Caspian looked at the cheap phone in his hand. The screen glowed with a short text message.
He let out a long breath and rubbed the back of his neck.
He did not look like a mighty god right now. He just looked like a man who was very tired of dealing with stupid people.
Inside his chest, his newly healed core was perfectly calm. The golden lines of the Nine Dragon Lock were quiet under his skin.
But his meridians were still feeling very empty. He needed rest, not more fighting.
"Silas," Caspian said. His voice was quiet but it was very sharp. "Put the teapot down immediately. We have a big problem."
Silas froze completely. The silver pot rattled loudly against the teacup.
Silas quickly placed the pot on the table and took two big steps back. His hands were shaking.
"Yes. Of course," Silas said quickly. "Is something wrong? Did I pour the tea wrong? I can make fresh tea."
Lyra placed her warm hand on Caspian's arm. She looked into his dark eyes. "What is it?"
Caspian put the phone deep into his pocket. He gave Lyra a small, gentle smile to calm her down.
"It is nothing you need to worry about right now," Caspian said smoothly. "Just a small pest problem at the docks."
"But we have a very important meeting to go to today. Get your coat. We are going to City Hall to get your building contract."
Across the city, Desmond Caldwell was not having a peaceful morning. He stood inside the massive office of his family home.
Lord Marcus Caldwell sat behind a large dark desk. Marcus was an older man with gray hair and very cold, angry eyes.
Smack.
The loud sound echoed across the large room. Desmond held his red cheek. He stumbled backward and almost fell over.
"You are a total fool," Marcus said. His voice was low and extremely dangerous. "You hired cheap dock pirates to attack the Valerius family."
"And now the Obsidian Vault is involved. Do you know what you have done to us?"
Desmond shook with pure fear. He looked at the floor.
"Father, I am so sorry. I did not know they had that kind of protection. Who are these Obsidian Vault people anyway? They are just bankers."
Marcus stood up from his chair. He walked over to the tall window and looked out at the city streets. He squeezed his hands tightly into fists.
"They are not just bankers," Marcus said. He sounded very tired. "They are the endless money behind the Shadow Command."
"They can buy our entire family and sell us for parts before lunch. We cannot fight them with our money. And we cannot fight them with our regular guards."
"Then what do we do?" Desmond asked. His voice cracked with panic.
"The note they sent said they will buy our lives next. We have to run away. We have to hide."
"No," Marcus said sharply. He turned around to face his son. "The Caldwell family does not run away from anyone."
"If the Valerius family has shadows protecting them, then we will just hire our own shadows. I am going to call the Blood Shadow."
Desmond gasped loudly. His eyes went completely wide with horror. He grabbed the edge of a heavy leather chair to keep from falling over.
"The Blood Shadow?" Desmond asked. He sounded like he was choking on his own words. "Father, you cannot do that. They are absolute monsters. They are a secret army made of crazy killers."
"I know exactly what they are," Marcus said. "They are outcasts. They are the top tier fighters who failed to join the Shadow Command."
"They use forbidden pills to grow strong quickly. They hate the Shadow Command. They are the only group with fighters who do not fear the Sovereign."
"But calling them comes with a massive risk," Desmond shouted. He forgot to be polite. "They do not take normal money, Father. They take blood. They take souls. If you hire them, they might just kill us when the job is done."
Marcus hit the wooden desk hard with his fist. The loud bang made Desmond jump.
"Do you think we have a choice right now?" Marcus yelled. "The Obsidian Vault threatened our lives."
"The Valerius family is planning to rebuild their tower today. They are going to City Hall to sign the new building contract."
"I am going to stop them from getting that contract today. While I do that, you will go to the deep city underground. You will take our family token. You will hire the Blood Shadow."
Desmond wanted to cry. He did not want to go into the dark underground to meet killers.
But he saw the deadly look in his father's eyes. He had absolutely no choice.
Desmond nodded his head quickly and ran out of the room.
Thirty minutes later, a long black car drove through the busy streets of Oakhaven.
Lyra sat in the back seat. She wore a sharp black business dress. She looked like a true, strong leader ready for business.
Caspian sat right next to her. He wore his usual simple gray clothes. He leaned his head against the cold window and closed his eyes. He was breathing slowly, resting his core.
Silas sat in the front passenger seat. He kept turning around every two minutes to look at Caspian.
"Brother in law," Silas said quickly. "Are you too warm back there? I can tell the driver to turn on the cold air."
"Do you want some water? I brought three different bottles. I have cold water, warm water, and room temperature water."
Caspian opened one eye. He looked at his nervous brother in law and let out a soft sigh.
