Elven Legacy

Chapter 87

Dharkan

They hit Downtown Azuria about an hour past dawn, and they still hadn't come up with any solution to find their friends in a city that probably had thousands of inns.

Kitera started asking around anyway, while Dharkan waited outside with the horses. What else were they supposed to do?

They quickly realized that something was going on.

As they rode along creepily quiet streets, Kitera reported that everyone in the inns she'd visited seemed, well, hungover.

"Does look like a sort of" – he waved a hand – "after-party ambience in the streets."

His one-eyed gaze roved about. Various detritus and some discarded clothing items peppered the cobbles. Empty bottles and cups littered the porches of homes and taverns. Downtown was still sound asleep even though the sun was shining and the air held pleasant warmth. No Red Patrols, neither – maybe those brats were taking a day off for fucking once.

Strider and Bolt clip-clopped at a slow pace as their riders shared a moment of thoughtful silence.

"Gods, I miss Red," Kitera said wistfully.

Dharkan nodded, thinking about how useful her demon had been, at the time. Little fellow had made it easier to find people, that was for damn sure.

A few minutes later, after Kitera had scouted for information inside yet another inn, she came back out with an incredulous look on her sunlit face.

"What?" Dharkan asked.

She hopped onto Bolt's saddle, but didn't spur him along. She looked sideways at Dharkan.

"Neros is dead."

"Oh," Dharkan said numbly. "Oh," he repeated as it properly dawned on him. "Huh. Wonder if Jaden killed him. Wasn't sure he had it in him, but sometimes the skinny ones can surprise you."

"Apparently, no one knows who did it," Kitera said. "Most people just seem glad he's dead."

Dharkan considered the telltale signs of after-celebration strewn all over the cobbles.

"No shit."

They started along the street again. It took two more hours.

Their luck finally turned once they hit the harbor. It helped to have a blond and a redhead in the group; some people had seen their fair-haired friends last night, they said, at the Red Moon Inn.

Sure enough, when Dharkan and Kitera stepped inside, their friends were seated at a table eating breakfast. They were the only ones already up, except for the young woman waiting tables and an old fellow at the bar counter. The room smelled like coffee, bread, and eggs – Dharkan's stomach made a thundering rumble.

Which surprised him, because he also felt some apprehensive knots down there. His behavior over the course of this whole quest wasn't exactly something he could be proud of.

Understatement of the century. You fucked up real bad, at least own up to it.

But Kitera was grinning, which somehow made everything better as she ushered him around empty wooden tables and chairs.

Jaden got up from his chair. "Well, well, look who's late to the party." Then, on a more serious tone, "I was starting to worry about you two."

He looked good and well-rested, but Dharkan thought there was a haunted look in his eyes, concealed somewhere behind his smile.

"And I've been so worried about you!" Kitera reached out and pulled Zemisha into a hug.

"I'm fine." Zemisha returned Kitera's hug with a smile.