I passed through piles and more piles of books and spell tomes, cages with birds of various sizes and rarities, artifacts ranging from "valuable" to "is this a piece of enchanted shit?," and stopped in front of the counter, which was empty.
I rang the golden bell, and after a few seconds, I heard the sound of something falling from the door behind the counter, followed by a muffled curse. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the room, as if a pig were rolling down wooden stairs.
Finally, the door opened, revealing a very big fat crocodile in a pompous purple suit, adjusting his tie while scratching the scar where his left eye once was.
He sized me up with his sparkling yellow reptilian eye. Even though he was one-eyed, the bastard could see as well as a hawk. Then he pointed a finger at me and let out a disgusted growl.
"Duncan, you son of a bitch! What's this shit about you killing three of my employees last night?"
His harsh voice didn't match the style of clothing he had recently adopted.
"Listen here, Mucha, first of all, I didn't even know they worked for you. Besides, they threatened me, buddy. You know how fragile I get when people threaten me."
I materialized my dagger between my fingers and made it disappear again, just for dramatic effect.
He took a deep breath and pulled a bench from under the counter, which groaned under the weight of the "little guy".
— But was it necessary to traumatize the boy? He's still locked in his room, panicking. I had to ban cigarettes inside the dorm because when he smells smoke, he starts screaming and attacking anyone who comes near him! What on earth did you do?
I leaned on the counter, took one last drag on my cigarette, and stubbed it out in the ashtray.
Not much, I just had a bad headache. Besides, some problems came up."
As he spoke, Mucha shook his head in denial and bent down to pick up a small notebook from a drawer beside him.
He cleared his throat and licked his fingers as he began to flip through the pages.
"Well, first of all, you owe 2 gold, 25 silver, and 46 copper coins. Since we're friends, I won't charge you for the copper coins."
I muttered a curse, pulled my purse from my cape, and threw the exact amount required on the counter.
He took the coins and put them away without counting them. Then he scribbled something in his notebook, closed it, and set it aside, interlacing his fingers and looking at me.
"How can I help you?"
I took my backpack off my back and placed it on the counter. Even though it weighed nothing, it was a habit.
"I need 10 packs of cigarettes and some information."
He got up and went to a safe next to the counter hatch. He turned the combination and pulled out a large, intricately carved wooden box, from which a sweet, dense fragrance emanated.
"Even though you're one of my best customers, I have to tell you, Duncan..." He opened the box and took out eleven packs. "...you're smoking too much."
"My lungs, my rules."
"Okay." He pushed eleven boxes toward me. "This one's on the house."
I put the boxes in my bag and threw a gold coin on the counter.
Mucha put the box back in the safe and, when he returned, brought with him a small shiny purple globe with engraved inscriptions that seemed to pulsate like a heartbeat.
He took a handkerchief and an ivory monocle with gold inlays from his shirt pocket, adjusted it over his good eye, and sat down.
"So? What kind of information?"
I lit another cigarette and said after exhaling the smoke.
"I need information on two elves."
Mucha paused before placing his hands on the globe.
"You know I don't deal with elves, Duncan."
Without saying a word, I opened my bag and placed a platinum coin on the counter.
Silence.
For the first time in my life, I thought his blind eye had regained its sight.
"However..." He picked up the coin with the delicacy of someone touching a sacred treasure. "Some sacrifices are made for friends."
"Uh-huh, sacrifices. Hurry up, Lurya and Lut'hner. A noble elf with golden brown hair and a mixed-race elf bodyguard with white hair."
Mucha pressed his fat hands on the globe and began chanting words in Nekvarim, the demonic language.
"Zihak lethnoan vis..." (Who probes the abyss)
The globe glowed in kaleidoscopic patterns, flashing between shades of purple, green, and gold.
"Et meledis jeha et elnari..." (And permeates between and within the elves)
The colors settled, forming a hazy image in the center.
