The first thing Ingrid noted was that the phrase ‘safehouse’ was rather misleading. It had led her to expect something like a bar or an inn, or at least adjacent. Maybe just a small meeting area with a few pieces of furniture for people to lay low. The set of double doors had led them down another staircase, through another hallway, until they came out on top of one of the buildings on some sort of balcony. What she was looking at seemed almost like a village hidden underground. Tightly clustered buildings filled the expansive cave, its streets bustling with people, and cluttered with stalls selling exotic, dubiously legal foods to magical items, and just about anything in between.
The balcony gave them a perfect view of the streets below, and the enormous floating magical lights that kept the cave lit in hues of red and orange. Closing her eyes, she could feel the gentle warmth of the lights on her skin. It felt like she was laying in the grassy parks of Baile Cothrom on a sunny spring day, yet there was something about it that she couldn’t describe that made it feel different than sunlight. It was more like a fireplace in its comfort. The air felt remarkably fresh as well, feeding more into her park fantasy. She could even feel a gentle breeze. Was it magically generated? Perhaps among all of the structures there were tunnels dug for ventilation? She opened her eyes again to look at the streets below.
Judging by the food traffic in the streets, there was likely a far bigger entrance somewhere else. That thought only placed the question in Ingrid’s mind of how many other secret entrances like this one there were, and what the main entrance could possibly look like.
As Malori fangirled to Ingrid over the floating lights and wondering if it was the work of a mage or a sorcerer, Ingrid found herself filled with questions. Did these people live here? How in the world was this kept secret? Ingrid marveled at the almost supernatural beauty of the cave. The buildings were normal wooden ones, but there were sections of the walls that had lit windows, implying that structures were built into the walls themselves. She didn’t know if it was the druid in her, but it made her feel almost giddy thinking about the magic that likely went into creating this place. Her thoughts were interrupted by Alice calling over to her from a staircase on the side of the building they were on.
“Oy, Princess, you still there?” she teased, grinning.
Ingrid quickly shook off the vertigo and followed her friends down to the streets below. “Alice, how did you know about this?” she whispered, worried what would happen if someone figured out that she didn’t belong there.
“Oh, I didn’t. Like I said, I just followed the symbols,” she mused. “I think this place is some sorta tavern, so that’s a good place to ask questions.”
Looking around, Ingrid saw their group already getting a few looks. Some of them almost predatory. One particular look came from a human man tossing and catching a knife similar to the way Alice fiddled with hers. His eyes and smile lingered on them, following them as they went by and continuing to bore a hole in the back of Ingrid’s head as they passed. It wasn’t like she could claim that their group was low profile: A tiny priest girl with pure white hair going to her calves, an elven woman who was clearly some sort of rich girl, and from her cursory glance around, potentially the only dark elf down here. Alice led them to the front of the building, either not noticing or not caring about the stares. Above them was a sign that read ‘The First Swig’ hanging above the door, accentuated by some glowlamps.
She pushed open the doors to reveal a fairly stereotypical looking criminal underground tavern, like the ones she’d read about in books. It was busy, filled with people likely looking to spend their night drinking away the day’s aches and bruises as the sun went down. Did they have a way to keep track of the time down here? They must, otherwise it would be hard to keep everything running. She’d always imagined places like this, but another part of it felt almost too mundane. There were shady patrons throughout, but she heard bits and pieces of stunningly normal conversation. A man talking about how his husband had to get someone to watch their children, a woman ranting about an irritating customer at her shop. It was almost jarring how aggressively normal everything felt despite the environment.
Alice took hold of her hand and led her forward. “Come on, and stick close. Make sure you don’t get pickpocketed,” she said with a wink, then gestured to Malori to follow.
She cut a path straight to the front of the bar, where a dour looking elven woman with a barely noticeable greenish tint to her skin and an eyepatch over her right eye was serving drinks to the customers. The elven woman raised the eyebrow over her eyepatch as the trio approached.
“Well, you certainly don’t look like the usual crowd,” she grumbled in a gravelly voice. She looked behind Alice at Malori and Ingrid, her gaze lingering on Malori. “You even old enough to be in here?”
“Okay she’s clearly not that young!” Ingrid said indignantly.
The woman gave an amused huff. “I know, I’m giving you shit,” She narrowed her eyes, “You aren’t some sorta sting are you? Guards have been trying to worm their way in here for years, but I didn’t think they’d use someone this young.”
