Misguided Ghost: Picnic In A Graveyard

Misguided Ghost:(PIAG) - seeking the city of rogues

Sorry for such a long break I managed to pull together anther chapter for all of those who still read this. I love your comments so at the end tell me who your favourite character is so far? Was aurora right for keeping everythig a secret? And who do you think is behind the rogue war? Some answers are revealed this chapter. I hope you enjoy!
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Chapter twenty-one

Seeking the city of rogues

The hotel we stood In front of, was a polished palace of perfection that seemed to stand tall on it's own. It's glory shone brighter than any other hotel we had come across and it almost made us seem inadequate because of the scruff marks on our clothes as well as the dirt that layered it. I gulped slightly and sighed before looking towards Ethan. "Are you sure this is the place?" He nodded and looked towards the hotel before pulling out the map. It still held bloody finger prints on it's brown crumpled skin. Blood that I had spilt with my own hands, the same hands that-
"Aurora?" I blinked and looked towards Ethan before smiling awkwardly.
"Sorry I was distracted. What were you saying?"
He sighed and rolled up the map and folded his arms across his chest. "I was saying that the Galligan brothers gave me a specific address. It would only seem fitting that it was hidden beneath this place. It's the perfect cover" he hummed to himself checking the paper he was given again before looking towards Ava. "You think this is the place?" She nodded and stood closer to him looking over his broad muscles to look at the paper. She fluttered her wings slightly before biting her lip, her eyes moving from left to right in a observational way.
"It should be the place. I-If not we'll have t-to start from scratch" I placed a serious expression on my face and nodded.
"Ok. Lets go"

