Lyla had gotten used to the chatter in the bar, the clinking of glasses, the roar of laughter, the puking of those who had had too much, the men always hitting on her, but more importantly, she had gotten used to eavesdropping
This particular day was no different. While serving drinks to a group, she heard a man from the table behind her say
"Did you hear? Word says The Den will start hosting fights between creatures."
"What?" Came the shocked and doubtful responses of his friends
"Aha, a friend of mine who works there says they've been preparing a space for the events."
"You're full of shit, Warren," came a woman's voice.
"You know I'm not one to spread rumours, Gladys." Disapproval clouded his words
"Shit," came another person from the table, "how they even gonna do that?"
"With the same drugs they be using on the fighters," someone from the next table answered.
A stomp and a wince, "shut up, idiot, if any of the uppers there get word of your accusations, you're done."
Silence followed between the two tables, their faces grim, contemplating the man's words before eventually moving on to other topics. But as Lyla headed back to the kitchen to place an order, their words kept replaying in her head.
The Den had to be a fighting arena holding wrestling matches. Her interest, though, lay in the introduction of creatures to the fights and the use of drugs to help subdue them.
They had to be insane, doubling on drugs and wild creatures screamed a deadly combination, and to even think of it meant these people cared little for their fighters and fans, making them very dangerous.
How did they even get their hands on such drugs? Was it possible they were the ones making and supplying them? And were they also involved with CE? It was highly likely.
She wondered if Lucien and his group knew about this, if they suspected the Den's involvement.
Her eyes drifted to the redhead in the process of mixing up a drink. Asking would mean exposing what she knew about them, which she couldn't risk yet. She'll have to investigate on her own first
Taking the order from her customers, she spotted the skinny man who had suggested the use of drugs heading to the bathroom. Quickly placing the food before the waiting patrons, she asked her fellow waitress to cover for her.
Lyla lay on the wall across the man's bathroom, waiting, and as the door opened to reveal him, she smiled that small, gentle smile she had learnt to display
"Hope the drinks are good to take the edge off," she addressed
The man smirked, "And who says I'm here to take an edge off?"
"It's the weekend, who wouldn't want to?"
He laughed, a wheezy sound that she had heard from smokers back at home, "true."
He sized her, and she could see that unsettling glimmer she always saw whenever one of the men invited her to their table, and sure enough, this one did
"Gotta work, don't think the boss will appreciate me lounging, and I need the job." She provided, giving the same response she had given several times
"That's unfortunate."
"Yeah," she got closer,
"I need to ask you something…earlier, I didn't mean to eavesdrop," she feigned embarrassment, "but do you really think they're using drugs on the fighters?"
The man darted his head nervously, placing a hand on his arm. She reassured, "No one's here, plus it's just that." Her face squeezed in sadness
"I have a friend of mine who went there to find a job. I'm worried."
The man studied her before sighing, "I'm not sure but...I've been there twice and it's weird...the way those people fight, it's like they don't get exhausted and they're so strong. I mean, really strong. I also heard..." he stopped, looking around again.
"Their magic isn't the way it was before," she opened her mouth, "I don't mean like it improved, rumour says that it's only when they're fighting that their magic is that good, otherwise they're back to normal."
"Could it be CE?" he shook his head.
"Don't think so. CE, they say, only boosts magic, but this...this is something bigger and probably worse. I heard fighters sometimes disappear, but some say they quit." he shrugged, "Who knows?"
His face filled with pity, "If your friend is there, then....I'm sorry."
She only nodded, giving him a small smile, "Thanks. I'll get you a beer on me."
He gave a slow nod and left.
This was bad
*
Later, as they left the bar, she couldn't help but inquire of Mor.
"Ever heard of the den?"
The woman looked at her in question
"Heard someone mention it at the bar," Lyla said, shrugging
Her coworker's face contorted in anger as she clicked, "Yeah, it's in the city, idiots go there to fight, and even bigger idiots go there to watch."
Well, that told her how much she liked the place. She didn't dare ask anything else about it.
"So I'm riding solo for a few days."
Mor smirked, placing her arm on her shoulders, "It's time for you to soar, my little bird." Lyla scowled, making her laugh, "You'll be okay."
Mor had asked for a leave last week, and although she hadn't said why, she suspected it had to do with their suspicious activities, if Lucien's complete absence for the past two days didn't say enough.
Of course, in those two days, she had attempted to find a way into his room, stupid, yes, but curiosity, as always, got the best of her, and she couldn't help but wonder what secrets were hidden in there, or in particular, in the lockless trunk.
All her attempts were in vain; the door was locked, and so were the windows that led into his room. In one of her attempts, she had accidentally broken a piece of wood on the window frames. She would have panicked if not for the magic in her veins, the gift of restoration, saving her from figuring out how to explain it.
To cover her scent, she tried burning incense because she could never get over that day she had listened in on his conversation with Mor, and he later stopped at her door, as if he knew what she had done.
The people of Luminaraeth had a better sense of smell, a detail she had forgotten when she gave in to her curiosity then, so now she would try to cover her tracks literally because she had made sure to wipe away her foot and fingerprints, better to be safe.
*
The next three days were as per usual, except for Mor's and Lucien's absence; she hadn't seen Felix either, although she saw no reason for him to come by anyway.
She hadn't picked up anything interesting from the bar's clients either, and she supposed she should be glad because it at least meant her brain wouldn't be doing too many cartwheels trying to find answers to the many questions she had
But you know how they say quiet is sometimes the calm before a storm. Well, whoever came up with the phrase had to be a trove of bad luck.
Before her were Lucien, Felix, and a female, but as cute and pretty as she was, that was not what made her stare. Beyond the wonder in the woman's eyes, there was something else in them that caused her alarm. Worry and despair
"We need your help," Lucien said, and the way he did…
Something was wrong