Alice pulled up a stool and sat down, leaning on the bar. “Alright let’s all chill out for a sec. We’re not guards or anything like that, just passing through and I’m just as dirty as everyone else here. Anyway, got some simple info I can ask for?”
The woman stopped. “If you’re looking for information, my husband is the one who deals in that stuff.”
“Oh, I just meant whether or not there was an inn that won’t try and organize a lynch mob if I try and rent a room,” she said cheekily.
“Sh-She’s exaggerating for a j-joke, right?” Malori whimpered.
The woman thought about it. “Further down this street towards the edge of the cave there’s a place my brother-in-law runs. He’ll take you in. He’s a cheap son of a bitch though, so it might be a little on the expensive side.”
“Good to know!” Alice chimed, flipping a coin to the woman. “And hey, I might just come by here for a drink later if there are more gorgeous women like yourself,” she said with a wink.
The woman caught the coin with a deadpan face, ignoring the blatant flirting. “Just tell him Evelynn recommended the place and that he owes me for getting him more customers,” she sighed.
Alice gave her usual bow, then turned back to Ingrid and Malori. “Easy.”
“Did you really need to pay for that? It was pretty simple, and we could have just looked,” Ingrid said.
“Probably not, but it saves us time,” she shrugged. “Besides, that was your money, not mine. I thought I told you to watch out for being pickpocketed?”
Ingrid’s hands shot to her coin purse, which sure enough, had its strings ever so slightly loosened. She blushed and shoved it into the dimensional bag. “You’re incorrigible, you know that?” she huffed, earning a laugh from her dark elven friend.
“And you love me for it~” she joked, before realizing something and turning away just in time to miss the hint of red that involuntarily dusted Ingrid’s cheeks. “Right, Evelynn was it? Mind if I have a meeting with that husband of yours? We’re looking for someone, and they mighta passed through the city. He cover things above ground too?”
Evelynn turned back to Alice. “I’ll tell him to swing by his brother’s inn and look for the obnoxious dark elf woman with the purple scarf sometime tomorrow. That work for you?”
Alice nodded. “That’s perfect, make sure to tell him to come by around noon. It goes without saying that we’ll pay for any information he can give us. Appreciate it~” she chimed, leading Ingrid and Malori out of the bar.
From the bar, they followed the edge of the cave as they were told. Trying to stay focused on the directions was almost enough to keep her from looking around at the people in the streets with them. The vast majority were rough looking, and they even passed an alley where two surgians, a species that looked like a cross between canine and human, were having a fist fight. Despite that majority, there were people that she lacked any word to describe other than normal. A human woman with a pitcher of water on her head leading a young child through the streets. A gnome peddling fresh mutton skewers, serving them to a group of three orcs who seemed to be making smalltalk. A half-giant that was stretching what appeared to be a sheep pelt in preparation for leatherworking.
“You look like you’re zoning out. You good?” Alice asked casually, leaning back to talk.
“Oh! Yes, sorry, I was. I was just looking around this place,” She explained quickly. “I haven’t exactly been anywhere like this. It’s like an entire secret city, or another world hidden away. Have you?”
“A few times, but for different reasons. This one isn’t as big as the one I’m familiar with though.”
“Th-There are other places like th-this?” Malori asked in awe. “W-Where? Was it d-dangerous?”
“Every neighborhood or place like this is dangerous, Shortie. It’s a weird sorta paradox though. They’re usually run by gangs,” She explained, twirling her finger. “If you’re a kid who's grown up here, or just a civilian, there’s nowhere safer. I remember kids running around playing ball in the streets. Some asshole caught their ball and started taunting them, then popped it. Couple rough looking folk followed him when he left. Saw him in a back alley later on looking like one giant bruise. Couldn’t tell if he was breathing or not.”
Malori and Ingrid were both quiet. The story was as captivating to them as it was terrifying. “Over just a b-ball?” Malori stuttered.
“When the world wants you gone, you protect your own. You can be damn sure that the only people who ever messed with the locals in that place were newcomers or travelers. Not a whole lotta trust for people you don’t know,” she mused. “We’re not from here, so focus on not making a mess for folks and we should be good. If not, hope you weren’t too fond of your kneecaps.”
Ingrid looked around again. Dangerous and scary as this place was, it was just like Alice described. This place was a community. Just one she wasn’t personally used to. Alice mentioning the world wanting them gone was conflicting. So many people here were just living their lives, why was that a problem for other people? Why did they have to do so underground instead of on the surface? Why would the Druidkeeper of the city be okay with people living in these conditions? She frowned. Labhras said that first and foremost, a Druidkeeper was meant to help people. Who was helping these people?