As we entered the hotel, it was dazzling. So brightly lit you could barely tell the floor was a mere reflection of the chandeliers above. Leather couches sat in the corner of the foyer in a circular fashion just across from the front desk. A rectangle glass table with wooden carved legs was in the middle as well as a large pile of neatly placed leather bound books. The carpet underneath was just a plain black and the floor beneath it was made of complete cream marble. I looked around with wonder in my eyes, never having seen a place so prestige.
I glimpsed across the room and saw a man with gelled black hair and a black suit that fitted him securely, his tag on his chest read "victor" in big black cursive lettering. His golden eyes shone dully but underneath I could see a hint of something darker.
He strolled around the desk with a elegance that I thought couldn't possibly exist and bowed politely. "May I help you ma'am? Sir?" I looked towards Ethan and he stepped forward. Looking around the foyer before grunting.
"Yeah. The bloodhounds from hell" he said securely. Victors eyes glinted and a smirk dropped onto his lips as he grinned. I was surprised to see that he had fangs. How did a vampire get into a werewolf sanctum? Only werewolves were allowed in the werewolf sanctum, and the occasional group of hunters and transporters... What was going on?
"Ah! You must be our finest guests. Come. No ones around you may speak freely. I see you are looking to go down to the black market today?" He chuckled and his eyes began to change from crisp golden to a bottomless black, the eyes of a vampire.
Ethan stepped forward and shrugged, the change of the vampires eyes ineffective. "We're looking for some information. Not that it's any of your business" victor bowed.
"Of course! Of course. I'm sorry to intrude. How...disgusting... Of me" he turned his smirk into a simple smile and moved towards the back of the room where a silver elevator was placed. He pressed the button on the wall beside it and it glowed white before the doors opened. He stepped in. "Come, come. We have no time to wait. I must be closing up soon. There are unsuspecting creatures that lurk in the dark you know" he grinned tauntingly flashing his fangs. I growled and stepped into the elevator with him. Adjusting my robe.
"How are you here? In the werewolf sanctum...how did you get in without consent?" I asked briskly and he gave me a disgusted side glance before smiling.
"The same way you did I presume? Many of us refuse to stay in the same world for the rest of our lives. The only way to escape was to join the leader of the rouge uprising, Arctum" he answers. He opened a flap in the side of the wall of which held a button with the letters RC on it in black swirling letters. He pressed it and the lights in the elevator shut off. Devouring us into nothing but darkness. Shortly after, a red flushed light came on and the elevator began to move downwards slowly.
"Arctum?" I asked once the red light had come on. Arctum was one of the werewolf council leaders that I had met only for a short amount of time. Thinking about it deeply. He never seemed interested in my visits. He was always away in his head. Always focused on something else. I just thought that he had no care for simple politics.
My hands moving nervously in my pockets. "Council leader Arctum? Why would he help us? We're not even his responsibility-"
"You must know child" he spoke patronisingly. "He has had this going under the hunters noses for a long time. He wants to have control over all packs. He wants to rule them all. He's been recruiting us in exchange for giving us special "passes" that allow us to enter any sanctum we like" he looked away from me "we no longer have to stick to being in the same specie world. We can have freedom". I nodded and hummed looking towards Ethan, who held a small black object in his hand. A small red light flashing on the top of it. I looked back into his shining golden eyes and saw him nod and mouth 'keep him talking'
"So he's recruiting voluntary members?" He raises a perfectly curved eyebrow before laughing haughtily.
"Why do you ask? Surely you must know that?" He stared at me with suspicion and I quickly covered the lie that shone in my eyes.
"We weren't voluntary. We were taken" I said with a hint of feigned sadness in my eyes. "He told us to meet him here"
Victor frowned and stroked his chin, before looking at all three of us.
"A human, a werewolf, and a pixie. Hmm" he hums "interesting. I wonder why he would wish to keep you as slaves" the elevator slowly came to a stop and the doors opened with a creek. Only showing a dark and eerie tunnel that reeked with the smell of dead bodies and urine. Water dripping from the ceiling as well as other things that I had no want to discover.
Victor stepped out of the elevator and smiled "since your new I'll lead you to the gates of the city" I frowned.
"The city?" He chuckled and turned to me. Looking at me as if I were merely a child.
"Didn't you know? The black market isn't just an underground gazebo. It's an entire city that exists in all sanctums.. It's the rogue city. More than just a few stalls. It's a city built for what it is and for those who need certain things at a reasonably low price- anyway. You will find out soon. Back to the subject of Arctum" he paused and looked at us "he is currently with the other werewolf council leaders trying to solve the rogue problem. And he" victor smirks "is directing them away from any of the trails we may have left... Unhatched so to speak" he chuckles and my eyebrows furrowed.
"So he's the one behind all of this? The one that's in charge?" Victor shook his head and laughed brashly.
"Did you honestly think a man of that stature and idiocy could compose such a brilliant plan and keep it under wraps? Oh no. He is merely second in command. Master uses him as bait. If any how they discover our plan the evidence will all point to Arctum. Whilst our master runs free" his footsteps echoed around the dark tunnel as small lanterns turned on as they walked past, flaring with a bright blue flame that glowed and flickered. Crackling slightly.
"Arctum isn't the head of the operations then?" Ethan added. "It's someone you call master?" Victor nodded.
"He gives the orders, he creates the plans. Arctum just follows them because he thinks he'll be the ruler of the werewolves or possibly the whole supernatural community. But our master truly has the best intentions. It's why many of us follow him"
"He must be a great leader" Ava added in surprisingly. Her voice low.
"Yes. He's simply brilliant"
"So what about us?" I asked. My voice tinged with worry. "What about the slaves? What is our purpose? We were taken from our home sanctums and now.. We're being mistreated and used" victor shrugged. His hands were now placed in his pockets as his eyes glowed in the dark.
"Your guess is as good as mine ma'am. And I have no intention of finding out. You'll do good if you stick to your role in all this and forget about anyone else you think you might want to 'help'" he rolled his eyes and sighed. "So many of us die that way. I will say though. All we know about master is that he is a very strong person who has lived for a long time. Some rumours say that he's working alongside demons. Others say that he has gotten fallen angels and even a member of the higher council on his side" he shrugged "but that is all speculation and rumours that float around the city"
I nodded and stayed silent, not having much of anything else to say to him. The information was good. It meant that we were getting somewhere and that we were moving in the right direction.
Out of the corner of my eye I could see Ethan click the object in his hand and slide it back into his pocket before folding his arms across the his chest.