Dark Blood by Billy Ketch Allen

Author:Billy Ketch Allen
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Tags: Action & Adventure; Boys; Fantasy; Young Adult
Publisher: Moonglass Books
Published: 2020-12-14T05:00:00+00:00

27

It was midafternoon when Geyer limped across the Temple Square toward the shops and markets that ran along its perimeter. The Temple held the largest city in Terene within its great walls. A maze of streets and alleys, shops and warehouses that could hold all kinds of secrets. Geyer was looking for one shop in particular. A shop that prided itself on being hard to find.

Geyer groaned as he turned down a back alley. It was common for his leg to be sore, but sparring with Spade had made it worse than usual. He was lucky she used her sword sparingly, settling to take out her aggression with kicks, punches, and the well-placed elbow. Geyer landed his fair share, of course, but all her cuts and bruises had healed by now.

He backtracked the block until he found what he’d missed before. A small rundown shop with boarded-up windows and no sign or markings above its faded green door. The Hidden Gem had such a lofty reputation among the underground that Geyer had once dismissed it as a legend told by travelers and treasure seekers. In the back rooms of taverns came rumors of a spy network that spread through Terene and could acquire anything you desired, so long as you had enough shrines. Geyer didn’t know if the Gem still existed, let alone if it could help him—he wasn’t looking for lost jewels or an enchanted sword after all. Still, it was worth a try. Anything to keep him from having to go back to the library.

Geyer pushed open the green door with a squeak and stepped into an empty store. Dust covered the shelves. Cobwebs blanketed the corners of the ceilings. The place looked like it had been abandoned since the days of the Royals.

He was about to leave when something caught his eye. A bell on the counter glistened. Polished silver. Geyer strode to the dusty counter and shook the bell. A faint ring echoed through the tomb-like room.

Nothing happened.

Geyer scoffed at his own foolishness and limped toward the door. He was about to leave when he heard a faint rustling in the back of the shop. A moment later the door behind the counter opened, and a women slid through. Curly orange hair cascaded past her shoulders, a stark contrast to her dull green dress. She took her time waddling to the counter, no doubt slowed by the waterfall of colorful necklaces draped across her bosom.

“Welcome,” the woman said, as if this were the most ordinary encounter in the world. If she recognized him, she showed no surprise to find the captain of the Temple army in her shop. “How may I be of service?”

Geyer looked around. “Have I come to the right place?”

“That depends on where you were trying to go.”

“Is this the Hidden Gem?”

She stared at him, unblinking.

“Okay,” Geyer said. “I’ve been told you can find anything.”

She bowed, necklaces jingling against her neck. “We have had our share of success over the years.”

She produced a key from her pocket and fiddled with a lock under the counter.

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