The Silent Gate (Book 2 of The Quiet Key series)

Chapter 11

Tyler talks about his school and friends. He talks about which teachers he likes and dislikes and I add in my own thoughts too. And through it all, he sounds like a good kid. But how could he stay like that in a gang? Surrounded by murderers and thieves that could very well be his parents.  But I guess I can't judge since I don't entirely know what my own parents did.

We venture through the factory before finding the mission hall. It's another ornate room but I don't have quite as much time to look around and admire it. Tyler points to the middle of the room where we see a few people in masks and suits and Kaulas. He looks up from a conversation he's having with another member and waves to me as Tyler and I walk towards him. "You ready? These are the other members that are coming with us on this mission. And this," Kaulas hands me a bone masquerade-style mask, "is your mask."

I gently take the mask and ask, "So what is our mission?" My eyes flick across the room quickly noticing Tyler has left.

"A friend said that you do well with antique appraisal so I arranged a meeting for us to attend. The people we're meeting may be lying about how special the object is but I guess we'll just have to see. If we play our cards well we could be able to wreak in some valuable objects."

I nod and follow the group outside. Why do they need this object? If I can figure out the reasoning behind this I'll probably be able to figure out why he needed those rare weapons. Plus maybe if I can succeed in this mission he'll trust me and I'll be able to find proof of what he did to Ayda's husband and hopefully, I'll be able to find my friends. In conclusion, my success in this mission is crucial.

We sit in a black van and drive to a location a little way out of Brady Lake, a town called Kent. Ken is the largest town in Portage County with a population 75 times that of Brady Lake. Unlike Brady Lake, Kent had a pretty average amount of crime. It's a pretty fun city, I remember coming here frequently with my parents. We head further into Kent until we reach a normal-looking house. It looks like the rest of the houses in the neighborhood with a wooden picket fence guarding a 2-story sort of modern take on an old townhouse. 

We stepped out of the van and opened the picket fence. The minute we did an old black woman appeared on her porch. The lady wordlessly beckoned us into her home. The fact that she wasn't wearing a mask throws me off a bit but I suppose Z's rules can't apply to every situation. We step inside her living room and she motions to sit on her sofa. I look at Kaulas for permission and he nods.

"Where are the antiques?"He asks retaining politeness.

She shuffles into her kitchen and silently brings out a porcelain plate. It's rimmed with gold and is dotted with lotuses. Kaulas hands me black gloves and I put them on. "There are no cracks and the porcelain isn't chipped. There aren't even any hairline fractures. It seems old enough to be authentic," I gingerly turn the plate over, "The few wear marks seem to be in the right places. And the mark, was this made in the 18th century? With Chinese porcelain?"

The lady nods. "Then it's fake. This mark with fake Chinese characters was used in the early 18th century by British potters so buyers would think it came from China. But this is just regular ceramic isn't it?" I'm so lucky we learned all about marks on the first day of my appraisal class.

I see Kaulas smile softly out of the corner of my eye and the lady slowly claps. And then, she walks back into her kitchen and brings in another porcelain plate. This one is a Chinese rose medallion plate, which is pretty common unless you have a rare one. This plate is accented with peaches and the scenes depict different figure talking around the center medallion. "First off, the artwork in the scenes are clean and vibrant. They're also accented with gilt, which is a plus. Next, let's check the mark, " I turn it over even more delicately this time," There is none. Good, the earlier rose medallion plates didn't have one until it was required. Now onto the regular tests, it doesn't have too many wear marks, and from the lack of mark, it looks like it's from around the 1840s. So yeah, this is good."

"How much should we buy it for?" Kaulas questions me. 

Oh no, I never got around to learning how to price antiques! "Um... I can't really tell you that. This piece could range from $100-$350 depending on who made it, how she got it, and where she got it from." I know that the who, how and where are important factors in pricing an item and that rose medallion plates are usually in that price range but I'm sure a professional would be able to tell all the things I'm not sure about.

Now Kaulas looks towards the old lady who has been silently standing there the whole time, "Then, how much do you want for it?" The lady's face splits in a grin.

A/N- Readers, we got to 500 reads on The Quiet Key! Thank you so much to those of you who have continued reading, I wouldn't have been able to write this far if you guys weren't here!