Hope

The warehouse was, indeed, remote. So remote that the duo got lost on their way. Twice. It hid right under the floor of the third level of the inner city, however, could not be accessed from that floor. Instead, after minutes of futile searching, they had to go downstairs and find a stairway up. Unfortunately, not all the way up as the stairs ended on the floor below where they actually wanted to go so they spent another while wandering around before actually finding another way to ascend and eventually the warehouse itself. No wonder it was abandoned and empty. The location was absurdly bad. They had left early right after dinner and would still not be on time.

“Do most clandestine meetings in the underworld require this much exploration to find?” Elizabeth said drily.

“Of course. How could law enforcement find us if we, ourselves, have no idea where we are,” Irwyn joked.

While Irwyn wore his Mockingbird mask, Elizabeth had gone with something… a bit more abstract. She chose to wear a hood and at first glance it appeared as though shadows simply obscured the sight of her face, but that was not the case. Her visage was a sliver of utter darkness without so much as a hole for the eyes. It certainly made her look mysterious at first glance and imposing at the second. It was also unashamedly heavily enchanted as she wore it with confidence.

“Ah, you are early,” Desir’s voice echoed as soon as they entered. Beyond the creaking unoiled front door was a large mostly empty hall. The only source of light was a single crystal that barely illuminated half of it, installed on a pole right next to the large table that Desir must have brought. There were no windows - why would anyone bother, the warehouse was squeezed in between buildings and would get no natural lighting or scenery anyway - so after closing the door behind themselves no one would be able to tell that they were there from the outside. Not that there was anyone walking around the… it was not really a neighborhood, just an abandoned empty corner. Irwyn supposed that given the sheer size, Abonisle would inevitably have at least a few of those even in the inner city.

“We are actually ten minutes late,” Irwyn pointed out, exacerbated.

“I always tell everyone to come half an hour early since they tend to get lost,” Desir shrugged with a grin. “I congratulate your above-average pathfinding skills. I knew a bloke who kept looking around the upper floor for a whole hour before giving up and just leaving. Tools, sheds, and whatnot.”

“It wouldn’t have killed you to leave better instructions,” Irwyn shook his head as they approached the table, their voices echoing in the emptiness. Elizabeth remained silent for the moment. “I had to guess where the address actually was by vicinity.”

“But that defeats the point, you see,” Desir kept smiling. “Anyone who bothers with the whole thing is suddenly more invested in the job since they already put in that effort. Does wonders for negotiations, I tell you,” he chuckled then turned towards Elizabeth. “Speaking of… it is my pleasure to meet you, though I am uncertain which form of reference to adopt.”

“You may call me Crepuscule,” she said. Irwyn did not glance her way. When she had told him it was the ‘codename’ she had chosen he hadn’t even known the word. A way of saying dusk, apparently. He had tried to gently convince her to choose something a bit less… pompous, though she had insisted. It was probably for the best no one would know what the word meant, or so he hoped. He wasn’t sure what would happen if some dimwit among their help mocked her for the self-imposed nickname she seemed to really like.

“Then please, call me Desir,” the blue-eyed man nodded, not even phased. He did not wear a mask nor obscured his features in any way. “I am told by my good friend that you can be quite generous. And although I would not dare doubt that, I hope you understand there have been upfront costs that would be troublesome to not recover given this is a risky venture.”

“How very… straightforward,” Elizabeth shook her head and waved her palm. A pouch appeared in her hand which she tossed towards Desir nonchalantly.

“I am told that is the way of etiquette in our Duchy, Lady Crepuscule,” Desir bowed lightly, checking the contents in one motion. Irwyn was pretty sure his left eye widened slightly for a moment before Desir got it back under control.

“Just Crepuscule will do tonight,” she nodded. “I believe that will cover your expenses as well as your so-called ‘cut’. Should you impress me, I may deem to add a bonus.”

“It would seem that the Mockingbird’s tales of your generosity greatly understated the facts, Crepuscule. I shall strive to exceed expectations,” Desir nodded with a smile. “That being said, it is best we get to planning. Have you been acquainted with the initial plan?”

“All of it as far as I could retell,” Irwyn confirmed.

“Excellent,” Desir grinned. “It has remained the same for the most part, however, I have obtained some details. Our target is an armsdealer buying up anything adjacent to military grade which we suspect they then sell to someone who was involved in the attack on Abonisle,” Desir gave them both a moment to nod at the reiteration. “I managed to find a few rumors and facts on them: He is a former rank and file warmage, a survivor from the last Lich war. No elite but it’s best to not underestimate them since they have age on their side, especially in a corner. It also probably means fewer bodyguards though. After we have them, I will have our extras take the muscle away and keep them occupied for a day, probably two while we take our real friend to a different hideout I have prepared reasonably nearby.”

“You said you had a picture,” Irwyn reminded.

“Here,” Desir presented it. The man in it looked middle-aged, however, there was a nasty scar going through both their cheeks. It was certainly a distinct look.

