Secret of the Dragon by Jessica Drake

Author:Jessica Drake [Drake, Jessica]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dynamo Press
Published: 2019-06-06T16:00:00+00:00

10

After a quick change of disguises, Tavarian and I slipped out of the hotel and headed down the street, dressed once more in simple clothing. Since we needed to reveal our true identities to the rebels, and we didn't want everyone knowing about the extent of Tavarian's abilities, instead of magic we'd used good old-fashioned wigs and make-up to change our appearances, hiding my telltale curly, red hair and making Tavarian look scruffy and less well-to-do. The meeting was being held in the Lower City, in an underground cellar beneath an old, boarded-up tavern. Thankfully, the Zallabarians had abolished the old edict that required special passes to take the elevators, so we hopped on board and were on the ground in minutes.

“Oi, you!” a guard said as we were walking away. We turned to see him glaring at us. “Curfew is in ten minutes. What are you doing on the street?”

“We’re just heading home for the night, sir,” Tavarian assured him. “My wife and I had business at Dragon’s Table, and it took us longer than expected.”

“It’s not Dragon’s Table anymore,” the guard snapped. “It’s the Upper City for now, until the governor decides on a new name.”

Crap. Of course they wouldn’t want to call it Dragon’s Table anymore. What other rules and edicts had gone into effect in the city that we didn’t know about? We’d need to learn them soon to make sure we didn’t draw undue attention to ourselves.

“Of course.” Tavarian held his hands palm up, speaking in a placating tone. “I’m sorry. It’s just…we’ve called it that all our lives. It’s taking a bit of getting used to.”

“Well, get used to it fast,” the guard advised. “Wouldn’t want anyone to think you’re a rebel sympathizer, would you?”

We hurried off into the dark, sticking to shadowed alleys and ducking behind trash cans to avoid the patrolling guards. Part of me wished that we could run on the rooftops, but I spotted guards on a few of the buildings, rifles in hand, waiting to shoot down any trespassers. Bastards. I glared up at one of them as we crouched behind a wall, waiting for him to turn so we could make a dash for the next block. I wished I had a crossbow on me, so I could shoot him down. As far as I was concerned, the rooftops were my territory, and he was trespassing.

“Soon,” Tavarian murmured, following my gaze. He put a hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. “But for now, let’s focus on not getting caught.”

It took us thirty minutes longer than I'd anticipated to get to the meeting place, and by the time we arrived I was sweating, mostly from nerves. The boarded-up tavern looked forlorn, and I remembered that it had been a popular dive back when I still lived here. What had happened to it? Had it shut down because of the occupation? Or was it something else?

Tavarian and I went around the back, to the cellar doors set into the ground. I rapped on one of the double doors, and once Tavarian gave the password, it swung open.

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