GILT

Canary In A Coal Mine

"Come in."

Corwin Snider's voice slid down to the gated entry. His sensors had long gone off outside the abode, lighting up the monitor screens inside. They alerted him of a stealthy approach by two individuals. Two brothers, in fact, that he would rather not see.

The brooding one is ever so demandingin his eyes. Although, personally, Corwin has come to relish that detestable characteristic in Ludovic. At least he wasn't without him charms. No, his hesitation on welcoming them both in stems from the reckless one. That damned Artūras is always in tow. Not only was he left a bloodied mess at their last encounter, but that accursed fiend stole what he came for without compensation.

This time, Corwin was wholly prepared for whatever they may request of him. Only because he's inclined to respond with a resounding 'NO', regarding any matter they needed tending to. His pointed nose tipped upward, aware of the smug expression he wore. For this time, he was fortunate. He happened to have the extra security of not being alone.

"Snider." Ludovic voiced from the doorway and nodded his head to the slender eternal, who in turn sighed at the very sight of them.

The brothers entered, taking note of the richness that assaulted their eyes. Artūras rolled his own as he surveyed. Corwin has apparently continued his tradition of saturating every square inch of the space with old world luxury and artifacts, his preferred method of payment. Moroccan lanterns and hammered metals glittered underneath a ceiling of embroidered Chinese silks. Some of them would have passed as quite beautiful, if not for the man they belonged to. Possessions often end up mimicking their owners and in this case, the owner was tasteless.

The wall-lined bookshelves brimmed with more than a lifetime's accumulation of the bound paper. Ancient Grecian pottery, Egyptian gold, and otherwise sacred items he had collected littered the room in no particular rhyme or reason. Another continued tradition seemed to be Corwin's need to feel rich. His need to feel above himself and everyone around him and the fact that in reality he was an disloyal Informant had left him with few friends.

"Do my eyes deceive me?" Corwin mused, "The Brothers Eternal surely do not need assistance from this canary."

"We're no happier to be here than you are to see us, Corwin." Ludovic rebuked.

"May I show you the back way out?" He spat with narrowed eyes and gestured appendages.

Artūras stepped up to the counter Corwin hid behind. He stared into those angry eyes and very casually shoved over a delicate carved dragon made of jade, hearing a satisfying shatter as it met the stone floor.

"Enough with the pleasantries." He smirked at his handiwork, namely, the slack confusion and ire brewing on the Informant's face.

"Have you any idea!" Corwin sputtered, "That drak was pricele--"

"Snider, you have something we need." Ludovic tried to diffuse his brother's actions by reorienting the unruly subject.

"You two have no right to demand anything of me! Not after last time, and now this?" He gasped for air between words, not wanting to leave an even inch for them to take a mile.

"Who is going to pay for this?"

"I will." A stern voice appeared from the staircase, as sudden as the eternal it came from.

"You know I'm good for it, Corwin."  She smiled at each of them, while setting a stack of books on the counter.

"That's not for you to decide, Hadley." He reprimanded, feeling betrayed by her generosity.

"It's done. Now...Ludo, what was it that you needed?" She asked, yearning for a chance to please the eldest brother without the impression of intent.

"I won't have you mixed up in their nefarious endeavors." Corwin shielded her view with his lengthy body.

"And that's not for you to decide, Corwin." She crossed her arms at him in steadfast defiance.

Although Artūras seethed inside at their closeness, he pushed his qualms with Corwin aside momentarily, "What we need, is information."

"On what?" Corwin asked, his voice still clearly laced with indignation.

"The extant location of The Gate." Ludovic stated plainly, sensing the instant frayed uncertainty of the shifty Informant.

Risking exposure of buried secrets was one thing, risking the Eternal world knowing you freely gave such information was something all Informants took seriously.

"The...Gate?" Corwin vexed, "You want to open the gate to Eternal Hell?"

"We didn't say anything about opening it, now did we?" Artūras grinned.

Curiosity and well, promise of payment always got the better of Corwin. After a brief moment, he came to a familiar conclusion, "What's in it for me?"

"Simple." Artūras replied with dagger in hand and a face straight as sin, "We won't send you there."

Thick silence filled the air, not stagnant, but a raging kind that forms before a torrent.

Hadley slapped a map down between them, closing the proximity of their reddening faces.

"Really?"

She sighed and pointed to a cross-section of old roads. "These trails are surely no longer marked, but you should be able to--"

"Hadley!" Corwin stopped her, "You haven't even bartered a price for such knowledge!"

"A whole lot of good that will do when you know as well as I," She shot remorseful look back to Ludovic, "The Gate is closed."

"The information is more than useless if you plan to cross through." She trailed off as Ludovic stared right through her. He felt a dull stabbing pain deep within his chest.

"How have you come to know this, Hadley?"

She looked back up to Ludovic, her bright green eyes glistening at his piercing gaze. Even in the centuries of knowing and assisting him, she could never get used to that face. His powerful expression and antiquated soul seemed to question her very existence. She smiled through the vacillating air.

"Informants retain...information. We have to know the constantly changing location of The Gate to usher reaped Eternals, you know this. Logistically, we would also have to know when it is sealed so we can make other arrangements."

Artūras paced, keeping his eye on her. Hadley has always been a mysterious creature. He had to wonder if she was being truthful. There has never been a problem getting into Eternal Hell. His thoughts drifted as her heavy lidded eyes met his, an offset smile curling her pout upward.

He turned his attention to Corwin. He couldn't afford to lose focus, his brother was counting on this information.

"Snider. Do you have passage cloaks for us?"

"Did you not just hear Hadley? There's a seal on The Gate, no cloak will be able to change that." Corwin scoffed at Artūras.

"Have you such little regard for the brothers?" Hadley spoke ahead of turn, sensing that Ludovic and Artūras had everything they needed. She tilted her head, taking in the delicious way the brothers stared at her, "You see, Corwin?"

"They have another way in."

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