“Do you know what Fowl they associate with?” Irwyn was nodding along but asked.

“They pay minor tithes to the Singing Man, though there don’t seem to be a substantial connection as far as I found.”

“Do you know anything about the seller?” Elizabeth asked.

“Nothing, I am afraid,” Desir shook his head. “My source has focused on the trader as their own competitor and on no one else. We will have to play it by the ear if they cause an issue.”

“How will we keep them if they are a mage?”

“These,” Desir pointed at a stack of small boxes on the table. “Draining manacles. Any magic they try to channel will just be wasted once these are on. I also have this,” he reached into a pocket and took out three small crystals.

“Conjoined gems?” Eliza… Crepuscule asked, clearly knowing exactly what those were.

“Yes, you are discerning,” Desir nodded with a bit of flatter.

“I am a bit out of the loop here,” Irwyn admitted.

“They change color and start to glow when one of them has mana channeled through it,” Elizabeth nodded. “Much simpler than attuning complex communications.”

“And two orders of magnitude cheaper,” Desir grinned. “Any more questions?”

“That is everything that comes to mind,” Irwyn nodded.

“Make yourselves comfortable then,” Desir nodded. “We probably have a good while before the extra hands I hired get here. They know basically nothing except how to keep their mouths shut,” he then pointed at the pouch that Elizabeth had given him. “In the meantime, I will place this somewhere save.”

“Take your time,” Irwyn nodded and Desir left the room with another small bow.

“He seemed rather surprised by the payment,” Irwyn broached once they were alone again.

“Was he?” Elizabeth seemed unaware. “I had asked an accountant about the usual rates for mage mercenary services and then doubled it just in case.”

“Whoever your family usually hires might be from a more… selective pool which often comes with a markup,” Irwyn shared his thought. “Not that I mind,” and neither would she likely care about overpaying even by a ridiculous amount. “Well-motivated people tend to get better results.”

“I suppose…?” Elizabeth seemed askance. “I never really got involved with wages and such.”

“Would you not be expected to take a leadership position at some point?” Irwyn raised an eyebrow, though she would not see it through the mask.

“I am far down in the line of inheritance by the virtue of age,” she shrugged, uncaring. “And even if I could wrestle it with magic and wit, I would not want to lead a House. I prefer not to be the person people bother with their personal problems.”

“That is certainly a good point,” Irwyn grinned. Yes, leadership only sounded appealing for the power and wealth it offered. And there were better and more stable ways to get that open to him.

They continued to chat as they waited.

When Desir came back some 30 minutes later his ‘friends’ were with him, a dozen of them. Only a few were mages and not great ones, however, they carried some enchanted items as well as all being armed with regular rifles. It would do as a backup.

Short introductions were had. Apparently, they already knew that Irwyn, in his capacity as Young Mockingbird, would be here judging by their lack of surprise. As for Elizabeth… He was pretty sure a few of them cringed or had to suppress mocking laughter at the nickname ‘Crepuscule’ even if they probably didn’t actually know what the word meant, however, they remained professional and subdued in reactions.

They reviewed the plan one last time - Desir passing around the picture of their target - before silently heading out. Cloaks would allow even the masked duo to pass the busy streets unnoticed. For the plan they first had to walk down to the ground floor and then enter the sewers. Eventually, the group Desir hired split off from them to use a different entrance underground so as to ‘not move in too large a group’.

It sounded like a flimsy excuse to Irwyn before Desir winked at him. A realization hit Irwyn a moment later when he remembered exactly why he himself in particular might not want to enter together with the grunts. He hadn’t even thought of that and thanked the blue-eyed man with a nod.

“Get ready for it,” Irwyn warned as they neared. “The smell is exceptionally bad even for severs.”

“Your stomach is just too weak,” Desir chuckled. “I suppose Crepuscule can adjudicate for us.”

“I would be happy to,” Crepuscule’s slight head tilt indicated curiosity.

They entered not long after through another mostly empty side street, descending down a ladder. Well, not really down a ladder considering Irwyn lowered them on a platform of solid light and solid flame respectively rather than condemn them to climbing on the ooze-rust steel.

And then the smell hit him… oh, the smell. Like a school of year-old fish rotting inside his nostrils. Like an unholy mixture of every cheap perfume inventible, then amplified a hundredfold. Like eggs that had been sunbathing for a generation before being cracked open by the hundreds right around him. It was somehow even way worse than last time.

Irwyn puked.

He did not think he would but his body’s instinctive reaction was too strong. The force of will was not enough. Just barely he had the time to remove the mask from his face before it ended up unfortunately filled up.

Then he instinctively tried to breathe a bit deeper, which got the smell to resurge into his nostrils, making him puke again. He probably would have done so a third time if there was anything left, leaving him instead to dry heave. It took him a bit longer to get used enough to the smell to regain at least some of his composure.