"Silas," Caspian said lazily. "I am perfectly fine. Turn around and look at the road please."
"Right away," Silas said loudly. He spun around so fast he almost hit his nose on the glass window. He sat perfectly straight and did not move a single muscle.
Lyra covered her mouth with her hand. She tried very hard not to laugh out loud. She leaned closer to Caspian and whispered in his ear.
"You really broke him," Lyra whispered. She had a huge smile on her face. "He is acting like my personal servant. It is crazy."
"He is finally learning some respect," Caspian whispered back. He gave her a slow wink. "Besides, it is very funny to watch him panic."
The car finally stopped in front of the large, white marble City Hall building. The driver opened the heavy doors.
Before Caspian could step out of the car, Silas jumped out of the front seat. Silas ran as fast as he could to Caspian's door. He held his hand over the door frame to block the sun.
"Watch your head, brother in law," Silas said with a massive, fake smile. "The ground is a little uneven right here. Please step very carefully so you do not trip."
Caspian stepped out onto the sidewalk. He patted Silas gently on the shoulder. Silas jumped slightly but kept his big smile frozen on his face.
Lyra walked ahead of them. She held a thick green folder in her hand. This folder had all the important papers needed to get the city building contract.
Without this legal contract, they could not fix the damaged walls of the Valerius Tower.
They walked into the large marble lobby of City Hall. They went straight up the stairs to the planning office on the second floor.
Lyra opened the wooden door to the main planning room. She stopped walking right away.
Sitting at the large meeting table was Lord Marcus Caldwell. He was drinking a cup of hot coffee. He smiled a very ugly smile when he saw Lyra walk in.
Sitting next to Marcus was Director Hayes. He was the boss of the city building department. He was a greedy man who loved money more than the law. He wore a tight brown suit and had a very red, fat face.
"Lyra Valerius," Director Hayes said. He did not stand up to greet her. He did not show any respect. "You are late."
Lyra walked proudly into the room. Caspian and Silas followed her closely. Silas stood right behind Caspian like a loyal guard dog.
"I am right on time, Director," Lyra said firmly. She placed her green folder on the heavy table. "I have all the correct papers right here. The Valerius family is ready to sign the contract to rebuild our tower today."
Director Hayes looked at Marcus Caldwell. They both shared a dirty, secret smile.
Director Hayes pushed the green folder back across the table to Lyra. He did not even open it to look at the papers.
"I am very sorry, Lyra," Director Hayes said. He did not sound sorry at all. "But the city safety rules have changed this morning."
"Your family tower is in a very bad state. It is a big danger to the public. We cannot give you a building contract."
Lyra narrowed her bright eyes. She knew they were lying. "My tower is perfectly safe. The foundation is completely solid."
"We only need to fix the outside walls and the main gates. You have absolutely no legal right to deny this paper."
Marcus Caldwell laughed softly. He stood up slowly and walked over to Lyra.
"The city cares very deeply about safety, Lyra," Marcus said. His voice was smooth and full of poison.
"But I am a very generous man. The Caldwell family has a lot of extra money right now."
"I told Director Hayes that I would gladly pay for your tower repairs myself. I will give the city all the money they need to fix your home."
Lyra crossed her arms over her chest. She glared at him. "What is the secret catch, Marcus? You do not give money away for free to anyone."
"You are a very smart girl," Marcus said. He leaned his hands on the table. "The catch is very simple."
"I will buy the repair contract for your tower. In exchange, you will sign over the deed to your eastern docks to me. Right now. Today."
Silas gasped out loud. He forgot to be quiet. He pointed a shaking finger directly at Marcus.
"You dirty thief. You planned the fire attack last night to scare us. Now you want to steal the docks legally because your pirates failed."
Director Hayes slammed his fat hand hard on the desk. "Quiet. Silas Valerius, you will show respect in my office."
"The city council completely agrees with Lord Caldwell. You give him the docks, or your family tower stays broken forever. That is my final word. I am the boss here."
Lyra stood very tall. Her face was set in pure stone. She was very angry, but she did not let them see her sweat or panic.
She remembered what Caspian had told her. She was a strong woman. She did not need to run away.
"You are totally corrupt," Lyra said loudly. Her clear voice rang through the large room.
"You take Caldwell money to ruin honest families in this city. I will never sign over my family docks to a snake."
"And I will not let you break the law just because you are greedy."
Director Hayes turned bright red with anger. He stood up quickly. "Then get out of my office right now. Your family is finished in Oakhaven."
Lyra stood her ground. But she did not know what to do next. The fat man had the final say in the city rules.
Caspian stood quietly in the back of the room. He watched the whole argument happen. He rubbed his chin smoothly.
