With the auction over, it was time to settle up. The crowd immediately surged out of the room, the citizen racing to be the first in very long lines, but Jasper and Ihra had no such concerns. The nobility and important merchants didn’t need to wait in line: they simply sat in their seats until the auctioneers had prepared a private room for them.

They had waited no more than a few minutes when one of the men in the dark red robes approached their benches. He bowed lightly to Jasper and Ihra, his hands clasped in front of him. “My lord, lady, a room has been prepared to settle your accounts. If you would follow me?”

The two trailed after the merchant and the hunters, who were eager to get their share of the loot, followed close behind. The merchant didn’t hide the touch of distaste on his face when he looked at the villagers but didn’t dare openly object, opting to ignore them instead.

Exiting the rotunda, they walked through the narrow halls, passing row after row of doors, as they headed further away from the crowd. Jasper couldn’t shake his growing sense of unease as the hubbub of the auction faded into silence. Their private room seemed a little too private and Kas̆dael’s parting words began to echo in his head. The merchant led them out of the main building into the left wing that flanked the rotunda, finally coming to a stop before a set of ornate double doors.

The merchant bowed again. “Here we are, my lord. A clerk is waiting for you inside. The villagers will need to wait outside.”

Bā’er’s brows scrunched together, a storm brewing, but Jasper cut him off. “We’re just going in a room, Bā’er. You’ll get your pay.”

After a long pause, the man nodded, his voice gruff. “Aye, my lord. We’ll be waiting just outside.” Jasper stepped close to the burly hunter, whispering in his ear as he slipped something into the man’s hand. The hunter nodded, slipping the object into his coat.

The large wooden doors swung open grudgingly, the hinges making their displeasure known with loud squeals, as Jasper and Ihra stepped inside. The auctioneer was standing by an ornate desk, carved of the same ruby-toned warodim wood as the auction hall.

But he was not standing alone. Labbu and Qarda were there as well, Lord Nabul with him. Ten guards were stationed along the room’s periphery, their hands fondling the grip of their weapons, ready to pull them out at a moment’s notice. Jasper’s heart sank as his fears were confirmed.

"Damn it." With a strangled curse, Ihra spun on her heels, reaching for the door, but the handle jiggled ineffectively, the door refusing to budge beneath the hail of blows she rained down on it.

"Ihra, don't worry about the door." Muttering curses beneath her breath, she came to stand by him as the Djinn nobles watched them with smug faces. Despite himself, a grim smile worked its way onto his face. Kas̆dael’s veiled warning had not been in vain - Jasper had been expecting this.

He walked over to the desk with a confident stride, nodding at the Moon-kissed, as he accosted the auctioneer. “Well? Where is my money? And our purchases?” He waved his hands at the empty desk.

The merchant squirmed uncomfortably, his eyes darting over to Lord Nabul for help. The local lord obliged, stepping in with a cocky grin.

“Come now, there’s no need to be coy. You played the game and you lost. Did you really think it was a good idea to come to the auction?”

Jasper’s smile didn’t waver. “Let me guess - the noble who originally built this auction hall was your ancestor.”

The man smiled. “So you’re not entirely stupid, just foolish. I’m afraid you won’t be getting the money from the auction.”

“I’d guessed as much.” He turned to the two Moon-kissed, a simple question on his lips. “Why?”

Qarda looked uncomfortable, but Labbu appeared unbothered, speaking for the two of them. “He doesn’t want the lyre, and we do; we don’t want the girl, and he does. Why should we quarrel with Lord Nabul and the Zaphonites over you?”

Jasper sighed. “That kidnapping attempt in the marketplace was the real deal, wasn’t it? You just didn’t expect us to escape.”

The Moon-kissed captain shrugged. “It was a miscalculation, but it worked out in the end.”

Nabul scowled. “It was an unnecessary blemish on my reputation, Labbu. If you had warned me before your little stunt, I could have had a backup plan in place. Still,” his face smoothed over as he looked at Ihra, “every risk has its reward.”

Ihra spat at the ground at his feet. “Screw you. I’m not going to marry your son.”

The man shrugged, unconcerned. “Choice is for the powerful, my dear, which you are not.”

She leapt forward, her hands reaching for her dagger, but one of the guards intercepted her, slamming her into the ground. She tried to roll to her feet, but a powerful kick to her ribs threw her back, as the guard slammed his foot down into her chest, pinning her against the floor. “Stay down,” he ordered.

Nabul cleared his throat. “Do be careful with the goods, Pitru.” The guard grunted, keeping his foot firmly on Ihra.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Labbu stepped towards Jasper, his hand on his weapon. “Where do you place the lyre of Damqa? Obviously, you didn’t place it with the merchant guild, so you must have given it to one of the temples.” He scowled at Qarda, blaming her for mentioning the temples when she had told Jasper to secure the relic. “Did you put it in Yarha’s temple? The priest denied it but I don’t believe him.”

Jasper shrugged. “Why should I tell you?” The scream of metal on metal filled the room as the captain whipped his sword out, the tip resting against Jasper’s throat a second later.

Quelling the tremors that ran down his back, Jasper stared obdurately at the man for a moment. Then he slowly turned to face Lord Nabul. “You were right earlier. Choice is for the powerful.”

The noble smirked. “It will be a quick death.”

The grim smile crept across Jasper’s face. “Actually, I can’t promise the same for you. You see, I do have power.”