It wasn’t much longer until they saw a building with an etched wooden sign depicting a bed with a moon raised over it. Under the sign read ‘Nilin’s Rest’ in bold letters. Ingrid couldn’t help but light up a bit. She could at least assume she’d feel welcome here.
The inside was decorated with more plants than a botanist’s garden would have, filling the space with vibrant shades of green mixed with the dull brown of the wood. Ingrid was fairly certain that the sigh that came from Alice was due to her looking like a child who had just walked into a candy shop. On the ground in front of the reception desk was a large, ornate carpet with a design of a traditionally depicted Nilin tending to their fields of wheat. It was almost like a tapestry more than a rug. The detail that went into the deity’s form was incredible, their robes and hair seeming to almost flow with the winds. Whoever made this clearly saw it as a labor of love. Ingrid felt the slightest tinge of impressed envy at whoever the maker was.
Sitting at the front desk was a stocky, muscular dwarf man with most of his facial features obscured by a vibrant orange beard woven into three braids. There was a longer, thicker braid in the middle tied off with a silver ring, and two smaller ones at its sides. He had the rest of his head shaved, and looked at the group with kind, green eyes.
“Hello there folks, welcome to Nilin’s Rest! My name is Glakhon, how can I help you?” he asked in a jolly voice.
Ingrid was a little taken aback. The only thing they had heard about the man was that he was a cheapskate, so she was expecting something more… dour. Whatever her picture was in her head, it wasn’t a jolly dwarven man with enough decorations for a nature god that one could probably mistake him for a druid of some sort.
“Yes! Hello, we were hoping to rent out three rooms for the night, if possible?” she asked politely, giving him a smile.
“Well of course!” he said happily, pulling out a small ledger. “If it’s just one night for the three of you ladies, that’ll run you about two gold pieces and five silvers.”
Ingrid sensed the familiar feeling of Alice cringing behind her. She had never really stayed in an inn, the closest was Alice’s brothel. Was this expensive for an inn? Nevertheless she counted out the coins and slid them across the counter. Glakhon inspected the coins briefly, then gave a satisfied nod before reaching under the counter.
“Down that hallway to the left of me, and the first three rooms on the right are all yours! Enjoy your stay!” He grinned, passing them three room keys.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Ingrid smiled and accepted the keys. “Thank you very much, do you need names?”
“Ah, I was just about to ask that! Could I get a name for each of you?”
As she opened her mouth to speak, Alice interrupted her. “Name’s Coballi,” she said flatly. As Ingrid turned to look at her to ask what she meant by lying, she saw a cautious look in her eyes. Ingrid was still new to all of this, but it was at least fairly clear what she meant.
“M-M-My name is M-Malady!” Malori yelped quickly.
Glakhon raised an eyebrow in confusion, but evidently thought it was better not to question it and wrote the name down.
“Um, and my name is Annika. Thank you for the service,” she said politely, heading down the hallway before any questions could be asked. There was a door separating the lobby from the rooms, and she heard a tapping sound of someone being flicked as soon as it closed.
“Malady? Seriously?” Alice hissed in disbelief.
“I-I’m sorry! I-I-I panicked…” Malori whimpered, holding her forehead.
“What, did you not feel like going by Dysentery?” she scolded, unamused.
“I-I already said I p-panicked, I’m s-sorry…”
Ingrid placed herself between the two and lightly separated them. “Alright, alright, let’s settle down a little bit. There are worse things, right? Besides, he didn’t question it or anything, so we’re fine.”
Alice looked back and forth between the two, then sighed. Ingrid could tell she was annoyed, but hoped it wasn’t anything too bad. The dark elven woman rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Okay, fine. Sorry for snapping. These places have reputations for a reason, we gotta be careful here,” She looked back at Malori. “In the future if we’re in another one of these, let’s work out a different name that isn’t just a term for illness?”
The esper gave an apologetic nod. “I-I can work on it. Please d-don’t be angry with me?” she whimpered, looking up at Alice with big, pleading eyes.
Alice stared at her for a moment, then let out a groan. “Oh that is so not fair,” she grumbled. She reached forward and gave Malori a pat on the head. “Fine, it was an honest mistake. Besides, I probably should’ve thoughta that beforehand. You were great under pressure when Ingrid was poisoned, but that’s a pretty damn different set of circumstances.”
