Page 80 of Secrets of Ruin

At one time, people hurried down those sidewalks as they rushed to and fro. Now, they scurried down the street with their shoulders hunched forward and their heads tucked in as if waiting for a new attack to start.

Before, he’d rarely seen a weapon amid the mortals; now, they all carried weapons that would do little good against the dragons who had leveled their homes. Still, they stalwartly remained in this place of despair and destruction.

Brokk understood why these humans remained. This city was their home; it was what they knew and loved.

They’d already lost so much that many couldn’t part with what had become an integral part of them. Their memories and loved ones were here, their things, their hopes and dreams, and they couldn’t bear to part with them.

Besides, life wasn’t so great outside the city either, but at least in the towns and villages beyond these concrete tubes, people were building new homes, returning to the land, and restarting their lives. Here, amid these concrete tubes, he didn’t sense much hope.

They were turning the parks into gardens, and livestock also moved amongst the debris. Some rebuilding was going on, but they still seemed so broken.

Ahead of them, a rooster hopped onto a pile of rubble and started crowing. A woman darted into a store when a lycan strolled past her. She watched from behind a dirty plane of glass as the lycan continued down the cluttered city street.

Much to Orin and Cole’s annoyance, Sahira and Lexi had refused to remain behind. They weren’t going to let Kaylia face this without them.

Against Cole’s wishes, Lexi left the dragons in Dragonia. He’d prefer to have them for extra protection for her, but Lexi was afraid to traumatize the humans by having the dragons arrive to circle the city.

The last time dragons entered this realm, they’d unleased a lot of destruction. The humans wouldn’t understand that they weren’t here to start burning things to the ground again.

Seeing them would have thrown all the humans into a panic. He didn’t blame them for it, but they couldn’t have that kind of confusion running through the streets while hunting for Fabian.

Brokk suspected the man had probably kept tabs on Kaylia over the years. No one went to those depths to fuck with someone just to walk out of their lives and never look back.

If dragons arrived, then Fabian would most likely suspect Lexi was with them. And if he was following Kaylia’s life, he’d know about her connection to the queen. He’d probably take off at the first sign of an arach.

And if he somehow got word that any of them were here, he’d probably do the same, so they kept the shadows around them while they moved. They were careful to avoid the frightened humans scampering down the road.

Kaylia could have cast a glamour over them to make them look different, but she worried Fabian would see through it. And since the presence of the king of the dark fae and the queen of Dragonia wouldn’t go unnoticed by the immortals, the shadows were their best way to go undetected.

“It’s up ahead on the right,” Orin said.

Despite him and Cole having spent time in this city before the war, Orin was the only one who had ever been to this tavern. Varo had never really enjoyed the big crowds and noise of the human cities and hadn’t wandered into them as often as his brothers.

When they arrived at the tavern, the thick drapes within covered the front windows, but music and voices drifted out of the establishment. Painted in gold, the tavern’s name stretched across the front window, The Trowbridge Tavern.

Brokk shifted the pack he wore as anticipation hammered inside him. This could be it. Fabian could be in there.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE

He took a deep breath to calm the rapid beat of his heart and pulled the pack closer. It contained the metal glove he’d require to remove the netting strands from his pouch. He’d strapped the glove inside so it wouldn’t shift and make a sound when he moved.

“I’ll step out of the shadows,” Orin said. “I haven’t been here since the city fell, but it won’t be strange for me to enter this place. Varo can come with me, and between us, we’ll keep the door open long enough for the rest of you to enter. That will let us see what’s going on inside before exposing all of us.”

“Go ahead,” Cole said.

Orin looked around to ensure nobody was watching before releasing the shadows around himself. Seconds later, Varo did the same.

Cole moved ahead of Orin and pressed himself against the wall as his brother opened the door. Before Orin could step inside, Cole did. The rest of them followed, and the door slid shut behind Sahira when she entered after Varo.

It took Brokk’s eyes a couple of seconds to adjust to the dim tavern, but once they did, he searched the occupants as Varo and Orin made their way to the dark, wooden bar. He didn’t see any sign of Fabian, but there was a cluster of warlocks and other assorted immortals in a few of the booths.

He suppressed his disappointment as his fangs pricked. He’d been looking forward to finding Fabian and making him pay for what he’d done.

That didn’t mean they still couldn’t find him. Someone here had to know where the douchebag was.

Standing behind the bar, a tall lycan used his towel to dry a glass while watching Orin and Varo approach. More immortals sat at the stools lining the bar, sipping their drinks while staring at the wall.

An air of despair hung over the place, and while the immortals in the booths talked, they leaned toward each other as they lowered their voices. A dull whisper of words filled the air, but no laughter.