Markus Veren stared at the folded piece of letter on his desk, trying to read from it any other possible details he may have missed. Its edges were smudged from passing through his fingers, trying to dig into the mind of the one who wrote it without any success. The message was simple, too simple, in fact, and he knew it. He felt the same thing as the others... but they were in a bind. The fact that this Shade person was offering the return of his stolen shipment for a measly sum of gold was a risk he was going to take.
The one who ordered the potions was a local noble. And it was their breakthrough deal. Even if this letter reeked of a trap, desperation had a way of overriding caution. But, on the off chance, if this works out, and they do get their goods back...
"Shade... huh?" He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair, which he felt was about to turn grey from all the stress he was feeling.
Across from him, his younger brother Willem shifted in his seat, arms crossed tightly over his chest. His face was flushed, his jaw clenched as he bit back a torrent of curses, bringing the gold to his older brother just a few minutes ago.
"I still think that this is bullshit," Willem muttered at last, unable to contain himself any longer. "We're just supposed to trust some faceless informant? A street kid who brought some toilet paper over... For all we know, they're the ones who stole from us in the first place!"
"I heard you the first time, too, and we have been over this." Markus leaned back in his chair, the wood creaking under his weight. His expression was forced to remain calm, but his eyes were sharply staring at the letter, unable to let it go. "And I have already told you, if they were, they would have tried to sell the information for much more," he repeated once again while he tapped a finger against the note, the sound echoing faintly in the quiet room. "Whoever this 'Shade' is, they don't want money, not potions, they want to make a name."
"Then use their fucking name!" Willem snorted, "That letter tells me they don't have the means to move stolen goods safely, which means they're the thieves. Probably amateurs, and now they got cold feet..."
"No..." Rellen, Markus's son, said as he entered the room. "I had time to think while setting up our people, and I think Father is right. We have someone who is new to the city and probably trying to get a foothold. It is logical if you go from that point... With us, there are no risks; we are not big players, we have everything to lose, and they have nothing to risk."
"Hmph!" Willem scoffed again, grinding his teeth, his temper boiling constantly, "The bastards... Using us like this..."
"It is business." Markus leaned forward, his voice firm with a strange undertone as if he was finding it amusing. "And if they are playing us? Do we have a choice? This shipment was everything for us! We put all of our savings into it, too. If we don't recover it, we'll be ruined. Not just because the nobility here and in the other six cities will blacklist us, but because we will have no way to pay back any of our debts!"
"The informants probably know this." Rellen nodded, "Edvin came to the same conclusion... That is why they are showing us that they don't need money. 200 is nothing if it saves our group... They are simply asking for money because if they didn't, we wouldn't even think about entertaining the offer. However, this Shade has to be a professional..."
"..."
Although Willem wanted to say something, silence settled between them, heavy with the uncertainty of their future. Suppose the deal falls through; Lord Halbrecht won't be happy. He was the noble who turned to them to order the potions, which would be the make-or-break point of their business. Markus was right... If they failed to deliver, the consequences would be worse than just financial loss. The Veren name would be tarnished, and their reputation shattered.
"I understand." Willem slumped in his chair, his frustration evident. "So, what? We just hand over two hundred gold and hope for the best?"
"No," Rellen said, his voice reminding him of what he had just said, knowing his Uncle was too angry to pay attention to it. "We follow the instructions. We make the drop. But we're not going in blind. As I said, I made sure that our people were in place and watching. We are ready, Father."
"Ah..." Willem nodded reluctantly, though his expression remained skeptical. "I see... We'll track whoever picks up the gold and force them to talk!"
"At least, we will follow them and see what they do. Where they go." Markus said, clenching his jaw, his gaze hardening. "We will capture them only when we know we have the correct people. One way or another, I will have this Shade questioned personally, not over letters."
...
....
...
"Nice job, kid," I said, accompanying Lira when we met up with the same boy who had taken our first letter. Of course, my face was hidden behind a scarf and a long hood, shading my features before him.
"No problem, Boss!" He grinned, holding his payment, "If you have more jobs, any of you, I'm happy to oblige!"
"We do. In fact, " Lira said, watching his smudged face and thin, scrawny body. "There would be a package that needs to be retrieved and brought to us."
"I assume... the package should not end up in the city guards' hands?" He asked, giggling, showing he knew the tropes already.
"Something like that." I answered him, "And the package is hot."
"Hot?" He blinked his eyes, not really understanding it. Huh... probably not something that is used here? Anyway...
"It means," I explained, "that the package will be watched, and you will be followed after picking it up. You will need to shake off the pursuers."
"Oh, I see." The kid nodded, crossing his arms, thinking, furrowing his brows. "Guards?"
"Private ones," Lira answered, making him munch on his lower lips while thinking.