“I-It’s different when someone I c-care about is hurt…” she admitted, shuffling in embarrassment.
Ingrid smiled, clapping them each on the shoulder. “Alright! Now that we’ve got that sorted out, do we want to have some quick rations together as a meal and then go to bed? We should get an early start to things tomorrow so we can be back in time for that woman’s husband,” she took a deep breath, a hopeful smile on her face. “I don’t want to get my hopes up too high, but I’m really hoping he has some sort of information on Mattias.”
The two were quiet for a moment, but relented. “I-If we’re getting up e-early should I give you my key? Y-You’ll probably need to wake me up,” Malori offered.
“Nah, it’s fine. I can pick the lock,” Alice said casually.
Malori and Ingrid both looked at her with moderate concern.
“Oh, come on. I literally told you I was an assassin and being able to pick a lock is what’s weirding you out right now?”
Ingrid couldn’t help but laugh at that a little bit. She was right, they knew far more outlandish things about Alice to be worried about that. The women nonetheless shuffled into Ingrid’s room, taking out some dried meat and biscuits to have as a meal.
“Alright, so I still have to ask,” Alice mused. “Why a pirate queen of all things? I would have thought you’d be more into, I don’t know, a knight or something.”
Malori went bright red, staring at the ground. “H-How do you know I-I liked her the b-best?”
“Call it intuition. You’re into the dashing rogue type though eh? Should I be flattered?” She joked, leaning in close enough that Malori’s face started lighting up even more.
“I-I-It’s not th-that!” She insisted. “Th-The way she fights for P-Princess Cassandra when her f-father is against their union is n-noble! She never c-compromises on her i-ideals either. I think she’s c-cool…”
To say Alice had a shit eating grin was an understatement as she looked smugly at the priestess. “So you want the type of woman who’ll fight for you? Pick you up bridal style and carry you off into the sunset. Oh to be young again!”
“Y-You’re young t-too!”
“Yeah, but I’m elf young. For elves I'm not much older than Ingrid. Actual years? I’m like fifty or sixty. I don’t know, I stopped counting after a while,” She said casually. “Espers age at the same rate as humans yeah? It’s a little different.”
Malori relented, going back to quietly eating her rations for a bit. Ingrid decided not to pierce the silence, deep in her own thoughts about the people they had seen outside and how their lives must be. Surprisingly, it wasn’t Alice who broke it this time.
“I-I liked how much she l-loved Cassandra,” She murmured.
Alice raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
Malori shifted awkwardly. “I-I don’t really h-have a specific t-taste in women. I just think it’s i-inspiring that Cornelia w-went through all of that because she l-loved her so much. Th-The scene where Cornelia is being e-exiled, and promising to c-come back for her love…” She trailed off a bit. Despite her awkwardness and quiet voice, Ingrid noticed her swelling with a nerdy sort of excitement. It reminded her of when she and Mattias would gush to each other about learning new spells. “I l-liked it a lot. Love is a p-powerful emotion in a-all of its forms. C-Cornelia was a p-pirate who didn’t care about a-anything or anyone, but sacrificed so m-much to show Cassandra j-just how much she loved her.”
Even Alice was quiet for the explanation. It was probably the most Malori had ever said without apologizing. On each and every word, there was a sense of yearning and wistfulness that made Ingrid feel kind of sad. Maybe she didn’t understand Malori as well as she had thought. She really did pity the poor girl.
“Like how Ingrid tossed away a bunch to look for her brother,” Alice muttered, taking another bite of her biscuit. Ingrid perked up, looking at Alice. It was the first time Malori had described something from a book that wasn’t met with a joke or teasing. Alice met her gaze. “I mean, am I wrong? Your life was pretty damn cushy. Woulda been real easy to just stay.”
Ingrid looked away. Alice was right. It would have been easy. A soft bed, hot baths, great food, she’d still have Alice to keep her company too. The thought of all of it without Mattias just felt empty though.
“Yes, I suppose it is similar,” She said softly.
“Love in a-all its forms. Th-That’s one of the t-teachings of Carys,” Malori said. “Loving your f-family is j-just as powerful as r-romantic love or p-platonic love. It’s o-obvious how much you l-love your brother. I-It’s part of why I w-wanted to h-help so much.”
There was a gentleness in Malori’s eyes that betrayed much less naivete than what was usually there. It was a little surprising to Ingrid. Despite Malori’s lack of social interaction, she seemed to have a great amount of emotional intelligence. She smiled as she found herself wishing she understood people better.
