Cursed Forest [Ongoing]

Chapter 25

After Salabil had left them and the horse was stabled, Sekafi and Aspen headed towards the meeting with Lady Ileena's contact. Hiaashaqwi tagged along, having no other tasks and being unable to meet with Sir Hapow yet. They kept their heads down and avoided the guards whenever they could despite their disguises. Neither of them trusted in the magic fully, but nobody bothered them.

'There it is.' Aspen pointed towards a small, run-down inn at the end of the narrow street. A worn sign above the door had a painted ale mug on it. If there had been letters on the sign, they were long gone.

'Looks fabulous,' Sekafi commented.

Aspen gave her a quick grin, then looked away, hiding his face from view under his hood again. Sekafi sighed. They shouldn't need to hide like this. Danger lurked everywhere, they had no jobs, were allied with goblins, and people wanted them thrown out for simply existing. It would take some time before this mess could be cleared up. If it was even possible. But she dared hope. If they could expose what had been going on in the council, maybe people would return to their former ways again. Not that it had been perfect before, but at least it was better.

Sekafi scanned the street, shuttered windows and alleys for danger, a hand resting near the hilt of her golok. She wished she could buy a new spear. A long-distance weapon like that was incredibly useful to keep enemies at bay. At least they had the lizardman with them. He was a good fighter.

'Hey, how many goblins arrived with Mirok? Do you know?'

Aspen looked up again, his pale blue eyes wide. 'No, never thought to ask.'

Sekafi shook her head and flicked her ears, spraying water everywhere. 'You never think, do you?'

Raising his hands to shield himself from the assault, he grimaced. 'You're one to talk, furball.'

She chuckled.

He continued, 'I assume she won't have brought too many, as we need to be stealthy, and the more people who have to hide, the harder it gets.'

Sekafi nodded. She hoped he was right, but you never knew. She trusted Mirok, but that trust didn't extend too far out to other goblins. They weren't exactly known for their trustworthiness. On the other hand, neither was her own kind, she supposed. She'd just have to wait and see what happened.

Aspen opened the door to the old inn and they entered a small rustic main room; a fire burning in a central hearth and candles on the worn tables illuminated the place with a warm glow. A few people sat around, talking and drinking. Merchants from the looks of them. Sekafi assumed it would fill up more later in the day.

She studied the clientele, trying to spot who the contact might be. After a while she noticed a young man sitting alone, watching them from time to time. A simple brown cap sat on his head, some strands of dark hair peeking out. Simply dressed, he clearly wasn't one of the merchants. But something stood out to Sekafi. He looked too clean, and a faint smell of scented soap tickled her nose. She nudged Aspen and headed in his direction.

The young man fidgeted in his seat, glancing up and away several times as they approached. Maybe he wasn't the right one? Perhaps they should hold back until they were certain? She reached out to grab Aspen's shoulder.

She missed.

Aspen went right up to the table without hesitation, leaned forward, and placed his palms on the wooden surface before Sekafi could say anything. 'Afternoon, young man. Do you happen to be Jadek?'

Sekafi bit down on her tongue to stop herself from saying anything she'd regret later. Inwards she almost screamed. He was so careless sometimes. She glanced at the samandar.