Sileya’s question had barely escaped her lips when they were joined by a dark stranger. The scent of blood followed him like a faithful dog, though she was certain the humans present wouldn’t notice it. Either a vampire or another assassin, I’d say. But I won’t know for certain until I see fangs. By human standards, she would call him handsome, but being an Elf, she was not as easily influenced by alleged attractive appearances. He sat down at their table like he owned it and flashed a grin and a greeting. Sileya returned his words with an acceptably polite smile. “Hello—”

The woman sitting across from her cut in, drilling the newcomer with a steeled gaze. “Did I say you could sit at this table?”

The stranger opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, two more figures approached—one smiling and moving with a feline grace, the other following her reluctantly with a scowl painting her face. Sileya raised her hand and started to speak, but another pair of faces entered the tavern and moved over toward their ever-growing group. Two males this time, a green-haired man who clearly knew he was powerful followed by a smaller man with sharpened ice forming at his fingertips. People were coming in pairs, it seemed. Her heart briefly ached with the memory of having someone to travel with, but she suppressed the feeling. Vahn died years ago. There’s no reason for me to be affected by his absence now.

* * * * *

It was getting much too crowded for Len’s liking. She wished she could kick everybody out into the street where they had come from. However, the Elf gave her pause, especially since she seemed to be looking for Azazel’s Stone, as well. The dark male, on the other hand… She could feel Stille and Hemel burning holes through her clothes in their desire to press their personal kisses into his throat, and her own desires mirrored theirs. She could do without him. The others weren’t all that exciting to her. At least not yet.

"I'm sorry, but I was wondering if one of you would be able to read this for me? It's most... annoying to receive a note when you're blind as it prevents you from reading the message.”

Len would have jumped if her assassin’s training hadn’t stopped her. Yet another woman sat at a nearby table and was now turned toward them, extending a piece of paper clutched in her hand. Why Len hadn’t noticed the woman enter was beyond her. Perhaps it had something to do with the way the grinning dark male drew her ire.

Before any of the group could read the paper aloud, a boy with hair the color of winter bounded over to them and exclaimed, “"Greetings! Ara, Joker sees you also have the same note as him! Be this some secret cult gathering Joker has stumbled upon? Has Joker been included in this shady business? Joker has always wanted to try a ritual sacrifice to a pagan god that doesn't exist~!"

Forest gods…how did I manage to attract the attention of so many people in one night? Ugh… And half of these are crazies.

As if things could not get anymore crowded—the bartender was beginning to look annoyed at all the people crowding his establishment without purchasing drinks—another male strolled up. Great. Another nutcase. I can just tell. At least this one seemed to hover toward the Elf instead of her. It wouldn’t take much more to push her over the edge of her patience. The first to die would be that infuriating dark one.

The Elf—Sileya, she had called herself—turned at the sound of the newest addition to group and smiled a little. “Wow, quite a gathering we have here. And I suspect there are multiple eyes on us who might also have an interest in our discussion.” Her emerald eyes discreetly flashed over the room beyond their little sphere as though she knew exactly where those other sets of eyes were. She then took the piece of paper the blind woman proffered and read it aloud.

“if you would seek eternal glory and boundless power, find the artifact known as Azazel’s Stone which the Ancients hid before the breaking and rebirthing of humanity

find the Eye of the Serpent

kill anyone who gets in your way

you must not let the Sun Rod…”

She trailed off. Len noticed the eyebrows of several of the newcomers raise in surprise, and she instinctively knew that they had all received the message, as well. This certainly could turn out to be interesting.

* * * * *

Sileya looked up from the note, still just as puzzled as to its meaning. But perhaps with all these minds in one place, someone could figure it out. When she had swept the room with her eyes, a man sitting alone in a corner had caught her eye, and she looked there once more to find him still sitting there and sipping his drink. Lithiuan stirred in her mind.

That’s no man, Small One. Watch him carefully.

The Dragons’ Favored allowed herself a small smile. I think I’ll be fine, Mother. She sarcastically emphasized the term of endearment. Do you know anything about this “Azazel’s Stone” or “the Eye of the Serpent”?

I’m sorry. I am not familiar with them. But then again, someone else could have renamed them. Humans tend to do that to ancient artifacts and places.

Sileya leaned back in her chair, a little disappointed. She had been sure the Dragons would know something. This could turn out to be harder than she had originally thought. The other person not in the group was lurking near the top of the stairs. Sileya didn't doubt the woman would be joining them eventually.

“Well,” she said suddenly and stood up, “we aren’t going to figure anything out just sitting here. Perhaps we should step outside. The night air is good for thinking.” Sileya touched her hand to the blind woman’s, silently offering to help her outside as she watched the others move toward the door in their own time.

__________________


Lovely sig and avy by insaney
"Our secret affinities remain secret even to ourselves....We fall in love with certain works of art, as we fall in love with certain individuals, for no very clear motive."
~Joyce Carol Oates