He was actually very proud of Lyra. She did not back down from a fight with powerful men.
But now it was his turn to play the game.
Caspian pulled his cheap phone from his simple pants pocket. He typed a very quick message with one hand. He pressed send.
He looked at Director Hayes. Caspian let out a loud, tired sigh that filled the room.
"You know," Caspian said casually. He put his hands back in his pockets. "It is very annoying when people abuse their tiny bit of power. It just makes everything so messy for the rest of us."
Marcus looked past Lyra and glared at Caspian. He sneered deeply. "Who let the useless husband speak?"
"Keep your mouth shut, boy. You are very lucky I do not have you thrown in a dark jail cell for what happened at the auction yesterday."
Caspian just smiled his lazy smile. He looked closely at the clock hanging on the wall.
Ten seconds later, the heavy wooden doors of the office swung wide open.
A tall man walked into the room. He wore a perfectly clean midnight blue suit. He had silver glasses that caught the light from the window.
His face held a polite, easy smile, but his eyes were completely cold and empty.
It was Bastian. The Shadow Broker. The absolute master of the Obsidian Vault.
Behind Bastian walked two very large men in dark suits. They were carrying heavy black briefcases.
Director Hayes frowned deeply. "Who are you? This is a private city meeting. Get out of my office right now."
Bastian did not stop walking. He ignored Marcus entirely. He walked right up to the main desk.
He opened his tailored suit jacket and pulled out a single piece of crisp white paper. He placed it gently on the desk right in front of Director Hayes.
"My name is Bastian," he said smoothly. His voice was perfectly calm. "I represent a private financial investment firm."
"And as of exactly four minutes ago, we purchased the entire block of land that this City Hall sits on."
"We also bought the private bank debts of every single city council member in this building."
Director Hayes looked down at the paper. His eyes almost bugged out of his fat head. He started to sweat instantly.
He tried to speak, but his mouth was dry and no words came out.
"You cannot do that," Marcus Caldwell shouted. His face turned purple with rage. "This is a government building. It is not for sale."
Bastian finally turned his head to look at Marcus. He pushed his silver glasses up the bridge of his nose slowly.
"With enough money, Lord Caldwell, absolutely anything becomes private property," Bastian said calmly. "And we really do not like how this building department is being run today."
Bastian looked back at the sweating Director Hayes.
"Director Hayes," Bastian said. His voice was still polite but it carried absolute authority. "You are completely fired. Pack up your desk."
"If you are not out of this building in exactly five minutes, I will have the police arrest you for taking illegal bribes. My men have all your secret bank records inside those briefcases."
Director Hayes fell backward into his office chair. He was completely ruined in seconds. He did not try to argue. He just held his head in his shaking hands.
Bastian picked up the official green building contract from the desk. He pulled a beautiful gold pen from his pocket.
He signed the bottom line with a swift, elegant motion. He then picked up the official heavy city stamp and pressed it hard onto the paper.
Bastian turned around and walked over to Lyra. He bowed his head slightly. It was a very deep and respectful bow.
"Lady Valerius," Bastian said warmly. He handed her the fully approved contract.
"Your building permit is now fully cleared. All city fees have been paid in advance by our firm. Good luck with the tower repairs."
Lyra took the paper slowly. She was completely stunned. She looked at Bastian, and then she quickly looked back at Caspian standing in the corner.
Caspian was looking up at the ceiling, pretending to be very interested in a broken light bulb.
Marcus Caldwell was shaking wildly with rage. He pointed a long finger right at Bastian.
"You. You are the one who sent that broken pirate to my house this morning. You are the Obsidian Vault."
Bastian smiled softly at the angry old man. "I told you to leave the Valerius docks alone, Lord Caldwell. You did not listen to my warning."
"Now you have lost your dirty grip on the city council. Please have a wonderful day."
Marcus realized he had completely lost the game. He looked at Lyra, who was holding the winning papers. He looked at Caspian, who was still smiling that annoying, lazy smile.
"This is not over yet," Marcus hissed loudly. "You might have endless money. But money cannot stop what is coming for you. The shadows will eat your entire family alive."
Marcus turned and stormed out of the office. He walked very fast, desperate to see if his son Desmond had made the dark deal with the Blood Shadow yet.
Silas let out a massive breath of air that he had been holding in. He grabbed an empty chair and sat down quickly before he fell down. He looked directly at Caspian with wide eyes.
"Brother in law," Silas whispered. His voice was full of deep shock and awe. "Did you just buy the entire government?"
Caspian laughed softly and walked toward the door. "I just made a quick phone call, Silas. Now, let us go home. I am getting very hungry for lunch."