The first glimpse of daylight drew the excited crowd like hunger.
Men climbed toward the auction house in a loose river of robes and cloaks, faces hidden behind veils, masks, and shadows.
Flamboyant sleeves brushed against dark hoods. Rings flashed, then vanished back into gloves.
Everyone had a reason to pretend they were someone else, and no one trusted a stranger enough to show their real name.
From the outside, the auction house looked wrong in its size. Too large. Too confident.
At a distance, you could mistake it for the arena itself. Up close, it felt even bigger, the walls swallowing sound and returning it thin.
They entered and found a hall that could have held ten thousand people standing without the press of bodies.
The ceiling rose high enough that voices drifted before they fell, and the red-carpeted floor stretched wide. With every step, both spoke of luxury and comfort.
At the far end stood an entrance more than ten meters tall. Beyond it waited darkness.