Nabul's wrinkled in confusion at his prey's confidence and at that moment Jasper released the spell he had been holding.

Hand of Judgment.

A second later he was sprawled on the floor, his shoulders digging in painfully to the hardwood, as an explosive burst of air sent everyone in the room flying backward. The space between them and the Djinn nobles tore open. Reality itself was ripped asunder as the void broke through, its icy winds howling through the small room.

And then, something stepped through.

The gap tore wider as the Ophan emerged. The whole room froze as they stared at the terrifying creature. From the chest down, the creature looked much like a man, aside from its burning flesh and jet-black wings, lined with thousands of small, needle-like feathers. But the head was the stuff of nightmares.

A single flaming eye floated above the torso, two golden rings rapidly rotating around it at dizzying speeds. Over every inch of its giant sclera blue runes were carved deep into its flesh. The eye turned to Jasper, its voice somehow emanating from all corners of the room.

“What is your wish, lord?”

Fury pulsed through his veins as he looked at the treacherous group. “Kill’em.” He barked. “All of them. And help us get out of this city.”

“As you will,” the creature rumbled.

With a strangled cry, Labbu threw himself at Jasper, his sword glowing with an arcane light as it arced toward his neck. In an instant, the creature appeared in front of Jasper, catching the blade with his bare hand. The sword sunk in slightly, a trickle of blood forming on the Ophan’s palm. And then, with a slight twist of its hands, it tore Labbu’s head from his shoulders, slamming the bloody skull on the ground before Qarda.

A primal scream filled the room, fury and despair mingled together. Tears streaming down her face, Qarda cast a spell, a shimmering silver moon begin to manifest behind her as Nabul charged at the Ophan. But Jasper didn’t stick around to watch. He fired Shooting Star at the barred doors. The aged wood crumbled like paper beneath the spell as he and Ihra fled into the hall. The sounds of explosions echoed behind them, and to his surprise, fire raced in their footsteps. The creature's flames rapidly spread through the ancient auction hall, hungrily consuming the dry and ancient wood as they booked it toward the exit.

But the chaos did not escape the crowd’s notice, the screams quickly filling the air as the people poured out of the accounting rooms, fighting to reach the exit.

Ihra jogged along behind him, taking frantic glances over their shoulders. “What the hell was that?”

“Just a little spell Kas̆dael gave me.”

She scowled. “Clearly I need to upgrade deities.” Ihra shuddered, looking up at the ceiling with a guilty expression. “Just kidding, just kidding” she muttered. Their progress was slowed to a crawl now, as the halls were jammed with people. The fire was spreading rapidly, the walls already beginning to smolder as thick clouds of smoke filled the air. The people were frantic, fighting and clawing to get over each other, trampling any underfoot who stumbled or fell. The sound of explosions in the left wing of the hall continued unabated, and Jasper wondered whom the Ophan was still fighting. Were Qarda or Nabul really powerful enough to stand up to that thing?

His thoughts were interrupted as Ihra grabbed his hand. “Come on, help me out.” She threw her weight against one of the walls whose timbers had not yet caught fire.

“What are you doing?”

Ihra threw herself against the wall, over and over, the wood buckling slightly beneath her blows. “We’re getting the hell out of here,” she said through gritted teeth. “You may be a fire-boy but I. Am. Not.” Her words were broken up as she slammed herself into the walls.

Grasping her plan, Jasper joined her, the crowd around them quickly joining in. Within moments the weakened walls gave way in a shower of splinters. A gust of cold wind whipped past them, pushing the smoke away as welcome oxygen flooded their lungs.

They were on the third floor, the earth below looking uncomfortably far, but Jasper had no time to second guess the decision to jump, as the crowd surged forward. Bodies filled the air as they tumbled to the ground, away from the quickly burning building.

He landed hard on his ankle, the pain almost bringing him to his knees, but he somehow stumbled forward, avoiding being trampled beneath the crowd. A hand grabbed his arm - Ihra - and the two fought their way forward, fleeing toward the still somewhat open marketplace.

It took a few minutes of fighting - sometimes quite literally - before they broke into open space. The two sprinted past the merchant stalls, most abandoned by their vendors who were gawking at the spectacle behind them, as the fire consumed the ancient manor.

“Where are we going?” Ihra screamed over the mayhem.

“To the temple of Yarha. I told Bā’er to meet us there. Hopefully, the priest believed the message I gave him, and handed over the lyre.”

“And our mounts?”

Jasper grinned. “They’re at the harbor with the boats. We pick up the lyre, and get the hell out of town while the getting is good.”

The two raced toward the temple, the squads of guards running past them toward the burning building barely giving them a second glance. But when the temple came into view, a most unwelcome sight awaited them.

Bā’er and his men were there. But so was Lord Nabul. Battered and dirty, his clothes singed from the flame, and a limp in his step, the noble had a victorious glint in his eyes as he thrust the hunter forward, his sword held tight against Bā’er’s throat.

Jasper and Ihra came to a halt, close enough to see the terror in the hunter’s wide eyes.

“You’ve gone far enough,” Nabul warned. “Lay down your weapons.”

Jasper shook his head. “And why I would do that? You heard the command I gave to the Ophan. Once it’s killed Qarda, it will still come for you.”

With a sudden jerk of his hands, Nabul sliced through the hunter’s throat, ignoring the fountain of blood that splattered across his face. “Not if I kill you first,” he sneered.