Tales of the Interstellar Bartenders Guild by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pro Se Productions
Published: 2018-12-12T07:00:00+00:00

***

Althea had emptied nearly every drawer, looked under every piece of furniture, but the artifact wasn't there. She'd even attempted a seeking chant, and one for revealing lost objects, but neither had proved useful. It had to be here. She'd planned so carefully, double-checked all her references. Unless he kept it at home, which she wasn't willing to contemplate. She sensed he thought she was attractive, but there was no time for proper seduction, not with the witch hunters so close. Besides, he spent more time at the bar than home, and all his money was put into its improvement. This was where he'd hide it.

So she continued her search, determined to spend the entire night looking if need be. In the end, it was sheer luck that brought it to her hands. She had been searching a drawer for the tenth time and shoved it a bit harder in her frustration. The wood hit loudly and stopped, still open. She pushed and realized it had caught on the inside. It wouldn't budge until she pulled the drawer out and looked for the problem. There, stuck to the underside of the drawer above it, was the artifact.

Somehow she managed to refrain from crying out in delight. Barely. With trembling fingers, she gripped its edges and pulled it free. It came easily. Adhesive blocks had been made for easy placing and removal and worked on any surface.

The artifact was everything it was supposed to be: a small black dagger, made entirely of some ancient stone. No light reflected on its surface, but as she held it, it began to emit soft blue light, growing stronger with every second. It was a shame she couldn't put it down to a magical connection; the stone was supposed to do that when it contacted heat, or so the writings said. Some sort of biological mutation. Which meant she'd have to seal it away tight if she wanted to get away unnoticed.

She had just dropped the dagger into her hat when Jake opened the door. “What are you doing?” he asked. “What was that light?”

“S-sorry,” she said. “It's just a little trick I learned. Nothing dangerous. I was using it as a nightlight. Sorry if I frightened you.”

“It's fine. Just startled me is all. I'll be out of your way then. Unless you need something else?”

“Oh, no, I'm fine.”

It was all she could do to not hide the hat behind her back, or push past him and make for the door. Thank the forces the thing had stopped glowing when she'd dropped it.

“Well, good night, then,” he said.

“Good night.”

As soon as he shut the door, she scrambled for her few belongings and again checked that the dagger was securely tucked away. The getaway was all that mattered. Althea tiptoed to the door and pressed her ear against it, hoping to hear Jake's footsteps receding. Nothing. So either he'd already left, or he was waiting. There was nothing for it. She pulled open the door and looked both ways.

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