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"...where’s he at? He said he’d be here."
"Should we leave? He might be waiting for us."
Who were they waiting on? I thought there were two thieves who made off with the orb. Maybe this third person was the one they intended to sell the artifact to. Whatever their intentions, the Wanderstar Fleet reinforcements needed to hurry before these guys managed to find their ship.
"Can I help you?"
I was startled as I realized I was being addressed in Javorian. The two suspects turned in my direction. I looked away from them and into the face of the owner of the bead stall. She was a Javorian, her appearance nearly identical to that of a human woman except for a pair of subtly pointed ears and electric pink eyes. Her smile was kind as she waited for me to answer.
Her earlier inquiry was loud and drew too much attention. With the thieves watching the back of my head, I had to adjust my strategy. I pivoted my attention to a display of shimmering gemstones. "These are pretty." I communicated to the vendor in her language, launching into a casual conversation about the gemstones and their luster.
Meanwhile, my fingers danced subtly over the com link. Time was of the essence, and I needed to buy enough of it to maintain my cover until reinforcements arrived.
"I haven’t seen too many human shoppers. Are you shopping for yourself or someone special?"
"Just me. Nothing wrong with treating yourself, right?" I deflected her probing questions, ensuring my responses were laced with a touch of innocence and curiosity.
I turned my head slightly to view the thieves from the corner of my eye. Their body language changed. They stood straighter, more alert to my presence. Not good.
A tall figure went by me. The face was concealed by the hood of a Chicago Cubs sweatshirt. "Aren’t you a cute little liar?"
I whipped around at the sound of the familiar voice. The figure was gone, but that smooth tenor stuck in my head.
It belonged to none other than Klinn Ustrar.
Chapter Two
FAYE
Klinn was in the marketplaceand slipped among the stalls. No one was safe with him here.
I panned the scene in search of him. The two thieves also disappeared. I was sure the three of them were connected.
My priority shifted. I had to make sure the civilians were safe. "Ma’am, you need to leave your stall."
The Javorian stall vendor narrowed her eyes at me. "What a rude human you are."