Desir was looking somewhere between amazed, surprised, and worried while Elizabeth was made mostly unreadable due to the mask. But she did seem completely fine. Irwyn slowly got up, reddening in embarrassment, putting his mask back on after checking for any obvious stains. Thankfully, it was fine.

“I was going to say the smell wasn’t that bad…” Crepuscule spoke after a few seconds. “Now I am at a loss for words.”

“Maybe… the mixture doesn’t serve you well in particular?” Desir tried. “Unless you learned how to vomit on command just to prove me wrong which would be genuinely impressive.”

“Just the smell, unfortunately,” Irwyn sighed. It was getting a bit better. From unbearable to atrocious as he felt his nose erode in real-time. He was also confused. If it had been just Desir, that was one thing but Elizabeth as well? There had to be more to…

“Perhaps it’s best we get going,” Desir suggested before Irwyn could spiral into thought. Right, they were here for a reason. He could figure it out when they were done.

“Yes,” Irwyn sighed and almost choked, “Lead the way.”

Irwyn and Desir stood by the front door while Elizabeth took the back. The closest connecting intersection was some two-minute walk away so they would regroup through the building when things happened. Their backup was also spaced out, hidden under illusions. Nothing as complex or dynamic as Irwyn’s invisibility spell, rather a veil of Void magic that allowed them to perfectly blend into shadows they had no business even fitting into; it was also completely static.

They had timed their arrival to be after the arms deal had started but before it could reasonably conclude. Irwyn felt the mages moving inside so that was another confirmation. In the end, Irwyn opted to share a Void veil created by Desir rather than rely on his own invisibility spell. Magic dedicated to visually hiding him was not the most useful with a wall between him and the person he didn’t want to be seen by.

“Can I ask you a question?” Desir whispered lightly but seriously after a few minutes of silence.

“What is the matter?” Irwyn nodded, voice also hushed.

“How much do you trust the lady?” Desir asked and Irwyn thought about it seriously. The strange thing with Elizabeth was that he had to separate what he would entrust her with and what he would entrust her with. After all, she remained bound to her family and so was Irwyn. And they might have interests they would enforce beyond a daughter’s whims or even desires. But Elizabeth as a person?

“In all honesty, Desir, I trust her more than you,” Irwyn admitted and it was a decent margin. He had made friends with Desir and the blue-eyed man had helped him out a lot, however, they weren’t exactly at ‘daily training and dinners’. Nor did he actually know any potentially devastating secrets; much less any Desir had given him by choice. “Why?”

“That’s good at least,” Desir nodded, then he looked Irwyn up and down, assessing, which was made a lot more difficult by the full-face mask of the mockingbird Irwyn used. “I ask because I am afraid she might get rid of us both after this is all said and done.”

“That would be greatly out of character,” Irwyn frowned. “And against interests I am aware of.”

“Would it? I certainly hope so,” Desire just nodded at that. “I have a sixth sense of a kind Irwyn and it has been damn screaming at me that if I just make some wrong choices she will be my death. Can you swear it will be fine?”

“Yes,” Irwyn nodded after a moment. “I will swear it as long as you don’t do something tremendously stupid.”

“Thanks,” Desir nodded. “Maybe my intuition was just misfiring.”

“Think nothing of it,” but he did frown slightly. He wasn’t sure what could have brought this on. Desir was a Void mage, no prophet, so this would be more of a gut feeling on his part. Perhaps the persona of Crepuscule Elizabeth was putting on was intimidating. On second thought, without context she was scary. Downright terrifying, actually. If she hid her presence… Well, Irwyn knew that he would not want to fight any mages whose magic he could not feel whatsoever despite seeming younger while dressed in a dragon hoard's worth of enchantments.

And he never learned how… reluctant she would actually be with dispersing lethal force. The memory of Ebon Respite hinted at how highly House Blackburg might think of their lessers. Odds were, he would find out tonight.

“I think someone is coming, our way,” Irwyn felt someone heading their way from the inside. A mage, though they hid well just how powerful they might be. And indeed, less than a dozen seconds later a person emerged. Likely the seller.

Then Irwyn stopped as he recognized them.

Bhaak, the merchant mage who had sold Irwyn his mask, stared directly at him despite the veil of stealth. With a smile, he winked and then just vanished the next breath. Irwyn hadn’t felt a bit of magic from the spell, though that no longer surprised him. What did startle was that there was no impression that Bhaak gave off. Many of the great mages he had been meeting had an air around them. An inherent meaning. In hindsight, Bhaak gave no impression the first time they had met though that was before Irwyn would pay attention to it. Nowadays though? Even Dervish was not so completely beyond Irwyn’s senses when not intentionally hiding.

“That was strange,” Desir was already holding his conjoined gem, triggering it. It gloved red. Not that it was really necessary, Elizabeth would have felt a mage leaving. “Thankfully, they gave us no trouble. Let’s go in. We have an arms dealer to snatch.”