“I can’t really say you’re wrong. My brother is my whole world,” She said wistfully. “So much of what I do is for him. Alice is right that it would have been easy to stay, but when I think about him, it was even easier to make the choice to leave.”
There was a quiet understanding between the three. Finally, Alice spoke. “That’s love for ya.”
Once they were done, they discussed their to-do list, with Alice insisting that mountaineering gear should take the utmost priority. It was hard to disagree with her. Food wasn’t that much of a problem, and in a pinch Ingrid could magically conjure up more. It took energy to make it from thin air though, and that seemed to be a much more valuable resource than money on their journey, so buying more food was likely the better option.
They said their goodnights, and Ingrid settled into bed. It was eerily quiet without the two of them in the room with her. The silence always made it hard to sleep. As her thoughts drifted, she found herself questioning why they were staying in an inn underground rather than where she could at least hear the night air.
Right. Alice. She winced at the thought. She wasn’t holding it against Malori for her faults, it would have been unfair to think of this situation as Alice’s fault. Especially after how much she had contributed to the journey already. It was hard to deny the slight annoyance that was there however. Just because it was hard to deny didn’t mean she couldn’t try. Steadying her breathing, she shifted onto her side, facing the wall.
Never trust bad thoughts when you’re tired, she remembered being told. She winced once again remembering that it was Cecilia who had said them to her. If you’re feeling bad about yourself, or angry, or sad while you’re exhausted, sleep. Give your brain a reset, and most of the time, the situation will seem a lot better than it had before. You’re not a failure, Ingrid. As long as I’m here, I’ll make sure everything is okay.
She squeezed her eyes tighter, wishing that the last part had stayed forgotten. It hurt to know that such gentle words har become lies. She tried to focus on the first part: despite what her sister had become, that advice hadn’t steered her wrong before. She just needed some sleep, then she could readdress these feelings when she was in a better position to do so. Eventually, she managed to clear her head enough that her breathing became a steady, gentle in and out, until she was finally greeted by sleep’s embrace. So much so that she wasn’t even disturbed by the quiet footsteps that passed her room.
“Princess! Ingrid! Get up! Shitty situation!” a voice hissed at her as she was shaken awake. She opened her eyes to see Alice standing over her. The dark elf was already dressed, with a serious and concerned look on her face. It did manage to soften slightly as Ingrid groggily forced her eyes open, but not by much.
“Wha…?” she groaned, trying to blink the sleep from her eyes. She straightened herself in her bed, grunting as she sat up. The door was still wide open, though Alice seemed to realize that as Ingrid did and rushed over to close it. Looking at her nightstand, her key was still right where she left it. Evidently, Alice wasn’t joking when she said she could pick the lock.
“Alright you’re awake, good, get dressed,” Alice commanded.
Ingrid avoided making a comment about how that was the exact opposite of what she usually said when using that tone. “What time is it?” she yawned.
“Like five in the morning, not important,” She said quickly. “Malori is gone.”
Ingrid froze in the middle of getting out of bed. Those three words did wonders to have her up and anxious. “Gone?” she gasped, looking up at Alice. “What do you mean gone, what happened?” she asked, her voice getting shaky.
The worry in Alice’s eyes changed, clearly becoming directed at Ingrid instead. She knelt down, taking one of Ingrid’s hands in hers. “Hey, hey, it’s gonna be alright,” she said softly. “We’re gonna fix this. I gotcha.”
Apparently Alice could tell she was about to have a panic attack before she did, but the words helped nonetheless. She could feel her heart starting to pound, and her mind starting to race, while Alice’s touch pulled her to reality. The sound of rustling leaves from the plants that she now realized was present stopped as well.
“Come on Princess, deep breath,” she said, taking one herself to demonstrate. Ingrid followed her lead. Gradually, her hands stopped shaking. After a minute or two, she felt much more calm.
Ignoring how impressed she was that Alice could do that at the drop of a hat, there was still a situation before them. They had to find Malori, and while panicking wouldn’t fix that, neither would sitting here doing nothing. She forced herself out of bed, putting on different clothes. Changing in front of Alice wasn’t a worry, she needed to focus.
“When did you notice she was gone? Did something happen?”
Alice bit her lip. “Only noticed it like ten minutes ago. It’s hard to explain. I just got this bad feeling, so I tried to pick the lock into her room,” she started, fiddling with what was clearly a lockpick and spinning it around her fingers. “Thing is, the room was unlocked. I even made sure she locked it before. I opened up, and she was gone. So was all of her stuff.”
