged streams of fire spill from its mouth, flowing into a beer mug below.

To the right of the entrance is a large window, but Emmod and Novel are too far away to recognise what's happening inside the tavern.

Emmod starts surveying the situation and points out a narrow, dark alley to his brother, stretching directly to the left of the tavern and faintly illuminated by the dim light spilling from the tavern's windows. 

Three people are chatting in front of the tavern, but the streets in the immediate vicinity are mostly empty. While the streets are livelier than usual due to the first night of the Nights of a Thousand Lights, most people are gathered around the Sacred Green Tree in the expansive green fields northwest of the city, unlike the tavern, which, like Ko's home, is located in the heart of the city.
The challenge now is to get past the three people chatting outside the tavern without being noticed.

Novel nervously fidgets with his hands, while Emmod clenches his teeth, determined to plan the next move. His eyes fall on a small bin near them, from which he grabs the aluminium lid.

"Here, hold this," he says to Novel, before surveying the situation once more. 

"And what am I supposed to do with this? Drum on it?" Novel asks as if his brother has lost his mind.
Emmod ignores Novel's sarcastic comment.
"Wasn't the smell of that corpse enough for you today?" Novel asks, disgusted.

"Give me that," Emmod replies, snatching the lid from him.
"We need to distract them somehow," he thinks aloud. "If I hit that streetlamp over there, we'll have a brief window to slip unnoticed into the alley."
"And if you miss?" Novel asks uncertainly.