"I know the city like no other... and I am fast." The boy finally spoke up, glancing at us thoughtfully, "I can do it, but it won't be cheap, Mister and Miss! Two silver!"
"Here." I flipped a whole gold coin at him, something he snatched out of the air so quickly I could barely follow with my eyes. He looked around like a scared little squirrel, hoping nobody else saw the golden glint in the air. "Do it well, kid, and there will be more for you."
"..."
I saw the utter amazement in his eyes, the bubbling questions that he held back, forcing them down... afraid I would take back the coin if he asked anything else.
"Just don't fuck it up," I commented, making him nod, his face resolute.
"Don't worry, Mister. I won't."
...
....
...
The night was thick with humidity, the air filled with the scent of a possible storm. Maybe nature was giving us a helping hand, clouds covering the moonlight, making the streets even darker than usual. Lira and I were close by, having dinner in a nearby bar, sitting at a spot from which we could observe the shrine on the other side of the street.
We never really mentioned anything about it out loud, as I was sure that our possible future partners would have people around here somewhere. We were just here to eat somewhere where it was cheap... Nothing more, nothing less.
Still, it seems Veren & Sons are like to be precise, because they arrived right on cue.
Markus Veren himself had come, walking down the street. I recognized him solely because of our little helper's description. The boy had talent because he was not only fast but smart, too. He memorized the faces he saw inside while handing over our letter, doing all that from just a quick peak... The kid was good. If this ball gets rolling, I think I will recruit him first.
Observing from our spot, I saw that the man gestured stiffly as he walked, probably giving a signal to his people waiting close by. It didn't take long before I also noticed something else: a bit of moving in the pub as a man stood up from a table, leaving. Coincidence? Maybe... but now I had a feeling that the other two staying behind may also be working for the Veren family.
"I guess we have our people..." Lira, closer to me, whispered, "They're jumpy. They don't trust this."
"They'd be fools if they did," I murmured back, keeping my eyes on the table from where the man had just left. "Let's finish dinner and start heading back," I said, as soon as our little sprinter should scoop up the goods and be on his way.
While we were finishing up, Lira stood up to go and pay, and I kept my eyes on the outside. I watched as Markus approached the shrine's cracked offering basin, hesitating for only a moment before placing the pouch inside where we told him to, and then it vanished into the darkness within the crack. Standing there for a moment, without wasting too much time, he turned on his heel and walked away, looking determined.
Because others were watching.
As expected, by the time Marcus left, the other two at the table I noticed also went and took up a position a fair distance away, pretending to engage in conversation but facing in a way they would have a good look at where the money was.
"They're going to tail whoever picks it up," Lira muttered, her voice barely audible after returning to our table.
"Not a surprise," I smiled, feeling a little as if we were gambling here, which wasn't wrong per se. "Let's go. Maybe we can help out our little friend."
"How?" she asked, but I just smiled, holding her hand and making her grab my arm, causing her face to blush intensely.
"Just play along."
Just as we exited the pub, across the street, a small figure emerged from the shadows. Our chosen little urchin moved with the confidence of someone who belonged to these streets. He didn't lie when he said he knows the city best... He was indeed a street rat slipping through the cracks of the city with relative ease, coming from one of the dark alleys.
I watched as he darted toward the shrine, making no effort to hide his approach. He scrambled onto the stone ledge, appearing before the drop spot, his fingers finding the pouch without needing to look for long. In one swift motion, he snatched it up and was off, running into the maze of streets beyond. In my old world, he would have been a superb sprinter...
Of course, the henchmen in waiting reacted immediately. With a sharp whistle, the men sprang into action, breaking into a pursuit. Too bad they were nowhere near as fast—not even close. One was about to head in a direction, probably wanting to cut off our kid, a route that was right next to us... I don't know if he would have succeeded or not, but I wasn't going to leave it to fate.
"Watch out!" I yelped, pushing Lira behind me like a protective boyfriend, shouldering the running man straight into his chest.
Of course, he didn't expect it, his eyes on our urchin, registering way too late that he was about to crash into someone.
"Guards, guards!" I kept yelling, making a fuss, even though he was angrily on the ground, knocked off balance while I remained standing. I quickly absorbed the impact with the correct stance.
"No, you––" He gasped, wanting to curse out and also realizing why I may have 'misunderstood' the situation...
"Guards!" Lira joined in the shouting, appearing utterly frightened, hiding behind my back, clinging to me, and by then, someone did hear it as others from the pub also arrived, ready to serve some street justice, boldened by the few rounds of beer already down in their bellies.
Of course, we slipped away in the ensuing chaos, not wanting to stay for long enough for actual guards to arrive.
"What do you think?" Lira asked her, breathing quickly from all the adrenaline she was feeling, still clinging to me as we headed towards where our little urchin should make his drop off.
"I think we are in the green." I whispered, smiling, "But... we will see when we have the gold in our hands."