Ingrid felt her stomach drop. There was no way Malori would just up and leave without telling them. She was too anxious to ask shopkeepers to look at things and had to have other people do it for her, let alone walk out into the underground of a city over a week away from her home with no connections and barely any money. Something was wrong.
“I- Alice, you’ve been a jack of all trades this entire time, can you take a closer look? I’m going to come too and see what I can do,” she looked around, confirming what she already knew well in that the building was filled with small plants in each room.
“Uh yeah, sure. Lemme check the door again and look around the room. Maybe there’ll be some clue or whatever,” she said, heading back to Malori’s room with Ingrid close behind.
Making sure that no one was around to see them, Ingrid reached into her bag to remove her staff. Alice immediately began fiddling with the lock, her tongue sticking out the side of her mouth in focus. Now was not the time to think about Alice’s stupid mannerisms being cute, she needed to focus. She looked around, smiling at what she found. Glakhon being a devout of Nilin was really working in her favor. On the nightstand was a small, decorative plant, and there were several more in each corner.
She took a deep breath and opened her mind, mixing her emotions and desires with those of the plants. She even found a few symbiotic insects to communicate with as well. Sending her own thoughts of Malori, and her desire to find out what happened, she got several mental pings in return. The plants told her of three people being in the room, before there were none. Two of them had entered long after the first had, they could sense it from their breathing.
Opening her eyes, she looked back at Alice, who was getting up from where she had knelt by the door. She seemed to be about to speak, but Ingrid opened her mouth first. “There were three people in the room, and two of them came in late,” she explained. “All of them left together.”
Alice’s face went cold. “First of all, impressive. I was just gonna say that whoever broke in here before me sucked at it, the lock doesn’t work properly anymore. Not to mention her room key is still where she hid it. That plus what you got…”
“Someone took Malori,” Ingrid felt her chest tighten at the realization. She didn’t know what else it could’ve been. There was the possibility, however small, of maybe a priest or something fetching Malori for something. If it was a break in though, there was no doubt about it that this was a kidnapping.
Seeing the train of thought Ingrid was taking, Alice grabbed her hand again. “Hey, stay with me. We’re already getting somewhere.”
Ingrid nodded. She had calmed down already, but she was never going to say no to kind words. Plus, it would have been a lie to say that the realization wasn’t stressing her out. She met Alice’s gaze.
“Let’s go to Evelynn. We need to talk to her husband now, not later,” she insisted. Before Alice even responded, she was leaving the room, bringing her friend with her. All of her things were in her bag, so it wasn’t like she had to pack.
“Well look at you taking charge! You’re takin to this quick, Princess,” Alice grinned.
Ingrid shot her a look.
“Right, okay, praise after we found the little one. You bet your ass you’re gettin it though,” she chided, speeding up a bit to walk in line with Ingrid. The two dropped off the room keys at the front desk, then hurried out of the inn, barely catching Glakhon telling them to come again as the door shut behind them.
The two speed walked to Evelynn’s tavern, careful not to attract too much attention. It didn’t exactly work, given the stares that Alice got that were clearly pissing her off to no end. The streets were uncannily empty, only a few people walking through. It was a jarring shift from the bustle of what they had seen the previous night, where the entire underground was as busy as a main street in the capital. Upon arrival, they were greeted by dark windows and silence. It had already given the vibes of a place that thrived on the night life of this underground section of the city, but Ingrid found herself cursing at it being closed. She refrained from directing her anger towards Evelynn, and sent it at whoever was responsible for taking Malori. Getting mad at some random tavern owner wasn’t going to help anyone.
Sensing Ingrid’s annoyance, Alice pulled on her sleeve. “Come on, let’s see if there’s a back entrance I can break into,” she murmured into her ear.
Ingrid nodded, then followed her into the small alley between the tavern and the building next to it. It wasn’t too wide, but big enough for a dumpster filled to the brim with garbage. It worked oddly in their favor when they found a locked door on the other side of it. The receptacle did a fantastic job of making sure no one who happened to look down the alley would see Ingrid tapping her foot anxiously while Alice picked the lock on the door. After a few seconds of Alice’s tools tapping around, there was a louder clicking sound.
“Got it,” she said casually, standing up and opening the door. “Let’s hope she’s the typa gal to have her living space on top of her business.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, Ingrid followed her in, desperately pleading with any god that would listen for this to work out.