Downtown Druid

Book 2 Chapter 58: Ah, That Old Yarn

Dantes arrived back in his garden with a pocket full of gold jingling satisfyingly in his pocket. He moved to a small patch of clover in the back corner, and waved his hands so the clover would clear, revealing a patch of dirt. He morphed his left hand into a shovel and dug up the dirt, revealing a small chest. He opened the chest, which was filled with gold, silver, and copper pieces all neatly separated by wooden slats. He carefully placed his new gold into it, keeping a handful of pieces to just have on hand, then he sealed the chest, covered it with dirt, and willed the clover to slide over the patch again.

The money he got from the fence was a good start, but he had another entire chest full of jewelry he’d have to move eventually. If he brought too much to Steel too quickly he wouldn’t be able to move it, and he’d probably start asking questions Dantes didn’t want to answer. He sighed, taking a gold coin from his pocket and making it dance between his fingers. This was also a test. One he’d been experimenting with often as of late. He needed to determine how sensitive Godfrey’s ability to detect purchases was. He kept a rat watching Steel’s shop, as well as any others he’d visited, and if they were interfered with then he’d be able to narrow things down. So far though, either Godfrey hadn’t taken the bait, or his powers were limited.

Dantes considered how much coin he currently had. He had three separate stashes in his main garden, two in each of the others, some small stashes in abandoned buildings he hid in rafters and under floorboards. Each of those had a good mix of gold, silver, and copper, then he included the jewels and based how much of a value they would have based on what he just spoke with the fence about, then he added all the weed, gunpowder, and other assorted goods he’d assembled through various robberies, raids, and other skullduggery.

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath as a general estimate solidified in his mind. He was rich. Richer than he’d ever been before. Richer than any theft or blackmail had ever made him. He was richer than most minor nobility. He could buy a mansion in Midtown, or a shitshack in Uptown, not that he’d be able to as they were exclusive about purchasing property there. He had been so occupied with everything else he hadn’t taken the full stock of everything he’d acquired.

He took a breath. His first considerations for the money were, of course, whores, booze, clothes, and jewelry. He could be simple like that on occasion. Of course, after that initial craving was suppressed, he thought more deeply. He owed Vera and the girls, so the first order of business would be to use the money to build whatever it was she’d been thinking of when they’d last spoken. Then he’d need to use a large portion of the rest of it to rebuild things in midtown in his own image.

His mind moved through each step before he managed to reel it back in and focus. None of that mattered while Mondego was still alive. Dantes let out a breath and flicked the coin he’d been playing with into the air. He caught it, and pocketed it. He needed to start making his next moves.

There was a knock at the wooden barrier to his garden. Dantes’s head snapped to it, and he checked the other side of it through a rat’s eyes and saw a long tall figure wearing a black coat, black hat, and holding a black walking stick with an ivory handle.

Dantes drew his pistol, shifted into a bat, flew over the wooden barrier, shifted back to himself in the air, and landed with his pistol pointed at the man in black’s head.

“Turn around. Slowly.”

The man raised up his arms, he was holding a letter in one of the raised hands, and his walking stick in the other. His skin was as black as outfit, and there were no clear features on his face aside from glowing white triangles where eyes might be on the void of his face.

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“Good evening,” said the man in black.

“Good evening…” responded Dantes.

“I apologize for the intrusion, but I was sent to provide you with this invitation.”

“How did you find me?”

“Finding people is what I do.”

“What are you?”

“A demon, bound to a book, bound to a person, forced to do menial tasks beneath me because I made a mistake a few thousand years ago.”

“Ah, that old yarn.”

The white triangles in the demon’s face flickered a bit. Amusement? He couldn’t be sure.

Dantes holstered his pistol, sensing it was a futile gesture. He held out his hand, and the demon put the letter into his hand. It was sealed in wax with an ‘A’ at the center of it.

He nodded at the demon. “Thank you, Mr….?”

The demon bowed low, then straightened himself out. “Gren, and you are quite welcome.” He flickered like a flame for a moment, then he was gone, leaving only the smell of smoke and blood in the air where he’d been.

Dantes rubbed the bridge of his nose between his eyes and clenched his jaw. Demons? Were gods, mages, druids, and blessed not enough? He took a deep breath and climbed back into his garden. Once there he took a dagger, and carefully opened the letter he’d received.

Dantes,

The Fingers have taken notice of you. Join us at the Silken Sin in the Temple District tonight when the moon is high. We have much to discuss.

• Argenta

Dantes read the letter twice, then slipped it into his pocket. The Silken Sin was the club Jacopo had followed Mondego to through that elvish mirror. An invite from the Fingers. It could mean a number of things. It could be a trap, to remove him from Mondego’s way, or it was possible the Fingers were working for Godfrey or with him, especially given their choice of venue. The other possibility was that they knew Mondego was on the decline and he was the cause of it. Better to meet the up and comer before the dust settles to plan for the future. If they wanted him dead, they could’ve just attacked him in his garden. For gods’ sake they had a pet demon at their beck and call apparently. Tel had studied his whole life just to speak and learn from them, and they had one called up from the hells that they could have do their bidding.

He looked up. It would be a few hours before the meeting time they requested. It was a risk, and a heavy one, but ignoring them was just as dangerous. He walked into his garden and grabbed his green jacket, slipping it over his shoulders. Then he tied an extra anti-vermin enchantment key to Jacopo in case the meeting went long. He checked the wands stored in his wooden arm, as well as Sunrise and Twilight, which were at their full capacity. When he was done with his inventory, he shifted into a bat, and took to the sky.

Flying made a walk of several hours through winding streets much faster. Rendhold wasn’t only large, it was also unplanned, so even the major roads that cut through the city had frequent detours making a walk anywhere an exhausting prospect. He landed on a rooftop across from the Silken Sin, and watched people go in and out for a few moments. It was a futile gesture, he knew, since there were other magical means of transport into the club. Still, he took note of a few priests that filtered in and out. Not that priests weren’t allowed to do a bit of whoring, it really depended on who they worshiped, so he mostly paid attention to those that looked anxious and afraid as the left.

Once he was closer to the appointed time he climbed down from the roof, and walked toward the front door.

“Nervous? Things were dangerous for you here last time,” he sent Jacopo.

“No. If there are any gold cats this time, they will be the ones to flee from me.”

Dantes smiled. “Damn right.” He walked toward the main entrance and when he received scrutinizing stares from the two large orcish doormen at the door, he held up the invitation he received, and their attitude changed completely. They bowed slightly as they pushed the door open for him.

Inside, a young woman with long black hair, and a very short skirt, nodded a greeting at him. “Please follow me Master Dantes, they’re ready to receive you.”

Dantes nodded and fell in line behind her. His nerves fired a bit as they passed by the room Mondego had met Godfrey in when he’d been spying on them, but this time there were no masked guards and the open door showed no one within.

His escort stopped in front of the door Mondego had hesitated in front of, smiled, and pushed it open for him.

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