"On alagai rabuchi. (Connect me with Wormtail)"
The mist in the globe dissipated, revealing the shape of a gray rat with chewed ears and piercings in its nose and mouth.
The globe flashed slowly, and then...
— MUNCHADISE, YOU DAMNED CREATURE! DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS?!
The shrill voice took me by surprise.
Mucha completely ignored the rat's grumbling and asked as he lit a cigar.
"Wormtail, I need a report on two elves. First one's name: Lurya. Golden brown hair, possibly noble. Second one's name: Lut'hner. Bodyguard, mixed race, white hair."
Wormtail scratched his bare belly and snorted.
"You fucking gecko…"
I laughed when I heard that, and ended up choking on cigarette smoke. Mucha didn't even blink.
The rat disappeared, and we waited there. Half hour later, Wormtail reappeared yawning, holding a crumpled piece of paper.
"Okay... about beauty, there's no Lurya registered among the nobility in the last fifteen hundred years."
I narrowed my eyes.
What?
"None?"
"Not a single one."
That doesn't make sense. So... who the hell is she?
"What about the other one?"
Wormtail smiled crookedly, gnawing on a broken tooth.
"Ah, we have a very interesting record on this one..."
He turned the paper over.
The image of Lut'hner appeared.
"This one... Lut'hner, orphan, father and mother unknown, and he's not in the army records."
I saw a very familiar golden symbol at the top of the paper.
"He's in the royal guard records."
Mucha ran his hands over the globe and it went out as if it had been unplugged. He slammed his fist on the counter and pointed his thumb at me, looking at me like someone who had just been caught with his mistress.
"What the fuck is this, Duncan? Are you trying to fucking screw me?"
I slowly exhaled the smoke while gesturing with my hand for him to calm down.
"Calm down, gecko. You know I would never do that to you. If I had known he was a royal guard, I would never have came here."
He took another puff on his cigar and looked me in the eye.
"Hmph." He puffed on his cigar. "This is going to cost you dearly."
I took another 25 gold coins out of my purse and placed them on the table.
"As proof of my sincerity."
He took the coins while looking at me suspiciously.
I threw my purse over my shoulder and made to leave, but then stopped. I looked up at the ceiling and closed my eyes. After a few seconds, I took five platinum coins from my purse, along with a sealed parchment.
The crocodile's eyes narrowed.
"What's this?"
I swallowed hard and took a few seconds to respond.
"Put your best men on guarding Gineviv, Lina, and Zannen for me." My voice sounded colder than I expected. "And if anything happens to them..."
I pointed to the scroll.
"…rip this up.
The crocodile looked at me, then at the scroll, then back at me.
Then he let out a short, mocking laugh.
"Duncan, Duncan..." He twirled the scroll between his fingers, testing the weight of what he was holding. "This isn't the kind of dirty work you ask me to do."
He dropped his cigar into the ashtray and folded his hands on the counter.
"How many years have I known you?"
I answered without looking up.
"Long enough."
"And in all those years…" He tapped the platinum with a thick fingernail. "…have you ever given me that kind of money just to look after someone?"
Mucha leaned a little closer.
"What aren't you telling me, Duncan?"
I blinked slowly, absorbing the question.
The problem was that the answer was too long to say.
"Nothing you need to know."
Mucha watched me for another moment, his eyes snaking over every detail of my expression. Then he tucked the parchment into the inside pocket of his purple suit.
He took the plates, put each one away slowly and carefully, and let out a heavy sigh.
"How long this time?"
I looked from the crocodile to the floor.
"See you, Mucha."
I turned my back, but out of the corner of my eye I could see him smile as he took the cigar and put it in his mouth.
When I opened the door, I heard his voice behind me.
"Make sure to stay alive."
I looked over my shoulder.
Mucha was twirling the cigar between his fingers, without looking directly at me.
But his tone was serious.
"I hate losing customers.
I smiled slightly.
I pulled my hood over my head and the rain welcomed me back.